Basic “How To Guidelines” for Government Leaders Preparing for Quantum Technology

(NextGov) Headlines discuss quantum technology’s impact on national security encryption, computing, communications and more. It is safe to say quantum will have an impact on national security. But because quantum tech is still nascent it’s less clear when and how this impact will materialize. This lack of clarity can make it difficult for government leaders to prepare their organizations for a quantum future.
While it is hard to know where to invest resources to prepare an organization for quantum’s impact, government leaders can’t afford to do nothing. There are real dangers to inaction—such as the potential for adversaries to steal data now and wait to decrypt it once enough quantum computers come online. Luckily for government leaders, strategic advantage from quantum will not come from the technology itself, but from how defense and intelligence experts put that technology to use. And those are areas where leaders can begin doing the hard thinking today—even if the technology itself is not yet read.
Preparing for the coming quantum world isn’t so much about giant quantum leaps in technology procurement or organizational change. Instead, it’s more about doing the basics. This article suggests:
Good cyber hygiene. Even with advancements in quantum technology, no one can decrypt data they do not have.
Integration. As quantum tech develops, organizations will need to think carefully about the new tech’s integration and use.
Quantum savvy. Quantum is a complex topic. Education and research should extend beyond the C-suite level through research and education programs throughout the organization.