The Quantum Safe Roadmap: How CISOs Can Get Ahead of “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later”

As the quantum computing era approaches, CISOs must prepare for one of the most disruptive shifts in cybersecurity. Quantum computing, while full of promise, also poses a major existential threat to today’s cryptography. This is not science fiction; it’s a race against time.

One of the most pressing risks is the “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later“ strategy, where attackers steal encrypted data today to decrypt it once quantum computing becomes powerful enough. The threat is real, and timelines are shorter than many assume. Experts believe that within the next 5 to 10 years, quantum computers could break widely used encryption protocols.

Organizations must begin preparing now. This blog outlines a three-phase roadmap for CISOs to adopt a quantum-safe posture: Discover, Manage, and Remediate, based on IBM’s quantum-safe approach, utilizing IBM Guardium  Quantum Safe technologies.

Phase 1: Discover — Map Your Cryptographic Landscape

You can’t protect what you don’t know you have. The journey to quantum safety begins with discovery. Many organizations underestimate the widespread and embedded nature of cryptography in their systems. From internal applications to APIs, databases, and third-party services, cryptography is everywhere.

In one case, a significant financial institution found over 4,000 applications using cryptographic functions. At a rate of remediating one per day, it would take more than a decade to complete.

That’s why automated discovery is critical.

What to do:

• Utilize automated tools, such as Guardium Quantum Safe Explorer, to scan across your entire environment.
• Build a cryptographic inventory, also known as a cryptographic bill of materials (CBOM).
• Identify vulnerable algorithms, key lengths, protocols, and expired or weak certificates.
• Identify areas where sensitive data is protected by classical algorithms, such as RSA and ECC, which are vulnerable to quantum attacks.

Phase 2: Manage, Govern, and Prioritize Your Crypto Risks

Once visibility is achieved, organizations must manage what they’ve discovered. This includes developing policies and prioritizing remediation efforts.

This phase focuses on establishing crypto agility, the ability to adapt cryptographic methods without requiring the complete rewriting of entire applications. Without crypto agility, the road to quantum safety becomes longer, riskier, and more expensive.

What to do:

• Deploy Guardium Quantum Safe to create crypto-management policies.
• Classify discovered cryptographic assets by business criticality and sensitivity.
• Enforce standards for cryptographic strength and ensure compliance with quantum-safe protocols.
• Track migration status and continuously monitor new applications introduced into the environment.
• Begin internal education around post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards, including the four NIST-selected PQC algorithms (three of which had IBM contributions).

Phase 3: Remediate — Migrate and Reduce Your Risk

The final stage is about execution. Organizations must replace quantum-vulnerable cryptography with post-quantum cryptography (PQC) without compromising business continuity or performance.

However, remediation isn’t just about ripping and replacing. It often involves bridging legacy and modern systems using quantum-safe proxies or hybrid models where both classical and quantum-safe encryption coexist.

What to do:

• Use Guardium Quantum Safe Remediator to orchestrate safe replacement of vulnerable cryptography.
• Introduce quantum-safe proxies to maintain compatibility between new front-end systems and legacy back-end applications.
• Remediate high-risk systems first (e.g., payment systems, digital signatures, critical data stores).
• Perform performance and regression testing of PQC implementations to ensure efficiency and stability.
• Adopt a lifecycle view. Quantum-safe migration will span several years, so measure progress and regularly reassess risks.

Why Start Now?

The window of opportunity is closing.

While quantum computers that can break RSA and ECC aren’t available today, adversaries are already harvesting encrypted data in anticipation. Waiting for a future deadline puts data, IP, and reputation at risk today.

Moreover, regulatory bodies are beginning to weigh in on this issue. The public sector, financial services, and telecommunications industries are likely to face compliance mandates to adopt quantum-safe practices within the next few years.

Final Thoughts: Make Quantum Safety a CISO Priority

Quantum readiness is not just a technical challenge; it’s a leadership imperative. CISOs must guide their organizations through a multi-year transformation that touches infrastructure, policy, architecture, and governance.

By following a structured roadmap, “Discover, Manage, Remediate, “you can prepare your organization for the quantum threat, gain visibility, improve agility, and strengthen trust with clients, partners, and regulators.

Don’t wait. The time to act is now.