What is ISAKMP?

ISAKMP (Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol) is a protocol framework for establishing security associations (SAs) and cryptographic keys in an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) environment. It provides a way for two devices to negotiate, establish, modify, and delete SAs, which define the security parameters and cryptographic methods for secure communication. ISAKMP typically uses IKE (Internet Key Exchange) as its key exchange protocol, but can also work with other key exchange mechanisms. It is fundamental for creating secure VPN connections.