1. An apparatus comprising a processor and a storage to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: receive, at a portal, and from a first remote device via a network, a first request to provide access via the network to an existing federated area to a second remote device, wherein: the portal is provided on the network to control access to federated areas by remote devices via the network; the existing federated area is maintained within one or more storage devices to store multiple objects; the multiple objects comprise multiple data sets, multiple job flow definitions, multiple task routines, multiple result reports and multiple instance logs; and each task routine of the multiple task routines comprises executable instructions to perform a task specified to be performed by a flow task identifier in a job flow definition of the multiple job flow definitions with a data set of the multiple data sets to generate a result report of the multiple result reports; examine a security credential associated with the first remote device to determine whether the first request is authorized; and in response to a determination by the processor that the first request is authorized, the processor is caused to perform operations comprising: allocate storage space within the one or more storage devices for a new private federated area, wherein the processor is caused to make a first object that is to be stored by the second remote device in the new private federated area accessible to the second remote device, and is caused to deny access to the first object to other remote devices, including the first remote device; maintain an inheritance relationship between the new private federated area and the existing federated area, wherein the processor is caused to make a second object of the multiple objects stored in the existing federated area as accessible to the second remote device as the first object stored in the new private federated area; and maintain a priority relationship between the new private federated area and the existing federated area as an exception to the inheritance relationship between the new private federated area and the existing federated area, wherein the processor is caused to: determine whether the first object is a task routine comprising executable instructions; determine whether the second object is a task routine comprising executable instructions; determine whether the first object and the second object share a first flow task identifier that indicates that the first object and the second object perform a first task when the instructions of the first object are executed and when the instructions of the second object are executed; in response to determinations by the processor that the first object is a task routine, the second object is a task routine, and the first object and the second object share the first flow task identifier, the processor is caused to execute the instructions of the first object to perform the first task or provide access to the first object to the second remote device to enable the second remote device to execute the instructions of the first object to perform the first task; and in response to determinations by the processor that the second object is a task routine, and that either the first object is not a task routine or that the first object does not share the first flow task identifier with the second object, the processor is caused to execute the instructions of the second object to perform the first task or provide access to the second object to the second remote device to enable the second remote device to execute the instructions of the second object to perform the first task.