Quantum Computing to Protect Data: Will You Wait and See or Be an Early Adopter?
Time to dispel with a myth: quantum computing is still just a theory. It’s not. If you don’t believe us, read here. And because it’s past the theoretical stage, commercialization is not far away, even as there is also an open source push for the technology. Over 100 applications can run on quantum computers. and they are being used to simulate weather patterns, optimize advertisement displays and solve complex computer network problems.
Even IBM is in on the game, rolling out cloud-based quantum computing called IBM Q for commercial use. Sure, there may be some horsepower limitations right now, but that won’t last forever. And once these technical challenges are overcome, you’re going to see some game-changing computational power for the clients who employ quantum computing. Those interested in this technology include Microsoft, Alphabet, JPMorgan Chase, Samsung, Barclays, Daimler AG and Oak Ridge National Lab.
With players like that interested, there is something real here.
Note: we haven’t even mentioned nations who want this technology. China has stated it wants quantum computing capability that has “a million times the computing power of all others presently in the world.”
You see? The myth should be dispelled about quantum computers: they’re real and are no longer limited to the provinces of universities, national labs and federal governments. And they’re going to change how we conduct business and daily affairs.
Now, whether that is a good or bad thing is still to be seen.
Here’s the key about quantum computing: its computational powers will allow us to solve mathematical problems that were once thought unsolvable, at least within our lifetimes. It is the ability to crunch so much data so fast that gives us game-changing possibilities. That means changes for drug therapies, building materials, artificial intelligence, weather forecasting, war fighting capabilities – just to name a few – and of course data protection methods, as well.
One area of data protection that will be affected by quantum computing capabilities is encryption. You see, quantum computing will make current day encryption practices obsolete. The traditional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) system used can easily come crashing down when public keys become vulnerable to attack by quantum machines. Instead of years to decipher codes, we could be down to minutes or even instantly.
That changes life pretty darn dramatically. Just imagine all those security certificates issued for websites, emails and digital signatures to validate authentication becoming obsolete in a matter of minutes. We can already sense the drool from cyber criminals and adversarial nations.
Here comes the “the sky is falling” talk, so here’s the disclaimer: we don’t expect this encryption calamity to happen tomorrow, but we do expect it to happen within our lifetime. It’s not unreasonable to think within a decade or so. The 10-15 year mark isn’t all too unreasonable, especially if you start taking into consideration study and standardization. But that’s the problem with any new technology: timing.
So with that said, are you going to wait and see what happens or – if your resources permit – be an early adopter? Here are some thoughts that may help you decide.
