Preparing For Post-quantum Encryption: What Organisations Should Do Now

Quantum computers capable of breaking widely used public-key cryptography may still be years away, but migration (to alternative encryption algorithms expected to be resistant to quantum computers) will take time and some data is already exposed to “harvest now, decrypt later” risk. We consider the emerging standards and the practical, legal and governance steps organisations should take now.

In July 2026, the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) published the findings from its first government–industry post quantum cryptography migration workshop (Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration workshop report | National Cyber Security Centre), convened with a telecoms company and the National Cyber Advisory Board. The NCSC workshop report concluded that “no organisation can navigate the transition alone”. The report brings the issue out of the laboratory and into the boardroom: executive sponsorship, supplier coordination, cryptographic discovery and realistic delivery planning are