Patent ID: 8239917

Claim:
A method for protecting an enterprise system having an enterprise policy, the enterprise system having (a) a first realm comprising a first device with a first agent installed thereupon and a second device having a second agent installed thereupon, and (b) a second realm comprising a third device with a third agent installed thereupon and a fourth device with a fourth agent installed thereupon, the method comprising: determining: within the first agent, a first profile of the first device, within the second agent a second profile of the second device, within the third agent a third profile of the third device, and within the fourth agent a fourth profile of the fourth device; issuing, from a first type 2 super peer of the first realm, first and second agent trust credentials to the first and second agents, respectively, when the first and second profiles conforms to the enterprise policy; issuing, from a second type 2 super peer of the second realm, third and fourth agent trust credentials to the third and fourth agents, respectively, when the third and fourth profiles conform to the enterprise policy; forming a first cooperative agent cell with the first and second agents based upon the first and second agent trust credentials; and forming a first cooperative agent cell with the third and fourth agents based upon the third and fourth agent trust credential, wherein the second type 2 super peer is different from the first type 2 super peer, wherein the second and third devices are the same device, wherein the second and third agents are the same agent that cooperates within both the first and second cooperative agent cells, and wherein the second and third agent trust credentials are different from each other.