Patent ID: 7895234

Claim:
A system that employs a shared access profile to interact with at least one networked device, comprising: one or more processors; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement the system, including: a storage component configured to store one or more shared access profiles respectively customized to provide access to a subset of the at least one networked device, the one or more shared access profiles associated with respective user roles and user locations; a role hierarchy that defines multiple locations and associated user roles, wherein the role hierarchy comprises a base portal having one or more nested location portals, and wherein the base portal and the one or more nested location portals have respective associated home configurations, administrative configurations, and user configurations; a retrieval component configured to access the role hierarchy to identify a login user role and a login user location associated with a login identify and to obtain a selected shared access profile associated with the login user role and the login user location from the one or more shared access profiles stored on the storage component; and a user interface configured to employ the selected shared access profile to provide access to a selected subset of the at least one networked device in accordance with the login user role and the login user location associated with the selected shared access profile.