Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Zhigu Holdings Limited

Satyajit Nath

Paul J Leach

Tanmoy Dutta

David Benson Cross

Ravindra Pandya

Muthukrishnan Paramasivam

Raja Pazhanivel Perumal

Dave M McPherson

Sunil P Gottumukkala

George Li

Charles F Rose, Iii

Dave M Mcpherson

Ravindra Nath Pandya

Charles F Rose Iii

Raja Pashanivel Perumal

One or more labels are associated with a data object. One or more policies are associated with each of the labels. Based on the labels associated with the data objects, the associated policies are dispatched to policy decision engines to take one or more actions to enforce the policy. The labels, and the policies associated with the labels, are chosen by a business administrator within an enterprise, and are implemented by an Information Technology (IT) administrator. The association between labels and polices allows the policy to be applied to an object to be decoupled from the characterization of the nature of the object, or its purpose and/or role within an enterprise, business purpose and/or context of the object. Examples of policies are: access, backup, retention, isolation, audit, etc.

Labeling of data objects to apply and enforce policies

Abstracting access control policy from access check mechanisms allows for richer expression of policy, using a declarative model with semantics, than what is permitted by the access check mechanisms. Further, abstracting access control policy allows for uniform expression of policy across multiple access check mechanisms. Proof-like reasons for any access query are provided, such as who has access to what resource, built from the policy statements themselves, independent of the access check mechanism that provide access. Access is audited and policy-based reasons for access are provided based on the access control policy.

Abstracting security policy from, and transforming to, native representations of access check mechanisms

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Satyajit Nath