JP7530404B2 - Management device, management method, and management program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a management program.

In recent years, services that provide software stored in the cloud to users via the Internet have become known.

For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes a cloud system that provides services to users registered in tenants, in which a communication destination is issued for each tenant to register users in association with the tenant, and users who connect to each communication destination are registered with the tenant that issued the respective communication destination.

JP 2021-18805 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional technologies do not necessarily eliminate the complexity that occurs when a subscriber manages usage rights for cloud services.

The management device according to one embodiment may have a reception unit and a management unit. The reception unit may receive registration of target information designated for targets who are permitted to use a specified service, on a predetermined organizational unit to which an administrator who manages the targets belongs. The management unit may manage the target information registered on an organizational unit basis for each organization.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of the management process according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a management device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example (1) of a registration screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example (2) of a registration screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example (3) of a registration screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example (4) of a registration screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of list information according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a merging technique according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a management process procedure according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the management device.

Below, one form (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") for implementing the management device, management method, and management program of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the management device, management method, and management program of the present application are not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, in the following embodiment, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following explanation, obtaining location information by calculation or the like may be referred to as "positioning."

[Embodiment]
1. Introduction
In some cases, a company may enter into a corporate contract for a service provided by a cloud system, and employees may use the service to carry out their work. A representative example of such a service is software (groupware) for information sharing using an in-company network, and the form in which it is provided is called SaaS (Software as a Service).

When software provided on SaaS is used in a company in this way, it may be necessary to allow certain people other than employees (for example, contract employees who are temporarily employed by the company, or visitors to the company from outside) to use the software.

In such cases, work processes such as initial settings and permission assignment to allow use may occur, but such work processes are often done manually, which can be cumbersome and interfere with the department in charge's work.

The inventors therefore realized that if they could systematize a process for managing specific individuals at the organizational level that actually invites such specific individuals into the company, the complexity of managing specific individuals within the company could be eliminated.

The systemized process will be described in detail below as an embodiment with reference to the drawings. The embodiment will be described using an example of a situation where a company that has a corporate contract for software (an example of a specified service) provided on SaaS is targeted, and the software is controlled so that people who temporarily belong to a specific organization within the company (hereinafter referred to as "guest users") can also use the software, and the software is managed on an organizational basis. In this example, guest users correspond to those who are permitted to use the software provided on SaaS.

2. System Configuration
First, the configuration of a management system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a management system according to an embodiment. Fig. 1 shows a management system 1 as an example of the management system according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the management system 1 may include an organization device 10 and a management device 100. Furthermore, the organization device 10 and the management device 100 may be connected to each other via a network N so as to be able to communicate with each other via a wired or wireless connection.

The organizational device 10 may be an information processing terminal used by an organization to which an administrator who manages guest users belongs. Examples of such information processing terminals include smartphones, tablet terminals, notebook PCs (Personal Computers), desktop PCs, mobile phones, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants).

For example, the organization device 10 may be installed with a specific application software that enables sending and receiving information between the management device 100. Furthermore, the application software may be general-purpose application software such as a web browser, or may be implemented as dedicated application software that corresponds to the management process according to the embodiment.

The organization in the embodiment may be a division (department) that constitutes a single company (business), or a team that is formed within a single division. Examples of a division include the sales department and the systems department, and examples of a team include project A team and project B team within the sales department. In the following embodiment, the former example will be used as the organization.

The management device 100 may be an information processing device that performs the management processing according to the embodiment. For example, the management device 100 may realize the management processing according to the embodiment in a management system 1 including an organizational device 10 of a company that has a corporate contract for software provided on the SaaS. For example, the management device 100 may accept registration of guest information (an example of target information) designated for guest users who are permitted to use the software provided on the SaaS, on a department basis that constitutes the relevant company and to which the guest users temporarily belong. Furthermore, the management device 100 may manage the guest information registered for each department.

Here, according to the management system 1, the organizational device 10 can be said to be an edge computer that performs edge processing near an administrator who manages guest users (e.g., a regular employee who belongs to a department to which the guest users are temporarily assigned). On the other hand, the management device 100 may be, for example, a cloud computer that performs processing on the cloud side.

3. Overview of management process according to embodiment
Next, an overview of the management process realized by the management system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the management process according to the embodiment. In Fig. 2, the overview of the management process according to the embodiment will be described using as an example the management system 1 including an organizational device 10-11 of a guest user management group G11 (hereinafter abbreviated as "group G11"), an organizational device 10-12 of a guest user management group G12 (hereinafter abbreviated as "group G12"), and a management device 100.

In the example of FIG. 2, groups G11 and G12 are one of the organizations that make up company T1; for example, group G11 may be the sales department, and group G12 may be the systems department. Also, the example of FIG. 2 shows a scene in which both groups G11 and G12 register guest information specified for person U1 in order to register person U1 as a guest user managed by their own department. For example, groups G11 and G12 can make various registrations with the management device 100 to grant person U1 permission to use app AP1 for a specific period of time in order to have person U1 belong to their own department as a guest user for a specific period of time.

Application AP1 may be software that has been corporately contracted in advance by company T1 and is provided on SaaS. For example, application AP1 may be groupware with a schedule management function.

The registration work described as being performed by group G11 is actually performed by an administrator who belongs to group G11 and has the role of managing person U1, operating organization device 10-11. In FIG. 2, administrator A111, administrator A112, and administrator A113 are shown as examples of such administrators.

The registration work described as being performed by group G12 is actually performed by an administrator who belongs to group G12 and has the role of managing person U1, operating organization device 10-12. In FIG. 2, administrator A121, administrator A122, and administrator A123 are shown as examples of such administrators.

Here, in the example of FIG. 2, group G11 registers guest information UIF11, which specifies on a group basis, for person U1 who is permitted to use app AP1, in the management device 100 via organization device 10-11. Also, group G12 registers guest information UIF12, which specifies on a group basis, for person U1 who is permitted to use app AP1, in the management device 100 via organization device 10-12. Note that such information registration can be performed within a specific screen provided by the management device 100, and an example of information registration using such a screen will be described in detail later.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the management device 100 may have four functions, function F1 to function F4, as management processing functions, and these functions will be explained using the example in which guest information UIF11 and guest information UIF12 are registered.

Function F1 may be a function that accepts registration of guest information specified for guest users on an organizational basis, and manages the guest information registered on an organizational basis for each organization. According to the example of FIG. 2, the management device 100 may accept registration of guest information specified for person U1 on a group basis.

Figure 2 shows an example in which the management device 100 accepts, from group G11, the registration of guest information UIF11 that includes content specified by group G11 regarding person U1 in accordance with function F1. Also, Figure 2 shows an example in which the management device 100 accepts, from group G12, the registration of guest information UIF12 that includes content specified by group G12 regarding person U1 in accordance with function F1.

The management device 100 may manage the guest information UIF11 and the guest information UIF12 in a state where they are individually distinguished on a group basis. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the management device 100 may manage the identification information identifying group G11 and the guest information UIF11 in a linked state separately, and may manage the identification information identifying group G12 and the guest information UIF12 in a linked state separately.

Function F2 may be a function for managing software (software provided on SaaS) that is permitted for use by each guest user. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the management device 100 has accepted from group G11 the registration of guest information UIF11 that specifies app AP1 as software that person U1 is permitted to use in accordance with function F2. FIG. 2 also shows an example in which the management device 100 has accepted from group G12 the registration of guest information UIF12 that specifies app AP1 as software that person U1 is permitted to use in accordance with function F2.

Function F3 may be a function that manages, for each guest user, an affiliation validity period (an example of a first validity period), which is the period during which the guest user is permitted to belong to the group in which the guest user is registered, and a service usage validity period (an example of a second validity period), which is the period during which the guest user is permitted to use software (software provided on SaaS).

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the management device 100 accepts, from the group G11, the registration of guest information UIF11 that specifies the effective period of membership during which person U1 is permitted to belong to the group G11 in accordance with function F3. FIG. 2 also shows an example in which the management device 100 accepts, from the group G11, the registration of guest information UIF11 that specifies the effective period of service use during which person U1 is permitted to use the app AP1 in accordance with function F3.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the management device 100 accepts, from the group G12, the registration of guest information UIF12 that specifies the effective period of membership during which person U1 is permitted to belong to the group G12 in accordance with function F3. FIG. 2 also shows an example in which the management device 100 accepts, from the group G12, the registration of guest information UIF12 that specifies the effective period of service use during which person U1 is permitted to use the app AP1 in accordance with function F3.

Here, in the example of FIG. 2, both groups G11 and G12 have registered guest information that specifies the same person U1 as a guest user. In other words, the guest user who is permitted to use the app AP1 is common between the different organizations of groups G11 and G12. In this way, when guest information for a guest user that is common between different organizations is registered, it is believed that complexity can be further reduced if both sets of guest information can be managed in a merged state.

Therefore, function F4 may be a function that manages guest information in a merged state when guest information common to guest users between different organizations is registered. According to the example of FIG. 2, the management device 100 may manage the affiliation validity period specified in guest information UIF11 and the affiliation validity period specified in guest information UIF12 in a merged state in accordance with function F4. Also, according to the example of FIG. 2, the management device 100 may manage the service usage validity period specified in guest information UIF11 and the service usage validity period specified in guest information UIF12 in a merged state in accordance with function F4.

In the above example, function F3 and function F4 can be combined to be a function that manages the usage rights of any software provided on SaaS for each guest user. Therefore, guest information UIF11, which includes the affiliation validity period and the service usage validity period, corresponds to the authority information by which group G11 grants usage rights to person U1 for application AP1. Also, guest information UIF12, which includes the affiliation validity period and the service usage validity period, corresponds to the authority information by which group G12 grants usage rights to person U1 for application AP1.

In addition, while FIG. 2 shows app AP1 as an example of software provided on SaaS, the software that an organization can specify is not limited to one piece of software such as app AP1. For example, groups G11 and G12 can specify multiple pieces of any software as long as the software is under a corporate contract with company T1. For example, group G12 can specify app AP2, which has a library function, as well as app AP1 as software that person U1, who is registered as a guest user, is permitted to use.

4. Configuration of the Management Device
Next, the management device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the management device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

(Regarding communication unit 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC) etc. For example, the communication unit 110 is wirelessly connected to the network N and transmits and receives information to and from the organization device 10, for example.

(Regarding the storage unit 120)
The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk, an optical disk, etc. The storage unit 120 has an organization information storage unit 121 and a registration information storage unit 122.

(Regarding the organization information storage unit 121)
The organizational information storage unit 121 may store information on each department belonging to each company. The organizational information storage unit 121 may also store information on each team formed within each department. Note that the departments and teams referred to here are examples of organizations.

(Regarding the registration information storage unit 122)
The registered information storage unit 122 may store the subject information registered on an organization basis, distinguishing it according to the organization that registered it.

(Regarding the control unit 130)
The control unit 130 is realized by a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), or the like executing various programs (e.g., a management program according to the embodiment) stored in a storage device inside the management device 100 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 130 is also realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 130 has a request reception unit 131, a provision unit 132, a registration reception unit 133, and a management unit 134, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below. Also, the connection relationships between the processing units of the control unit 130 are not limited to the connection relationships shown in FIG. 3, and may be other connection relationships.

(Regarding the request receiving unit 131)
The request receiving unit 131 may receive a request transmitted from the organization device 10. For example, the request receiving unit 131 may receive a request via an application that is pre-installed in the organization device 10 and that realizes communication with the management device 100. For example, the request receiving unit 131 may receive a request for delivery of a screen used for registering target person information.

(Regarding the providing unit 132)
The providing unit 132 may provide the information corresponding to the request to the organization side. For example, when a request is accepted by the request accepting unit 131, the providing unit 132 may deliver a screen corresponding to the request to the organization device 10 that made the request.

(Regarding the registration reception unit 133)
The registration reception unit 133 may accept the registration of target information designated for targets permitted to use a predetermined service on a predetermined organizational basis to which an administrator who manages the targets belongs. For example, the registration reception unit 133 may accept the registration of target information designated for targets permitted to use a service (software) provided on SaaS as a predetermined service on an organizational basis. For example, the registration reception unit 133 may accept the registration of target information via a screen provided by the provision unit 132.

The registration reception unit 133 may also receive, on an organizational basis, a setting that prevents the target information registered on an organizational basis from being shared with other organizations different from the organization in question.

(Regarding the management unit 134)
The management unit 134 may manage the subject information registered on an organization-by-organization basis. For example, the management unit 134 may share the subject information registered on an organization-by-organization basis between organizations so that the subject information can be viewed or edited by other organizations different from the organization.

In addition, when subject information about subjects in common between different organizations is registered, the management unit 134 may manage both sets of subject information in a merged state.

Here, the registration reception unit 133 may accept, as the subject information, the registration of a first validity period (affiliation validity period), which is the period during which the subject is permitted to belong to the organization that registers the subject information. As a result, when a first validity period common to subjects between different organizations is registered, the management unit 134 may manage both first validity periods in a merged state.

The registration reception unit 133 may also accept, as the subject information, the registration of a second validity period (service usage validity period), which is the period during which the subject is permitted to use the service provided on the SaaS. As a result, when a second validity period common to subjects of different organizations is registered, the management unit 134 may manage both second validity periods in a merged state.

5. An example of a registration method
Next, a method for registering various pieces of information that can be performed on an organizational basis will be described using example screens provided by the management device 100. Each of Figures 4 to 8 shows an example of a screen that may be provided by the providing unit 132 of the management device 100. The registration method will be described below using Figures 4 to 8. Note that the explanation of Figures 4 to 8 will use an example of the management system 1 corresponding to company T1 shown in Figure 2.

First, an example of new registration of guest information will be described using FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example (1) of a registration screen according to an embodiment. For example, assume that an administrator belonging to group G11 operates organization device 10-11 to send a request for distribution of a new registration screen to management device 100. In this case, in response to the distribution request being accepted by request acceptance unit 131, providing unit 132 distributes the new registration screen to organization device 10-11. FIG. 4 shows a scene in which new registration screen C11 is displayed on organization device 10-11 as an example of a new registration screen provided by management device 100.

In the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have an individual registration button BT11 that switches to a screen for registering each person individually as a guest user, and a bulk registration button BT12 that switches to a screen for registering multiple people as guest users at once.

The new registration screen C11 may have a function for allowing the user to specify an organization, in order to accept information entered in the input fields described below (guest information specified for guest users) on an organization basis. This function may correspond to the selection button BT13. For example, an organization (group G11 in the example of FIG. 4) performing a registration operation using the new registration screen C11 can select its own organization from the selection screen provided by pressing the selection button BT13.

For example, when a distribution request is received by the request receiving unit 131 as a result of pressing the selection button BT13, the providing unit 132 may distribute a selection screen to the organization device 10-11. FIG. 5 shows a scene in which a management group selection screen C12 is displayed on the organization device 10-11 as an example of a selection screen provided by the management device 100. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example (2) of a registration screen according to an embodiment.

According to the example of FIG. 5, the management group selection screen C12 may have an input area AR40 for inputting a keyword for searching for a management group, and a search button BT41 for instructing execution of a search. For example, when the search button BT41 is pressed with a keyword input, the providing unit 132 may display information corresponding to the keyword and related to the management group as organizational information indicating candidate organizations in an area AR42 of the management group selection screen C12, as shown in FIG. 4.

Figure 5 shows an example in which organizational information CA421 and organizational information CA422 are displayed in area AR42. For example, if the name of group G11 is "XX Group" and the name of the administrator A111 performing the current registration operation is "XX Jiro," administrator A111 can select organizational information CA421 and press the decision button BT43. This allows administrator A111 to specify that information registration is to be performed on a group G11 basis. On the other hand, if administrator A111 wishes to cancel the selection of the management group and return to, for example, the new registration screen C11, he or she can press the cancel button BT44.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have an area AR14, and when the decision button BT43 is pressed, the organization name (management group name) of the organization selected on the management group selection screen C12 may be displayed here. In addition, the new registration screen C11 may have an area AR15, and information indicating the administrator belonging to the organization selected on the management group selection screen C12 may be displayed here.

Here, the management unit 134 may share the guest information registered via the new registration screen C11 between organizations so that it can be viewed or edited, typically by organizations other than the organization that registered the guest information. For example, the management unit 134 may share the guest information UIF11 registered by group G11 between groups G11 and G12 so that it can also be viewed or edited by group G12, which is another organization in company T1.

However, some organizations do not want this sharing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have a check box CK16 for accepting a setting not to share guest information with other organizations. For example, if group G11 does not want other organizations, such as group G12, to see or edit the guest information UIF11 that they have just registered using the new registration screen C11, they can simply enter a check mark in the check box CK16.

Furthermore, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have a button BT17 for calling up template information used for bulk registration of guest users, and a button BT18 for calling up template information used for bulk registration of services that guest users are permitted to use.

Furthermore, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have input fields IF19, IF20, IF21, IF22, and IF23.

Input field IF19 is an input field for inputting the name of the target person to be designated as a guest user (i.e., a person who has become the target of new guest user registration in order to grant usage rights), and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the target person's name "GUEST HANAKO" has been input. Input field IF20 is an input field for inputting the reading of the target person's name in katakana, and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the target person's katakana reading "GUEST HANAKO" has been input. Input field IF21 is an input field for inputting the reading of the target person's name in romaji, and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the target person's romaji reading "gesto hanako" has been input.

Furthermore, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have an input field IF22 and an input field IF23.

The input field IF22 is an input field for inputting the effective period of affiliation for which the target person is permitted to belong to the organization (group G11 in the example of FIG. 4) for which the registration operation is being performed using the new registration screen C11, and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the effective period of affiliation "October 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021" has been input. The input field IF23 is an input field for inputting the email address to be assigned to the target person, and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the email address "hanako gest@aa-a.co.jp" has been input.

The email address assigned using input field IF23 may be used as unique information (e.g., a login ID) to identify the target person as a guest user.

The new registration screen C11 may also have a function for allowing the target person to specify the company to which they officially belong. This function may correspond to the selection button BT24. For example, an organization performing a registration operation using the new registration screen C11 (group G11 in the example of FIG. 4) can select the company to which they belong from a search screen provided by pressing the selection button BT24.

For example, when the selection button BT24 is pressed and a distribution request is accepted by the request acceptance unit 131, the providing unit 132 may distribute a search screen to the organization device 10-11. FIG. 6 shows a scene in which a search screen C13 is displayed on the organization device 10-11 as an example of a search screen provided by the management device 100. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example (3) of a registration screen according to an embodiment.

According to the example of FIG. 6, the search screen C13 may have an input area AR50 for inputting keywords for searching for the affiliated company, and a search button BT51 for instructing execution of the search. For example, when the search button BT51 is pressed with a keyword input, the providing unit 132 may display information corresponding to the keyword and related to the affiliated company as company information indicating candidate affiliated companies in an area AR52 of the search screen C13, as shown in FIG. 6. For example, the providing unit 132 may search for a company corresponding to the keyword from among companies that have a history of doing business with company T1.

Figure 6 shows an example in which company information CA521, company information CA522, and company information CA523 are displayed in area AR52. For example, if the company to which the person that group G11 wishes to register as a guest user officially belongs is "A Corporation," the administrator A111 or the like of group G11 can select company information CA521 and press the decision button BT53. On the other hand, if the administrator A111 or the like wishes to cancel the selection of the affiliated company and return to, for example, the new registration screen C11, he or she can press the cancel button BT54.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have an area AR25, and when the decision button BT53 is pressed, the company name of the affiliated company selected on the search screen C13 may be displayed here.

The new registration screen C11 may further have a function for specifying the services (software) that the person designated as the guest user is permitted to use among the services provided on the SaaS. This function may correspond to the selection button BT26. For example, an organization (group G11 in the example of FIG. 4) performing a registration operation using the new registration screen C11 can select the services that the person is permitted to use from the selection screen provided by pressing the selection button BT26.

For example, when the selection button BT26 is pressed and a distribution request is accepted by the request acceptance unit 131, the providing unit 132 may distribute a selection screen to the organization device 10-11. FIG. 7 shows a scene in which a service selection screen C14 is displayed on the organization device 10-11 as an example of a selection screen provided by the management device 100. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a registration screen (4) according to an embodiment.

According to the example of FIG. 7, the service selection screen C14 may have an area AR60, and service information indicating each piece of software provided on SaaS that is corporately contracted by company T1 may be displayed here. In the example of FIG. 7, the providing unit 132 searches for software that is corporately contracted by company T1, and provides a service selection screen C14 in which service information indicating the software is displayed in the area AR60 for each piece of software found in the search. For example, when company T1 has a corporate contract for apps AP1 and AP2, the providing unit 132 may provide a service selection screen C14 in which service information CA601 indicating app AP1 and service information CA602 indicating app AP2 are displayed in the area AR60, as shown in FIG. 7.

The service information may have a display frame AR61 in which identification information for identifying the corresponding service (e.g., the service name, an icon, etc.) is displayed, and the display frame AR61 of the service information CA601 may display "app AP1," and the display frame AR61 of the service information CA602 may display "app AP2."

The service information may also include a button BT62 that allows the user to select software that is to be permitted for use by the person designated as the guest user. For example, if group G11 wishes to permit guest users to use app AP1, the administrator A111 of group G11 or the like may simply turn ON button BT62 provided in the service information CA601. If group G11 wishes to permit guest users to use app AP2, the administrator A111 of group G11 or the like may simply turn ON button BT62 provided in the service information CA602.

The service information may also include an input field IF63 for inputting the service usage validity period during which the use of the software selected by operating button BT62 is permitted. For example, if group G11 wishes to permit guest users to use app AP1 only between "October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021," the administrator A111 of group G11, etc., may input "October 1, 2021" and "December 31, 2021" into input field IF63 provided in the service information CA601. Furthermore, if group G11 wants to allow guest users to use app AP1 only between "October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021," the administrator A111 of group G11 can simply enter "October 1, 2021" and "December 31, 2021" into input field IF63 in service information CA602.

Also, according to the example of FIG. 7, the service selection screen C14 may have a decision button BT64 for confirming the entered information.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have an area AR27, and when the decision button BT64 is pressed, it may be displayed here that the services to be permitted to be used have been selected on the service selection screen C14.

The new registration screen C11 may also have a button BT28 for clearing the information selected or input via the new registration screen C11, and a button BT29 for adding the information selected or input via the new registration screen C11 to the list.

For example, when button BT29 is pressed, guest information specified for a guest user may be displayed in area AR30 as a single piece of list information for each guest user. The example in FIG. 4 shows an example in which group G11 has set guest information UIF11 for registering person U1 (guest Hanako) in FIG. 2 as a guest user, and this example will be used to explain an example of list information displayed in area AR30. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of list information according to an embodiment.

Figure 8 shows an example of list information LT11 corresponding to guest information UIF11 being displayed in area AR30. According to the example in Figure 8, list information LT11 includes guest information UIF11 consisting of the name, katakana reading, romaji reading, email address, official company affiliation, valid affiliation period, services for which usage rights have been granted, and valid service usage period of target person U1 who has been registered as a guest user.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, according to the example of FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may have a button BT31 for actually applying (registering) the information selected or entered thus far as guest information to the management device 100.

For example, in the example of FIG. 4, when button BT31 is pressed, the registration reception unit 133 receives guest information UIF11 that defines the target person U1 (guest Hanako) as one guest user as registration information for each group G11. Furthermore, the management unit 134 may manage the identification information that identifies the group G11 and the guest information UIF11 individually, for example, in the registration information storage unit 122, with the identification information and the guest information UIF11 linked together.

The list information LT11 described in FIG. 8 may be displayed in area AR30 of the new registration screen C11 when the new registration screen C11 is requested to further newly register another target person different from the target person U1 as a guest user.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, the new registration screen C11 may also have a function for searching guest information. For example, if guest information UIF11 is applied for without a check mark being entered in the check box CK16, another organization different from group G11, for example group G12, can use this function to obtain list information LT11 including guest information UIF11. Also, according to the example of FIG. 8, list information LT11 including guest information UIF11 has buttons such as "Edit," "Copy," and "Delete," and group G12 can use these buttons to edit or copy guest information UIF11, for example.

On the other hand, for example, if guest information UIF11 is applied for with a check mark entered in check box CK16, list information LT11 including guest information UIF11 will not be made public, and only administrators belonging to group G11 will be able to edit, copy, etc. guest information UIF11.

[6. Merging guest information]
As described above, when subject information of subjects common to different organizations is registered, the management unit 134 may manage the subject information in a merged state. The merging method will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the merging method according to the embodiment.

Figure 9 shows an example in which group G11 registers person U1 as a guest user in group G11 by registering guest information specifying the membership validity period of "January 1, 2021 to March 1, 2021" and the usage expiration date of app AP1 of "January 1, 2021 to February 1, 2021" as guest information for granting service usage authority to person U1.

Figure 9 also shows an example of group G12 registering person U1 as a guest user in group G12 by registering guest information specifying the affiliation validity period of "February 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021," the usage expiration date of app AP1 of "March 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021," and the usage expiration date of app AP2 of "February 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021" as guest information for granting service usage authority to person U1.

In this way, according to the example of FIG. 9, both groups G11 and G12 have registered guest information that specifies the same person U1 as a guest user. In other words, in the example of FIG. 9, target information that is common to targets in different organizations is registered.

In such a case, the management unit 134 may determine the effective affiliation period of person U1 at company T1 as "January 1, 2021 to March 1, 2021" as shown in FIG. 9 by merging the effective affiliation period corresponding to group G11 "January 1, 2021 to March 1, 2021" and the effective affiliation period corresponding to group G12 "February 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021". In addition, the management unit 134 may newly link and manage the effective affiliation period after the merge to group G11, and may also newly link and manage the effective affiliation period after the merge to group G12. As a result, the manager of group G11 can know which department person U1 will belong to and for how long, other than his/her own department, which makes it easier to manage the scheduling of person U1, for example. The same applies to the manager of group G12.

In addition, the management unit 134 may merge the usage validity period "January 1, 2021 to February 1, 2021" corresponding to the app AP1 on the group G11 side with the usage validity period "March 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021" corresponding to the app AP1 on the group G12 side, thereby determining the usage validity period for one service bundle, app AP1, as shown in FIG. 9, as "January 1, 2021 to February 1, 2021/March 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021."

The management unit 134 may also use the valid usage period "February 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021" corresponding to the app AP2 on the group G12 side only to determine the valid usage period "February 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021" for the single service bundle of app AP2, as shown in FIG. 9.

In this way, when the service usage validity period for a single service differs between organizations, managing the expiration date can be troublesome. However, by merging as shown in Figure 9, the complexity of expiration date management is eliminated.

The management unit 134 may also newly link and manage the post-merged valid usage period to group G11, and may also newly link and manage the post-merged valid usage period to group G12.

7. Processing Procedure
Next, the procedure of the management process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the management process according to the embodiment.

First, the request receiving unit 131 determines whether or not a request for a new registration screen for newly registering an arbitrary person as a guest user has been received (step S1001). While the request receiving unit 131 has not received a request for a new registration screen (step S1001; No), the request receiving unit 131 waits until it can determine that a request has been received.

On the other hand, if a request for a new registration screen is accepted (step S1001; Yes), the providing unit 132 provides the new registration screen to the requesting organization (step S1002). In other words, the providing unit 132 delivers the new registration screen to the organization device 10 that sent the request.

The registration reception unit 133 determines whether or not the registration of guest information specified on an organizational basis for a guest user has been accepted via the new registration screen (step S1003). If the registration reception unit 133 has not accepted the registration of guest information (step S1003; No), it waits until it can determine that the registration has been accepted.

When guest information is registered on an organizational basis (step S1003; Yes), the management unit 134 manages the organization and guest information individually while linking them together (step S1004).

The management unit 134 also determines whether another organization has registered guest information that defines the same person as a guest user (step S1005). Specifically, the management unit 134 determines whether another organization other than the organization that registered the guest information in step S1003 has registered guest information that defines the same person as the person defined as a guest user in this guest information as a guest user.

If there is another organization that has registered guest information defining the same person as a guest user (step S1005; Yes), the management unit 134 merges the guest information from both organizations and manages the merged guest information for each organization (step S1006).

On the other hand, if there are no other organizations that have registered guest information defining the same person as a guest user (step S1005; No), the management unit 134 ends the process.

8. Hardware Configuration
Moreover, the management device 100 according to the above embodiment is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 11, for example. Fig. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the computer 1000 that realizes the functions of the management device 100. The computer 1000 has a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM 1300, a HDD 1400, a communication interface (I/F) 1500, an input/output interface (I/F) 1600, and a media interface (I/F) 1700.

The CPU 1100 operates based on a program stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400, and controls each component. The ROM 1300 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000, etc.

HDD 1400 stores programs executed by CPU 1100 and data used by the programs. Communication interface 1500 receives data from other devices via communication network 50 and sends it to CPU 1100, and transmits data generated by CPU 1100 to other devices via communication network 50.

The CPU 1100 controls output devices such as a display and a printer, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, via the input/output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 acquires data from the input devices via the input/output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also outputs the data it generates to the output devices via the input/output interface 1600.

The media interface 1700 reads a program or data stored in the recording medium 1800 and provides it to the CPU 1100 via the RAM 1200. The CPU 1100 loads the program from the recording medium 1800 onto the RAM 1200 via the media interface 1700 and executes the loaded program. The recording medium 1800 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disc), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the management device 100 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes a program (e.g., a management program according to the embodiment) loaded onto the RAM 1200, thereby realizing the functions of the control unit 130. In addition, the data in the storage unit 120 is stored in the HDD 1400. The CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 reads and executes these programs from the recording medium 1800, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from another device via the communication network 50.

[9. Other]
In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

10. Summary
The above describes the embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to several drawings. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be embodied in other forms that incorporate various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the Disclosure of the Invention section.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Management system 10 Organization device 100 Management device 120 Storage unit 121 Organization information storage unit 122 Registration information storage unit 130 Control unit 131 Request reception unit 132 Provision unit 133 Registration reception unit 134 Management unit

Claims (10)

a reception unit that receives registration of subject information, which is information for permitting a subject who is an external person who temporarily belongs to a specific one company as a guest to use a specific service introduced to the specific one company, by an administrator who manages the subject and who works full-time at the specific one company, at a specific organizational unit to which the administrator belongs in the specific one company;
A management device having a management unit that manages the subject information registered by the administrator belonging to the organization by distinguishing the subject information by the organization to which the administrator who registered the subject information belongs, as a process of managing the subject information registered on an organizational basis. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the reception unit receives, on an organizational basis, registration of the subject information, which is information for permitting the subject to use a service provided on SaaS (Software as a Service) as the specified service. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the management unit causes the subject information managed separately for each organization to be shared between organizations so that the subject information can be viewed or edited by another organization different from the organization. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the subject information is registered in which the subject is common between different organizations, the management unit manages the subject information in a merged state between the two organizations. The management device of claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives registration of, as the subject information, a first validity period, which is a period during which the subject is permitted to belong to the organization to which the administrator who registered the subject information belongs , and a second validity period, which is a period included in the first validity period and is a period during which the subject is permitted to use the specified service. The management device according to claim 5 , wherein, when the first validity period for the target person is registered between different organizations, the management unit manages the first validity periods in a merged state. The management device according to claim 5 , wherein, when the second validity period common to the target person is registered between different organizations, the management unit manages the second validity periods in a merged state. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the reception unit further receives, on an organizational unit basis, a setting that prevents the target person information registered on an organizational unit basis from being shared with other organizations different from the target organization. 1. A computer implemented management method, comprising:
a receiving step in which an administrator who manages the target person and who is a full-time employee of the first company receives registration of target person information, the target person information being information for permitting the target person, who is an external person who temporarily belongs to a specific one company as a guest, to use a specific service introduced to the first one company, at a specific organizational unit to which the target person belongs in the first one company;
a management process for managing the subject information registered on an organizational basis by organization, by distinguishing the subject information by organization to which the administrator who registered the subject information belongs, and managing the subject information registered by the administrator belonging to the organization . a reception step in which an administrator who manages the subjects and who is a full-time employee of the first enterprise receives registration of subject information, the subject information being information for permitting the subject, who is an external person who temporarily belongs to a specific enterprise as a guest, to use a specific service introduced to the first enterprise, at a specific organizational unit to which the subject belongs within the first enterprise;
and a management procedure for managing the subject information registered on an organizational basis by organization, the management procedure being for managing the subject information registered by the administrator belonging to the organization, distinguishing the subject information by the organization to which the administrator who registered the subject information belongs.

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