Become quantum-secure—right now
Quantum computers aren't fully developed yet, but the cryptographic risks are already real. Florian Bosch, Senior Regional Sales Director for DACH at Keyfactor, explains why companies need to act with "crypto-agility" today—before it's too late.
Become quantum-secure—right now
Quantum computing has reached a paradoxical point in its development: The technology is still far from mature enough to be used productively on a broad scale, but it is already significant enough to drive strategic decisions. This is precisely where the real challenge lies for companies, as Florian Bosch, Senior Regional Sales Director for DACH at Keyfactor, explains.
Anyone who focuses solely on current limitations might be tempted to put the issue on hold. Anyone who focuses solely on future possibilities, on the other hand, underestimates the technical hurdles. Both approaches fall short.
Political and Economic Dynamics as a Signal
The political and economic momentum demonstrates that quantum computing has long since become more than just a theoretical research topic. In the U.S., the National Quantum Initiative Act was passed in 2018, followed later by additional funding through the CHIPS and Science Act. The European Union is also prioritizing quantum technologies through programs such as the Quantum Flagship. Governments and companies are thus already investing in capabilities whose full economic benefits have not yet been realized.
For security and IT leaders, this means: The question is not whether quantum computing will eventually become relevant, but how early organizations begin to understand their dependencies and risks.
Quantum advantage—but not for everything
The key advantage of quantum computing is not that it makes classical computers fundamentally faster. Classical systems remain superior for many everyday tasks. What is crucial is that quantum computers can handle certain classes of problems differently. Through superposition and interference, incorrect results can be suppressed and correct ones amplified in certain calculations. This could make it possible to solve problems that are practically unsolvable for classical systems—such as the simulation of quantum physical systems, complex molecular interactions, optimization problems, and, in the future, applications in AI and machine learning.
At the same time, this outlook should not be confused with current operational readiness. Qubits are sensitive to vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and electromagnetic interference. Many approaches require environments close to absolute zero, sophisticated cooling systems, insulation, or vacuum chambers. Added to this is the high cost of error correction: many physical qubits are needed to safeguard a single logical qubit. This significantly reduces the actual available computing power.
According to a McKinsey survey, 72 percent of experts expect a fully fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2035, while 28 percent do not foresee this milestone until 2040 or later. The technology remains a promise with an open timeline.
The threat begins sooner than expected
When it comes to cybersecurity, this open window of opportunity is no reason to let our guard down. The greatest danger does not arise only on the day a powerful quantum computer breaks existing encryption in real time. The risk begins earlier. Using Shor’s algorithm, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could break RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and elliptic curve cryptography—thereby jeopardizing the foundations of digital certificates, TLS connections, and encrypted communication.
At the same time, the «Harvest now, decrypt later» strategy is already making sensitive data vulnerable today: Encrypted information can be collected now so that it can be decrypted later using appropriate quantum technology.
Crypto-Agility as a Decisive Factor
This leads to a clear conclusion: Organizations should not treat quantum computing as a future issue that will only become relevant once the hardware is fully developed. Preparation begins with today’s cryptographic landscape. Companies need to know which certificates, keys, and algorithms are used in their infrastructure, which data is worth protecting in the long term, and where there are dependencies on methods that could be compromised by quantum computers. Without this transparency, it will not be possible to carry out an orderly migration to quantum-resistant algorithms later on.
Crypto-agility is therefore the key concept. Those who establish transparency regarding certificates and keys today, continuously manage the lifecycle of cryptographic assets, and test post-quantum cryptography early on are not only preparing for a future quantum era but are also strengthening their own cryptographic foundation right now. The steps that make organizations quantum-secure are the same ones that are already helping them better understand cryptographic risks and respond more quickly to changes.
Quantum computing is therefore neither a distant dream nor an immediate part of everyday life, but rather a strategic turning point in the making. Anyone who waits until the technology is fully developed may have already started too late.
Source: www.keyfactor.com
