Endpoint-Aware Local Policy Enforcement for Real-Time Network Decisions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centralized policy enforcement models struggle with scalability and efficiency due to their inability to track local information, leading to suboptimal performance and difficulty in making real-time policy decisions for diverse endpoints.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a local policy enforcement system with a co-located policy controller and enforcement engine near endpoints, which retrieves and applies endpoint-specific policies based on metadata, enabling real-time decision-making and improved resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If centralized policy enforcement models are used, then policy decisions can be made uniformly across all endpoints, but scalability is limited and real-time local information cannot be tracked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized policy enforcement system into distributed policy enforcement points located at network edges and endpoints. Each policy enforcement point independently evaluates local metadata and applies policies, eliminating the single-point bottleneck of centralized models while maintaining policy consistency through standardized metadata schemas and enforcement rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by enabling policy enforcement decisions to be made at the local endpoint or network edge based on endpoint-specific metadata (e.g., device type, location, user role). This allows policies to be customized for local conditions while maintaining overall system coherence, resolving the contradiction between uniform policy application and local adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If centralized policy enforcement models are used, then uniform policy application is achieved, but efficiency is reduced due to inability to access local information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces metadata as an intermediary that carries endpoint-specific information (device characteristics, location, user context) from endpoints to policy enforcement points. This intermediary mechanism enables efficient local policy decisions by providing necessary context without requiring centralized processing of all endpoint data, thus maintaining uniformity while improving efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables policy enforcement points and endpoints to self-evaluate and self-enforce policies based on local metadata and predefined policy rules. This self-service capability eliminates the need for centralized real-time decision-making for each policy evaluation, significantly improving efficiency while maintaining consistent policy application through standardized enforcement logic.
3Quantity of substance
If centralized policy enforcement is implemented, then general policy information is available, but real-time local information tracking is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to policy enforcement by incorporating endpoint-specific metadata (device type, location, user role, temporal context) alongside traditional policy information. This multi-dimensional information structure enables both comprehensive policy availability and precise local information tracking simultaneously, as enforcement decisions consider both general policy requirements and specific endpoint characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for locally applying endpoint-specific policies to an endpoint in a network environment. A network device local to one or more endpoints in a network environment can receive from a centralized network controller one or more network-wide endpoint policies. A first endpoint of the one or more endpoints can be configured to inject policy metadata into first data traffic. Policy metadata injected into the first traffic data can be received from the first endpoint. The network device can determine one or more first endpoint-specific polices for the first endpoint by evaluation the first policy metadata with respect to the one or more network-wide endpoint policies. As follows, the one or more first endpoint-specific policies can be applied to control data traffic associated with the first endpoint.