Preparing for the Quantum Era: Why business leaders must act now
Quantum computing is rapidly moving from theory to reality, threatening to break the cryptographic foundations that secure today’s digital world. This white paper, a joint effort by leading Belgian cybersecurity and quantum experts, explains why post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a strategic imperative for every organisation now!
Quantum computers will eventually break widely used encryption, putting confidential data, transactions, and digital trust at risk. The “harvest now, decrypt later” threat means adversaries may already be collecting encrypted data to exploit in the future. Migration to PQC is complex and will take years. Early action is essential to protect long-lived and sensitive data.
Global standards are emerging, but organisations must start assessing risks, planning migrations, and engaging vendors today. The EU’s roadmap sets clear milestones: national strategies by 2026, critical infrastructure protected by 2030, and broad adoption by 2035. Sector-specific use cases in telecom, banking, healthcare, and retail illustrate the urgent need for quantum-safe solutions.
Crypto-agility – being able to adapt cryptography quickly – will be a key competitive advantage and regulatory expectation. Leadership is crucial: quantum resilience is not just a technical challenge, but a business and reputational one. Early movers will build trust with customers, partners, and regulators, and position themselves as digital leaders. The time to act is now: waiting increases risk, cost, and complexity.
This white paper is the result of a collaborative effort, bringing together expertise from the Belgian Cyber Security Coalition, the Quantum Circle, and the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB). It has been produced to the best of the contributors’ abilities: Sarah Ampe, Johan Kestens, Bart Preneel, Maria Chiara Properzi, Jan Sonck, Joachim Vererfven, Kristof Verslype, Laura Vranken, Jelle Wieme.
Download the full white paper to understand the quantum threat, practical steps for your organisation, and how to lead in the post-quantum era.
