Skip to content Book a PKI health check Get incident support

Post-Quantum

Post-quantum readiness: a pragmatic first step

Do not begin by buying a new algorithm. Begin by finding where cryptography lives, how long the protected data matters and which systems can change.

Field note 05 · 6 min read ·

Inventory before migration

Map protocols, certificates, signing systems, libraries, hardware roots and vendor dependencies. Add the sensitivity lifetime of the protected information so “harvest now, decrypt later” exposure is visible.

Prioritize crypto-agility

The first engineering outcome is the ability to change algorithms and key sizes without redesigning the entire service. Separate policy from implementation, remove hard-coded assumptions and test hybrid or updated modes in the least coupled systems first.

  • Long-lived sensitive data
  • Hard-to-update embedded or appliance systems
  • Externally trusted signing workflows
  • Vendor roadmaps with unclear migration support
This field note is general technical guidance. The safe remediation sequence depends on the hierarchy, clients and controls in the actual estate.