Patent ID: 8707438

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing data objects, comprising: receiving a command from a client through an interface of a storage system for accessing data stored in the storage system; in response to the command, examining the command to determine whether the command could potentially compromise integrity of an immutable data object stored in the storage system; in response to determining that the command could potentially compromise integrity of the immutable data object, transmitting a request to an authorization agent over a network for an approval of processing the command to access the data stored in the storage system, wherein the authorization agent is a remote entity separated from the client and the storage system over the network; receiving the approval from the authorization agent associated with the storage system for the received command over the network; extracting a first credential from the approval received from the authorization agent; comparing the first credential with a second credential that is associated with the authorization agent, wherein the second credential is selected from a set of credentials previously configured and stored in a database; and in response to the comparison that the first and second credentials are matched, performing an operation associated with the received command in response to the approval received from the authorization agent for the received command.