Distributed user validation and profile management system

A method of electronically determining a status of multiple users within a computer network, the method comprising:

• storing a status indication for each of a plurality of users having access to the computer network, the status indication for each particular one of the plurality of users including profile information for the particular user indicating access rights that the particular user has to one or more applications available via the computer network;
• assigning each of the plurality of users to either a first user set or to a second user set;
• automatically and periodically sending a first electronic validation request to each of one or more of the first users assigned to the first user set requiring the one or more first users within the first user set to respond to the first electronic validation requests to validate the status of at least one second user assigned to the second user set;
• determining the validity of the status indication of at least one of the second users within the second user set based on the receipt of one or more responses to the first electronic validation requests;
• automatically and periodically sending a second electronic validation request to each of one or more second users within the second user set requiring the one or more second users within the second user set to respond to the second electronic validation requests to validate the status of at least one first user assigned to the first user set;
• determining the validity of the status indication of at least one of the first users within the first user set based on the receipt of one or more responses to the second electronic validation requests;
• determining, for at least one of the first users within the first user set, whether to provide the at least one first user access to the one or more applications available via the computer network based on determining the validity of the status indication of the at least one first user;
• and
• determining, for at least one of the second users within the second user set, whether to provide the at least one second user access to the one or more applications available via the computer network based on determining the validity of the status indication of the at least one second user.

A user validation system for use in a computer network, the user validation system comprising:

• a user profile database storing, for each particular one of a plurality of users having access to the computer network, a status indication including profile information for the particular user indicating access rights that the particular user has to one or more applications available via the computer network;
• a validation database that associates each of the plurality of users to either a first user set or to a second user set so that first users are in the first user set and second users are in the second user set;
• a validation engine executing on a computing device that:
• automatically and periodically sends a first electronic validation request to each of one or more of the first users in the first user set requiring each of the one or more first users in the first user set to respond to one of the first electronic validation requests to validate the status of at least one second user in the second user set;
• automatically and periodically sends a second electronic validation request to each of one or more second users in the second user set requiring each of the one or more second users in the second user set to respond to one of the second electronic validation requests to validate the status of at least one first user in the first user set;
• receives responses to the first electronic validation requests and to the second electronic validation requests;
• stores indications in the validation database indicative of information associated with the receipt of the responses to the first electronic validation requests and the second electronic validation requests;
• and
• determines the validity of the status indication of at least one of the plurality of users based on the stored information associated with the receipt of the responses to the first electronic validation requests and the second electronic validation requests associated with the at least one of the plurality of users;
• and
• a security engine executing on the computing device to allow or deny access of any particular one of the plurality of users to the one or more applications available via the computer network based on the determination, by the validation engine, of the validity of the status indication of the particular user.