Patent ID: 7752316

Claim:
In a data storage network having a data storage system, a method for managing secure access to data for computers on a network externally located to the data storage network, the method comprising the steps of: storing a secure database in the data storage system, the data storage system comprising memory and one or more data storage devices storing data in one or more data volumes and a filter; wherein the data storage system is separate from but in communication with a computer system also having memory; the data storage system being separate from an external computer system, wherein the external computer system is external to the data storage network and the storage system is in the data storage network; copying, in response to each request to access the data storage system, a filter table and permissions from the database to the filter and filtering computers requesting access to said data storage system, to restrict access to said data storage system; using the permissions to allocate secure permissions for accessing data grouped in the one or more data volumes on the one or more data storage devices in the data storage system, and allocating secure access to any data volume of the one or more data volumes that are stored in the data storage devices in the data storage system that is requested by a computer external to the data storage network based on the permissions if the externally located computer has permissions in the secure database which allow it to receive a grant of a lock.