FR3068801A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING SOFTWARE LICENSES OF AN ENTERPRISE PROVIDING SERVICES TO A CLIENT COMPANY - Google Patents

Abstract

A software license management method verifies that a company providing services to a client company has licenses associated with applications installed in a client machine (10) belonging to the client enterprise. The method comprises connecting, via a communication network, a user machine (20a, 20b) to the client machine (10), checking (E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E10, E11) of the availability in a license server (21a, 21b) associated with the user machine (20a, 20b) of a software license associated with one of the applications installed in the client machine (10), and the execution (E15) of the application if the availability of the associated software license is verified. Use as part of an "extended enterprise".

Description

The present invention relates to a software license management method.

In particular, it relates to a software license management method for several companies or enterprises providing services to a client company or enterprise, the software licenses being associated with applications belonging to the client enterprise.

The invention also relates to a software license management system.

In the context of an "extended enterprise", that is to say a group of enterprises or companies having common activities, enterprises such as service providers, service providers or subcontractors, provide services to a client business.

In general, the client company and the companies providing services share resources such as applications or software programs. For example, the company providing the services uses the client company's software programs or applications. Thus, a user machine of a company providing services connects via a communication network to a client machine of the client company in order to execute applications or software programs installed in the client machine. Thus, the user machine of the company providing services once connected to the client machine, implements a virtual office associated with the client machine in order to be able to control the applications or software programs installed on this client machine.

For the use of these software programs or applications, both the client company and the company providing services must be in possession of software licenses associated with the applications or software programs.

In general, the client company contractually requires companies providing services to obtain these licenses.

However, during the execution of software applications or programs, the client company does not have the means to verify that the company providing it services has obtained software licenses respectively associated with the applications or software programs executed.

In fact, a user device connected to a client device can execute an application in the client device using a license belonging to the client company although no software license associated with the application is provided by the company. providing services.

The present invention aims to provide a software license management method allowing a client company to implement or execute software applications or programs controlled from a company providing services, from a software license belonging to the company providing the services. This process thus makes it possible to ensure that the companies providing the services have the software licenses necessary for the execution of the applications or software programs executed by client machines of the client company.

To this end, the invention aims according to a first aspect, a method of managing software licenses in a software license management system comprising a user machine of a company providing services and a client machine of a client company communicating with each other through a communication network, the method comprising controlling from the user machine an application installed in a program memory of the client machine.

According to the invention, the management method comprises:

- the verification of the availability in a license server associated with the user device of a software license associated with the application, and

- the execution of the application if the availability of the associated software license is checked.

Thus, before the execution of an application installed in a client machine and implemented by a user machine, the existence in a license server associated with the user machine of a software license associated with the application is verified.

Note that the client machine belongs to a client company and that the user machine belongs to a company providing services to the client company.

If the license server associated with the user device does not have a license associated with an application, the user device will not be able to run the application.

Therefore, the client enterprise can verify that the enterprise providing services using an application has obtained a software license associated with the application.

According to other possible characteristics, taken alone or in combination with one another:

- the verification includes:

a first step of issuing, by a client module for managing licenses associated with the client device, a software license request intended for said license server associated with the user device, and

- a response step by the license server associated with the user device, transmitting information relating to the software license associated with the application;

- the software license request is received by a platform cooperating with the user device and the client device, the first step of issuing a license request comprising sub-steps of:

- authentication by the platform of the software license request, and

- transfer by the platform of the software license request to the license server associated with the user device;

the management method comprises a step of verification by the software license management user module of the availability of the software license in the user license server, the response step being implemented by the user license server if the software license is available at the verification stage;

- the information relating to the license sent during the response stage is received by the platform, the response stage comprising the transfer by the platform of the information relating to the license to the client module for managing licenses;

- the platform is distant from the client machine and the user machine;

- the management process includes a step of obtaining the software license when the availability of the software license associated with the application is verified.

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a software license management system associated with applications, comprising a client machine of a client company, in which the applications are installed, a user machine of a company providing services, remote from the client machine, and communication means allowing communication via a communication network between the user machine and the client machine, the user machine comprising means for controlling an application installed in a program memory from the client machine.

According to the invention, the license management system further comprises:

a module for verifying the availability in a license server associated with said user machine, of a software license associated with one of said applications installed in said client machine, and

- a processing unit associated with the client machine enabling the application to be executed if the availability of the associated software license is verified by the verification modules.

According to one possible characteristic, the software license management system comprises an external platform remote from the user device and the client device.

The license management system has characteristics and advantages similar to those described above in relation to the license management method.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the description below.

In the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples:

- Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a license management system according to one embodiment of the invention; and

- Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating steps of the license management method according to an embodiment of the invention.

The present invention finds its application in the context of an "extended enterprise", that is to say of a set of enterprises having activities in common. In this context, a client company subcontracts the services of at least one service provider or provider company.

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a license management system 100 according to one embodiment.

Note that exchanges between the parties forming the license management system 100 during the implementation of the license management method (which will be described with reference to FIG. 2) are also shown.

In an extended enterprise, electronic equipment 1 of a client enterprise is connected to electronic equipment 2a, 2b of enterprises providing services or enterprises providing services. Such electronic equipment 1, 2a, 2b comprise means of communication in the form of modulators-demodulators making it possible to advantageously communicate via a determined communication network, such as for example the Internet. The electronic equipment 2a, 2b of each company providing services mainly comprises at least one user machine 20a, 20b, for example a tablet or a personal computer, and at least one license server 21a, 21b associated with said at least one user machine 20a, 20b.

The user machine 20a, 20b comprises a processing unit cooperating by coupling and / or by wired bus with a data memory, and capable of connecting via a communication network to the electronic equipment 1 of the client company and putting using a virtual machine or virtual office (known in English terminology as "Virtual Desktop" (VD))

The license server 21a, 21b records license data allowing the implementation or the execution of the applications or software programs installed in the electronic equipment 1 of the client company that the company providing the services must use and control to provide the service provided with the client enterprise 1. Such a license server 21a, 21b therefore comprises a processing unit cooperating by coupling and / or by wired bus with a data memory, for example in the form of a base data, comprising one or more records respectively associated with a software application or program. By way of nonlimiting example, each record can include an application identifier and license data, such as by way of nonlimiting example a license identifier, a license key, commonly called a token or “token”. in English, and an attribute characterizing the availability of the license.

The equipment 2a, 2b of a company providing services also comprises a software license management module 22a, 22b comprising program instructions recorded in a program memory of the user machine 20a, 20b making it possible to request a license key, with the license server 21a, 21b as will be described later with reference to FIG. 2. By way of simplification, a license key will be named license in the rest of the document.

According to a variant of the invention, the license server 21a, 21b and the user machine 20a, 20b form a single electronic device. Note that in the embodiment shown, the electronic equipment of two companies providing services are represented. Of course, this example is not limiting, the number of companies providing services may be different.

In other embodiments, the electronic equipment 2a, 2b shown could belong to the same service company but being located in different sites.

The client company includes electronic equipment 1 necessary for the execution of the applications executed for the implementation of the services subcontracted to the companies providing the services. The equipment 1 of the client company comprises client machines 10 in which the applications are installed, for example in a program memory. Said program memory can therefore cooperate either by coupling and / or by wired bus with a processing unit capable of implementing said applications. By way of nonlimiting example, the client machines 10 can be servers or computers.

When a person employed by the company providing services or provider company (here called "user") wants to run an application installed in the client machine 10, he uses a user machine 20a, 20b in order to access the equipment 1 of the client company.

When the user machine 20a, 20b connects via a communication network, to a client machine 10 of the electronic equipment 1 of the client company, the user machine 20a, 20b and the client machine 10a, 10b use a virtual machine or virtual office (known in English terminology as "Virtual Desktop >> (VD)). The latter is returned to a user of the user machine 20a, 20b by means of a human-machine playback interface, such as a screen and / or speakers for example. Such a human-machine rendering interface cooperates with the processing unit of the user machine 20a, 20b.

Like the electronic equipment 2a, 2b of a company providing services, the electronic equipment 1 of the client company also comprises a software license management module 12 comprising program instructions recorded in the program memory from the client machine 10a, 10b.

The electronic equipment 1 of the client company also comprises a verification module 11 comprising program instructions recorded in the program memory of the client machine 10.

As will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, the verification module 11 allows the verification of information relating to the company providing the services and the authentication of the identity of the user accessing the equipment 1 of the client company. Once the identity of the user has been authenticated, the verification module 11 informs the license management module 12 to which company providing services belongs to the user implementing the connection between the user machine 20a, 20b and l equipment 1 of the client company.

Thus, depending on the company providing the identified services, the verification module 11 makes it possible to identify the application necessary for the execution of the service associated with the company providing the identified services.

The means and steps necessary for authenticating the identity of a user of the user machine 20a, 20b as well as for verifying information relating to the company providing services 2a, 2b are known to the user. skilled in the art and will not be detailed here.

The license management system 100 further comprises a platform 3 comprising a set of servers 30 making it possible to manage the connections between the electronic equipment 1 of the client company and the electronic equipment 2a, 2b of the companies providing the services. Such a platform 3 therefore comprises a data memory and a program memory cooperating either by coupling and / or by a wired bus with a processing unit and at least one communication means in the form of a demodulator modulator making it possible to communicate advantageously via a communication network with the electronic equipment 1 of the client company and the electronic equipment 2a, 2b of companies providing services. The program memory includes program instructions interpretable and / or executable by the processing unit of the platform 3 making it possible to implement steps of the software license management method according to the invention. In the embodiment described, the platform 3 is external to the client company 1 and to the companies providing services 2a, 2b. Alternatively it can be integrated into the electronic equipment 1 of the client company

In the preferred embodiment, the platform 3 is a secure platform independent of the client company and of the companies providing services, the electronic equipment 1, 2a, 2b of these companies thus being distant from the platform 3 and being able to access this platform 3 via a communication network (not visible in the figure).

According to one embodiment of the invention, the platform 3 can be managed by a third-party company that can use the services offered by the "Cloud". As is known, the "Cloud" comprises hardware and software equipment configured to provide various services to users accessing this equipment via a communication network such as the Internet.

The use of a platform 3 external to client companies and to companies providing services, to manage the connections between the electronic equipment 1, 2a, 2b of the companies, and in particular for the management of software licenses, makes it possible to secure the companies' electronic equipment 1,2a, 2b.

Indeed, as will be described with reference to FIG. 2, the communications between the user machines 20a, 20b and the client machine 10 are managed by the platform 3.

FIG. 2 represents steps of the software license management method according to an embodiment.

The software license management method can be implemented by a license management system 100 as just described with reference to FIG. 1. The steps of the method are also represented in FIG. 1 thus allowing to illustrate the implementation of the process. It will be noted that FIG. 2 represents exchanges implemented between the electronic equipment 1 of the client company, the electronic equipment 2a, 2b of a company providing services and the platform 3.

When a user wishes to run an application in the client machine 10 to perform a service on behalf of the company providing services, or service associated with the company providing services, he uses a user machine 20a, 20b of the company providing the services. The user machine 20a, 20b connects during a connection step E1, via a communication network, to the client machine 10. Once the user machine 20a, 20b and the client machine 10 are connected, the processing unit of the user machine 20 implements a virtual office associated with the client machine 10 ("Virtual Desktop"). Such an implementation can be triggered following a request from the user of a man-machine setpoint interface cooperating with the user machine 20a, 20b, such as a keyboard or a touch screen for example. Said request can therefore be translated into a set of instructions interpretable by the processing unit of the user machine 20a, 20b.

To perform a service, the user requires the execution or implementation of an application. The client machine 10 then addresses, during a step of requesting licenses E2, a request requesting licenses for said application to the software license management module 12. According to one embodiment, this step can be triggered following a request to open the application.

The software license management module 12 of the client company sends to the verification module 11, during a step of requesting information E3, a request requesting information relating to the provider company to which the machine d user 20a, 20b. Thus, the verification module 11 knows for example which company providing the services belongs to the user who has implemented the connection of the user machine 20a, 20b with the electronic equipment 1 of the client company.

During a response step E4, the verification module 11 informs the software license management module 12 of the client company (or client software license management module 12) of the service provider to which the user machine 20a, 20b and / or the licenses necessary for the implementation of the subcontracted services.

Thus, for example, during the step of requesting licenses E2, information relating to the user, such as an identifier number and a password associated with the user are sent to the client module for managing licenses 12, this module 12 returning it to the verification module 11 during the step of requesting information E3.

According to embodiments, during the response step E4, the verification module 11 addresses to the software license management client module 12, the identity of the company providing the services and / or a list of applications. necessary for the implementation of the services. In another embodiment, the verification module 11 can send to the software license management client module 12 a list identifying the software licenses required and which must be requested from the license management module 21 of the service provider company.

In one embodiment (not shown), the license management method comprises steps for authenticating the identity of the user using the user machine 20a, 20b. In the event of user authentication, the steps described below E2, E3, E4 are implemented. Otherwise, the software management process is stopped. These authentication steps being known to the skilled person, they will not be described here.

Once the client license management module 12 is aware of the licenses necessary for the application or applications that will be implemented by the user, the verification of the existence in the associated license server 21a, 21b at the user machine 20a, 20b is implemented.

Thus, for an application, the verification of the existence or availability of a software license associated with the application which is going to be executed, comprises several steps.

The verification includes a first step of developing and issuing E5 of a software license request to the platform 3 issued from the electronic equipment 1 of the client company.

The processing unit in platform 3 implements an authentication step E6 of the software license request received. Such an E6 authentication step may consist in verifying the existence of a license server associated with the identified service provider company. The data memory of platform 3 can therefore include one or more records dedicated to a company providing services comprising a company identifier and the computer address of the license server 21a, 21b associated with said company providing services. The authentication step E6 can therefore consist in finding and extracting from the data memory of the platform 3 the computer address of said server 21a, 21b.

In the event of positive authentication of the software license request, for example if an IT address of said license server 21a, 21b exists, the external platform 3 transfers, during a transfer step E7, the software license request to license management module 22a, 22b associated with the user machine 20a, 20b.

During a verification step E8, the processing unit of the user machine 20a, 20b searches the license server 21a, 21b for the availability of a license associated with the application which is to be executed. Such a verification step E8 can consist in searching for a record associated with the application comprising an attribute characterizing the availability of the license for which the value translates an availability of the license. For example, the value of such an attribute can be equal to "1" to characterize the availability of the license and can be equal to "0" or a value "null" or "empty" to characterize the unavailability of the Licence. Any other computer technique can be considered.

In the absence of a registration associated with the application, the license is considered non-existent. For the sake of simplification when a license does not exist, he will refer in the following to the document to an unavailable license.

If no license associated with the application is available, the user license server 21a, 21b sends an error message E80 to the user machine 20a, 20b, in order to inform the user that none license is available for this application. Such an error message can be returned to the user through the user-machine playback interface of the user machine 20a, 20b.

Otherwise, when at least one software license is available, the user license server 21a, 21b transmits, during a response step E9, information relating to the software license associated with the application to the software license management user module 22a, 22b, itself transmitting it to the external platform 3 during a first transfer step E10. Such information relating to the software license may consist, by way of nonlimiting example, of the attribute characterizing the availability of the license.

The external platform 3 knowing the service provider to which the user machine 20a, 20b belongs, having implemented the connection with the client machine 10 and receiving said information relating to said license issued during said response step E9, transfers the information relating to the software license to the software license management client module 12 during a second transfer step E11.

The software license management client module 12 in turn transfers the software license information to the client machine 10, during a third transfer step E12.

When the availability of said software license associated with said application has been verified, a step of obtaining the software license (E13, E14) follows.

When obtaining the software license, the client machine 10 transmits during a second emission step E13, a software license request as a function of the information relating to the software license received in the third step transfer E13. The license server 21a, 21b responds to this request, during a second response step E14, with the requested software license.

In one embodiment, the software license includes a series of alphanumeric characters, but may have other forms.

Once the client machine 10 has received the software license from the software license server 21a, 21b associated with the user machine 20, the application is executed during the execution step E15 by the processing unit of the client machine 10 by consuming the license of the service provider company. The application is then controlled during an E16 piloting step from the electronic equipment 2a, 2b of the service provider company.

Claims (9)

1. Method for managing software licenses in a software license management system comprising a user machine (20a, 20b) of a company providing services and a client machine (10) of a customer company communicating between them through a communication network, said method comprising controlling (E16) from the user machine (20a, 20b) an application installed in a program memory of the client machine (10), said method being characterized in that it comprises: - checking (E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E10, E11) of the availability in an associated license server (21a, 21b) of said user machine (20a, 20b) of an associated software license to said application, and - the execution (E15) of said application if the availability of said associated software license is checked. 2. Management method according to claim 1, characterized in that said verification comprises: a first step of sending (E5, E6, E7) by a license management client module (12) associated with the client machine (10), of a software license request intended for said license server (21a, 21b) associated with said user machine (20a, 20b), and - a response step (E9, E10, E11, E12) by said license server (21a, 21b) associated with said user machine (20a, 20b), transmitting information relating to the software license associated with said application . 3. Management method according to claim 2, characterized in that said software license request is received by a platform (3) cooperating with the user machine (20a, 20b) and the client machine (10), said first step of issuing (E5, E6, E7) a license request comprising sub-steps of: - authentication (E6) by said platform (3) of said software license request, and - transfer (E7) by said platform (3) of said software license request to said license server (21a, 21b) associated with said user machine (20a, 20b). 4. Management method according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a step of verification (E8) by the software license management user module (22a, 22b), of the availability of the license of software in the user license server (21a, 21b), said response step (E9, E10, E11) being implemented by the user license server (21a, 21b) if said software license is available at said verification step (E8). 5. Management method according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that said information relating to said license issued during said response step (E9, E10, E11) is received by said platform (3), said response step (E9, E10, E11) comprising the transfer (E11) by said platform (3) of said information relating to said license to the client license management module (12). 6. Management method according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that said platform (3) is distant from said client machine (10) and said user machine (20a, 20b). 7. Management method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a step of obtaining (E13, E14) the software license when the availability of said software license associated with said application is verified. 8. Software license management system associated with applications, comprising a client machine (10) of a client company, in which said applications are installed, a user machine (20a, 20b) of a company providing services, remote from said client machine (10), and communication means allowing communication via a communication network between the user machine (20a, 20b) and said client machine (10), said user machine (20a , 20b) comprising means for controlling an application installed in a program memory of said client machine (10), said license management system (100) being characterized in that it further comprises: - a module for checking the availability in a license server (22a, 22b) associated with said user machine (20a, 20b), of a 5 software license associated with one of said applications installed in said client machine (10), and - a processing unit associated with the client machine (10) allowing the execution of said application if the availability of said associated software license is verified by said verification module. 10 9. Software license management system according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises an external platform (3) remote from said user machine (20a, 20b) and from said client machine (10). 1/1