Systems and methods of managing communication endpoints

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a trigger to dynamically modify a serving site of a communication endpoint, wherein the communication endpoint is registered to receive digital communication service from a first serving site. The method further includes determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoint. The method also includes selecting a second serving site for the communication endpoint based, at least part, on a stored serving-site selection policy. Also, the method includes determining endpoint-configuration requirements of the second serving site. Furthermore, the method includes dynamically generating endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the second serving site. Moreover, the method includes writing the generated endpoint configurations to the communication endpoint. Additionally, the method includes causing the communication endpoint to register to receive digital communication service from the second serving site in place of the first serving site.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising, by a computer system:
 receiving a trigger in relation to a communication endpoint;   responsive to the trigger, determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoint;   selecting a serving site for the communication endpoint from among a plurality of serving sites, wherein the selection is based, at least in part, on the stored serving-site selection policy;   determining endpoint-configuration requirements applicable to the communication endpoint based, at least in part, on a stored profile of the serving site;   generating endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the serving site;   writing at least a portion of the generated endpoint configurations to the communication endpoint; and   causing the communication endpoint to register to receive digital communication service from the serving site.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the computer system stores, in a data store, a plurality of endpoint profiles for a plurality of communication endpoints; and   the selecting comprises, responsive to a determination that no endpoint profile for the communication endpoint exists in the data store, assigning the serving site to the communication endpoint as a default serving site.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the stored serving-site selection policy is specified in a stored endpoint profile for the communication endpoint. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating comprises dynamically generating the endpoint configurations. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 receiving a trigger in relation to a specified node of an endpoint-management hierarchy;   determining communication endpoints that are child nodes of the specified node in the endpoint-management hierarchy;   determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoints based, at least in part, on the specified node of the endpoint-management hierarchy;   selecting a particular serving site for the communication endpoints from among the plurality of serving sites based, at least in part, on the stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoints;   determining endpoint-configuration requirements applicable to the communication endpoints based, at least in part, on a stored profile of the particular serving site;   generating second endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the particular serving site; and   writing at least a portion of the second endpoint configurations to each of the communication endpoints.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the generated second endpoint configurations of at least one communication endpoint of the communication endpoints are different from the generated second endpoint configurations of at least one other communication endpoint of the communication endpoints. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 prior to the causing, the communication endpoint is registered to receive digital communication service from an initial serving site of the plurality of serving sites;   the trigger comprises a trigger to modify the initial serving site of the communication endpoint; and   the causing comprises causing the communication endpoint to register to receive digital communication service from the selected serving site in place of the initial serving site.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generated endpoint configurations are selected from the group consisting of a settings file, a security profile, a security certificate, a firmware file, an application software file and an installation script file. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating comprises retrieving at least some of the endpoint configurations from a data store. 
     
     
         10 . A system comprising a processor and memory, wherein the processor and memory in combination are operable to perform a method comprising:
 receiving a trigger in relation to a communication endpoint;   responsive to the trigger, determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoint;   selecting a serving site for the communication endpoint from among a plurality of serving sites, wherein the selection is based, at least in part, on the stored serving-site selection policy;   determining endpoint-configuration requirements applicable to the communication endpoint based, at least in part, on a stored profile of the serving site;   generating endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the serving site;   writing at least a portion of the generated endpoint configurations to the communication endpoint; and   causing the communication endpoint to register to receive digital communication service from the serving site.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the system stores, in a data store, a plurality of endpoint profiles for a plurality of communication endpoints; and   the selecting comprises, responsive to a determination that no endpoint profile for the communication endpoint exists in the data store, assigning the serving site to the communication endpoint as a default serving site.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the stored serving-site selection policy is specified in a stored endpoint profile for the communication endpoint. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the generating comprises dynamically generating the endpoint configurations. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , the method comprising:
 receiving a trigger in relation to a specified node of an endpoint-management hierarchy;   determining communication endpoints that are child nodes of the specified node in the endpoint-management hierarchy;   determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoints based, at least in part, on the specified node of the endpoint-management hierarchy;   selecting a particular serving site for the communication endpoints from among the plurality of serving sites based, at least in part, on the stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoints;   determining endpoint-configuration requirements applicable to the communication endpoints based, at least in part, on a stored profile of the particular serving site;   generating second endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the particular serving site; and   writing at least a portion of the second endpoint configurations to each of the communication endpoints.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the generated second endpoint configurations of at least one communication endpoint of the communication endpoints are different from the generated second endpoint configurations of at least one other communication endpoint of the communication endpoints. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 prior to the causing, the communication endpoint is registered to receive digital communication service from an initial serving site of the plurality of serving sites;   the trigger comprises a trigger to modify the initial serving site of the communication endpoint; and   the causing comprises causing the communication endpoint to register to receive digital communication service from the selected serving site in place of the initial serving site.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the generated endpoint configurations are selected from the group consisting of a settings file, a security profile, a security certificate, a firmware file, an application software file and an installation script file. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the generating comprises retrieving at least some of the endpoint configurations from a data store. 
     
     
         19 . A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:
 receiving a trigger in relation to a communication endpoint;   responsive to the trigger, determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoint;   selecting a serving site for the communication endpoint from among a plurality of serving sites, wherein the selection is based, at least in part, on the stored serving-site selection policy;   determining endpoint-configuration requirements applicable to the communication endpoint based, at least in part, on a stored profile of the serving site;   generating endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the serving site;   writing at least a portion of the generated endpoint configurations to the communication endpoint; and   causing the communication endpoint to register to receive digital communication service from the serving site.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-program product of  claim 19 , the method comprising:
 receiving a trigger in relation to a specified node of an endpoint-management hierarchy;   determining communication endpoints that are child nodes of the specified node in the endpoint-management hierarchy;   determining a stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoints based, at least in part, on the specified node of the endpoint-management hierarchy;   selecting a particular serving site for the communication endpoints from among the plurality of serving sites based, at least in part, on the stored serving-site selection policy applicable to the communication endpoints;   determining endpoint-configuration requirements applicable to the communication endpoints based, at least in part, on a stored profile of the particular serving site;   generating second endpoint configurations that satisfy the endpoint-configuration requirements of the particular serving site; and   writing at least a portion of the second endpoint configurations to each of the communication endpoints.