Patent ID: 7899697

Claim:
A method for applying brokering methods to security characteristics, comprising: translating, via at least one computer device, configuration information that pertains to a security service category into distinct quantities of resource units each quantity attributable to a distinct security service category, the distinct security service category being chosen from the group consisting of: a storage area network security configuration, a composite encryption configuration, and a write once read many storage technology; for each distinct security service category, dividing, via the at least one computer device, the quantity of resource units by an associated cost for each of a set of service levels; for each distinct security service category, determining, via the at least one computer device, a maximum quantity of each of the set of service levels that can be allocated for the quantity of resource units; generating a matrix including possible configurations of the quantity of resource units and the set of service levels for each distinct security service category, using the at least one computing device; providing the matrix to a resource unit broker; receiving a distinct winning bid for each of the distinct security service categories from an auction performed by the resource unit broker; and applying distinct multipliers to each of the winning bids to adjust the cost of each winning bid based on a service level of the bid using the at least one computing device.