An architecture for access control management in collaborative enterprise systems based on organization models

One of the most important characteristics of current enterprise systems is the existence of collaborative processes where different users/subsystems communicate and cooperate in order to carry out common activities. In these processes, shared resources are often used and there are complex relationships between activities and users, so the definition and administration of different security levels (tasks, users, resources, etc.) is necessary. In this article, we shall focus on an important dimension related to the security aspect of collaborative systems: access control. We shall use an organization model that considers the necessary elements to represent authorization and access control aspects in enterprise systems. This model is used in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) in order to facilitate the implementation of a service which is responsible for these important functions. Finally, we shall propose the use of a pattern definition language at a conceptual level to facilitate the modelling of the organizational structures of an enterprise system. We shall specify organization patterns that will help us define general models which can be applied in different situations.