Patent ID: 7821926

Claim:
A method for controlling access to information in a network, the method comprising: maintaining a local copy of one or more policies in a memory of a local access device, the one or more policies limiting access to information in a local area network associated with the local access device, and wherein a change in the local copy is propagated to one or more other policy databases in a global network by a policy manager server in communication with the local access device; receiving a request from a user, the request received by the local access device, the request concerning access to information in the local area network; executing instructions stored in memory of the local access device, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor: consults the local copy of the one or more policies, wherein the local copy includes any changes made at the one or more other policy databases in the global network, determines that the user is authorized or unauthorized to access the information based on at least the local copy of the one or more policies, and controls access to information in the local area network based on the determination that the user is authorized or unauthorized.