While fully capable quantum computers may still be years away, the pace of progress is accelerating. The obsolescence of today’s encryption methods is no longer a distant possibility—it is an imminent threat.

Adversaries are not waiting for quantum computers to arrive. Through “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” (HNDL) attacks, sensitive corporate data—customer records, financial transactions, intellectual property—is being intercepted today, waiting for the moment when quantum machines can break RSA and ECC in seconds. In fact, more than 90% of all internet traffic today is protected using RSA or ECC. That means almost everything we do online—banking, communications, healthcare records, and corporate data—is exposed to this future risk.

Australia is already feeling the cost of cyber threats, with billions of dollars lost annually to espionage and theft. The coming quantum shift will only magnify this. Recognising the urgency, the Australian Government has laid out a Post-Quantum Cryptography Roadmap. Under this plan, older encryption methods like RSA and ECC will need to be phased out by 2030. For businesses, that sets a clear timeline: begin preparing now, or risk being left dangerously vulnerable.

The transition to post-quantum cryptography is not a routine IT upgrade. It requires a complete rethink of digital security and will demand significant investment in both financial and human resources. But the cost of inaction will be far greater—lost data, broken trust, and competitive disadvantage.

The time for preparation is over. The countdown to quantum is already running. CEOs and Boards must decide today whether they will lead their organisations safely into the quantum era—or leave their most valuable data exposed to tomorrow’s attackers.

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