A method and apparatus for applying a uniform processing policy within a distributed computer network. A message is received at a termination point from an application used by a user. At the termination point tagging information is attached to the message, the tagging information indicating which processes the message should undergo, and with which parameters or configurations. The message is then processed in the distributed network according to the tagging information so that uniform processing is assured. If required, a response message is generated, and is assigned substantially the same tagging information as the original message.