Patent ID: 8620816

Claim:
A method of converting data item formats, comprising: maintaining, by a processor, one or more data conversion descriptions, wherein the maintaining is performed asynchronously, and wherein the one or more data conversion descriptions define one or more conversions of data items from at least one from-format type to at least one to-format type; creating, by the processor, at least one conversion subscription in a conversion database, wherein the creating is performed asynchronously; receiving, from a user device, at least one data item, wherein the receiving is performed asynchronously, and wherein the at least one received data item is stored in an information index in a secure information vault having a location different than a location of the user device; selecting, by the processor, at least one of the data conversion descriptions, wherein the selecting is performed automatically at a time that is determined based on a configurable interval that is used for maintaining a copy of at least some data items stored in an information index in a latest format without user intervention; querying, by the processor, the information index for one or more data items having a from-format type matching a from-format type specified in at least one of the selected data conversion descriptions and having an identifier matching an owner of a conversion subscription of the created conversion subscriptions; decrypting the one or more queried data items using a key associated with the owner of the conversion subscription; converting, by the processor, the one or more queried data items to a to-format type specified in the matching one or more data conversion descriptions; storing, by the processor, the one or more converted data items in the information index; and updating, by the processor, the information index with one or more parameters of the converted data items; wherein the converting is performed using a data conversion system in a secure information vault.