How IBM and Entrust are Leading Finance's Quantum-Safe Shift

Entrust and IBM Consulting have formed a partnership to help enterprises prepare for quantum computing threats to cryptographic systems.

The collaboration brings together IBM's quantum-safe transformation services with Entrust's capabilities in PKI, cryptographic security and hardware security.

The partnership centres on the Entrust Cryptographic Security Platform (CSP).

The platform operates as a unified control plane that provides continuous discovery, visibility, policy enforcement and lifecycle automation across certificates, keys and secrets.

The aim is to move organisations from risk assessment to active implementation of quantum-safe measures.

The collaboration addresses a growing challenge facing chief information security officers and technology leaders.

Many organisations lack comprehensive visibility into their cryptographic infrastructure, making it difficult to assess quantum vulnerability or plan effective migration strategies.

The joint offering is designed to provide both the tools and expertise needed to address this gap.

“With regulatory expectations increasing and quantum computing advances continuing to accelerate, organisations can no longer treat quantum risk as a future concern,” says Dinesh Nagarajan, Executive Partner and Global Service Line Leader for Quantum-Safe and Data Security at IBM Consulting. 

“Preparation can no longer be delayed. By partnering with Entrust, we can help organisations move decisively toward post-quantum readiness, with solutions built for sustainable governance, resilience and scale.”

Why enterprises must act on cryptographic risk now

Quantum computing has evolved from theoretical concept to board-level concern for many enterprises.

This is particularly true for regulated industries and organisations that manage sensitive data with long retention periods.

Threat actors are harvesting encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it once quantum computing capabilities advance.

This happens as regulatory pressure on data protection increases globally.

Cryptographic sprawl poses a challenge for many organisations. Certificates, keys and secrets are often distributed across legacy systems, cloud platforms and DevOps pipelines with inconsistent governance policies.

Traditional one-off assessments and isolated tools could prove insufficient.

Organisations need continuous oversight and consistent governance frameworks across all cryptographic assets.

Without this foundation, migration efforts risk leaving critical vulnerabilities unaddressed or creating gaps in security coverage during the transition period.

A structured approach to quantum-safe transformation

The joint solution offers an end-to-end programme designed to guide organisations through transition to quantum-resistant cryptography.

The process begins with enterprise-wide discovery and risk assessment using the Entrust Cryptographic Security Platform to map exposure to business services, data longevity and regulatory requirements.

IBM Consulting then develops a migration roadmap using its Quantum Safe Migration Orchestrator. This converts insights into a prioritised plan based on operational and compliance needs.

The final phase focuses on managed execution and ongoing governance. Changes are implemented whilst enforcing policy and automating lifecycle processes.

“Quantum preparedness starts with regaining control of your cryptography across applications, clouds, identities and infrastructure,” says Mike Baxter, Chief Technology & Product Officer, Entrust.

“We are excited to partner with IBM Consulting, which brings deep expertise in orchestrating the enterprise transformation required to deliver effective cryptographic management. 

“Entrust supports this with its unified control plane for PKI, keys, certificates, and secrets, anchored in post-quantum compliant hardware security modules. 

“Together, we can help customers establish governance, reduce operational risk today and adopt crypto-agility so they can transition to post-quantum standards with confidence.”

Entrust provides a single control plane across PKI, certificates, keys and secrets.

IBM Consulting oversees deployment and operation to ensure consistent governance at scale.

The partnership enables organisations to align cryptographic maturity with business risk.

By linking cryptographic exposure to business services and regulatory demands, enterprises can prioritise remediation efforts and demonstrate compliance.

The combined solution is designed to help organisations reduce cryptographic debt and minimise disruption. As quantum threats evolve, this approach could support transition to post-quantum standards whilst maintaining security and operational stability.