Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration Guide for Enterprises
Why Migrate Now?
NIST finalised its first set of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards in August 2024. Enterprises that delay migration face a "harvest-now, decrypt-later" threat: adversaries are already recording encrypted traffic to decrypt once quantum computers reach sufficient scale.
NIST PQC Standards at a Glance
| Standard | Type | Recommended For | |---|---|---| | CRYSTALS-Kyber (ML-KEM) | Key encapsulation | TLS key exchange, encrypted storage | | CRYSTALS-Dilithium (ML-DSA) | Digital signatures | Code signing, authentication | | SPHINCS+ (SLH-DSA) | Hash-based signatures | Long-lived certificates | | FALCON | Digital signatures | Constrained environments |
Migration Roadmap
Phase 1 — Inventory (0–3 months)
Catalogue all cryptographic assets: certificates, key stores, TLS configurations, signing keys, and encrypted databases.
Phase 2 — Hybrid Deployment (3–12 months)
Deploy hybrid classical/PQC schemes so existing clients remain compatible while new clients negotiate PQC algorithms.
Phase 3 — PQC-First (12–24 months)
Retire classical-only cipher suites. Full PQC enforcement for all new systems.
BF-Q SecureVault Integration
Our SecureVault Enterprise product automates steps 1–3 with automated inventory scanning, certificate lifecycle management, and policy enforcement. Contact us to begin your migration assessment.
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