Access control and protocol/policy determination based on the client's environment

A data management device that manages data, provides the data to a client connected over a network and is configured to perform communications in accordance with a plurality of types of protocols, comprising:

• an access right managing section that manages an access right of a user to the data;
• a basic policy information managing section that manages basic policy information concerning each of the plurality of types of protocols used in providing the data to the client with respect to a data management device as a whole;
• a protocol information managing section that manages protocol information that sets, for each of the plurality of types of protocols, data configured to utilize each of the plurality of types of protocols for providing the data;
• an analyzing section that analyzes an environment of the client environment when a request for data is received from the client;
• a protocol determining section that determines a required protocol used in providing the requested data in accordance with the client environment analyzed by the analyzing section, the access right being managed by the access right managing section, the basic policy information being managed by the basic policy information managing section, and the protocol information being managed by the protocol information managing section, wherein
• the analyzing section further compares the requested protocol used for the data request from the client with the required protocol and determines whether the requested protocol is different from the required protocol;
• and
• a requesting section that, if the requested protocol is different from the required protocol, requests the client to reconnect using the required protocol, wherein upon reconnection, the protocol determining section does not re-determine the protocol used in providing the requested data,
• wherein the protocol information further includes excluding information that enables access to the data without requiring the client to use the determined protocol if at least one of the following is satisfied:
• (1) the user of the client is specified in the excluding information, and (2) the user of the client has the access right specified in the excluding information.

A data management method that manages data, provides the data to a client connected over a network and is capable of performing communications in accordance with a plurality of types of protocols, comprising:

• managing an access right of a user to the data;
• managing basic policy information concerning the plurality of types of protocols used in providing the data to the client with respect to a data management device as a whole;
• managing protocol information that sets, for each of the plurality of types of protocols, data configured to utilize each of the plurality of types of protocols for providing the data;
• analyzing an environment of the client when a request for data is received from the client;
• determining a required protocol to provide the requested data to the client in accordance with the analyzed client environment, the access right, the basic policy information and the protocol information;
• comparing a requested protocol used in the client request for data with the required protocol;
• determining whether the requested protocol is different from the required protocol;
• and
• if the requested protocol is different from the required protocol, requesting the client to reconnect using the required protocol, wherein upon reconnection, a re-determination of the required protocol used in providing the requested data does not occur, wherein the above steps are performed by a general purpose computer,
• wherein the protocol information further includes excluding information that enables access to the data without requiring the client to use the required protocol if at least one of the following is satisfied:
• (1) the user of the client is specified in the excluding information, and (2) the user of the client has the access right specified in the excluding information.