Patent ID: 7636763

Claim:
A method comprising: in two or more networks of interconnected computer system nodes, the networks including at least one private network and one public network, receiving a request from a source system linked to a central server to store at least one data item; determining whether to forward the at least one data item to a node in the private network or the public network or a combination of private and public networks; directing the at least one data item to the node in the determined network; in response to the request from the source system, continuously forwarding the at least one data item among the computer system nodes in the determined network without storing the forwarded at least one data item on any fixed storage medium in the determined network, the forwarded at least one data item being constantly routed within the determined network from node to node, the forwarded at least one data item being available for retrieval if a request to retrieve the at least one data item is received, continuously forwarding comprising: determining an address of a node available in the determined network to receive the at least one data item based on one or more factors; and sending a message to the source system with the address of a specific node in the determined network for the source system to forward the at least one data item.