I\u2019m a huge fan of context-aware networking. You know, the ability to interpret requests in the context they were made \u2013 examining user identity, location, client device along with network condition and server\/application status. It\u2019s what imbues the application delivery tier with the agility necessary to make decisions that mitigate operational risk (security, availability, performance) in real-time.
\nIn the past, almost all context was able to be deduced from the transport (connection) and application layer. The application delivery tier couldn\u2019t necessarily \u201creach out\u201d and take advantage of the vast amount of data \u201cout there\u201d that provides more insight into the conversation being initiated by a user. Much of this data falls into the realm of \u201cbig data\u201d \u2013 untold amounts of information collected by this site and that site that offer valuable nuggets of information about any given interaction. <\/p>\n