Patent ID: 8130768

Claim:
A network gateway, comprising: an interface of a gateway, the interface being configured to receive packetized communications from at least one networked source component; a data analyzer configured to analyze a selected packetized communication received by the interface, from the analysis of the selected packetized communication, the data analyzer configured to identify one or more characteristics of at least one of a structure and a content of the selected communication received at the gateway, wherein the one or more characteristics include at least two of: a) an identification of a source of the selected packetized communication; b) the structure of the data in the selected packetized communication, (c) the contents of the data in the selected packetized communication, (d) the services identified for application to the data of the selected packetized communication, and (e) the services applied to the data of the selected packetized communication; and wherein each of said one or more characteristics is identified substantially independently of both: information in the selected packetized communication indicating an address of an origination of the selected packetized communication and information in the selected packetized communication indicating a destination of the selected packetized communication; a routing component configured to output, from the gateway, data corresponding to the selected packetized communication to a selected at least one of a plurality of networked destination components; wherein the at least one of a plurality of networked destination components is selected via a particular association between the identified one or more characteristics and the at least one of a plurality of networked destination components, said particular association being available to the gateway prior to the gateway receiving the selected packetized communication; services analyzer configured to analyze each of said identified one or more characteristics and a particular at least one network zone classification associated with a networked source component originating the selected packetized communication to determine one or more services for application data included in the selected packetized communication, wherein the one or more services include at least one of: (a) a firewall service; (b) a network address translation service; (c) a telephony service; (d) a network monitoring service for identifying illicit or improper communications; (e) a network monitoring service for determining conformance with a licensing agreement; and (f) a file transfer service.