Patent ID: 8166547

Claim:
A method for managing a transfer of data between a first node device and a second node device in a data network, the method comprising: identifying data associated with a communication session over a first data transfer path on the data network between the first node device and the second node device, the identifying of data associated with the communication session including: performance of signature analysis on an initial portion of the data associated with the communication session to identify a policy to apply to data of the communication session, the policy identifying at least one data processing action to be performed with regard to data of the communication session; storing, in memory, an identifier of the communication session in association with an identifier of the identified policy; processing subsequently received data of the communication session according to the identified policy; and prior to identifying the policy, permitting data associated with the communication session to pass over the first data transfer path between the first node device and the second node device; further processing, on a processor circuit, data of said communication session when a portion of said communication session meets a criterion as identified though performance of the signature analysis on the initial portion of data associated with the communication session and subsequently received data of the communication session, the further processing including at least one data processing action of the identified policy, the data processing action including originating a second communication session over a second data transfer path and diverting said communication session to the second communication session via the second data transfer path which is slower than the first data transfer path; and permitting said communication session to continue on the first data transfer path when said portion of said communication session does not meet said criterion.