Access control in client-server systems

A telecommunications network for shared use by at least two organizations, the network comprising at least one server and a plurality of client terminals, the server being adapted to distribute at least a first component of a proxy communications object to each of the client terminals, the first distributed proxy communications object component comprising a definition of the rights and privileges of an organization to use the network,

• each client terminal being adapted so that when the organization initiates a request to the server via a proxy communications object on each client terminal, the proxy object enables comparison of the contents of the request with a definition of the rights and privileges of the organization to use the network, and, responsive to the comparison step, enabling or blocking forwarding of the request to the server,
• the first proxy communications object component being adapted to perform a comparison of security information contained in the request with the definition of the rights and privileges of the organization and to cooperate with a second component of the proxy communications object adapted to retrieve the security information from the request and to enable or block forwarding of the request to the server.

An external client user device for communication with a server on a telecommunication network for shared use by at least two organizations, the external client user device being a terminal containing memory for storing a proxy communications object comprising a definition of the rights and privileges of the user to use the network, a request to the server being initiated via the proxy communications object before communication with the server and the proxy communications object being adapted to enable comparison of the contents of the request and the definition of the rights and privileges of the user and, responsive to the comparison, enabling or blocking forwarding of the request to the server,

• the proxy communications object comprising a first proxy communications object component comprising the definition of the rights and privileges of the user to use the network, and a second proxy communications object component,
• the first proxy communications object component being adapted to perform a comparison of security information contained in the request with the definition of the rights and privileges of the user and to cooperate with the second component of the proxy communications object adapted to retrieve the security information from the request and to enable or block forwarding of the request to the server.