Quantum and the cloud: Science fiction turned security strategy

The report provides a strategic overview of post-quantum security risks and readiness, warning that quantum-capable adversaries may rapidly break current cryptography (notably RSA/ECC) and already be harvesting encrypted data for future decryption. It urges organizations to inventory cryptographic use, prioritize long-lived sensitive data, and plan migrations to NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms (FIPS 203–205, ML-KEM, etc.), while tracking emerging regulatory timelines from the U.S., UK, EU, and Japan. It highlights cloud provider progress and potential QaaS-enabled threats, emphasizing that preparations for Q-Day should begin now to mitigate operational, compliance, and supply chain risks.