System and method for virtual team collaboration in a secure environment

Abstract

A computing platform for facilitating dynamic connection and collaboration of service providers and service requesters to transact services in a secure computing environment. The environment includes data content comprising emails, messages, biographical information and human resources related data associated with the users. The platform includes a connection module for connecting users to form groups, and a collaboration module for creating a virtual secure data room for collaboration and sharing of encrypted data by the connected users in a user-friendly and transparent manner. The platform further comprises an indexing and parsing module for identifying keywords and topics in the data content associated with the users and a matching module for matching project requirements of service requesters to profiles of the service requesters, the profiles including the parsed data content of the users.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computing platform for matching service providers and service requesters in a secure computing environment, comprising:
 (a) a data storage for receiving a set of data from a first user;   (b) a web application module for associating a first unique identifier with the first user and a second unique identifier with the set of data of the first user, and for defining a security passphrase;   (c) an encoder for encrypting the set of data based on the first unique identifier, the second unique identifier, and the security passphrase;   (d) a connection module for connecting the first user to form a group of connected users based on the first user's invitations to other users and for defining a subgroup of connected users based on the first user's invitations to the connected users for sharing the set of data;   (e) a collaboration module for facilitating the sharing of the encrypted set of data between the first user and the subgroup of connected users without requiring the members of the subgroup to input any of the first and second unique identifiers and the security passphrase in order to receive the set of data in unencrypted form, wherein the collaboration module retrieves the encrypted set of data based on the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier, and the encoder decrypts the encrypted set of data for the members of the subgroup based on the first unique identifier, the second unique identifier and the security passphrase;   (f) an indexing engine for parsing data content of the users for keywords and associating the keywords of the data content with the users; and   (g) a matching module for receiving requirements for a project from a second user who is a service requester and matching the requirements to one or more users who are service providers based on profiles of the users, the profiles including the parsed data content associated with the users.   
     
     
         2 . The platform of  claim 1 , wherein the parsed data content associated with one of the users includes at least one of biographical information, credentials, emails, voice mails, messages, memorandum and publications. 
     
     
         3 . The platform of  claim 1 , wherein the set of data represents one of documents and messages of the first user. 
     
     
         4 . The platform of  claim 1 , further comprising an index database for storing the keywords and associated users from the indexing engine. 
     
     
         5 . The platform of  claim 1 , further comprising a software program for generating a key by combining the first and second unique identifiers and the security passphrase, the key being subsequently used by the encoder to one of encrypt and decrypt the set of data. 
     
     
         6 . The platform of  claim 4 , further comprising a transaction module configured to settle payments between the matched one or more users and the second registered user based on and allow the matched one or more users to monitor progress of agreed project milestones. 
     
     
         7 . The platform of  claim 4 , further comprising a work product preview module configured to allow the service requester to preview portions of a work product prior to payment of an agreed project milestone associated with the work product. 
     
     
         8 . The platform of  claim 7 , wherein the work product preview module employs video streaming technology to display the portions of the work product. 
     
     
         9 . The platform of  claim 1 , wherein the encoder uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). 
     
     
         10 . The platform of  claim 1 , wherein the encoder uses AES-128. 
     
     
         11 . A computer implemented method for facilitating connection and collaboration of users including service providers and requesters in a secure computing environment, comprising the steps of:
 (a) associating, using a computer processor, a first unique identifier with a first user;   (b) defining, using a computer processor, a security passphrase;   (c) connecting, using a computer processor, the first user to other users to form a group based on the first user's invitations to the other users;   (d) receiving, using a computer processor, from the first user a set of data;   (e) associating, using a computer processor, a second unique identifier with the set of data;   (f) encrypting, using a computer processor, the set of data using the first and second unique identifiers and the security passphrase;   (g) sharing, using a computer processor, by the first user the encrypted set of data with select members of the group without requiring the select members to input any of the first and second unique identifiers or the security passphrase to receive an unencrypted form of the set of data.   (h) retrieving, using a computer processor, the encrypted set of data using the first and second unique identifiers, and decrypting the encrypted set of data based on the first and second unique identifiers and the security passphrase;   (i) receiving, using a computer processor, requirements for a project from a second user who is a service requester;   (j) parsing, using a computer processor, data content of the users for keywords and associating the keywords of the parsed data content with the profiles of the users; and   (k) matching, using a computer processor, the requirements to one or more users who are service providers based on profiles of the users, the profiles including the parsed data content of the users.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the parsed data content associated with one of the users includes at least one of biographical information, credentials, emails, voice mails, messages, memorandum and publications. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the set of data represents one of messages and documents of the first user. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of combining the first and second unique identifiers and the security passphrase to generate a key and wherein the steps of encrypting and decrypting uses said key. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of ranking users whose parsed data content has been matched with keywords of the requirements of the project. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the step of settling payments between the matched one or more users based on completion of previously agreed milestones. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of allowing the service requester to preview a portion of a work product of the matched one or more users prior to payment of a previously agreed milestone associated with the work product. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of previewing work product uses video streaming technology. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the step of encrypting uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of ranking the service providers based on their profiles, the profiles including the parsed data content associated with the service providers.