How Quantum CIOs Are Preparing For the Quantum Security Era
Quantum CIO
As quantum computing becomes a reality for organizational infrastructure, the CIO has a new responsibility. This technology is called a “double-edged revolution” since it weaponizes new encryption schemes and provides unprecedented computing power for research and artificial intelligence. Quantum readiness is increasingly essential for IT administrators to maintain organizational resilience and public confidence, not only a technical advancement. The industry now agrees that quantum-safe technologies will be implemented “when,” not “if.”
Accelerating Quantum Clock
The concept that quantum threats are decades away is a major challenge for CIOs. According to IBM's quantum-centric supercomputing CTO Jerry Chow, the path for such systems is accelerating. IBM has ambitious aspirations for its 200-logical-qubit “Starling” system in 2029 and its 1,000-logical-qubit “Blue Jay” system in 2033.
A million qubit machine might crack RSA-2048 encryption, but Nobel Laureate John Martinis warns that algorithmic advances may arrive sooner. Martinis noted during the Palo Alto Networks Quantum Safe Summit that organizations have time to prepare, but not forever. The change involves switching from “quantum-classical hybrids” to native quantum algorithms that leverage entanglement and superposition to solve mathematical issues classical logic cannot map.
Instant Danger: Harvest Now, Decrypt Later
The most pressing reason for swift action is “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” (HNDL). Attackers intercept and store encrypted financial data, state secrets, and intellectual property to decipher it when quantum hardware improves. If an organization's data is older than ten years, retroactive assaults are possible.
A Deloitte poll found that over half of experts believe HNDL threatens their companies, yet few have completely inventoried their key data. Strategic CIOs want to protect this data before the “quantum clock” runs out.
Standardization and 2035 Mandate
NIST, which has established implementation standards, is leading the post-quantum cryptography (PQC) shift. CIOs face a major change with the 2035 federal mandate to adopt PQC standards. Regulated areas like finance, healthcare, and defense should follow this schedule for compliance and interoperability.
NIST and CISA recommend “cryptographic agility” for businesses. This is the new IT architectural gold standard since it allows encryption method swapping without system modification.
Resilience Action Plan: Three Pillars
CIOs should manage this transformation with a methodical operational structure with three phases:
Discovery and CBOM. Most companies don't have a Cryptographic Bill of Materials since encryption is often hidden in cloud-native microservices and older operational technology. CIOs should use automated technologies and firewall telemetry to map RSA and ECC usage.
After creating an inventory, CIOs must rank remediation by data shelf life in Phase II: Systemic Protection and Data Segmentation. Even though session tokens expire fast, sensitive PII and firm trade secrets must be kept private for decades. The 2025 Ponemon-Sullivan Privacy Report found that 36% of stored data is mission-critical, yet inadequate classical encryption protects much of it.
Phase III: Solving the Legacy Anchor: Satellites, medical equipment, and mainframe applications are difficult to upgrade. Cipher translation allows next-generation firewalls to act as a bridge by quickly turning weak traffic into quantum-secure sessions, future-proofing hardware without a “rip and replace” project. Advance Large-Scale Logical Qubits is another Quantum News article.
Operationalizing Future
Quantum readiness is essential for responsible IT modernization. U.S. Federal CISO Mike Duffy warns that ignoring PQC readiness now is risking future technological debt. This migration is not a side project and requires a dedicated budget, executive endorsement, and strict vendor monitoring. CIOs must demand PQC roadmaps from suppliers and review each new procurement for cryptographic agility.
In conclusion
Even if “Q-Day,” when a quantum computer breaks internet encryption, is far off, preparations must be made. Strategic initiatives include CBOM inventory, quantum lead appointment, and platform-based security automation. Since enterprise-scale manual migration is mathematically impossible, the move to quantum-safe resilience must begin immediately to save the organization's “crown jewel” data.
