Kaspersky Lab Granted Two US Patents for Remote Administration of Computer Networks

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Kaspersky Lab, one of the leading developers of secure content and threat management solutions, announces that it has been granted two new patents in the USA – Nos. 8024449 and 8024450 – which both disclose a system and method for remote administration of a computer network. The applications were filed earlier this year, and the patents were both granted on September 20, 2011.

The first patent relates to technology used for the remote administration of a computer network through a local administration proxy. This is needed when the “software as a service” (SaaS) business model is applied - where a supplier develops a web application and administers it independently via its own server, providing the customer with online access to the software. Problems with this model can arise as some computers may not be connected to the Internet, or be located in a closed network inaccessible to the remote server. Accordingly there is a need to improve techniques for remote administration of a computer network. And this is where Kaspersky Lab’s newly patented technology comes in.

The patent covers systems, methods and computer program products for remote administration of a computer network. It does this by deploying administration agents to the computers on a network to gather information about the hardware and software configuration of each PC. Then on the basis of the collected information the performance rating for each variable of each PC is determined, and the computer with highest rating is selected to act as the local administration proxy for the network. The server then transmits control signals to this local administration proxy that instruct the agents deployed on the computers on the network to perform administrative tasks.

The second patent discloses technology intended for use in large distributed networks having a complex network topology, where personal computers cannot always be administered directly (for example, those allocated in a DMZ). The technology involves installation of special agents on all PCs on a network for collecting information, according to which the most suitable nodes are determined for delegating the necessary administrative tasks from the central server to all the computers on the network. Choosing such a node for the delegation of tasks may be based on a number of parameters, such as the location of the computer in the network topology, its availability, and so on.

The invention enables organizing apportioned interaction between the administration server and endpoints so the latter can carry out administrative operations. This helps in the administration of a large corporate network, which today may incorporate printers, scanners, fax machines, and mobile communication devices. Failures in network management may result in network security breaches, computer malfunctions, and other problems that can negatively affect productivity of employees and cost thousands of dollars in lost profits and repair costs. The current invention makes it possible to better organize interaction between the administration server and computers in the network for accomplishing all types of necessary administrative tasks for more reliability.

At present Kaspersky Lab technologies are protected by 43 Russian and 34 US patents, and has a further 32 and 47 patent applications in the two countries, respectively. Another 42 patent applications covering innovational technologies in the information security field are currently being examined by the Chinese and European patent offices.