Patent ID: 7870594

Claim:
A computer implemented method for applying compliance standards to a set of computers, the computer implemented method comprising: identifying a set of computer groupings containing the set of computers, wherein each computer in the set of computers is included in at least one computer group in the set of computer groupings; identifying a set of compliance rules for each of the set of computer groupings; identifying a set of computer specific compliance rules for a specific computer in the set of computers; acquiring configuration information for the set of computers; comparing the configuration information for each of the set of computers to the set of compliance rules for each of the set of computer groupings to which each computer in the set of computers is included, and comparing the configuration information for the specific computer to the set of computer specific compliance rules for the specific computer; and generating compliance results for each computer in the set of computers, including generating the compliance results associated with the set of computer specific compliance rules for the specific computer; wherein at least one computer in the set of computers is included in at least two computer groups in the set of computer groupings, and wherein the compliance results includes a compliance for each compliance rule for which each computer in the set of computers is compliant with, including a group compliance associated with each of the set of computer groupings to which each computer in the set of computers is included.