Patent attributes
Methods, apparatus, and computer-accessible storage media for implementing a gateway to a remote service provider according to a security model. The gateway serves as an interface between processes on a customer network and the provider, for example to store customer data to a remote data store. The model may include an activation process initiated by the gateway to register with the provider and associate the gateway with a customer account; the gateway is provided with security credentials. The model may also include establishing secure connections to external processes, for example processes of the service provider. The gateway initiates connections; the external processes do not initiate connections. The model may also include the customer managing the gateway through the service provider. The model may also include encrypting communications between the gateway and the provider and the gateway including security credentials in communications to the provider.