Media router

#This invention relates to a method for accessing a computer system when numerous user are willing to access the system in the same period of time and more specifically to a method of distributing the security system processing for allowing access to everyone without overloading the computer system.

#It becomes more and more difficult to think of a domain where computers are not involved. Their use is now ubiquitous and we have learned to rely and depend on them. Consequently, we are almost disorganized if they are temporarily unavailable for any reasons. Indeed, computers are used to store personal information, companies data, research, calculate, trade, contact, word processing, etc, they have to be secure and access to a computer or a network has to be limited to authorized persons only. Therefore, protecting stored information from unauthorized access is a very important concern and is of growing concern for the future.

#Security systems already exist for protecting access to a computer or a network of a company. A multi-login security system for example is a system wherein access to any particular system from a computer network automatically displays the security window of this particular system. When a user wants to access Windows® for example, a display prompts the user to enter his security clearance in the form of a password for example that has to be recognized by Windows® prior to authorizing the user. A similar routine will operate if the user wants to access another system. With such a security system, a user has to go through to as many security operations as the number of systems he has to access. A security system is for protecting a network for example from unauthorized individuals, not for preventing the authorized individuals to use a computer because it is such a burden to reiterate security operations.

#Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a method of routing security process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an example of a security verification performed according to a security policy based upon a loading estimation;

#Referring now to FIG. 1, a method of routing a security process is shown. A user provides a computer system with security information that may be in the form of biometric information provided to a biometric information imager. A media router in the form of a processor detects the provision of the security information data and consults a policy of the computer system to determine an effective security process for the request and for the network. Though several possible security processes are determinable as is indicated by the letters A, B, and C, the diagram only reflects a single policy outcome for simplicity and ease of explanation. Here the access request is related to a policy requiring centralized security processing when available or local security processing when the central processor is heavily loaded. If the centralized security system is accessible, the security data provided by the user are routed to the central security system. The central security system performs a security verification and according to the results of the verification allows or denies access from the computer system to the requested network access. If the central security system is not accessible, then, the security data provided by the user are routed to a distributed security system, which is then responsible for the security verification of the user.

#Advantageously, routing the security data to a peripheral security system prevents overload of the central security system. As is apparent to a person with skill in the art, the advantages provided by routing security information to distributed security processors is controllable based on the policy of the computer network. Of course, the security policy or the processor for authenticating or rejecting a user depends on the security criteria a company or an individual want to install for protecting their network and optionally depends upon the type of access request initiated.

#Referring now to FIG. 2 an example of security verification performed according to a security policy based upon a loading estimation is shown. Further to what was shown in FIG. 1 where the accessibility of the computer system is based on an estimation of the load of the central security system, in FIG. 2, the central security system performs a security verification according to predetermined limits established by the security policy even when the central security system is loaded. Of course, when a security clearance is performed within such predetermined limits, the user, if authorized, is allowed to access the computer system only within the predetermined limits established by the security policy. In the case of an unavailability of the central security system, the information security data is stored such that if the user is willing to access the computer system outside the predetermined limits, the stored security information data are retrieved for performing the security verification at a later time. If at this time the centralized security system is accessible, it performs the security verification for authorizing or eventually denying access to the computer system. In the meantime, the user is provided access to the network only in accordance with those policies allowing network access without central security processing of user authorization requests. This, for example, is limited to company social events, non-classified documents, company phone lists, and so forth. Of course, a company may divide its security into many levels and have policies governing each such level.