Layer 4-7 is a term which refers to the switching and optimizing of layers number 4 and number 7 inside a TCP/IP network. All TCP/IP networks have a standard of 7 layers so that network software and hardware can work uniformly on any network. To best understand how networks work is important to understand how all of the layers work and not just Layer 4-7 switches and not 4,5,6,7 switches.

Layer 4-7 switches read and analyze data as it passes through the network as data packets. This allows for a deep analysis of data and traffic patterns. For example Layer 4-7 switches can identify what kind of user or device is accessing content on the network such as handheld devices, employees, new customers etc. Layer 4-7 switches to intelligently distribute content throughout the network. Users who use a high amount of traffic can be sent to the same server over and over again so that they do not have to renegotiate every time saving the user time. Now with more and more applications using layer 7 in order to function data can be moved through layer 4 with intelligent layer 4-7 switches. The current leader in layer 4-7 switches is Radware Ltd., they have a very informative website. For more information on layer 4-7 switches visit http:www.radware.com