The encryption crisis: how quantum computing is challenging organisations to rethink security
Quantum-safe encryption is one of the most urgent and overlooked challenges in enterprise security today. Trust is the lifeblood of the digital economy. Every time you send an email, enter card details for a bank transfer, or log into a corporate network, encryption is silently working in the background to keep that transaction safe. For decades, cryptographic standards like RSA and Diffie-Hellman have been the bedrock of digital security. Quantum computing could leave that bedrock in tatters.
How encryption works and why it is vulnerable to quantum attack
Today’s encryption is built on mathematical problems that no classical computer could solve in a reasonable timeframe. Factoring a 2,048-bit number, for instance, would require the world’s most powerful supercomputer billions of years. It is the sheer difficulty of that mathematics that keeps your data safe.
However, a quantum computer with sufficient power can execute Shor’s algorithm — a quantum algorithm that factors large numbers exponentially faster than any classical method. Once we have cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs), the encryption safeguarding your data, your customers’ data, and your organisation’s intellectual property could be broken in minutes.
The ‘Harvest Now, Decrypt Later’ threat is already here
Cybercriminals are already stealing encrypted data today, betting they will be able to decrypt it once quantum computers become a reality.
This is not a hypothetical future threat. It is happening right now. Nation-state adversaries and sophisticated threat actors are collecting encrypted communications today with a clear strategy: harvest the data now, decrypt it later when quantum capability becomes available.
Financial records, health data, intellectual property, classified communications, and personally identifiable information are all in the crosshairs. The IBM Institute for Business Value research, based on responses from 565 executives across 15 countries and 13 industries, found that despite this clear and present danger, quantum-safe awareness remains dangerously low.
The scale of the quantum-safe encryption challenge
For organisations, this is not simply a case of applying a software patch. Cryptography exists at virtually every layer of the digital enterprise — applications, networks, infrastructure, APIs, supply chains, and third-party services. Transitioning to quantum-safe cryptographic standards is an enterprise-wide exercise that can take years to complete.
The numbers speak for themselves:
Stat
|
What it means
|
| 21 / 100 |
Average Quantum-Safe Readiness Index score globally (IBM IBV research, 565 executives across 15 countries) |
| 12 years |
How long organisations estimate it will take to fully integrate quantum-safe encryption standards |
| 2035 |
NIST deadline for full compliance for National Security Systems |
| 82% |
Of Quantum-Safe Champions already deploying crypto-agility programmes — three times the rate of the least-ready group |
The arithmetic is sobering. With a 12-year integration timeline and a compliance deadline of 2035, organisations that have not yet started are already well behind the curve.
What post-quantum cryptography and NIST PQC Standards mean in practice
You do not need to own a quantum computer to become quantum-safe. Achieving quantum-safe encryption means replacing vulnerable cryptographic algorithms — particularly public-key systems — with new standards that are resistant to quantum attack.
In 2024, NIST published its first set of post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) standards, providing organisations with the algorithms they need to begin their migration. This is a significant milestone and a clear signal that the transition from legacy cryptography is no longer optional.
One critical enabler of this transition is crypto-agility: the ability to swap cryptographic algorithms quickly without overhauling entire systems. The top 10% of organisations in IBM’s readiness index — the Quantum-Safe Champions — are already deploying crypto-agility programmes at three times the rate of their least-prepared peers.
Quantum-safe security as a competitive differentiator
Security is no longer simply a cost of doing business. Organisations that achieve quantum-safe status will demonstrate a measurably higher level of trust and resilience to their customers, partners, and regulators.
In financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and government contracting, quantum-safe encryption will gradually become a licence to operate and a genuine competitive differentiator for those who move first.
In the words of Sujith Surendranathan, Director of Database Security and Data Protection at Sun Life:
“Every organisation has exposure to quantum threats, even if they do not themselves use quantum computing. The threat is universal. The response must be too.”
Where should organisations start?
The path to quantum-safe security begins with visibility. Organisations need to understand where cryptography lives across their estate, across applications, infrastructure, APIs, and supply chain, before they can begin to prioritise migration.
At Northdoor, we help organisations build that picture and develop a structured roadmap to quantum-safe readiness. If you would like to understand your current exposure and where to start, speak to our team about quantum-safe security.
Related reading: The Quantum Revolution
