System and method for determining effective policy profiles in a client-server architecture

A computer-implemented method of determining effective policy profiles in a client-server architecture, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising:

• receiving a policy profile request from a client device;
• determining whether policy profiles that are stored in a local cache of a server include an effective policy profile associated with the client device, wherein the stored policy profiles have timeout values less than or equal to a predetermined value;
• identifying multiple policy profiles in a policy data store that are effective for the client device in response to determining that the policy profiles stored in the local cache do not include the effective policy profile associated with the client device, wherein the policy data store is configured to store a policy profile hierarchy;
• selecting, based on distances within the policy profile hierarchy from the multiple identified policy profiles to a root associated with the policy data store, an identified policy profile from the multiple identified policy profiles that has a closest hierarchical distance to the client device in response to determining that the policy profiles stored in the local cache do not include an effective policy profile associated with the client device;
• and
• returning, to the client device, the selected policy profile in response to determining that the policy profiles stored in the local cache do not include an effective policy profile associated with the client device.