ABSTRACT
The installation of a VPN device is only the beginning of the long process of utilizing VPNs. Depending on the selected technology and the requirements of the solution, several problems may arise if not properly planned for and mitigated. There are extenuating circumstances that accompany a VPN implementation that do not normally exist in other communication standards. The absence of collateral complexities in other communication platforms and technology is because IPSec employs so many levels of communication — like no other. It operates at the network layer interacting with existing processes; it employs encryption, authentication, and integrity processes that within themselves are complicated; and finally, it is responsible for communicating data. The data can be upper layer application information, or other protocols that attempt to leverage IPSec for its security, or the actual connection it provides, such as routing protocols.
