Patent ID: 8458230

Claim:
For a security access manager for use in a data management system that manages access to data resources of an enterprise, a method for securing access to the data resources, said method comprising: providing a first security module for authenticating an identity of a user of a client application by (i) accessing an external user directory that is a part of an existing security system of the enterprise which operates outside of the data management system and (ii) verifying the identity of the user against the external user directory; providing a second security module for alternatively authenticating the identity of the user of the client application by (i) accessing an internal user directory that is a part of the data management system and (ii) verifying the identity of the user against the internal user directory; providing a third security module for authorizing the user to access a set of secured data resources by accessing a first policy data store that is a part of the data management system upon verification of the identity of the user with the first or second security module; and providing a fourth security module for alternatively authorizing the user to access the set of secured data resources by accessing a second policy data store that is a part of the existing enterprise security system, wherein said first, second, third, and fourth modules are modules of the security access manager.