Quantum Readiness for Operations Managers

🗞️ Needed report By CyberArk on a burning issue : identity security. A decisive element that will determine our ability to restore digital trust. 🔹 « Identity is now the primary attack surface. » Defenders must secure every identity — human and machine 🔹 with dynamic privilege controls, automation, and AI-enhanced monitoring 🔹and prepare now for LLM abuse and quantum disruption. Machine identities are the fastest-growing attack surface 🔹Growth outpaces human identities 45:1. 🔹Nearly half of machine identities access sensitive data, yet 2/3of organizations don’t treat them as privileged. Quantum readiness is urgent 🔹Quantum computing will break today’s cryptography (RSA, TLS, identity tokens). 🔹Transition planning to quantum-safe algorithms must start now, even before standards are finalized. Large Language Models include prompt injection, data leakage, and misuse of AI agents. So organizations must treat them as a new class of machine identity requiring monitoring, access controls, and secrets management. 🧰 What can we do? ⚒️ 1/ Implement Zero Standing Privileges (ZSP) • Remove always-on entitlements; grant access dynamically and just-in-time. • Minimize lateral movement by revoking privileges once tasks are complete 👥2/ Secure the full spectrum of identities • Differentiate controls for workforce, IT, developers, and machines. • Prioritize machine identities: vault credentials, rotate secrets, and eliminate hard-coded keys. 🛡️ 3/ Embed intelligent privilege controls • Apply session protection, isolation, and monitoring to high-risk access. • Enforce least privilege on endpoints; block or sandbox unknown apps. • Deploy Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR) for continuous monitoring. ♻️ 4/ Automate identity lifecycle management • Use orchestration to onboard, provision, rotate, and deprovision identities at scale. • Relieve staff from manual tasks, counter skill shortages, and improve compliance readiness. 5/ Align security with business and regulatory drivers • Build an “identity fabric” across IAM, PAM, cloud, SaaS, and compliance. • Tie metrics (KPIs, ROI, cyber insurance conditions) to board-level priorities. 6/ Prepare for next-generation threats • Establish AI/LLM security policies: control access, monitor usage, audit logs. • Begin phased adoption of post-quantum cryptography to protect long-lived sensitive data. Enjoy the read

Last week's White House Executive Order on advanced cryptographic attacks provided more clarity on timelines that have been missing from the post-quantum conversation. 2030 for key establishment. 2031 for digital signatures. The order applies to federal information systems first, but it extends the urgency to critical infrastructure operators, federal contractors, and any organization in regulated industries that follows federal procurement standards. My colleague Anand Oswal wrote about this clearly this week. The point that should land hardest with boards: adding support for post-quantum algorithms is not the same as safely migrating to them. You can have systems that technically support the new standards and still not be ready to use them at the scale and pace the timeline requires. The pattern should sound familiar. This is the same architecture we have been writing about for AI security. You cannot secure what you cannot see. Visibility leads, then assessment, then protection. The Discover, Assess, Protect sequence from yesterday's unified approach post applies just as cleanly to cryptographic readiness. The five actions Anand lays out track to the same operating model: 1️⃣ See cryptographic exposure across all environments. 2️⃣ Prioritize authentication, high-value assets, and long-lived sensitive data. 3️⃣ Modernize trust infrastructure to support evolving standards. 4️⃣ Automate cryptographic change so spreadsheets are not the operating model. 5️⃣ Govern readiness as a continuous discipline rather than a one-time project. The harvest now, decrypt later risk is the part most boards have not fully internalized. The data adversaries are capturing today is the data they plan to decrypt later. Organizations holding sensitive information with a multi-year shelf life have less time than the 2030 and 2031 milestones suggest. The Cryptographic Reset is already underway, and the window to organize a response is still open. The first step is visibility. https://lnkd.in/dTfyudrH

Quantum readiness is less about sudden disruption and more about cultivating skills, forging collaborations, and aligning strategies with evolving standards, so that businesses can gradually integrate these technologies into their long-term transformation paths. We should see quantum computing as a journey that requires methodical preparation. Finance, logistics, chemistry, and cybersecurity are already experimenting with hybrid models that combine classical and quantum systems. These early steps show that the transition will not happen overnight, but through structured phases of learning and integration. The priority for leaders is to identify processes where quantum can create measurable improvements. This means feasibility studies, pilots, and a roadmap that integrates quantum into IT environments in a sustainable way. At the same time, teams need training in principles, tools, and algorithms, because without this foundation, the technology remains an abstract concept. Collaboration is another essential layer. Partnerships with research hubs, vendors, and cloud providers open access to quantum resources that would otherwise remain out of reach. Alongside this, governance and security must advance with post-quantum standards, ensuring compliance and ethics are never secondary. The real challenge is continuous adaptation. Regulations and technologies will evolve, and strategies must remain flexible. This long-term perspective will define the organizations that are prepared to grow with the next wave of innovation. #QuantumComputing #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork

“𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀?” The better question is: “Will we be ready when it does?” According to the latest insights from the IBM Quantum Readiness Index, organizations preparing today for quantum advantage by 2027 expect 53% higher ROI by 2030 compared to peers who wait. That’s not a marginal gain. That’s a strategic gap. Quantum readiness isn’t just about technology. It’s about three capabilities: 🔹 Strategy – understanding where quantum creates real business value 🔹 Technology – integrating quantum-classical architectures and AI models 🔹 Operations – building talent, governance, and innovation pipelines In other words: Quantum advantage will not come from buying a quantum computer. It will come from organizations that start preparing their capabilities today. The companies that win the next decade will be those that treat quantum like we treated AI ten years ago: Start experimenting early. Build internal knowledge. Develop use cases before the technology fully matures. Because once the advantage arrives, it won’t wait for late adopters. 53% more ROI is a strong reminder: The biggest risk with quantum isn’t investing too early. It’s leaving ROI on the table.

Cloud Quantum Computing: Strategic Shift From Experiment to Enterprise Preparation Introduction Quantum computing is moving beyond research labs into cloud platforms, enabling enterprises to experiment without owning specialized hardware. This shift is reframing quantum technology as a strategic readiness investment rather than a distant scientific curiosity. Democratization Through Cloud Access Lowering Capital Barriers • Traditional quantum systems require extreme cooling, shielding, and multimillion-dollar infrastructure. • Cloud access allows pay-as-you-go experimentation. • Enterprises can validate use cases before committing to large-scale investment. Hybrid Reality • Current devices are Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum systems with limited qubits and high error rates. • Hybrid models combine classical preprocessing with quantum computation. • Cloud platforms integrate quantum workflows into existing enterprise systems. Competitive Provider Landscape Platform Approaches • IBM emphasizes hybrid enterprise integration and broad network access. • Amazon Braket offers hardware-agnostic access across multiple architectures. • Microsoft focuses on long-term qubit stability while enabling partner hardware access. • Vendors are building ecosystems of SDKs, programming tools, and developer communities. Emerging Enterprise Use Cases • Financial firms are testing quantum algorithms for pricing and portfolio optimization. • Pharmaceutical and materials companies are exploring molecular simulation. • Logistics operators are evaluating optimization gains in supply chains. • Organizations are preparing for post-quantum cybersecurity threats. Strategic Implications • Venture and government investment in quantum technologies is accelerating. • Talent shortages are driving education and training initiatives. • Timelines for fault-tolerant quantum systems remain uncertain. • Early engagement builds institutional knowledge and competitive positioning. Conclusion: Readiness Over Hype Cloud-based quantum computing allows companies to prepare today for tomorrow’s computational breakthroughs. While practical advantages remain limited, strategic experimentation positions organizations to capitalize when scalable, fault-tolerant systems emerge. The competitive edge may belong not to the first to deploy quantum at scale—but to those who build quantum literacy early. I share daily insights with tens of thousands of followers across defense, tech, and policy. If this topic resonates, I invite you to connect and continue the conversation. Keith King https://lnkd.in/gHPvUttw

Practical quantum computers are still evolving. But the security decisions organizations make today could determine how exposed they are when quantum capabilities mature. The central issue is not whether every business will use quantum computing. It is whether the cryptography protecting today’s business systems will remain secure in a quantum era. Quantum computing is not a universal solution for every computational problem. However, it is particularly effective against some of the mathematical foundations used in today’s public-key cryptography. A sufficiently capable quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm could compromise widely used RSA and elliptic-curve systems. That would affect more than encrypted messages. It could undermine certificates, digital signatures, identity systems, secure connections and the trust mechanisms embedded throughout modern IT environments. Symmetric encryption is not immune to attacks, but the risk is different. Strong symmetric algorithms and appropriately sized keys, such as AES-256, are expected to remain important components of quantum-resistant architectures. This is why quantum readiness matters now. Preparing does not mean replacing every system immediately. It means understanding: • Where cryptography is being used. • Which applications, devices and suppliers depend on vulnerable public-key algorithms. • How long sensitive information must remain confidential. • Whether systems can support new cryptographic standards without major redesign. • Which dependencies could delay or complicate migration. This work is increasingly urgent because cryptographic transitions are rarely simple. Encryption may be embedded in applications, infrastructure, connected devices, vendor products, certificates, protocols and long-lived data archives. There is also a present-day risk: encrypted information can be collected now and retained for decryption later, once more capable technology becomes available. At Ariadne Thread Solutions, we help organizations move from uncertainty to a practical quantum-readiness position. That begins with building visibility across data, systems and cryptographic dependencies. It continues with prioritising risks, improving cryptographic agility and developing a staged transition plan that supports resilience without unnecessary disruption. The organizations best positioned for the quantum era will not necessarily be the first to acquire quantum technology. Those will be the organizations that understood their exposure early, strengthened their digital foundations and created the ability to adapt before change became unavoidable. Quantum readiness is not about predicting the exact date of a breakthrough. It is about ensuring that your security, systems and business continuity do not depend on being given advance warning #QuantumComputing #QuantumReady #CyberSecurity #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #DataSecurity #EnterpriseTechnology #FutureReady #AriadneThreadSolutions

EY’s perspective on securing against #quantum #risks emphasizes that quantum #computing is rapidly evolving from a theoretical concern into a material cybersecurity threat that requires immediate strategic action. The core issue lies in the vulnerability of widely used cryptographic algorithms, such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography, which could be broken by sufficiently advanced quantum computers. This creates a systemic risk to sensitive data, including financial information, intellectual property, and personal records. A central concept highlighted is the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat model, in which adversaries collect encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it in the future as quantum capabilities mature. This makes quantum risk a present-day problem, particularly for data requiring long-term confidentiality. EY stresses that organizations must adopt a proactive and structured approach to quantum readiness. A foundational step is to conduct a comprehensive cryptographic inventory, identify sensitive #data, and map existing #encryption methods. This enables organizations to assess which systems are most exposed and prioritize remediation efforts. Transitioning to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a complex, multi-year transformation that requires careful planning, integration into existing #technology roadmaps, and alignment with emerging standards. Organizations are encouraged to build crypto-agility, allowing them to adapt encryption methods as technologies and standards evolve. EY also highlights the importance of #governance, #compliance, and #workforce readiness. Quantum resilience requires enterprise-wide coordination, including policy development, regulatory alignment, continuous monitoring, and personnel training. EY frames quantum cybersecurity not just as a technical upgrade but as a strategic #transformation initiative. Organizations that act early can strengthen resilience, improve cyber maturity, and gain a competitive advantage, while those that delay risk long-term exposure to data breaches, regulatory challenges, and erosion of #digital #trust.

Why we wrote Post-Quantum Leadership: Knowledge and Practical Perspectives on Post-Quantum Readiness I started researching post-quantum readiness because I kept running into the same problem: there was a lot of confidence, but not enough clarity. Definitions were inconsistent. Metrics were thin. Assumptions were often unstated. Too much of the conversation treated future quantum risk as either abstract theory or inevitable crisis, without giving security practitioners a practical way to evaluate what was true, what was tested, what was assumed, and what could be acted on now. As I dug deeper, I saw another problem. The lack of solid technical grounding was bleeding into policy and guidance. Organizations were being told to prepare, but many leaders still lacked a clear way to understand what they owned, what they depended on, what data would remain sensitive long enough to matter, what vendors controlled, and what evidence they should ask for. As a security practitioner, I do not want slogans like quantum ready, quantum secure, and quantum resiliant.....I don't know what that means. I want to know the assumptions. I want to know the metrics. I want to know what the risk really is. Most importantly, I want to know what can be done about it. That is what led me to team up with Adam Firestone, who will share his own reasons for writing this book. We decided the only responsible way to approach the topic was to start from the beginning. We also made an important decision about scope. Post-quantum readiness is not the same thing as solving all of cybersecurity. The arrival of cryptographically relevant quantum computers creates a specific problem: the eventual obsolescence of today’s classical asymmetric cryptography and the systems, protocols, and trust models that rely on it. That is the lane of this book. Cryptography is only part of cybersecurity. Pseudonymization, decentralization, zero trust, zero-knowledge proofs, resilience engineering, and many other tools matter. Some of them may deserve their own book. They are important parts of a complete cybersecurity strategy, but not the same problem. We wanted to be disciplined about that distinction. This book is about understanding how the post-quantum cryptographic problem came to be, why it matters, what assumptions sit underneath it, what standards and migration paths are emerging, and what organizations can do now. Post-Quantum Leadership walks through the history and evolution of encryption, the development of quantum computing, the implications for today’s systems, and the leadership decisions organizations need to make. It ends with practical policy actions any organization can adopt now as part of a quantum migration strategy. We wrote this book to give decision makers the fundamental knowledge they need to lead this transition with confidence, not to be driven by fear, vague assurances, or overbroad claims about what cryptography can solve.

If you want to know why a quantum readiness program in major telco (or any complex enterprise) could easily take 10+ years (some say 15-20) and $350-$500 million of effort, read on. Fresh off the heels of yet another major telecom project, I decided to try to illustrate on an example why I keep saying that quantum readiness programs will be the largest and most complex tech programs most enterprises ever attempted. Despite AI’s editing help, it took me weeks to finish writing this piece - illustrating the challenges without exposing any confidential details. The figures in the post may sound shocking, but quantum readiness isn’t a routine upgrade - it’s arguably the largest and most complicated digital infrastructure overhaul in history. And I hope that the complexity is properly illustrated in this post. In fact, one telecom we worked with has spent over a decade on quantum readiness and is still nowhere near finished with its post-quantum migration. As another reference data point, my recent integrated program plan tracked over 120,000 tasks. The article breaks down all the key phases of a comprehensive quantum readiness program, key components and workstreams, sample timelines, and estimated spend for each phase. I also break down several key challenge areas that telecom leaders need to tackle in a quantum-safe program such as the massive efforts of upgrading 5G/6G & IMS networks; extremely complex vendor & supply chain dependencies; hybrid cloud & edge integration, backward compatibility, challenges with lawful interception & compliance, and so on. I share these insights in the hope that they help others shape their quantum readiness programs. If you are just embarking on a quantum readiness in a telco (or any other complex enterprise), this could be a useful starting point for you. Having served as an interim Global Fortune 500 telecom CISO and led global telecom cybersecurity practices, this domain has been my focus for years. In short, if you are embarking on a quantum readiness journey in telecom, feel free to reach out - I’m happy to discuss and help where we can. See the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gds9FTFD #QuantumReadiness #PQC #QuantumSecurity #QuantumResilience #QuantumResistance

The Quantum Clock Is Ticking, Is Your Enterprise Ready? Here's something that doesn't get enough boardroom attention: This years eMerge of the Americas showcased a number of really cool next-gen tech and it was clear that adversaries are already collecting your encrypted data today planning to decrypt it the moment quantum computing makes that possible. It's called **"Harvest Now, Decrypt Later."** And it's not a theory. It's a documented strategy. --- **The reality check:** NIST finalized its first post-quantum cryptography standards in August 2024. That's a significant milestone — but standardization is the *starting line*, not the finish line. The CCF is keeping us in check and reminding us that if we don’t prepare and challenge our mindset we will be left behind. For most enterprises, full cryptographic migration takes **5–10 years** when you account for: → Legacy system dependencies → Certificate and key management overhauls → Vendor and supply chain alignment → Compliance and audit requirements → Employee training and process change Cryptographically relevant quantum computers could arrive **within that same window.** The math isn't comfortable. --- **What "acting now" actually looks like:** ✅ Conduct a **cryptographic inventory** — you can't protect what you can't see ✅ Identify your highest-sensitivity, longest-lifespan data first ✅ Prioritize **crypto-agility** in new architecture decisions ✅ Engage vendors on their PQC roadmaps today ✅ Build quantum risk into your security governance framework This isn't about panic. It's about **treating cryptographic migration like the infrastructure project it actually is.** --- **The enterprises that will navigate this smoothly** are the ones starting the assessment phase now — not the ones waiting for a "quantum incident" to force their hand. Your data has a shelf life. Make sure your encryption does too. --- *What's your organization's current posture on PQC readiness? I'd genuinely love to hear where teams are in this conversation.* 👇 --- #CyberSecurity #PostQuantumCryptography #QuantumComputing #InfoSec #RiskManagement #CISO #EnterpriseStrategy