1. A control key for controlling the dispatching of a data packet across a plurality of software modules running on an integrated network security device, the control key being appended to the data packet, the control key comprising an operations section for encoding operations, the operations being basic security software modules applied in an invariable order, the encoding being performed using bits; and an application section for encoding in binary the sequence of advanced security software modules to be applied in a programmable and variable order to a given packet, the software modules being the applications to be encoded.