Patent ID: 8108494

Claim:
A method for using workspaces to manage an integrated voice and data system, the method comprising: grouping a plurality of devices and/or services to be managed under a use-case based voice and data management system executed on a communication management device in a user's local area network, said plurality of devices and/or services collectively providing integrated voice and data functionality and including a voice service provided by the communication management device; using a shared workspace in the use-case based voice and data management system to provide the user a use-case based user interface through which said plurality of devices and/or services can be configured; assigning a first subset of the plurality of devices and/or services to the shared workspace, wherein the shared workspace manages authentication of access to and configuration of the assigned devices and/or services; executing a set of configuration instructions on the communication management device in response to user input provided via the use-case based user interface, the configuration instructions being particular to each of the assigned devices and/or services to be configured; receiving, from a computing device controlled by a user, an indication to add a personal workspace; creating the personal workspace, the personal workspace including configuration information for a voice-based communication device associated with the personal workspace, the voice-based communication device utilizing the voice service provided by the communication management device, so that the voice-based communication device and the voice service can be configured along with other devices and/or services assigned to the personal workspace in the use-case based user interface associated with the personal workspace; designating the personal workspace as a member of the shared workspace in response to receiving from the computing device controlled by the user a designation to associate the personal workspace with the shared workspace; and updating authentication information related to the shared workspace to provide the personal workspace access to the devices and/or services assigned to the shared workspace.