In the previous two articles, “What is the quantum threat and what can you do about it?” and “What’s entropy in cryptography and encryption?” we discuss the landscape of one of the most important tasks that must be undertaken in the decade of the 2020s: transitioning all our information infrastructure to a new type of cryptographic baseline: quantum-secure cybersecurity. This is a titanic effort. There are many companies that have been working on this for years and have a clear path to where they need to be. But some others are getting started now, and the challenge may seem daunting. Here are five easy steps you can take to get started in your quantum-safe journey:

• Set up a core team. Set up an internal “Quantum-safe team”. The idea here is to centralize the efforts and knowledge of your company around the transition to quantum-safe cybersecurity and the investments that will need to be made.
• Team up with experts. The transition to quantum-safe cybersecurity is both a new threat landscape and a brand-new solution set. No single company can address these on its own. So you can team up with quantum-safe suppliers and service providers to build up the knowledge of your internal quantum-safe team and better assess your next steps.
• Understand where you are. Understand how far (or close) you are to getting your organization ready to transition to quantum-resistant cryptographic software and hardware. Build an inventory of the various cryptographic protocols you use across your infrastructure and products. Then, prioritize and get the most vulnerable systems on track to migration first.
• Consolidate your understanding of the quantum-safe solution landscape. Run a hands-on pilot project to test quantum-safe solutions in your environment. It can be post-quantum cryptography, QKD, symmetric key agreements, or QRNGs. But get something up and running and get yourself started.
• Prepare a quantum-safe roadmap for your organization. With an understanding of the threats and potential quantum-safe solutions, an understanding of where you are as an organization, and hands-on experience and knowledge, you are ready to craft a preliminary plan for your organization on how to address the transition to a quantum-safe state. You may prioritize critical systems first, have a solid hybrid and crypto-agile strategy, and use the best cryptographic solution for each environment.

Transitioning the entire Internet infrastructure to a quantum-resistant paradigm will be a gigantic effort. Hence, the time to get started is now: well before quantum computers are available, so your data today does not get captured and decrypted in the future.

Get in touch with us, and let’s get you started on your quantum-safe journey. Join us at the quantum side!