Abstract: Among other things, at a central server, management of a document sharing process includes uploading from client devices through a communication network, storing at the server, and downloading to client devices through the communication network documents that are shared between users of the client devices. Encryption keys are used to protect features of the documents from unauthorized or unintended disclosure. Operations are performed on encryption keys or encrypted data as a result of which protection of features of the documents from unauthorized or unintended disclosure may be compromised. A determination is made whether performance of a given one of the operations on any of the encryption keys or encrypted data meets predefined conditions for approval by members of an approval group. Performance of the operation on the encryption key or encrypted data is controlled based on a result of the determination.

Abstract: Among other things, at a central server, management of a document sharing process includes uploading from client devices through a communication network, storing at the server, and downloading to client devices through the communication network documents that are shared between users of the client devices. Encryption keys are used to protect features of the documents from unauthorized or unintended disclosure. Operations are performed on encryption keys or encrypted data as a result of which protection of features of the documents from unauthorized or unintended disclosure may be compromised. A determination is made whether performance of a given one of the operations on any of the encryption keys or encrypted data meets predefined conditions for approval by members of an approval group. Performance of the operation on the encryption key or encrypted data is controlled based on a result of the determination.

Abstract: Among other things, at a central server, management of a document sharing process includes uploading from client devices through a communication network, storing at the server, and downloading to client devices through the communication network documents that are shared between users of the client devices. Encryption keys are used to protect features of the documents from unauthorized or unintended disclosure. Operations are performed on encryption keys or encrypted data as a result of which protection of features of the documents from unauthorized or unintended disclosure may be compromised. A determination is made whether performance of a given one of the operations on any of the encryption keys or encrypted data meets predefined conditions for approval by members of an approval group. Performance of the operation on the encryption key or encrypted data is controlled based on a result of the determination.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a system to maintain confidentiality of data in a database management system by selecting encryption schemes for data items, storing encrypted data in databases, transforming SQL queries to run over encrypted data, and executing queries over encrypted data on the database server.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a system to maintain confidentiality of data in a database management system by selecting encryption schemes for data items, storing encrypted data in databases, transforming SQL queries to run over encrypted data, and executing queries over encrypted data on the database server.

Abstract: A cache-based system management architecture named “the Collective” automates system management and supports mobile computing. The Collective manages systems by manipulating virtual appliances, each encapsulating a system state. A virtual appliance (VA) may comprise a virtual network of VAs. Distributed repositories separately storing the VAs and user data. Publishers create and maintain VAs. A user plugs a bootable portable storage device implementing a VA transceiver (VAT) into a host computer. The VAT, comprising a Manager, a Cache Client, and a virtual machine monitor (VMM), authenticates the user, retrieves a copy of the latest version of a subscribed VA from the appropriate network repository, obtains user data, and automatically backs up the user data over the network in the background while running the subscribed VA. Multiple VAs can be run at the same time. With the novel caching protocol and cache charging process, the Collective performs well and has numerous advantages.