APAC IT leaders fear impact of quantum on encryption

IT leaders in the Asia-Pacific region recognise that the writing is on the wall for encryption with the recent rapid advances in quantum computing.

A new survey published by DigiCert found that 61% of respondents are concerned that their organisations will not be prepared to address the security implications of the post-quantum computing world.

According to the findings, 39% of Asia-Pacific respondents believe their organisations have less than five years to get ready for conventional encryption being made obsolete. The majority (53%) already have a strategy in place (19%) or plan to make one in the next six months (34%) to address the security implications of quantum computing.

But currently 63% of organisations in the region do not have a centralised crypto-management strategy (23%) or have only a very limited one applied to certain applications or use cases (37%).

Globally, the results show that only 30% of respondents’ organisations are allocating budget for post-quantum computing readiness. Likewise, only 52% of respondents say their organisations are currently taking an inventory of the types of cryptography keys used and their characteristics.

DigiCert Group Vice President APJ Armando Dacal said the findings demonstrate that IT leaders recognise that quantum computing is a game-changing event in cryptography.

“In the APAC region, where digital transformation is rapidly evolving, the need for quantum-safe cryptography is paramount,” he said.

“As industry bodies and governments drive progress, we urge businesses to prioritise their preparations for PQC [post-quantum cryptography] to safeguard their data and maintain trust in an increasingly interconnected world.”

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