Post-Quantum vs Traditional Encryption for IT Leaders
Learning about how encryption has changed in modern IT
Encryption keeps almost every part of a modern business’s infrastructure safe. It protects backups, cloud storage, file sharing, authentication systems, and communication between offices. For a long time, traditional cryptography has kept business data safe. But the progress of quantum computing is making IT leaders think about more than just today’s security; they also need to think about long-term data privacy.
The problem right now is not being able to replace encryption right away. The problem is building infrastructure that can handle stronger encryption standards without slowing down business. This is very important for businesses that keep sensitive data for a long time, like contracts, medical records, engineering files, and compliance archives.
How traditional encryption keeps business systems safe
A mix of symmetric and asymmetric encryption is used in most business settings.
AES-256 and other symmetric encryption methods keep stored data safe, including backup archives, NAS volumes, and cloud repositories. It makes sure that the information is still unreadable even if someone gets to the storage media.
RSA and elliptic curve cryptography are examples of asymmetric encryption that keeps identity verification, VPN connections, SSL certificates, and safe communication between servers and users safe.
In real-world business settings, traditional encryption protects backups of Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, virtual machine snapshots, and offsite storage for disaster recovery. It works well today and will keep working well for years in operational systems.
Why Quantum Computing Is Important for Data Security
Quantum computing poses a risk for the future, not right now. Quantum processors may one day be able to quickly solve some of the algorithms used in current encryption. This mostly affects systems for exchanging keys and verifying identities, not the encrypted data that is stored.
The real risk for businesses is being exposed for a long time. Attackers may be able to get encrypted traffic or stolen backups now and then decrypt them later when quantum computing is possible. This is what people call the “harvest now, decrypt later” situation.
Companies that need to keep regulated or private data for 5 to 20 years need to start getting their infrastructure ready to switch to quantum-resistant cryptography without having to rebuild their storage systems.
What changes will happen with post-quantum cryptography?
Post-quantum cryptography uses math models that can withstand attacks from both classical and quantum computers. It doesn’t replace infrastructure; it improves how systems share and protect encryption keys.
The effect on IT operations is mostly administrative:
- Certificates grow bigger
- Ways to prove who you are change
- Security gateways need to be updated
- Backup platforms must be able to change algorithms
Storage environments that are well-designed can make these changes over time without having to buy new hardware.
Synology Storage and Cryptographic Flexibility
Modern NAS platforms already support encrypted volumes, TLS communication, snapshot immutability, and secure backup protocols. These features let businesses change encryption standards over time instead of having to redesign storage.
A well-designed Synology environment keeps authentication layers and storage data separate. This means that backups, snapshots, and archives will stay the same even if encryption methods change. Using both local storage and cloud replication in a hybrid backup strategy lowers the risk of long-term exposure even more because encrypted datasets can be re-protected with new keys.
The goal is not to replace storage devices, but to keep security architecture flexible.
Planning the Change in Real Life
Instead of panicking, groups should focus on being ready. The best way to do this is to adopt it slowly.
- First, sort the data by how long it needs to stay private.
- Second, make sure that backup systems let you re-encrypt without moving data.
- Third, use hybrid key exchange methods when you can.
- Fourth, make sure that cryptographic upgrades happen at the same time as regular hardware refreshes.
This keeps things running smoothly and stops the need for emergency migrations later.
How Epis Technology Helps Businesses Get Ready
Epis Technology makes storage and backup systems that will stay safe even when encryption changes in the future. The company uses Synology-based infrastructure, hybrid cloud backups, and long-term storage systems that let you re-encrypt and rotate keys without having to rebuild the storage.
Their method is all about protecting the data throughout its life. Microsoft 365 backups, Google Workspace archives, endpoint backups, and disaster recovery repositories are set up so that encryption standards can change while still meeting compliance needs. Companies can protect themselves today and be flexible tomorrow by using both on-premises NAS storage and secure cloud replication and monitoring.