By William (Bill) Gleason

Most companies are preparing for the next ransomware attack.

Very few are preparing for the encryption collapse that quantum computing could trigger.

The real risk is not just Q-Day the moment a quantum computer can break RSA and ECC encryption.

Nation-state actors and advanced threat groups are already collecting encrypted data today with the expectation that it can be decrypted once quantum capabilities mature.

Think about what that means for organizations whose data must remain secure for 10, 20, or even 30 years:

• intellectual property
• defense contracts
• financial transactions
• healthcare records
• critical infrastructure data

If that data is stolen today, it may simply be waiting for the day it can be decrypted. Most organizations are not prepared.

The reality is:

• Most enterprises do not know where all their cryptography lives
• Most systems cannot rapidly swap encryption algorithms
• Most security programs do not include quantum risk in their governance model

Over the next 3–5 years, quantum readiness will become a board-level corporate risk issue, not just a cybersecurity conversation.

Preparing now requires more than replacing encryption.

Organizations must:

• Inventory their cryptographic footprint
• Understand which data must remain secure for decades
• Build crypto-agile systems that can transition to post-quantum standards
• Align cybersecurity, corporate risk, and compliance into one operational framework

This is why platforms like SigmaSRC are being built to help organizations unify cybersecurity, enterprise risk, and compliance while preparing for the post-quantum security era.

The companies that start now will be ready.

The companies that wait may discover that the data they thought was secure…was already stolen years ago.