Rethink cryptography for the AI era and a post-quantum future

Giant leaps forward in AI and quantum computing are rewriting the rules of data security.

While each wave of innovation brings enormous opportunities for growth, it also threatens the cryptographic systems that protect our digital foundations. The stark truth is that today’s encryption standards are being challenged by new AI technologies — and they will be outmoded in the post-quantum era.

Attackers are already collecting encrypted data with the intent to decrypt it once quantum computers become powerful enough and more widely available. This “harvest now, decrypt later” problem means that data your organization can protect today could be exposed tomorrow.

Cryptography is the cornerstone of digital trust, but it must evolve just as quickly as the technologies transforming it. Organizations will need smarter, faster and more sustainable ways to secure their data in a post-quantum world.

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The rising cryptographic challenge: Why you must know where your data is

Microsoft’s announcement of Majorana 1, a quantum processing unit capable of scaling to a million qubits on a single chip, underscores how close quantum technology is to becoming a reality.

Modern encryption techniques could become obsolete in a matter of years, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US has already recommended phasing them out in favor of quantum-safe standards.

However, quantum disruption masks a wider problem that many organizations are struggling with: visibility.

Data is distributed across clouds. Legacy systems still exist, and compliance demands continue to grow. As a result, many organizations don’t really know where cryptography exists within their environment, or which systems rely on outdated keys and algorithms.

For many organizations, encryption key management and governance are growing concerns. And without clarity about what exists, where, you can’t protect your data or other assets.

Building crypto-agility involves more than simply swapping algorithms

The shift to post-quantum requires a strategic transformation that touches people, processes and platforms.

First, you need to discover and inventory every cryptographic asset, including keys, certificates and algorithms, across on-premises and cloud systems. You also need to manage legacy infrastructure and vendor dependencies, many of which were never designed for crypto-agility — the ability to adapt quickly to new standards and algorithms without disrupting business operations.

Equally important is crypto-resilience: being able to respond to new vulnerabilities and maintain trust as the cryptographic landscape changes.

Failure to act can carry significant consequences — compliance breaches, audit findings and reputational damage. It could also slow down innovation. Development teams may hesitate to pursue AI or cloud expansion if the underlying data security can’t be trusted.

Discovery and planning alone can take years to complete. The right time to start is now.

How cryptography as a service changes the game

NTT DATA’s Cryptography as a Service (CaaS) brings together everything in one intelligent framework, giving your security teams clarity and control.

As algorithms evolve and vulnerabilities emerge, CaaS enables crypto-agility, so you can keep pace without disrupting your day-to-day operations.

For global organizations, data sovereignty and compliance are constant pressures. Different jurisdictions impose different encryption and residency controls. CaaS embeds these safeguards from the start.

Meanwhile, AI continues to add complexity as much as it delivers results. Sensitive data used in model training and analytics must remain protected, even while it’s in use. Through confidential computing, we help you secure these high-value workloads.

Our service also relieves the burden of maintaining costly on-premises hardware. Enterprise-grade encryption and tokenization, delivered as a managed service, give you the assurance of hardware-based protection without the overhead. The result is a cryptographic environment that’s simpler to manage and faster to adapt.

A foundation of trust for forward-thinking organizations

Modernizing your cryptographic foundation brings measurable gains. By consolidating encryption and automating key management, you can improve compliance and reduce audit findings. Streamlined processes also shorten testing and development cycles from days to hours, accelerating innovation without compromising security.

Take the first step with confidence and gain visibility of your cryptographic assets to build a foundation for long-term digital trust.

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