Policy inheritance through nested groups

A computer-implemented method for policy inheritance, comprising:

• defining a first group wherein the first group refers to at least one of:
• a user and a group different from the first group;
• defining a second group wherein the second group is nested within the first group;
• defining a first policy wherein the first policy includes a resource, a subject and one of:
• an action and a role, and wherein the subject includes the first group;
• inheriting the first policy by the second group;
• wherein the resource is part of a resource hierarchy;
• wherein the first policy can be used to control access to the resource;
• and
• wherein the resource hierarchy represents an application.

A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon to cause a system to:

• define a first group wherein the first group refers to at least one of:
• a user and a group different from the first group;
• define a second group wherein the second group is nested within the first group;
• define a first policy wherein the first policy includes a resource, a subject and one of:
• an action and a role, and wherein the subject includes the first group;
• inherit the first policy by the second group;
• wherein the resource is part of a resource hierarchy;
• and
• wherein the first policy can be used to control access to the resource.

A computer signal embodied in a transmission medium, comprising:

• a code segment including instructions for defining a first group wherein the first group refers to at least one of:
• a user and a group different from the first group;
• a code segment including instructions for defining a second group wherein the second group is nested within the first group;
• a code segment including instructions for defining a first policy wherein the first policy includes a resource, a subject and one of:
• an action and a role, and wherein the subject includes the first group;
• a code segment including instructions for inheriting the first policy by the second group;
• wherein the resource is part of a resource hierarchy;
• and
• wherein the first policy can be used to control access to the resource.