WO2018096561A1 - System and method for delivering wi-fi and internet of things (iot) based applications through an integrated service delivery platform - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiments herein provide an integrated service delivery platform for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications. The embodiments herein also comprises an intelligent operating system in the devices, along with multi-vendor and multi-location support. The embodiments herein provide inherent intelligence for IoT activities along with Hotspot and Wi-Fi services. The embodiments herein also comprise a multi-tiered licensing system, an integrated Wi-Fi management system, a workflow based multi-vendor authentication service with customized captive portal and ad-hoc networking blocking module. The embodiments herein also provide a system for enabling multi-vendor device configuration, monitoring and methods to implement user security policies in a plurality of end-devices.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING WI-FI AND INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) BASED APPLICATIONS THROUGH AN

INTEGRATED SERVICE DELIVERY PLATFORM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The embodiments herein claim the priority of the Indian Provisional Patent Application with the serial number 201641028583 and entitled, "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AN INTEGRATED SERVICE DELIVERY PLATFORM" filed on August 22, 2016 and subsequently postdated by 3 Months to November 22, 2016 and the contents of which are included entirely as reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments herein are generally related to a system and method for an integrated service delivery platform. The embodiments herein are particularly related to a software defined service delivery platform for Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The embodiments herein are more particularly related to a system and method for providing an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications along with intelligent operating system in the devices of multi-vendor and multi-location support through multi-vendor access points and IoT gateways.

Description of the Related Art

[0003] In today's world, multiple network business services are not designed, managed and configured as a single system. Multiple services and systems are managed as individual point systems. At any time today the Managed Service Providers, when a user rolls out services, the user designs and integrates various components at various places and then rolls out a service, which results in a huge effort manually and complexities evolve to support multi-vendor and multi-location systems.

[0004] In the rolling out of a Wi-Fi business service, a managed service uses single- point solution from a respective OEM vendor while the deployments are for multiple vendors. Each OEM vendor has their own management systems for the respective Wi-Fi hardware and here is no coordinated way of rolling out the services. The management systems from the vendors are built to manage a device and not a service.

[0005] Currently there are no multi- vendor Wi-Fi management systems with multiple intelligent operating systems. There is also a lack of an integrated business to service delivery platform for Internet of Things (IoT) and Wi-Fi, where a business problem is broken into workflows with the various networking components integrated in a single platform.

[0006] Hence, there is a need for an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications along with an intelligent operating system in the devices, multi-vendor and multi-location support. Further there is a need for a system and method for providing an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications along with intelligent operating system in the devices of multi- vendor and multi-location support through multi-vendor access points and IoT gateways.

[0007] The abovementioned shortcomings, disadvantages and problems are addressed herein, which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification.

OBJECTIVES OF THE EMBODIMENTS HEREIN

[0008] The primary object of the embodiments herein is to provide a system and method for developing an integrated service delivery platform for delivering Wi-Fi and IoT based applications along with intelligent operating system in the multi-vendor and multi- location support devices through multi-vendor access points and IoT gateways. [0009] Another object of the embodiments herein is to provide a system and method for providing service-centric, multi-vendor Wi-Fi-as-a-Service, and IoT applications through a single platform.

[0010] Yet another objective of the embodiments herein is to provide an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) based applications along with intelligent operating system in the devices, multi-vendor and multi- location support.

[0011] Yet another objective of the embodiments herein is to provide a smart city box configured to deploy, manage and monetize wireless services and IoT applications across a smart city.

[0012] Yet another objective of the embodiments herein is to provide an IoT Service Flow description, where management system and analytics converge to provide fluidic environment for design of business-to-technology services.

[0013] Yet another objective of the embodiments herein is to a system and method for an integrated service delivery platform that comprises a multi-tenant architecture to support multiple organizations and a service component definition of multiple components that comprise of the defined services.

[0014] Yet another objective of the embodiments herein is to a system and method for an integrated service delivery platform that comprises a self-configuration engine, which re-configures and manages the system based on the services on the predefined service parameters.

[0015] Yet another objective of the embodiments herein is to a system and method for an integrated service delivery platform that comprises an intelligent operating system integrated into Wi-Fi and IoT devices, to provide inherent intelligence for IoT activities along with hotspot and Wi-Fi services. [0016] These and other objectives and advantages of the embodiments herein will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY

[0017] The embodiments herein provide a system and method for generating an integrated service delivery platform. The system comprises a software defined service delivery platform for Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The embodiments herein also provide an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications along with intelligent operating system in the multi-vendor and multi-location support devices.

[0018] According to an embodiment herein, a system for delivering wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services on computing devices along with multi-vendor and multi-location support is provided. The system comprises a hardware processor coupled to a memory containing instructions configured for providing wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services along with multi-vendor and multi-location support. The system includes a display screen coupled to the hardware processor for providing a user interface on a computing device. The system includes a service license manager, wherein the service license manager is a multi- tiered licensing module that is configured to assign licenses through a global pool to the organizations and channel partners. The system includes a Wi-Fi management module to seamlessly deploy Wi-Fi services at a plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the Wi-Fi management module is also configured to manage Wi-Fi access points at the plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the plurality of locations comprises one of enterprises, hotels, hospitals, campus, and events. The system includes a Wi-Fi on wheels module to provide Wi-Fi services to users in moving vehicles with user control options comprising captive portal, bandwidth management, and advertisement distribution, wherein the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to manage media, and manage advertisement. The system includes a smart city box that is configured to deploy, manage and monetize the services across a smart city. The smart city box is further configured to provide hotspot management, mobile data off-load, host and manage media applications, host and manage IoT applications, location based services, and advertisement management. The system includes a Wi-Fi monetization manager configured to manage advertisements and media provided along with the free Wi-Fi, wherein the Wi-Fi monetization module provides billing options for digital advertisements. The system includes a multi-vendor authentication module with the customized captive portal, wherein the customized captive portal enables to define at least one of user authorization source, time based policies, and workflow direction. The authentication module is further configured to authenticate and authorize services addressing multiple protocols from a plurality of vendors. The system includes a multi- vendor device configuration and monitoring module configured to define device parameters. The multi- vendor device configuration and monitoring module is further configured to monitor devices across multiple vendors and protocols. The system includes a user security engine configured to generate a data model of user security policies, and wherein the user security engine is further configured to automate the generation of security policies to a plurality of users.

[0019] According to an embodiment herein, the smart city box is further configured to provide media applications from a centralized platform, wherein the media application is archived and updated periodically along with providing access to the media through the mobile application. The smart city box is further configured to provide an ability to host and manage IoT applications from a single platform. The smart city box is further configured to identify the location of the users, their presence, along with age, gender and so forth, and help service providers, to give/deliver targeted services to the customers. [0020] According to an embodiment herein, the Wi-Fi management module is configured to manage security, bandwidth and user policies. Further, the service license manager is configured to assign licenses to the channel partners below the hierarchy, and the channel partners are configured to add the organizations who are licensed to provide the services. The multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module is configured to analyze data across multiple devices. The system further comprises a dashboard configured for providing a holistic view of the entire Wi-Fi network covering, inventory, fault, performance, and security. The system includes a captive Portal and Bandwidth management system configured to enable an organization to draw the Secure Network Access policies across the various roles in an organization. The system includes a radius product configured to allow/enable the organizations draw their authentication, authorization and accounting policies for the Wi-Fi access for the organization. The system comprises a Content and URL filter service module configured to provide seamless URL categorization and filtering services, and wherein each URL being accessed is verified and validated for secure and safe access across the web.

[0021] According to an embodiment herein, the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to provide in- vehicle entertainment through mobile applications; to provide advertisement management through captive portal advertisements, mobile application advertisements; to provide vehicle tracking using GPS; and to provide real-time analytics and dashboard on the display screen illustrating the active wireless network access points.

[0022] According to an embodiment herein, wherein the Wi-Fi monetization manager is further configured to design and create a layout of advertisements; measure customers presence in front of the digital signage using Visual image analytics; manage customer engagement through Social media engagements, Email, SMS and Mobile application; and generate Rol for the customers by engaging the customers in a targeted manner and increasing sales.

[0023] According to an embodiment herein, a multi-tiered licensing system is provided. The licensing system is developed based on location, organization and preset features on the platform. The licenses are assigned through a global pool to each managed service providers that form the first tier. The managed service providers are configured to assign licenses to multiple channel partners that form the second tier. The channel partners are configured to add the licensed service provider organizations to the system. The features that are licensed comprise information on locations, number of channel partners, number of organizations, number of Security licenses, number of captive portals, event Wi-Fi Management and vehicle Wi-Fi management.

[0024] According to an embodiment herein, an integrated Wi-Fi management system for organization campuses, vehicles and event locations is provided. The system is configured to provide a single console for the Wi-Fi management of an entire system, which comprises organization campus management, a plurality of vehicles and management of events. The security policies, user policies and management policies of all the nodes of all of the systems are configured from a single place and applied to all the components in the network. The system is also configured to manage security and bandwidth of all the nodes including policies such as number of access points per user, geo-fencing and location based services.

[0025] According to an embodiment herein, a workflow based multi-vendor authentication service with customized captive portal is provided. The system is multi- vendor and enables the process of building the captive portal in a drag-and-drop method. The process is seamless and requires no coding by the nodes. The features of the embodiment include authentication, authorization services addressing multiple protocols from various vendors and ability to customize the workflow of the captive portal. The captive portal is closely associated with the authentication system, where all components of the system are customizable through the GUI. The customizable features include authentication mechanism, single factor or dual factor, SMS or email based, username or authorization code, certificate based system, with NAT Logs of the client accessing the system, user credential access from DB, LDAP, file etc., the quiet time period, the times of the day, when the authentication is allowed, durations of the day, when the access is allowed. A plurality of policies is created with the above components and the policies are applied on per access point and per user basis.

[0026] According to an embodiment herein, a customized mobile computing device is provided in a vehicle, with restricted access to application and firewall for captive portal, bandwidth accounting, filtering and advertisements. The mobile computing device is an access point with captive portal and a corporate single application. The applications other than the service booking and Global Positioning service (GPS) applications are blocked to save the bandwidth. The access point is further configured to present the captive portal authentication, account for user traffic consumption and implement restrictions on bandwidth accordingly. The advertisements are presented to a user according to preset policies that are configured. The features of the solution include: restricting all applications from accessing the internet except from the authorized applications; the details of which application is authorized or not to be controlled from central server and a local application with a special authorization key; all Wi-Fi users are re-directed to a firewall, which verifies if the user is authenticated or not and then redirects user to a captive portal; the user usage pattern and data consumption details are shared with a central server; the authenticated user based on the policy applied accesses Wi-Fi and the advertisement policies are applied accordingly; and, the billing policy is determined on how the advertisements are provided to the customer. [0027] According to an embodiment herein, a system for enabling multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring is provided. The system manages, configures and monitors devices across multiple vendors and protocols. The system comprises a multiprotocol communicator, which communicates with multiple devices across multiple protocols, monitors and configures the multiple devices. The system comprises a data model extractor across multiple devices. The data model extractors provide information to a multi- model monitoring or analytics system, which is provided with an intelligent fault tolerance system to ensure that the system is continuously operable. The various devices in the system are configured for the multiple parameters that are set in the manager module and passed to the multi-device data modeler and a multi-protocol communicator. The user interface and the device configuration components are bundled as a file and added to the manager module.

[0028] According to an embodiment herein, pluralities of user security policies are provided. The embodiments herein connects with active directory to enable the rolling out of the policies. Depending on preset user preferences, privileges and rules, security policies of multiple users are provided to on a customized manner.

[0029] According to an embodiment herein, ad-hoc network blocking is provided. When Wi-Fi security is implemented, security breaches are caused by actions such as peer- to-peer networking between multiple computers. The present embodiment prevents security breach scenarios by configuring access points with dual capabilities of scanning and authorization to scan multiple SSIDs that are broadcasting.

[0030] According to an embodiment herein, an integrated Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) device with configurable radio and programmable IoT protocols is provided. The embodiment is a hardware module, which is enabled with Wi-Fi modules, IoT modules, a media server and intelligent IoT data processing modules. [0031] According to an embodiment herein, a system and method to enable business process management as a service delivery platform is provided. The system provides an integrated application and network workflow based Service design with in-built applications and analytics modules. The system provides an integrated platform, which comprises configurable networking and application capabilities, with a workflow based network and application service definition. The system provides a scripting engine along with seamless addition and removal features. The system comprises of the following components: multi- tenant architecture, to support multiple organizations; service Component definition, where the various components or players that comprise the service are defined; self-configuration engine, which reconfigures and manages systems to adhere to the services based on predefined parameters; IoT application store; service license manager; multi-tenant authentication, authorization and accounting servers; multi-tenant VPN (Virtual Private Network) servers; multi-protocol authentication servers; a network controller with multi- vendor support for Wi-Fi and IoT devices from a single platform; network Management system; service provisioning system; billing support system; an intelligent operating system integrated into Wi-Fi and IoT device, which provides inherent intelligence for IoT activities along with hotspot and Wi-Fi services.

[0032] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings in which:

[0034] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an integrated service delivery platform, according to an embodiment herein.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system for providing integrated Multi- Vendor Access Points & IoT Gateways, according to an embodiment herein.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an integrated Wi-Fi management system, according to an embodiment herein.

[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates a workflow for multi-vendor authentication services with customized captive portal, according to an embodiment herein.

[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a multi- vendor device configuration and monitoring system, according to an embodiment herein.

[0039] FIG. 6 illustrates a workflow for implementing ad-hoc network blocking, according to an embodiment herein.

[0040] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of the Wi-Fi monetization manager in the integrated platform, according to an embodiment herein.

[0041] FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of the smart box in the integrated platform, according to an embodiment herein.

[0042] Although the specific features of the embodiments herein are shown in some drawings and not in others. This is done for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the embodiments herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS HEREIN

[0043] In the following detailed description, a reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which the specific embodiments that may be practiced is shown by way of illustration. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and it is to be understood that other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0044] The embodiments herein provide a system and method for generating an integrated service delivery platform. The system comprises a software defined service delivery platform for Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The embodiments herein also provide an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications along with intelligent operating system in the multi-vendor and multi-location support devices.

[0045] According to an embodiment herein, a system for delivering wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services on computing devices along with multi-vendor and multi-location support is provided. The system comprises a hardware processor coupled to a memory containing instructions configured for providing wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services along with multi-vendor and multi-location support. The system includes a display screen coupled to the hardware processor for providing a user interface on a computing device. The system includes a service license manager, wherein the service license manager is a multi- tiered licensing module that is configured to assign licenses through a global pool to the organizations and channel partners. The system includes a Wi-Fi management module to seamlessly deploy Wi-Fi services at a plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the Wi-Fi management module is also configured to manage Wi-Fi access points at the plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the plurality of locations comprises one of enterprises, hotels, hospitals, campus, and events. The system includes a Wi-Fi on wheels module to provide Wi-Fi services to users in moving vehicles with user control options comprising captive portal, bandwidth management, and advertisement distribution, wherein the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to manage media, and manage advertisement. The system includes a smart city box that is configured to deploy, manage and monetize the services across a smart city. The smart city box is further configured to provide hotspot management, mobile data off-load, host and manage media applications, host and manage IoT applications, location based services, and advertisement management. The system includes a Wi-Fi monetization manager configured to manage advertisements and media provided along with the free Wi-Fi, wherein the Wi-Fi monetization module provides billing options for digital advertisements. The system includes a multi-vendor authentication module with the customized captive portal, wherein the customized captive portal enables to define at least one of user authorization source, time based policies, and workflow direction. The authentication module is further configured to authenticate and authorize services addressing multiple protocols from a plurality of vendors. The system includes a multi- vendor device configuration and monitoring module configured to define device parameters. The multi- vendor device configuration and monitoring module is further configured to monitor devices across multiple vendors and protocols. The system includes a user security engine configured to generate a data model of user security policies, and wherein the user security engine is further configured to automate the generation of security policies to a plurality of users.

[0046] According to an embodiment herein, the smart city box is further configured to provide media applications from a centralized platform, wherein the media application is archived and updated periodically along with providing access to the media through the mobile application. The smart city box is further configured to provide an ability to host and manage IoT applications from a single platform. The smart city box is further configured to identify the location of the users, their presence, along with age, gender and so forth, and help service providers, to give/deliver targeted services to the customers.

[0047] According to an embodiment herein, the Wi-Fi management module is configured to manage security, bandwidth and user policies. Further, the service license manager is configured to assign licenses to the channel partners below the hierarchy, and the channel partners are configured to add the organizations who are licensed to provide the services. The multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module is configured to analyze data across multiple devices. The system further comprises a dashboard configured for providing a holistic view of the entire Wi-Fi network covering, inventory, fault, performance, and security. The system includes a captive Portal and Bandwidth management system configured to enable an organization to draw the Secure Network Access policies across the various roles in an organization. The system includes a radius product configured to allow/enable the organizations draw their authentication, authorization and accounting policies for the Wi-Fi access for the organization. The system comprises a Content and URL filter service module configured to provide seamless URL categorization and filtering services, and wherein each URL being accessed is verified and validated for secure and safe access across the web.

[0048] According to an embodiment herein, the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to provide in- vehicle entertainment through mobile applications; to provide advertisement management through captive portal advertisements, mobile application advertisements; to provide vehicle tracking using GPS; and to provide real-time analytics and dashboard on the display screen illustrating the active wireless network access points.

[0049] According to an embodiment herein, wherein the Wi-Fi monetization manager is further configured to design and create a layout of advertisements; measure customers presence in front of the digital signage using Visual image analytics; manage customer engagement through Social media engagements, Email, SMS and Mobile application; and generate Rol for the customers by engaging the customers in a targeted manner and increasing sales.

[0050] According to an embodiment herein, a multi-tiered licensing system is provided. The licensing system is developed based on location, organization and preset features on the platform. The licenses are assigned through a global pool to each managed service providers that form the first tier. The managed service providers are configured to assign licenses to multiple channel partners that form the second tier. The channel partners are configured to add the licensed service provider organizations to the system. The features that are licensed comprise information on locations, number of channel partners, number of organizations, number of Security licenses, number of captive portals, event Wi-Fi Management and vehicle Wi-Fi management.

[0051] According to an embodiment herein, an integrated Wi-Fi management system for organization campuses, vehicles and event locations is provided. The system is configured to provide a single console for the Wi-Fi management of an entire system, which comprises organization campus management, a plurality of vehicles and management of events. The security policies, user policies and management policies of all the nodes of all of the systems are configured from a single place and applied to all the components in the network. The system is also configured to manage security and bandwidth of all the nodes including policies such as number of access points per user, geo-fencing and location based services.

[0052] According to an embodiment herein, a workflow based multi-vendor authentication service with customized captive portal is provided. The system is multi- vendor and enables the process of building the captive portal in a drag-and-drop method. The process is seamless and requires no coding by the nodes. The features of the embodiment include authentication, authorization services addressing multiple protocols from various vendors and ability to customize the workflow of the captive portal. The captive portal is closely associated with the authentication system, where all components of the system are customizable through the GUI. The customizable features include authentication mechanism, single factor or dual factor, SMS or email based, username or authorization code, certificate based system, with NAT Logs of the client accessing the system, user credential access from DB, LDAP, file etc., the quiet time period, the times of the day, when the authentication is allowed, durations of the day, when the access is allowed. A plurality of policies is created with the above components and the policies are applied on per access point and per user basis.

[0053] According to an embodiment herein, a customized mobile computing device is provided in a vehicle, with restricted access to application and firewall for captive portal, bandwidth accounting, filtering and advertisements. The mobile computing device is an access point with captive portal and a corporate single application. The applications other than the service booking and Global Positioning service (GPS) applications are blocked to save the bandwidth. The access point is further configured to present the captive portal authentication, account for user traffic consumption and implement restrictions on bandwidth accordingly. The advertisements are presented to a user according to preset policies that are configured. The features of the solution include: restricting all applications from accessing the internet except from the authorized applications; the details of which application is authorized or not to be controlled from central server and a local application with a special authorization key; all Wi-Fi users are re-directed to a firewall, which verifies if the user is authenticated or not and then redirects user to a captive portal; the user usage pattern and data consumption details are shared with a central server; the authenticated user based on the policy applied accesses Wi-Fi and the advertisement policies are applied accordingly; and, the billing policy is determined on how the advertisements are provided to the customer.

[0054] According to an embodiment herein, a system for enabling multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring is provided. The system manages, configures and monitors devices across multiple vendors and protocols. The system comprises a multiprotocol communicator, which communicates with multiple devices across multiple protocols, monitors and configures the multiple devices. The system comprises a data model extractor across multiple devices. The data model extractors provide information to a multi- model monitoring or analytics system, which is provided with an intelligent fault tolerance system to ensure that the system is continuously operable. The various devices in the system are configured for the multiple parameters that are set in the manager module and passed to the multi-device data modeler and a multi-protocol communicator. The user interface and the device configuration components are bundled as a file and added to the manager module.

[0055] According to an embodiment herein, pluralities of user security policies are provided. The embodiments herein connects with active directory to enable the rolling out of the policies. Depending on preset user preferences, privileges and rules, security policies of multiple users are provided to on a customized manner.

[0056] According to an embodiment herein, ad-hoc network blocking is provided. When Wi-Fi security is implemented, security breaches are caused by actions such as peer- to-peer networking between multiple computers. The present embodiment prevents security breach scenarios by configuring access points with dual capabilities of scanning and authorization to scan multiple SSIDs that are broadcasting.

[0057] According to an embodiment herein, an integrated Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) device with configurable radio and programmable IoT protocols is provided. The embodiment is a hardware module, which is enabled with Wi-Fi modules, IoT modules, a media server and intelligent IoT data processing modules.

[0058] According to an embodiment herein, a system and method to enable business process management as a service delivery platform is provided. The system provides an integrated application and network workflow based Service design with in-built applications and analytics modules. The system provides an integrated platform, which comprises configurable networking and application capabilities, with a workflow based network and application service definition. The system provides a scripting engine along with seamless addition and removal features. The system comprises of the following components: multi- tenant architecture, to support multiple organizations; service Component definition, where the various components or players that comprise the service are defined; self-configuration engine, which reconfigures and manages systems to adhere to the services based on predefined parameters; IoT application store; service license manager; multi-tenant authentication, authorization and accounting servers; multi-tenant VPN (Virtual Private Network) servers; multi-protocol authentication servers; a network controller with multi- vendor support for Wi-Fi and IoT devices from a single platform; network Management system; service provisioning system; billing support system; an intelligent operating system integrated into Wi-Fi and IoT device, which provides inherent intelligence for IoT activities along with hotspot and Wi-Fi services.

[0059] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an integrated service delivery platform, according to an embodiment herein. The platform comprises IoT Business Service Manager 101, IoT Application Store 102, Multi-tenant AAA Server 103, Service License Manager 104, Service Provisioning System 105, Service Definition Manager 106, Multi-tenant VPN Server 107, Network Controller 108, Billing System 109, Self-Healing Configuration Manager 110, Multi-tenant Authentication Server 111, Network Management System 112 and Intelligent Hardware 113.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system providing integrated Multi- Vendor Access Points & IoT Gateways, according to an embodiment herein. The system includes Wi-Fi as a service 120, Wi-Fi on wheels module 122, Wi-Fi monetization module 124, and smart city box 126 coupled to a platform for Multi- Vendor Access Points & IoT Gateways 130. The platform further includes captive portal, moving vehicles, billing management, analytics engine, event co-relation, alert management, user security, BYOD, Inventory management, security management, rogue asset management, and RF management.

[0061] According to an embodiment herein, the Wi-Fi as a service helps manage the diverse Wi-Fi Access Points from different vendors, thereby helping to seamlessly deploy and manage the Access Points - Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi as a service is configured to manage Wi-Fi networks in one of Enterprises/Campuses, Hotels, Hospitals, Educational Organizations, and Events/Conferences. The platform provides a service license manager or Hierarchical Licensing to add/provision licenses to organizations and Channel partners. These licenses are taken from the global pool of licenses. Further, the platform provides the ability manage an organization's Wi-Fi Deployments across multiple locations, with the location granularity being to the level of a floor, which aggregates to a building, then city, country and so forth. The platform provides a Multi-Vendor module supporting Configuration, Management and Monitoring of Access Points and Switches from multiple vendors (Cisco, Aruba, Huawei, Ruckus, Motorola, D-Link, TP- Link,). The system/ platform supports Switches from multiple vendors. In an example, the system has a plugin based architecture, wherein a new device support can be added over a period of 4 weeks. [0062] According to an embodiment herein, the system provides the complete FCAPS support for the product, with features right from Inventory to Configuration, RF Management, Alerts, Real-time Analytics and Dashboard. The features supported includes Inventory, load balancing, RF management, Rogue asset management, user security management, BYOD, and captive portal and billing. According to an embodiment herein, the system provides inventory support for discovering assets across different vendors on the network. It supports manual inventory management and zero-touch configuration management. Further, the system supports load balancing of the connected clients by way of load balancing by equally dividing load between access points or by throughput. Also, the system supports RF Management by way of ensuring that channels are allocated with least interference across neighbors. Also in case of outages, the RF power of the neighboring access points is increased to provide full coverage. The system provides Rogue Asset Management capabilities wherein, Access Points, Switches and Clients are categorized as Rogues or authorized assets based on the identity of the device MAC address, Serial number, Vendor, OS version. The authorized assets can be associated with location as well, wherein it is associated with a single or multiple locations. The system provides a user Security Management that is executed in conjunction with Active-directory and helps ensure that end- user computing device is securely connected to Wi-Fi network.

[0063] Examples of security features implemented include disconnecting end-user from Wi-Fi network when connected to wired network, Restricting sharing of folders and files, when connected to Wi-Fi network, Disabling of adhoc networks. Further, the BYOD feature (bring your own device) ensures that validation of compliance of end-user computing device is done, before the same is connected to the network. Some of the compliance aspects looked into are: a) OS compliance of the device

b) Installed application compliance of the device

c) Validation - installation of security application on device

[0064] According to an embodiment herein, the system provides the Captive Portal and billing features, thereby ensuring secure access to Wi-Fi network, along with Bandwidth management and User/subscriber management. The various key components of MatreComm CraftAir which make up the complete product are as follows:

a) CraftAir Manager

b) CraftAir Dashboard

c) CraftAir Captive Portal

d) CraftAir Radius-AAA

e) CraftAir Content Filter and URL Filter Service

[0065] According to an embodiment herein, Craft Air Manager is the one single console where, place wherein the entire Centralized Management of the Wi-Fi system takes place. The console provides the policies for deployment, security, Dashboard, Analytics, Alerts and so forth. It is from this Manager, that an organization's (campus, Wi-Fi on wheels, events, conference) entire Wi-Fi management needs is configured and managed.

[0066] The system includes a dashboard providing a holistic view of the entire Wi-Fi network covering, Inventory, Fault, Performance, Security and so forth. The Dashboard also has the Alert Management capabilities, wherein it serves as the Managed Services console for the organization. The Captive Portal and Bandwidth management system helps an organization to draw the Secure Network Access policies across the various roles in an organization. The CraftAir product provides the capability to draw custom captive portal on a per SSID/ Access Point basis and also provides features for Bandwidth management on a per User, per SSID, per VLAN basis. This helps organizations to draw data consumption policies for Wi-Fi networks across the organization. The CraftAir AAA Radius Product, helps organizations draw their Authentication, Authorization and Accounting policies for the Wi-Fi access for the organization. Many of the authentication policies comply with the government regulatory policies, thereby ensuring that organizations are compliant to the government regulations. The CraftAir Content and URL filter service provides seamless URL categorization and filtering services, wherein each URL being accessed is verified and validated for secure and safe access across the web.

[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an integrated Wi-Fi management system, according to an embodiment herein. A Wi-Fi and IoT management System 201 comprises a Time Policies module 201a, a User Security Policies module 201b and an Asset Management Policies module 201c. The Wi-Fi and IoT management System 201 is connected to a plurality of nodes, which are classified into Campus Networks 202, Vehicles 203 and Events 204.

[0068] According to an embodiment herein, the integrated Wi-Fi management system includes Wi-Fi on wheels module configured for providing wireless network in moving vehicles such as Bus, Car, Taxi's with Captive Portal, Bandwidth Management, and Advertisement distribution capabilities. The Wi-Fi on wheels module provides internet access to users in the Vehicle using 4G LTE backhaul. Further, the Wi-Fi on wheels module provides User access control through Captive Portal, Bandwidth management, DoT regulations compliant. The Wi-Fi on wheels module provides media management with in- vehicle entertainment through mobile applications, and media store management by upload and download of media, periodic updating of media store. The Wi-Fi on wheels module provides Advertisement Management with Captive Portal based Ads, Mobile application ads and Digital signage based ads. Further, the Wi-Fi on wheels module provides vehicle tracking using GPS, Centralized Wi-Fi Management, and Real-time Analytics and Dashboard. Thus, the system provides benefits such as Seamless Internet on the move, Revenue generation through advertisement and media management, entertainment on the go, and vehicle tracking through GPS.

[0069] FIG. 4 illustrates a workflow for multi-vendor authentication services with customized captive portal, according to an embodiment herein. The workflow comprises the following steps: Define Captive Portal capabilities such as authorization and workflow (301); Define user authorization source (302); Define time based policies (303); Define workflow for authentication and redirection (304); and, Deploy on captive portal engine (305).

[0070] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring system, according to an embodiment herein. The embodiment comprises End- point Device 401, Multi Protocol Network Communicator 402, Data Extraction module 403, Monitoring and Data Analytics Engine 404, Configuration Engine 405, Data Models 406 and Device Parameters 407.

[0071] FIG. 6 illustrates a workflow for implementing ad-hoc network blocking, according to an embodiment of embodiments herein. The workflow comprises the following steps: Scan for ad-hoc networks (501); Verify authorized ad-hoc SSIDs, configure access point in dual mode and scan the network (502); if no unauthorized SSIDs are detected, continue scanning as per set rules (503); and, if unauthorized SSIDs are detected, issue blocking commands for the unauthorized SSIDs (504).

[0072] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of the Wi-Fi monetization manager in the integrated platform, according to an embodiment herein. The system provides a Wi-Fi monetization manager for Wi-Fi Digital Marketing product enabling free Wi-Fi to organizations together with an advertisement management and media management product, which helps an organization to monetize and rollout the services. The various features of the product are free wi-fi, advertisement designs, measuring customer presence, customer analytics, and customer engagement. The system offer free Wi-Fi to customers, and manage the Hotspot access and bandwidth policies for the customers engaged. Along with Access point management. The system offers the capability to design advertisements, wherein the layout and placement of the same is done. The advertisers get to create a layout and align their advertisements, as per the visibility desired, wherein they can offer discounts and targeted messages to engage customers. The advertisements can be designed both for Digital Signage and mobile applications. Further, the system offers the capability to measure the Customers presence in front of the Digital signage by way of Visual image analytics, to measure the presence of type of customers in front of the Digital signage - Gender, Age, count, eyeball engagement. The together with the current keyword search and interest aspects can be used to display advertisements intelligently. The monetization module helps analyze and understand the user behavior, some of the key features are: a) Overall foot traffic

b) New visitors, Returning visitors

c) Outside opportunity

d) Repeat distribution

e) Gender, Age

f) Network trends

g) Visit duration, Social Wi-Fi users

h) Locations visited in the store and period of stay

[0073] According to an embodiment herein, the monetization module is configured to enable organizations to engage with their customers wherein through Social media engagements, Email, SMS or Mobile Application, custom messages can be sent for the advertisements, discounts and so forth. Further, the system generates Return on Investment (Rol) for the customers, by way of engaging the customers in a targeted manner and increasing sales and generating the Rol accordingly.

[0074] FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of the smart box in the integrated platform, according to an embodiment herein. The smart city box is configured to deploy, manage and monetize the services across a Smart City. The smart city further includes Hotspot Management, Mobile Data Offload, Host and Manage Media Applications, Host and Manage IoT Applications, Location based Services, and Advertisement Management. According to an embodiment herein, the SmartCity in a Box provides the Hotspot and Access point management capabilities, wherein FCAPS (FCAPS is a Network model and framework for network management. FCAPS is an acronym for fault, configuration, accounting, performance, security) capabilities together with Captive Portal, Bandwidth Management, URL filtering, Voucher Management provide a complete eco-system to manage Wi-Fi in public areas. Further, the SmartCity in a Box provides Mobile Data Offload capabilities wherein the Mobile applications connects to the Wi-Fi hotspots across the City and help in providing the Data Offload capabilities. Furthermore, the Host and Manage Media Applications provide media applications from a centralized platform, wherein media is archived and updated periodically along with providing access to the media through the mobile application. The smart city Box provides the ability to host and manage IoT applications from a single platform. The applications hosted can provide building energy management, parking management bio-metric access and so forth. The various location based services, which help identify the location of the users, their presence, along with age, gender and so forth, help Service provider, give targeted services to customers. The smart city Box provides advertisement management capabilities, making use of the customer behavior and engagement intelligence across the City to provide targeted ads.

[0075] According to an embodiment herein, the system operates on Virtualized or physical server environment with the following configuration: CPU: Quad core Xeon, RAM: 24GB, Hard Disk 1 TB. Further, the system scalability requirements include number of access points for example, 50000, and number of users, for example 250000. [0076] Although the embodiments herein are described with various specific embodiments, it will be obvious for a person skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein with modifications.

[0077] The embodiments herein provide an integrated service delivery platform solution for the rollout of Wi-Fi and IoT based applications. The embodiments herein comprises an intelligent operating system in the devices, along with multi-vendor and multi- location support. The embodiments herein also provide an inherent intelligence for IoT activities along with Hotspot and Wi-Fi services. Currently there are no multi-vendor Wi-Fi management systems with multiple intelligent operating systems. There is also a lack of an integrated business-to-service delivery platform for Internet of Things (IoT) and Wi-Fi, where a business problem is broken into workflows with the various networking components integrated in a single platform. The embodiments herein also comprise a multi-tiered licensing system, an integrated Wi-Fi management system, a workflow based multi-vendor authentication service with customized captive portal and ad-hoc networking blocking module.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A system for delivering wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services on computing devices along with multi-vendor and multi-location support, the system comprising: a hardware processor coupled to a memory containing instructions configured for providing wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services along with multi- vendor and multi-location support;

a display screen coupled to the hardware processor for providing a user interface on a computing device;

a service license manager, wherein the service license manager is a multi- tiered licensing module that is run on the hardware processor and configured to assign licenses through a global pool to the organizations and channel partners;

a Wi-Fi management module run on the hardware processor and configured to seamlessly deploy Wi-Fi services at a plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the Wi-Fi management module is also configured to manage Wi-Fi access points at the plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the plurality of locations comprises one of enterprises, hotels, hospitals, campus, and events;

a Wi-Fi on wheels module is run on the hardware processor and configured to provide Wi-Fi to users in moving vehicles with user control options comprising captive portal, bandwidth management, and advertisement distribution, wherein the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to manage media, and manage advertisement;

a smart city box that is configured to deploy, manage and monetize the services across a smart city, wherein the smart city box is further configured to provide hotspot management, mobile data offload, host and manage media applications, host and manage IoT applications, location based services, and advertisement management;

a Wi-Fi monetisation manager configured to manage advertisements and media provided along with the free Wi-Fi, wherein the Wi-Fi monetisation module provides billing options for digital advertisements;

a multi-vendor authentication module with the customized captive portal, wherein the customised captive portal enables to define at least one of user authorization source, time based policies, and workflow direction, wherein the authentication module is further configured to authenticate and authorise services addressing multiple protocols from a plurality of vendors;

a multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module configured to define device parameters, wherein the multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module is further configured to monitor devices across multiple vendors and protocols; and

a user security engine configured to generate a data model of user security policies, and wherein the user security engine is further configured to automate the generation of security policies to a plurality of users.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smart city box is further configured to:

provide media applications from a centralized platform, wherein media is archived and updated periodically along with providing access to the media through the mobile application;

provide an ability to host and manage IoT applications from a single platform; and

identify the location of the users, their presence, along with age, gender and so forth, help Service provider, give targeted services to customers.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Wi-Fi management module is configured to manage security, bandwidth and user policies.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service license manager is configured to assign licenses to the channel partners below the hierarchy, and the channel partners adds organizations who are licensed to provide the services.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module is configured to analyse data across multiple devices.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprises:

a dashboard configured for providing a holistic view of the entire Wi-Fi network covering, Inventory, Fault, Performance, and Security;

a captive Portal and Bandwidth management system configured for enabling an organization to draw the Secure Network Access policies across the various roles in an organization;

a radius product configured to enable the organizations draw their Authentication, Authorization and Accounting policies for the Wi-Fi access for the organization; and

a Content and URL filter service module configured for providing seamless URL categorization and filtering services, wherein each URL being accessed is verified and validated for secure and safe access across the web.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to:

provide in-vehicle entertainment through mobile applications; provide advertisement management through captive portal advertisements, mobile application advertisements, provide vehicle tracking using GPS; and

provide real-time analytics and dashboard on the display screen illustrating the active wireless network access points.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Wi-Fi monetisation manager is further configured to:

design and create a layout of advertisements;

measure customers presence in front of the digital signage using Visual image analytics;

manage customer engagement through Social media engagements, Email, SMS and Mobile Application; and

generate Rol for the customers by engaging the customers in a targeted manner and increasing sales.

9. A method for providing wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and IoT services on computing devices, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning licenses through a global pool to the organisations and channel partners using service license manager, and seamlessly deploying Wi-Fi services at a plurality of vendor locations using a Wi-Fi management module, and wherein the Wi- Fi management module is also configured to manage Wi-Fi access points at the plurality of vendor locations, and wherein the plurality of locations comprises one of enterprises, hotels, hospitals, campus, and events;

providing Wi-Fi services to users in moving vehicles with user control options comprising captive portal, bandwidth management, and advertisement distribution using Wi-Fi on wheels module, wherein the Wi-Fi on wheels module is further configured to manage media, and manage advertisement;

deploying, managing and monetizing the services across a smart city using a smart city box, wherein the smart city box is further configured to provide hotspot management, mobile data offload, host and manage media applications, host and manage iot applications, location based services, and advertisement management; managing advertisements and media provided along with the free Wi-Fi using a Wi-Fi monetization manager, wherein the Wi-Fi monetization module provides billing options for digital advertisements;

determining at least one of user authorization source, time based policies, and workflow direction using a multi-vendor authentication module, wherein the authentication module is further configured to authenticate and authorize services addressing multiple protocols from a plurality of vendors;

determining device parameters using a multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module, wherein the multi-vendor device configuration and monitoring module is further configured to monitor devices across multiple vendors and protocols; and

generating a data model of user security policies using user security engine, and wherein the user security engine is further configured to automate the generation of security policies to a plurality of users.