Patent ID: 8863297

Claim:
A virtual file management system (VFMS) providing a user access to managed content on one or more mobile devices, the system comprising: a plurality of storage domains that store the managed content distributively using one or more file systems; at least one server hosting a data infrastructure that organizes the managed content into a virtual file system that maintains information of storage domain specific file system primitives for accessing corresponding portions of the managed content, the data infrastructure collecting and maintaining metadata of the plurality of storage domains and the one or more mobile devices, wherein the data infrastructure comprises a policy definition and decision component that generates and maintains policies defining controls for permissible operations on the managed content with respect to the user on the one or more mobile devices, the permissible operations including the file system primitives; and a client application hosted on the one or more mobile devices, the client application coupled to the data infrastructure and the plurality of storage domains and including an enforcement component, wherein the enforcement component communicates with the policy definition and decision component to retrieve and enforce the policies by applying the controls on the one or more mobile devices, the client application retrieving information of the virtual file system from the data infrastructure and providing access to the managed content through an interface by processing data requests using the permissible operations, and processing data requests through one or more of direct communication with the plurality of storage domains and secure overlay communication, through the data infrastructure, with the plurality of storage domains, wherein the client application exposes the permissible operations and the virtual file system information to one or more mobile applications that run on the one or more mobile devices and provides the access to the managed content through the interface.