System and method for determining effective policy profiles in a client-server architecture

Abstract

A system and method for determining effective policy profiles, is presented herein. The system includes one or more client devices configured to initiate a request for at least one effective policy profile, a server mechanism communicatively coupled to the one or more client devices and configured to receive the request for the at least one effective policy profile and determine the at least effective policy profiles for each of the requesting one or more client devices, and a policy data storage component communicatively coupled to the server mechanism and configured to store a plurality of policy profiles. The plurality of plurality of policy profiles includes an association between each of the one or more client devices and one or more of the plurality of policy profiles.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented method of providing policy profiles to client devices based on hierarchical levels, the method being implemented by a computer system that comprises one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more physical processors, a request from a client device for a policy profile;   identifying, by the one or more physical processors, multiple policy profiles for the client device;   determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether the multiple policy profiles include a policy profile associated with a first hierarchical level; and   providing, by the one or more physical processors based on the multiple policy profiles, one or more policy profiles associated with a second hierarchical level to the client device based on a determination that the multiple policy profiles do not include a policy profile associated with the first hierarchical level.   
     
     
         18 . The method of claim  16 , wherein the first hierarchical level is closer to a level corresponding to the client device than the second hierarchical level. 
     
     
         19 . The method of claim  16 , wherein the first hierarchical level corresponds to a first container, and wherein the second hierarchical level corresponds to a second container that comprises the first container. 
     
     
         20 . The method of claim  16 , wherein the first hierarchical level corresponds to the client device, and wherein the second hierarchical level corresponds to a group to which the client device belongs. 
     
     
         21 . The method of claim  16 , wherein the first hierarchical level corresponds to a group to which the client device belongs, and wherein the second hierarchical level corresponds to a container that comprises the group. 
     
     
         22 . The method of claim  16 , wherein the first hierarchical level corresponds to the client device, and wherein the second hierarchical level corresponds to a container that comprises the client device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of claim  16 , further comprising:
 determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether the client device satisfies one or more system requirements of the one or more policy profiles,   wherein providing the one or more policy profiles comprises providing the one or more policy profiles to the client device based on a determination that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 transmitting, by the one or more physical processors to the client device, a request to verify that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements; and   receiving, by the one or more physical processors from the client device, a response specifying that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements,   wherein the determination that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements is based on the receipt of the response.   
     
     
         25 . The method of claim  16 , further comprising:
 determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a local cache includes a valid policy profile for the client device,   wherein identifying the multiple policy profiles comprises identifying policy profiles for the client device in a data store in response to a determination that the local cache does not include a valid policy profile for the client device.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether policy profiles stored on the local cache include a policy profile with an age satisfying an age threshold,   wherein the determination that the local cache does not include a valid policy profile for the client device is based on the determination that the stored policy profiles do not include a policy profile with an age satisfying the age threshold.   
     
     
         27 . The method of claim  16 , wherein providing the one or more policy profiles comprises providing the one or more policy profiles to the client device without providing a policy profile of the multiple policy profiles that is associated with a third hierarchical level based on a determination that the multiple policy profiles include a policy profile associated with the second hierarchical level. 
     
     
         28 . A system for providing policy profiles to client devices based on hierarchical levels, the system comprising:
 one or more physical processors programmed to execute one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to:
 receive a request from a client device for a policy profile; 
 identify multiple policy profiles for the client device; 
 determine whether the multiple policy profiles include a policy profile associated with a first hierarchical level; and 
 provide, based on the multiple policy profiles, one or more policy profiles associated with a second hierarchical level to the client device based on a determination that the multiple policy profiles do not include a policy profile associated with the first hierarchical level. 
   
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the first hierarchical level is closer to a level corresponding to the client device than the second hierarchical level. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
 determine whether the client device satisfies one or more system requirements of the one or more policy profiles,   wherein providing the one or more policy profiles comprises providing the one or more policy profiles to the client device based on a determination that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
 transmit, to the client device, a request to verify that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements; and   receive, from the client device, a response specifying that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements,   wherein the determination that the client device satisfies the one or more system requirements is based on the receipt of the response.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
 determine whether a local cache includes a valid policy profile for the client device,   wherein identifying the multiple policy profiles comprises identifying policy profiles for the client device in a data store in response to a determination that the local cache does not include a valid policy profile for the client device.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
 determine whether policy profiles stored on the local cache include a policy profile with an age satisfying an age threshold,   wherein the determination that the local cache does not include a valid policy profile for the client device is based on the determination that the stored policy profiles do not include a policy profile with an age satisfying the age threshold.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein providing the one or more policy profiles comprises providing the one or more policy profiles to the client device without providing a policy profile of the multiple policy profiles that is associated with a third hierarchical level based on a determination that the multiple policy profiles include a policy profile associated with the second hierarchical level. 
     
     
         35 . A computer-implemented method of providing policy profiles to client devices based on hierarchical levels, the method being implemented by a computer system that comprises one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more physical processors, a request from a client device for a policy profile;   identifying, by the one or more physical processors, multiple policy profiles for the client device;   determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether the multiple policy profiles include a policy profile associated with a first hierarchical level; and   providing, by the one or more physical processors based on the multiple policy profiles, one or more policy profiles associated with the first hierarchical level to the client device without providing a policy profile of the multiple policy profiles that is associated with a second hierarchical level based on a determination that the multiple policy profiles include a policy profile associated with the first hierarchical level.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the first hierarchical level is closer to a level corresponding to the client device than the second hierarchical level.