System and method for extending cloud services into the customer premise

A method for extending cloud services into the customer premise comprising:

• providing a cloud extension agent for execution on a computer that is part of a corporate network, which is separated from the Internet by at least one firewall that operates independently of the cloud extension agent, wherein the cloud extension agent is configured to:
• initiate a secure connection to a remote data-center over the Internet, outbound through the at least one firewall, using a standard internet protocol,
• gather predetermined status information, from one or more local computing resources on the corporate network,
• report, via the secure connection the predetermined status information to the cloud-based management platform via the secure network connection,
• receive, via the secure connection, a first set of instructions for configuration of the one or more local computing resources on the local network, and
• change the configuration of the one or more local computing resources in response to the first set of instructions via an API exposed by the one or more local resources;
• and
• providing to an administrator, as part of the remote data-center, a web-based portal that allows the administrator to request configuration changes to the one or more local computing resources and to select the type of status information that defines the predetermined status information;
• and
• creating, in response to requested configuration changes initiated via the web-based portal, the first set of instructions to be sent to the cloud extension agent via the secure connection.

A method for providing cloud-based management of corporate computing resources comprising:

• providing, at one or more remote data centers, a web-based interface for management of a plurality of computing devices on a corporate network, which is isolated via a firewall;
• maintaining, in a database associated with the one or more remote data centers that contains substantially real time status information pertaining to the plurality of computing devices;
• receiving, over the Internet status information pertaining to configuration and a compliance status of each of the plurality of computing devices via a first secure connection initiated through the firewall using a standard internet protocol by a cloud extension agent operating on at least one of the plurality of computing devices;
• and
• in response to policy changes initiated through the web-based interface, sending control instructions over the first secure connection from the one or more remote data centers to the cloud extension agent;
• wherein the first cloud extension agent is configured to execute the control instructions to configure one or more servers on the corporate network.