{"id":230303,"date":"2026-06-11T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/from-urgency-to-action-advancing-quantum-readiness-across-agencies\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:40:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:40:24","slug":"from-urgency-to-action-advancing-quantum-readiness-across-agencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/from-urgency-to-action-advancing-quantum-readiness-across-agencies\/","title":{"rendered":"From urgency to action: Advancing quantum readiness across agencies"},"content":{"rendered":"

From urgency to action: Advancing quantum readiness across agencies<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/federalnewsnetwork.com\/commentary\/2026\/06\/from-urgency-to-action-advancing-quantum-readiness-across-agencies\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-06-11 18:30:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: federalnewsnetwork.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

The next major shift in federal cybersecurity is already underway: preparing for the impact of quantum computing on today\u2019s encryption.
\nAcross government, there is broad recognition that current cryptographic standards will not hold indefinitely. In recent years, the core question has never been if quantum computing will disrupt today\u2019s encryption, but how soon. The timeline continues to accelerate and compress, with companies like Google updating its own deadline for migrating systems to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to 2029 as recently as March.
\nRecent executive momentum reflects that accelerating reality. Building on National Security Memorandum 10, the federal approach has moved from standards and planning toward execution, signaling that PQC readiness is no longer a future-state discussion but an immediate operational requirement.
\nThe stakes are clear and uniquely high in the public sector. This is not a simple patching exercise. Agencies will need to identify, prioritize, and replace cryptographic dependencies \u2014 the encryption tools and protections built into their systems to secure data and communications \u2014 across all systems. They also must then confirm the new protections are working correctly. This process will be applied to systems that may have been built over decades and that often support mission-critical operations, making this a complex undertaking that demands precision and thorough validation.]]><\/p>\n

What happens next will depend on how effectively agencies translate urgency into coordinated action.
\nThe zero trust case study
\nZero trust offers a recent, instructive example, as it generated real momentum at the policy level. Agencies adopted language, strategies were written, and leadership signaled commitment. But while it established a strong policy foundation and clear direction, implementation didn\u2019t necessarily translate evenly across agency environments. Some advanced key elements quickly, while others progressed more gradually as they worked through resource, prioritization and coordination challenges.
\nThe risk with quantum readiness is nearly identical, as there\u2019s no shortage of agreement that quantum computing will break today\u2019s encryption. What\u2019s less clear is whether agencies are building the internal frameworks to act on that agreement in a coordinated way. If not, \u201cquantum ready\u201d will become another umbrella term that\u2019s widely endorsed but inconsistently defined.
\nClear ownership, shared definitions and sequencing matter. Building on recent federal direction including executive actions that emphasize inventory and accelerated implementation, agencies can take a structured approach:<\/p>\n

Establish cryptographic visibility. Identify where encryption under outdated standards exists across systems, devices and external dependencies.
\nCoordinate execution across agencies. Establish an agencywide strategic plan so teams are aligned from the outset and implementation is consistent.
\nBuild capacity to sustain the transition. Commit funding, workforce and program management with the scale and pace of phased migration.<\/p>\n

Visibility is the first step
\nPrioritization depends on visibility. A clear view of where vulnerable cryptography exists is the starting point for any PQC effort.
\nThat includes legacy systems, embedded devices and external dependencies that may not be fully accounted for in existing inventories.
\nWithout that visibility, prioritization becomes guesswork. Teams may focus on highly visible systems while less obvious risks remain unaddressed. Over time, those blind spots can become points of exposure.]]><\/p>\n

A comprehensive cryptographic inventory is the starting point, providing the foundation for execution. It allows agencies to identify risk, sequence remediation and align efforts across teams based on a shared understanding of their environment.
\nCoordination must be intentional
\nEven with visibility, execution does not happen automatically.
\nPQC readiness cuts across technical, operational and acquisition functions. Security teams may understand the risk, but procurement cycles, budget timelines and competing priorities can slow progress if they are not aligned from the outset.
\nRecent federal direction calls for phased migration but translating that guidance into measurable progress requires coordination across leadership, engineering and acquisition teams. That progress also needs to be measured. Agencies should define concrete milestones for inventory, prioritization, remediation and validation, then track progress against those milestones over time. Agencies need a dedicated senior leader in charge of driving alignment, tracking progress and ensuring that quantum readiness is implemented consistently across the full team.
\nSimply put, quantum readiness must be agencywide in mindset, even if implementation is phased over time.
\nExecution depends on capacity
\nWhile the path forward is increasingly well defined from a policy standpoint, implementing a transition to quantum-resistant cryptography at scale requires sustained investment across funding, workforce expertise and program management. Many agencies are still working to define cost estimates, build internal capabilities and align resources with long-term transition plans.
\nWithout that foundation, progress can become uneven. Teams may understand what needs to happen but lack the resources to move at the pace required.
\nEnsuring consistent execution will depend on aligning funding, staffing and oversight with the urgency of the transition so that efforts can scale across systems and agencies, rather than advancing in isolated pockets.
\nWithout that alignment, even well-established priorities can slow under operational pressure. Accelerated timelines increase urgency, but they also increase the need for resources, coordination and oversight to ensure consistent progress across agencies.]]><\/p>\n

The focus on execution is clear. The challenge now is ensuring agencies have the capacity to deliver on it. Otherwise, even well-defined priorities risk becoming, in practice, an unfunded mandate.
\nThe real test
\nThe direction is clear: Federal agencies understand the risk, and policy has established a strong foundation for moving forward.
\nWhat comes next is execution, which requires sustained alignment between the chief information officer and chief financial officer across fiscal years.
\nThat means translating urgency into coordinated action across systems, teams and timelines. It means establishing visibility, aligning ownership and ensuring that resources match the scale of the transition ahead.
\nAgencies that approach PQC readiness as a teamwide effort, integrated into modernization, procurement and risk management, will be best positioned to make steady, measurable progress. Agencies should treat PQC readiness not as a compliance exercise, but as a modernization imperative tied directly to the integrity of mission-critical systems and long-lived data.
\nThe challenge has moved beyond defining the path forward. Now, it\u2019s time to move along that path \u2014 consistently, at scale and with the capacity to sustain it over time.
\nAlison King is the vice president of government affairs at Forescout.
\n Copyright
\n \u00a9\u00a02026 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.<\/p>\n

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