Controlling Electronically Communicated Resources

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices provide control over resources electronically communicated among computing devices. In some embodiments, a management application identifies multiple entities for communicating electronic content. The management application determines that at least a subset of the entities required for communicating the electronic content is available for electronic communication. The management application authorizes communication of at least some of the electronic content among the entities in response to determining that the required subset of entities is available for electronic communication.

Therefore, the following is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 identifying, by a management application executed by a processor, a plurality of entities for communicating electronic content;   determining, by the management application, that at least a required subset of entities of the plurality of entities required for communicating the electronic content is available for electronic communication; and   in response to determining that the required subset of entities is available for electronic communication, authorizing, by the management application, communication of at least some of the electronic content among the plurality of entities.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the required subset of entities comprises a configurable threshold number of entities available for electronic communication. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that at least the required subset of entities is available comprises determining, for each required entity of the required subset of entities, that a respective computing device corresponding to the required entity is authorized for electronic communication. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that at least the required subset of entities is available comprises determining, for each required entity of the required subset of entities, that a respective computing device corresponding to the required entity is compliant with at least one rule configured for controlling access to the electronic content by computing devices. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that at least the required subset of entities is available comprises determining, for each required entity of the required subset of entities, that a respective computing device corresponding to the required entity is positioned in a common geographical location. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that at least the required subset of entities is available comprises authenticating each required entity based on respective authentication data provided by a respective client application executed at a respective computing device corresponding to the required entity. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein authenticating the required entity based on respective authentication data comprises authenticating the required entity based on at least one of:
 respective information corresponding to the required entity and detected by the respective client application; and   at least one respective user input to a respective computing device corresponding to the required entity.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein authorizing the communication comprises decrypting the electronic content with an encryption key formed by performing at least one operation on each of a plurality of portions of the encryption key received from the required subset of entities. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein authorizing the communication comprises verifying secondary authentication data generated from authentication data provided by the required subset of entities. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication of electronic content is performed via an electronic meeting accessed by the plurality of entities. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising restricting the communication of the electronic content based on determining that fewer than all required entities of the required subset of entities are available for electronic communication. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising restricting the communication of the electronic content based on detecting an additional entity that lacks an authorization for electronic communication. 
     
     
         13 . A method performed by a management application executed by a processor, the method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of entities authorized for electronic communication among one another;   detecting an additional entity that lacks an authorization for electronic communication among the plurality of entities; and   restricting a communication of at least some electronic content among at least some of the plurality of entities based on detecting the additional entity that lacks the authorization.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein detecting the additional entity that lacks the authorization comprises determining that an unauthorized computing device corresponding to the additional entity is positioned in a geographical location in which a respective computing device corresponding each entity of the plurality of entities is positioned. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising performing a remedial action specified by at least one rule configured for controlling access to the electronic content in response to determining that the unauthorized computing device is non-compliant with the at least one rule. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the remedial action comprises transmitting to the unauthorized computing device a software update that is configured to bring the unauthorized computing device into compliance with the at least one rule. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the remedial action comprises transmitting a command to a client application executing on the unauthorized computing device directing the client application to erase at least some content from the unauthorized computing device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the remedial action comprises transmitting a command to a client application executing on the computing device, wherein the command directs the client application to lock the computing device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising terminating an electronic meeting accessed by the plurality of entities for the electronic communication among the plurality of entities based on detecting the additional entity that lacks the authorization. 
     
     
         20 . A system comprising:
 at least one processor; and   a computer-readable medium in communication with the at least one processor;   wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions embodied in the computer-readable medium to perform operations comprising:
 identifying a plurality of entities required for authorizing at least one communication feature of a plurality of communication features for communicating electronic content, 
 determining that each required entity of the plurality of required entities is available for electronic communication, and 
 authorizing performance of the at least one communication feature based on determining that each entity is available for electronic communication, wherein at least one additional communication feature of the plurality of communication features is available in an absence of at least one of the plurality of required entities.