💼 Post-Quantum Security in Storage: Mandate or Optional for Regulated Industries?

Introduction: Quantum computing is progressing rapidly. For regulated industries such as banking, insurance, energy, healthcare, military, and intelligence services, this means preparing today for a security standard that will hold tomorrow. But what does that mean in practice – and how can CISOs keep pace with technological change?

1. Why regulated sectors are especially at risk

• Regulators demand decades-long data integrity (e.g., MaRisk, HIPAA, GDPR, Bafin-KAIS).

• The "Harvest now, decrypt later" threat is rising: data stolen today may be decrypted within 5–10 years.

• High-risk sectors include:

  • Banking and insurance

  • Energy and healthcare

  • Government and judiciary

  • Military organizations

  • Security and intelligence agencies

• These institutions handle highly sensitive information – a breach could have massive geopolitical, economic, or societal consequences.

  
  

2. The CISO perspective: Why the urgency?

• Traditional cryptography (RSA, ECC) will likely be broken by Shor's algorithm.

• CISOs must develop strategic cryptography roadmaps to adopt PQ algorithms in time.

• Risk assessments should explicitly account for PQ threats – especially for "high-value assets".

  
  

3. Hybrid KEM as a practical path forward

• NetApp demonstrates how Hybrid Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEM) can enable crypto agility now:

  • Combines classical and post-quantum encryption

  • Backward compatibility with existing IT infrastructures

  • Protection at the storage layer = last line of defense

    
    

4. Regulatory and business advantages

• Compliance: Proves use of "state-of-the-art" security measures.

• Trust building: Clients and investors see post-quantum readiness as future-oriented.

• Long-term ROI: Once implemented, PQ solutions ensure the integrity of long-term data storage.

  
  

Conclusion: For CISOs in regulated industries, post-quantum security is not optional – it’s a must. Solutions like Hybrid KEM offer a feasible, standards-aligned, and audit-ready entry point into a secure future.