Quantum-proofing the future: Reshaping enterprise cryptography before the storm

The calm before the quantum storm

Imagine locking your most precious data in a steel vault, only to learn that someone in the future might have the key—and all the time in the world to open it. That’s the unsettling truth businesses face with the rise of quantum computing.

But while the buzz around post-quantum cryptography (PQC) keeps intensifying, one company has been quietly—and methodically—preparing for the inevitable. In a candid and technically rich conversation, David Close, Chief Solutions Architect at Futurex, pulled back the curtain on how his team is helping enterprises gear up for the quantum age. And it’s not about fear—it’s about future-proofing with clarity, strategy, and action.

Meet the architect: David Close and the mission at Futurex

David Close isn’t just a cryptography expert. With 17 years at Futurex, he’s been shaping its product roadmap long before PQC became a boardroom buzzword. As Chief Solutions Architect, his mission is simple yet formidable: prepare the world’s cryptographic infrastructure for the tectonic shift quantum computing will bring.

Futurex, for the uninitiated, is a global hardware security module (HSM) and key management provider. From data centers across continents to offices in India, Europe, and Latin America, their infrastructure runs on highly regulated hardware-backed systems. These aren’t your everyday software solutions. These are purpose-built “lockboxes” for cryptographic keys and operations—designed for the highest-stakes environments.

The ticking clock: how far are we from quantum threats?

David puts the estimate between 2035 and 2040 for a quantum computer powerful enough to crack today’s RSA 2048-bit encryption. While that may sound distant, the threat is not. The reason? A tactic known as “harvest now, decrypt later.”

Here’s how it works: bad actors collect massive volumes of encrypted data today—email threads, financial transactions, intellectual property—and simply wait. Once the quantum era kicks in, that data becomes vulnerable to decryption. For short-lived information, the threat is mild. But for long-life data—think financial records, medical files, and embedded systems like satellites—it’s an existential risk.

So who’s most at risk?

• Financial institutions: Cardholder data and transaction records don’t lose value in a decade.
• Intellectual property holders: Firmware and sensitive designs remain critical for years.
• Defense and aerospace: Embedded systems with long life cycles are high-risk.
• Tax and citizen data: Information stored by governments and agencies needs decades of protection.

The bottom line? If your data has shelf life, it needs PQC protection—now, not tomorrow.

The problem with moving fast in crypto: it’s messy

According to David, the biggest challenge isn’t awareness—it’s architecture. Legacy systems are deeply woven with classical algorithms like RSA and ECC. Replacing them isn’t as simple as swapping code.

Take TLS, for instance—the protocol that powers secure web traffic. David points to the Google and Cloudflare experiment as a case study. These giants have been testing hybrid algorithms like x25519 + Kyber to support both classical and quantum-safe encryption. That might sound straightforward—but it’s not.

PQC keys are much larger. The signatures are bulkier. And many existing protocols weren’t built with this in mind. For industries relying on fast, lightweight communication (hello, mobile banking and IoT), this creates enormous friction.

Crypto Hub: Futurex’s secret weapon

To solve this complexity, Futurex launched Crypto Hub—a centralized cryptographic service for enterprises. Think of it as mission control for everything crypto-related across the organization.

Whether it’s encrypting a cloud storage bucket, integrating with third-party databases like Oracle, or managing on-prem HSMs, Crypto Hub brings it all together under a single roof. Even better? It’s fully compliant with FIPS and PCI standards, meaning it’s not just secure—it’s certifiably so.

Here’s where things get interesting: Crypto Hub also allows organizations to gradually roll out PQC. Since most enterprises don’t even know where they use cryptography (scattered across apps, APIs, and legacy tools), Crypto Hub helps them index, analyze, and prioritize—a critical first step in any PQC journey.

Backward compatibility isn’t a feature—it’s survival

David makes it clear: you can’t flip a switch to PQC. Legacy algorithms must co-exist with quantum-safe ones for years to come. Why? Because there are tens of thousands of systems using outdated libraries like OpenSSL or Java-based crypto modules. You can’t unplug them overnight.

Futurex’s solution? Hybrid support.
Using Crypto Hub, enterprises can issue digital certificates that work with both RSA and new-age algorithms like ML-DSA (one of the NIST finalists). This lets teams patch critical systems without risking service disruptions or operational chaos.

How to start your PQC journey: a simple playbook

According to David, here’s what every organization should do—starting today:

1. Index every use of cryptography
• Know what algorithms, key sizes, and libraries you’re using
• Understand where encryption is embedded—apps, devices, third-party tools
2. Assign risk levels to each application
• Focus on data with long-term value
• Prioritize systems like ATMs, gas pumps, and medical equipment that may live for decades
3. Use a centralized crypto service like Crypto Hub
• Gain control and visibility
• Migrate applications one layer at a time
4. Stay hybrid-ready
• Ensure new deployments support both classic and PQC algorithms
• Use tools that enable gradual upgrades
5. Don’t wait for the quantum cliff
• Waiting for a working quantum computer is a trap
• By then, data you value today could already be compromised

Plan now, or panic later

David’s parting advice is razor-sharp: “Don’t wait for the realization of a quantum computer capable of breaking RSA. Once that happens, it’s already too late.”

The quantum era is not a myth. It’s a milestone—and we’re walking straight toward it. With Crypto Hub, Futurex isn’t just preparing for that world—it’s helping businesses transition into it, one encrypted byte at a time.

So whether you’re a CTO with a fortress of legacy systems or a founder building something new, the message is clear: start now. Or risk becoming a cautionary tale in the not-so-distant future.