# US 2018/0026985 A1 · Usage tracking in hybrid cloud computing systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0026985 A1 - Document ID: US20180026985A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/217,541 - Filed: 2016-07-22 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-22 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Inventors: Vladimir Pogrebinsky - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180026985A1 ## CPC - H04L 63/10: {for controlling access to devices or network resources} - H04L 12/14: Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - H04L 63/0892: {by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols} - H04L 63/1416: {Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection} - H04L 63/1425: {Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection} - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L 67/1095: Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Techniques for facilitating usage tracking in hybrid cloud computing systems are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method can include receiving, from a private cloud computing system, a request for uploading usage data to a storage in a public cloud computing system. The method can also include authenticating the received request based on a service subscription of the private cloud computing system, and upon authentication, providing the private cloud computing system with an access permission to store the usage data in the storage of the computing system. The method can further include receiving the usage data from the private cloud computing system submitted with the access permission and storing the received usage data in the storage of the public cloud computing system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of usage tracking between a public cloud computing system interconnected with a private cloud computing system via a computer network, the method comprising: receiving, from a connection service of the private cloud computing system, an authentication request; in response to receiving the authentication request, authenticating the connection service based on a service subscription of the connection service at the public cloud computing system; upon authentication, providing the connection service of the private cloud computing system an access permission to store usage data in a network storage in the public cloud computing system, the usage data including data representing one or more accumulated durations of use of software deployed in the private cloud computing system; and allowing, at the public cloud computing system, storage of the usage data in the network storage upon validating the access permission. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, based on the service subscription associated with the connection service of the private cloud computing system, whether the connection service is allowed to upload usage data to the public cloud computing system; and in response to determining that the connection service is allowed to upload the usage data to the public cloud computing system, providing the connection service of the private cloud computing system the access permission. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the usage data includes data representing an accumulated duration of executing software of a cloud computing platform in the private cloud computing system or of executing one or more applications on the cloud computing platform in the private cloud computing system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the usage data includes a digital signature, and wherein the method further includes analyzing the digital signature of the usage data to verify that the uploaded usage data is indeed from the private cloud computing system, and that the uploaded usage data is not altered during transmission. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein allowing, at the public cloud computing system, storage of the usage data in the network storage includes allowing storage of the usage data in the network storage under a storage account that is associated with the connection service of the private cloud computing system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein: providing the connection service of the private cloud computing system the access permission includes utilizing an access service at the public cloud computing system to generate and transmit the access permission to the connection service of the private cloud computing system; allowing, at the public cloud computing system, storage of the usage data in the network storage includes allowing storage of the usage data in the network storage under a storage account that is associated with the connection service of the private cloud computing system; and the method further includes copying the stored usage data from the storage account associated with the connection service of the private cloud computing system to another storage account associated with the access service at the public cloud computing system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising performing anomaly detection on the copied usage data in the another storage account associated with the access service at the public cloud computing system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing anomaly detection on the copied usage data in the another storage account associated with the access service at the public cloud computing system; and subsequent to performing the anomaly detection, providing the usage data to a billing service in the public cloud computing system. ### Claim 9 A method of usage tracking between a public cloud computing system interconnected with a private cloud computing system via a computer network, the method comprising: transmitting, from a connection service of the private cloud computing system, a request for storing usage data and the usage data to the public cloud computing system, the usage data including data representing one or more accumulated durations of use of software deployed in the private cloud computing system, wherein the request includes credential of the connection service associated with a service subscription of the connection service at the public cloud computing system; and upon the public cloud computing system granting access to store the usage data in a network storage in the public cloud computing system, storing the usage data from the private cloud computing system in the network storage of the public cloud computing system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein transmitting the request includes transmitting, from the connection service of the private cloud computing system, the request for storing usage data and the usage data in a single package to the public cloud computing system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the usage data by accumulating one or more durations of use of software deployed in the private cloud computing system, the software including software of a cloud computing platform deployed in the private cloud computing system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the usage data by accumulating one or more durations of use of software deployed in the private cloud computing system, the software including one or more applications executed on a cloud computing platform in the private cloud computing system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, from the public cloud computing system, connection information in response to the transmitted request for storing usage data in the public cloud computing system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, from the public cloud computing system, connection information in response to the transmitted request for storing usage data in the public cloud computing system, and wherein storing the usage data includes uploading the usage data from the private cloud computing system to the network storage of the public cloud computing system based on the received connection information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further composing: generating the usage data by utilizing a usage tracking service at the private cloud computing system; passing, from the connection service, the received connection information to the usage tracking service; and wherein storing the usage data includes utilizing the usage tracking service to upload the usage data from the private cloud computing system to the network storage of the public cloud computing system based on the received connection information. ### Claim 15 A computing system, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory containing instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform a process comprising: receiving, from another computing system, a request for uploading usage data to a storage in the computing system, the usage data including data representing one or more accumulated durations of use of software deployed in the another computing system; authenticating the received request based on a service subscription of the another computing system; upon authentication, providing the another computing system an access permission to store the usage data in the storage of the computing system; and receiving the usage data from the other computing system submitted with the access permission and storing the received usage data in the storage of the computing system without having direct access to other data in the another computing system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further composing repeating the transmitting and storing operations on a periodic basis. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computing system of claim 17 wherein storing the received usage data includes storing the received usage data in the storage under a storage account that is associated with the other computing system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computing system of claim 17 wherein: storing the received usage data includes storing the received usage data in the storage under a storage account that is associated with the other computing system; and the process performed by the one or more processors further includes: copying the stored usage data from the storage account associated with the other computing system to another storage account; and performing post-processing on the copied usage data in the another storage account. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computing system of claim 19 wherein: performing post-processing includes performing anomaly detection on the copied usage data in the another storage account; and subsequent to performing the anomaly detection, generating charges based on the post-processed usage data to users of the another computing system.