Computational problems that would take a classical computer tens of thousands of years to complete can potentially be solved in seconds by a quantum computer — making quantum computers’ power exponentially greater than computers in use today for certain classes of problems. There are concerns, however, that quantum’s computational power will eventually compromise current encryption algorithms widely used by network operators. New cryptography algorithms and technologies will be required to secure communications and data against the threat of quantum computers. Although quantum computing is still in the early stages of development, network operators should begin to understand its implications on current communications and data management.
Organizations will need to implement a new approach to assessing crypto agility and risk to the business to be quantum resistant in the future.