Post-Quantum Cryptography

A sufficiently capable quantum computer could break the public-key algorithms (RSA, ECC) that protect most SaaS data in transit. The risk is not only future. Under "harvest now, decrypt later," an adversary records your encrypted traffic now and decrypts it once the hardware exists, which puts long-lived secrets and any data you must keep confidential for years directly at stake. That has real consequences for commitments under SOC 2 and ISO 27001.

PQC means quantum-resistant algorithms, including the ones NIST standardized through its post-quantum standardization process, such as ML-KEM (FIPS 203, formerly CRYSTALS-Kyber). For a SaaS company, adopting them means updating the cipher suites behind your APIs, databases, and cloud integrations. Hybrid approaches that run a classical and a post-quantum algorithm together let you transition gradually without breaking what already works.

Start by mapping your sensitive data and the systems that depend on encryption, so you know what actually needs to change. Run pilots with open-source tooling such as the Open Quantum Safe project and its liboqs library. Bring in a Virtual CISO to keep the work aligned with the frameworks you already answer to, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, and NIST guidance. Then audit regularly, because the threat and the standards will both keep moving.

A few priorities tend to matter most. Protect communications that carry sensitive data with long-term value first. Make post-quantum readiness a standing question in how you evaluate and manage vendors, and set up a way to test and validate any vendor's claim of post-quantum security for your high and medium-sensitivity use cases.

If you want help scoping this for your environment, our Virtual CISO Services can plan and run the migration with you.

Post-quantum migration is not a 2026 priority for every SaaS company. If your data has a short shelf life, such as session tokens, ephemeral analytics or marketing content, harvest now, decrypt later has little to take, and you can follow your cloud provider's and TLS library's defaults as they add hybrid key exchange.

If you terminate TLS at a major cloud provider's load balancers, much of the transport-layer work will arrive through their updates; your job is to track it, not build it. If you have not yet built an inventory of where encryption is used, which keys exist and who owns them, do that first. A crypto inventory is required for any migration and useful on its own for SOC 2 and ISO 27001.

Do not buy a "quantum-safe" product before you can name the data it protects and the algorithm it uses. The right move for most small SaaS teams today is an inventory, a policy that new systems must support crypto agility, and a standing question to vendors. Full migration comes later, often through upgrades you are already paying for.

Quantum threats demand foresight. Don't wait: strengthen your defenses today. Explore our Virtual CISO Services to learn more.