Public key infrastructure, or PKI, modernization is taking on new urgency as organizations prepare for the security risks posed by quantum computing.
PKI provides a framework for creating, managing and revoking digital certificates that establish trust across digital networks. As quantum computing advances, organizations must prepare to replace vulnerable public-key cryptography across their systems.
“Prioritize the migration to quantum safety,” said Amit Sinha (pictured), chief executive officer of DigiCert Inc., during an interview with theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. “PKI modernization is long overdue. If you don’t start today, you’re already out of time.”
Quantum risk and what it takes for enterprises to prepare for a post-quantum world were the central focus of DigiCert’s World Quantum Readiness Day 2026 virtual event, with coverage by theCUBE. Security leaders and public key infrastructure teams explored how to inventory cryptographic assets, prioritize migration, evaluate quantum-safe algorithms and prepare for the quantum era. (* Disclosure below.)
Here are three key insights you may have missed from theCUBE’s coverage of DigiCert’s World Quantum Readiness Day 2026 virtual event:
Insight #1: PKI modernization requires a staged approach across jurisdictions.
Organizations need visibility into where cryptography is used before they can plan a migration. DigiCert’s Quantum Central is designed to help assess that risk, while shorter certificate lifetimes add pressure to automate certificate management, according to Sinha.
“The road to crypto agility with the 47-day mandate is kind of the same road to post-quantum cryptography,” Sinha said. “Both of those deadlines are now 2029. So, having a good system in place, bringing public and private PKI together [and] having last-mile automation capabilities that give you crypto agility are foundational steps — both for the 47-day mandate that we have today and the migration to post-quantum cryptography.”
Post-quantum cryptography will require flexibility as organizations navigate different standards across jurisdictions. Many countries are adopting standards developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, while others are pursuing different approaches. China has launched a program to solicit and evaluate quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms for possible standardization.
“I think [different standards] will affect [PQC],” said Jostein Stokkan, product manager of service offerings at Atea Norge AS, during an interview with theCUBE. “But if we can help organizations to become more crypto agile, to be able to adapt to different types of encryption as they become important or just change, I think everything will be smoother and easier for all parties.”
A smoother transition will also depend on how organizations allocate resources and identify the teams and service owners who will be responsible for implementation. LGT Financial Services AG started asking vendors for supported algorithms and compatibility constraints at least two years ago, according to Christian Pfister, team leader, IT security operations, and lead for LGT’s Quantum Safe Competence Center.
“If you try to inventory, replace and validate every cryptographic use case at once, it makes the program unmanageable, and you can’t measure the outcome,” he told theCUBE. “The [post-quantum cryptography] migration is not one project and one algorithm change; it’s a series of migration waves.”
Insight #2: Unresolved questions drive calls for guidance and practical testing.
A survey released by DigiCert found that 87% of surveyed organizations were planning, testing or implementing post-quantum cryptography initiatives, while only 7% had deployed quantum-safe or hybrid cryptography across most of their digital certificates. The gap between planning and deployment leaves organizations with questions about how to proceed.
“There is no one-size-fits-all; there is no template,” said Naomi Wynn, chief executive officer of National Energy Public Key Infrastructure (NEPKI), during an appearance at the event. “But I’m hoping that by this time next year … we are seeing improved guidance as well in terms of what expectations are, what is good enough [and] what will actually meet the requirements.”
Organizations are also testing how post-quantum cryptography will perform in their existing environments. Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd. conducted a proof of concept for Daiwa Securities Group that used a post-quantum-enabled load balancer to assess Transport Layer Security performance.
“In our measurements, the average TLS handshake time increased by approximately 1.2 milliseconds,” said Sadaaki Yamazaki, senior security specialist for the Digital Solution R&D Department at Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd. “In our environment, which operates in a high-bandwidth data center, the impact was negligible. However, PQC increased both message sizes and packet counts. Organizations operating over wireless networks or constrained bandwidth environments should carefully validate the impact in their own environments.”
Insight #3: Post-quantum migration requires coordination across systems and suppliers.
Quantum computing still faces challenges in areas such as error correction, scaling, and hardware and software. For organizations preparing their security systems, practical tests and staged planning can help narrow the problem, according to Colin Soutar, managing director at Deloitte.
“I would take the word ‘quantum’ out of it,” Soutar said during an appearance at the event. “I think that the misconception is that one needs to be an expert [or] have a background in physics to understand what’s needed here. There is a threat out there in the future … and the steps to mitigate that are generally known. Working through it again is relatively straightforward, albeit large and complex.”
Microsoft Corp. has set a goal of transitioning its products and services to post-quantum cryptography by 2029. Its Trusted Root Program pilot brings certificate authorities into that effort, according to Karina Sirota Goodley, senior security product manager at Microsoft.
“Certificate authorities can test issuance and compatibility with the Microsoft platform capabilities in a controlled environment,” she told theCUBE. “That matters because no individual component can declare success. The whole chain has to work.”
Register for free to watch the complete video interviews, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of DigiCert’s World Quantum Readiness Day.
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for DigiCert’s World Quantum Readiness Day virtual event. Neither DigiCert, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)