Patent ID: 8825829

Claim:
A system comprising: a branch site including a branch client; a headquarters site including a headquarters server, the branch site and the headquarters site being communicatively coupled over a link via a transmission media, and the branch client and the headquarters server being communicatively coupled over a network connection via the transmission media, using a processor and a memory, wherein the branch client and the headquarters server establish the network connection with one another prior to the branch site directing the packet to the first POP over the first segment of the link; a first point of presence (POP) communicatively coupled with the branch site over a first segment of the link; and a second POP communicatively coupled with the first POP over a second segment of the link, and communicatively coupled with the headquarters site over a third segment of the link, the branch site being configured to transmit a packet of the network connection, and associated with the branch client, over the first segment to the first POP, the first POP being configured to: select a delivery optimization operation to perform on the packet, perform the delivery optimization operation on the packet, and transmit the packet to the second POP over the second segment of the link, and the second POP being configured to: select a further delivery optimization operation to perform on the packet, perform the further delivery optimization operation on the packet, and transmit the packet to the headquarters site over the third segment of the link, wherein the packet is securely transmitted between the branch site and the headquarters site over each of the first segment, the second segment and the third segment through at least one network tunnel created using a tunneling protocol configured to encapsulate a payload protocol by a network protocol across at least one intervening firewall, wherein the first POP and the second POP are appropriately located such that application acceleration and network optimization in the transmission of the packet are spread across the system, without being concentrated at end points thereof, wherein the branch client and the headquarters server establish the network connection with one another prior to the branch site directing the packet to the first POP over the first segment of the link, wherein the system is configured to direct a plurality of packets, each associated with a different one of the plurality of network connections, simultaneously over at least one of the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment of the link, and a set of interconnectors including: a branch site interconnector associated with the branch site; a first POP interconnector associated with the first POP; a second POP interconnector associated with the second POP; and a headquarters site interconnector associated with the headquarters site, wherein each of the set of interconnectors is configured to perform at least one of a router function and a bridge function.