Data Compliance Metadata Marking in Packet Headers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large multi-national organizations face challenges in adhering to data compliance regulations across different regions due to the lack of awareness of data compliance requirements by network infrastructure, as the data packets are often encrypted, preventing effective enforcement of network policies.
Innovation Solution
An application performance management agent inserts data compliance metadata into packet headers, allowing network devices to enforce regional and organizational-specific policies by leveraging existing network infrastructure without requiring new functionality, using methods such as embedding metadata in HTTP, TCP, or IP headers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data packets are encrypted to ensure security, then data security is improved, but network devices cannot read the data compliance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments compliance information from the encrypted data payload and places it in the unencrypted packet header. This allows network devices to access compliance requirements without decrypting the payload, maintaining security while enabling policy enforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The packet header acts as an intermediary carrier that conveys compliance information from the application layer to network devices. This intermediary structure enables network devices to read compliance requirements without accessing the encrypted payload.
2Adaptability or versatility
If network infrastructure is made aware of data compliance requirements, then policy enforcement capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The packet header structure is enhanced to carry compliance metadata while maintaining compatibility with existing network protocols. This allows existing network devices to enforce policies without requiring new functionality, achieving multi-functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Compliance metadata is inserted into packet headers before packets enter the network infrastructure. This preliminary action enables network devices to read and enforce policies without requiring complex processing or modification of existing network protocols.
3Measurement precision
If compliance metadata is inserted into packet headers, then compliance identification accuracy is improved, but packet processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solution inserts compliance metadata selectively into packet headers only when compliance policies require it, rather than processing all packets uniformly. This partial action approach maintains accuracy for compliant packets while minimizing overhead for non-compliant traffic.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided that is performed using an application performance management agent running on an application and/or application microservices. The method comprises detecting a request to the application and/or application microservices for data, and inserting data compliance metadata into packet headers of packets that are to be sent in response to the request by the application and/or application microservices. The data compliance metadata comprises data-compliance markings associated with the data based on user/operator-defined data compliance requirements. The method further includes causing the packets to be sent into a network so that one or more network devices or services in the network can read the data compliance metadata and apply packet handling policies.