Patent ID: 7568093

Claim:
An apparatus for enhanced packet processing in a network environment, comprising: an access gateway encapsulation/decapsulation element operable to: establish one or more packet data protocol (PDP) links on behalf of an end user; perform encapsulation and decapsulation operations on a plurality of packets of the links; tag the packets with one or more inter-module packet headers, an inter-module packet header representing a security policy group to which the end-user has subscribed, the security policy group comprising a plurality of end users to which a service is provided according to a policy; and interface with a security module that is operable to receive the packets and select a policy based on the security policy group represented by the inter-module packet header; and an access gateway policy element distinct from the encapsulation/decapsulation element and operable to: receive the packets from the security module; and perform policy enforcement according to the selected policy, the security module disposed between the access gateway encapsulation/decapsulation element and the access gateway policy element.