Abstract: A system and method for extending the implementation of one or more Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPSs) such that each user can be placed in the IPS traffic path to create secure containment areas at a granular level, port types and port counts are increased, and higher network connection speeds are supported. In different embodiments of the invention, traffic load is balanced across two or more IPSs, enabling enhanced availability during system failures, replacements or updates. IPS performance is improved by enhancing traffic management of “trusted” (e.g., pass-through) and “known bad” (e.g., discarded) traffic flows and decreasing configuration task workloads. Other embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, extending the implementation of proxy devices, virtual private networks (VPNs), session border controllers (SBCs), firewalls, protocol gateways and other bump-in-the-wire systems.

Abstract: A system and method for extending the implementation of one or more Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPSs) such that each user can be placed in the IPS traffic path to create secure containment areas at a granular level, port types and port counts are increased, and higher network connection speeds are supported. In different embodiments of the invention, traffic load is balanced across two or more IPSs, enabling enhanced availability during system failures, replacements or updates. IPS performance is improved by enhancing traffic management of “trusted” (e.g., pass-through) and “known bad” (e.g., discarded) traffic flows and decreasing configuration task workloads. Other embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, extending the implementation of proxy devices, virtual private networks (VPNs), session border controllers (SBCs), firewalls, protocol gateways and other bump-in-the-wire systems.