A method of redirecting requests by an intermediary to a horizontally deployed Wide Area Network optimization device, the method comprising steps of: a) receiving, by an intermediary device deployed between a plurality of clients and one or more servers, via a first transport layer connection, a first request from a client to access a server, the first request modified by a first Wide Area Network, WAN, optimization device deployed between the client and the intermediary device to include information in a first option field of a transport layer processable by a second WAN optimization device, the information in the first option field identifying that an operation or service has been started by the first WAN optimization device, the operation or service including an operation or service to the request; b) determining, by the intermediary device responsive to a redirection policy, to send the first request to the second WAN optimization device instead of the server; c) establishing, by the intermediary device, a second transport layer connection with the second WAN optimization device deployed horizontally to the intermediary device, the horizontally deployed second WAN optimization device not being in the path of network traffic from the client to the server, not being in the path from the client to the intermediary device and not being path from the intermediary device to the server, and d) transmitting, by the intermediary device, the first request to the second WAN optimization device via the second transport layer connection, the intermediary device maintaining the information from the first option field of the first request in a second option field of the transport layer of the first request a) receiving, by an intermediary device deployed between a plurality of clients and one or more servers, via a first transport layer connection, a first request from a client to access a server, the first request modified by a first Wide Area Network, WAN, optimization device deployed between the client and the intermediary device to include information in a first option field of a transport layer processable by a second WAN optimization device, the information in the first option field identifying that an operation or service has been started by the first WAN optimization device, the operation or service including an operation or service to the request; b) determining, by the intermediary device responsive to a redirection policy, to send the first request to the second WAN optimization device instead of the server; c) establishing, by the intermediary device, a second transport layer connection with the second WAN optimization device deployed horizontally to the intermediary device, the horizontally deployed second WAN optimization device not being in the path of network traffic from the client to the server, not being in the path from the client to the intermediary device and not being path from the intermediary device to the server, and d) transmitting, by the intermediary device, the first request to the second WAN optimization device via the second transport layer connection, the intermediary device maintaining the information from the first option field of the first request in a second option field of the transport layer of the first request