Method and system for enabling data usage accounting through a relay

Abstract

A method and system for enabling data usage accounting is described herein. The method can be practiced on a computing device that has secure applications and unsecure applications installed thereon. Initially, a request for a data session that includes a final endpoint can be received through a secure application. The request for the data session can be intercepted and modified to cause the request to be re-directed back to the secure application. A connection with a relay server can be initiated instead of the final endpoint such that data usage accounting for the data session is to be conducted at a remote location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of data usage accounting, comprising:
 on a computing device that includes one or more enterprise applications and one or more personal applications and the enterprise applications are associated with an enterprise that has designated the enterprise applications for enterprise data usage accounting that is to be segregated from data usage accounting for the personal applications, receiving a data session request from one of the enterprise applications, wherein the data session request includes a final endpoint for the retrieval of content;   in response to the receipt of the data session request from the enterprise application, facilitating enterprise data usage accounting and data exchange for the data session request by redirecting the data session request to a remote relay component instead of the final endpoint, wherein the relay component is configured to perform both the data exchange and the data usage accounting and the redirecting to the relay component is limited to only the enterprise applications;   wherein redirecting the data session request comprises:
 initiating a connection with the relay component; and 
 providing the final endpoint to the relay component to enable the relay component to establish a connection with the final endpoint. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enterprise application from which the data session request is received is a secure application that is configured to modify the data session request to cause the redirection of the data session request to the remote relay component. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising intercepting the data session request to enable the secure application to modify the data session request to cause the redirection of the data session request to the remote relay component. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the secure application is configured to modify the data session request by re-writing addressing information of the data session request. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising providing an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computing device to the relay component to enable the relay component to associate the data session request with the computing device. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein redirecting the data session request to the relay component instead of the final endpoint is transparent to the enterprise application from which the data session request is received. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein redirecting the data session request further comprises redirecting the data session request to a connection point application installed on the computing device to facilitate the initiation of the connection with the relay component. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the connection point application is a hub application that is configured to run in the background and to accept data session requests from applications one at a time or from multiple applications simultaneously. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein redirecting the data session request to the relay component instead of the final endpoint comprises redirecting the data session request to a relay component that is assigned to the enterprise that has designated the enterprise applications for enterprise data usage accounting such that the relay component is isolated from other relay components that are associated with different enterprises to prevent comingling of data streams associated with the different enterprises. 
     
     
         10 . A method of segregated data usage accounting, comprising:
 on a computing device that includes one or more enterprise applications and one or more personal applications and the enterprise applications are associated with an enterprise that has designated the enterprise applications for enterprise data usage accounting that is to be segregated from data usage accounting for the personal applications, receiving a data session request from one of the enterprise applications; and   redirecting the data session request over an external connection such that data exchange occurs on behalf of the enterprise application from which the data session request was received and such that a data usage total for the data session request is determined remotely from the computing device;   wherein redirecting data session requests over the external connection only occurs for the enterprise applications designated for enterprise data usage accounting.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein redirecting the data session request comprises re-writing addressing information of the data session request. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the enterprise application from which the data session request is received is a secure application that is protected from exchanges with the personal applications. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the enterprise applications are part of a secure workspace and the method further comprises providing authentication information to access the secure workspace.