Quantum computing poses a near-future threat to widely used encryption standards like RSA and ECC. The 'harvest now, decrypt later' strategy means threat actors may already be stockpiling encrypted data to decrypt once quantum computers mature. Organizations should inventory all assets using vulnerable encryption, plan migrations to NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms (FIPS 203/204/205, ML-KEM, HQC), and align with government timelines — the US, UK, EU, and Japan all target post-quantum readiness by 2030. Major cloud providers (AWS, Google, Microsoft, IBM) are already deploying quantum-safe encryption and offering Quantum-as-a-Service. Practical steps include executive briefings, full data inventory, migration planning, and threat modeling for compliance and operational impact.
