Is Your Business Quantum-Ready or Quantum-Roadkill?
We threw some tough questions to one of our execs regarding the next ‘giant leap’ for mankind…post-quantum cryptography and thought you may find his responses insightful too.
Q: The Business Case—ROI Now vs. Catching Up Later
“Given that post-quantum cryptography represents a $17.69 billion market opportunity by 2034, what’s the real ROI story for businesses investing now versus those caught playing cryptographic catch-up later? Where do you see the competitive advantages emerging first?”
A: Look, I’ll be direct—the businesses that move now aren’t just avoiding a future crisis, they’re building an advantage.
Here’s the math that keeps me up at night: migration to post-quantum cryptography typically takes at least five years, but the UK and US have set a hard deadline of 2035 for full PQC migration That’s not much runway when you’re juggling 17 other priorities.
The ROI story isn’t purely defensive. Yes, you’re protecting against “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” attacks—where attackers are already stealing encrypted data to decrypt later when quantum computers arrive. But the real competitive edge? Crypto-agility.
Organisations building quantum-ready infrastructure now are essentially future-proofing their entire security posture. They’re not just swapping out algorithms—they’re developing the organisational muscle to pivot quickly when the next cryptographic crisis hits. And trust me, there will be another one.
Early movers also avoid the rush. By 2028, most semiconductor manufacturers and OEMs will have their main product lines post-quantum enabled. If you’re starting your inventory and planning phase in 2027, you’re negotiating vendor contracts when everyone else is competing for the same limited resources.
If you’re late to the party you could face premium pricing, limited vendor bandwidth and rushed implementations—a trifecta of expensive mistakes.
Q: The Reality Check—The Implementation Gap
“NIST published their standards in August 2024, yet studies show only 61% of organisations plan migration within five years. What’s causing this ‘implementation lag,’ and how should executives think about balancing quantum threat timelines against operational realities?”
A: Ah yes, the great quantum paradox: everyone knows it’s coming, yet barely half are doing anything about it.
That 61% figure isn’t just surprising—it’s terrifying when you understand the timeline. Trade secrets, business intelligence, and emerging technologies are currently the most at-risk data, and industries with long production cycles and significant R&D operations should take precautions against HNDL attacks.
The implementation lag comes down to three things:
Complexity paralysis. Most organisations look at PQC migration and see an Everest-sized mountain. It involves cryptographic inventory, vendor alignment, testing hybrid algorithms, compliance verification, and documentation—before you even touch production systems.
Budget battles. Try explaining to a CFO why you need $2 million for a threat that “might” materialise in 2030-something. The abstract nature of quantum risk makes it easy to deprioritise against ransomware attacks happening right now.
Transformation fatigue (which we’ll dig into next).
My recommendation? Stop treating quantum as a binary event. The NCSC recommends a three-phase timeline: discovery by 2028, high-priority migration by 2031, and full transition by 2035. Break it into digestible chunks. Start with discovery—just knowing where your cryptographic dependencies live puts you ahead of 60% of organisations.
And a heads up to executives: quantum threat timelines are operational realities. The data being exfiltrated today will be decryptable tomorrow.
Q: The Integration Challenge—Avoiding Transformation Fatigue
“Post-quantum isn’t just about swapping algorithms—it’s about rethinking entire security architectures. For organisations already juggling cloud migrations and AI initiatives, how do you recommend prioritising and integrating PQC without causing ‘transformation fatigue’?”
A: Right, so you’re cloud-migrating, implementing AI, upgrading your ERP, and now someone—probably me—says “add quantum-resistant cryptography to the list.” I get it. The eye-rolls are justified.
Here’s the thing though: PQC integration doesn’t have to be its own separate transformation project. It can ride the coattails of what you’re already doing.
Cloud migrations? Perfect time to inventory cryptographic assets. You’re already mapping dependencies—add crypto discovery to the mix.
AI initiatives? Those models process sensitive data. Protecting training datasets from future quantum decryption should be baked into your AI governance from day one.
Security modernisation? Microsoft has already introduced early support for NIST-selected PQC algorithms through Windows updates, allowing organisations to test in supported environments.
The secret sauce is crypto-agility by design. Instead of hardcoding algorithms, build modular systems where you can swap cryptographic components without rearchitecting everything. Crypto-agile systems should support algorithm swaps via modular libraries or plug-in architecture.
And let’s talk prioritisation: Organisations should identify if they’re “urgent adopters” handling highly sensitive data or “regular adopters,” which determines engagement level. Not everything needs immediate attention.
Start with your crown jewels—customer PII, intellectual property, financial data with long retention requirements. Then work backward through decreasing sensitivity. Transformation fatigue happens when you try to boil the ocean. Quantum migration works when you prioritise ruthlessly.
Q: Risk Management—Contextualising the Quantum Timebomb
“The quantum computing threat is described as a ‘cryptographic timebomb.’ How should business leaders think about this risk compared to other cyber threats? What’s your framework for deciding when theoretical quantum capabilities become boardroom-level concerns?”
A: Every board meeting I attend has some version of “quantum sounds scary, but is it really board-level urgent?” Fair question. Let me frame it.
Former NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers noted that “data that needs to be protected for decades needs protection from quantum computers today”. That’s not fear-mongering—it’s risk mathematics.
Here’s my framework for executives:
The Time Value of Data: Most cyber threats depreciate quickly. A stolen password? Change it. Ransomware? Restore from backup. But quantum attacks target data with long-term value. Self-driving car R&D and pharmaceutical developments are particularly vulnerable because of their long production cycles.
Ask yourself: what data will still be competitively sensitive in 5-10 years? That’s your quantum risk profile.
The Mosca Timeline: The Mosca model helps estimate when your data becomes vulnerable: if migration time (x) plus data sensitivity period (y) exceeds the time until quantum computers (z), you’re exposed to “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” attacks.
For most enterprises, x is 5+ years, y is 10+ years for crown jewels, and z is conservatively estimated at 2030-2035. Do the math—you’re already in the danger zone.
Compared to other cyber threats? Quantum is unique because it’s retroactive. Ransomware hits your current systems. Quantum decrypts data stolen years ago. Breaches may have already occurred but remain unknown because stolen encrypted data isn’t yet usable
My boardroom pitch: allocate 5-10% of your annual security budget to quantum readiness. Not dramatic, but sufficient to make steady progress before it becomes an emergency spend.
Q: Future-Proofing—Quantum Advantage as a Differentiator
“Looking beyond basic compliance with NIST standards, what emerging opportunities do you see for organisations that build ‘quantum advantage’ into their security strategies? How might post-quantum preparedness become a customer trust differentiator?”
A: Now we’re talking strategy, not just survival. This is where smart organisations separate from the pack.
Basic NIST compliance? That’s table stakes. But organisations that embed quantum-readiness into their value proposition? That’s competitive jujitsu.
Customer trust differentiator: Imagine bidding on a government contract or major enterprise deal in 2027. Your competitor says “we’re NIST compliant.” You say “our infrastructure is quantum-resistant, and we can guarantee your data won’t be vulnerable to retrospective decryption for the next 20 years.” Who wins?
In regulated industries—finance, healthcare, defence—quantum-readiness will become a procurement checkbox faster than you think. Early adopters will prequalify for opportunities that latecomers can’t even bid on.
Supply chain leverage: Organisations should communicate PQC needs to suppliers and consider releasing a statement of intent to signal demand for quantum-secure products. Flip that around—if you become a quantum-ready supplier, you’re suddenly indispensable to customers navigating their own migrations.
Talent magnet: Top-tier security professionals want to work on cutting-edge problems. Organisations known for quantum-readiness attract better talent than those still arguing about whether to care.
Innovation substrate: The infrastructure you build for PQC—modular cryptography, automated discovery, hybrid algorithms—positions you for whatever comes next. You’re not just quantum-ready, you’re change-ready.
Here’s my contrarian take: in 2030, nobody will remember who migrated first. But everyone will remember who suffered a preventable quantum breach. The organisations treating PQC as a strategic asset rather than a compliance burden? They’ll own the competitive advantage.
TLDR; Quantum isn’t tomorrow’s problem, it’s today’s investment.
1300 002 001 | sales@symsafe.com.au
This article was crafted in collaboration our AI sidekick, Toolip 🤖
References: The Year of Quantum: From concept to reality in 2025
2025 Expert Quantum Predictions — PQC And Quantum Cybersecurity.
Timelines for migration to post-quantum cryptography.
NIST Releases First 3 Finalised Post-Quantum Encryption Standards | NIST
Quantum-safe security: Progress towards next-generation cryptography | Microsoft Security Blog.
NIST Releases First 3 Finalised Post-Quantum Encryption Standards | NIST.
Cyber chiefs unveil new roadmap for post-quantum cryptography migration
