Patent ID: 7764699

Claim:
A method using shared configuration information to manage network access for externally generated communications, comprising: providing an association information store that maintains association information for a first end user of a private network; providing a data storage system that maintains configuration information for a first endpoint associated with the first end user; receiving an externally generated communication at an access point to the private network, the communication addressed for delivery to a second endpoint associated with a second end user of the private network, the externally generated communication received from a third endpoint associated with a third end user; using a computing device to obtain the association information and determine an association between the first end user and the second end user; and using the computing device to obtain the configuration information for the first endpoint associated with the first end user and configure the access point to allow the communication from the third endpoint associated with the third end user to be delivered to the second endpoint associated with the second end user based on the association between the first end user and the second end user.