A common misconception is that quantum threats are a problem for the next decade. However, organizations face an immediate risk known as “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” (HNDL). In this scenario, malicious actors or nation-states intercept and store vast amounts of encrypted, sensitive data today, even though they cannot yet read it. They are simply waiting for the moment when quantum processing power becomes sufficient to crack the encryption.
For data with a long shelf life—such as state secrets, long-term financial records, or genomic data—the threat is already here. If the secrecy of your data must be maintained for more than ten years, and it will take ten years to transition your infrastructure to quantum-safe standards, the window of safety has already closed. Preparing for quantum-safe security is not a reactive measure against future machines; it is a defensive requirement to protect the data that exists in our servers today.
