Singapore – Cloud, AI, and consulting expert company IBM has recently entered into a strategic partnership with technology services firm NCS, aiming to advance the quantum-safety readiness of Singaporean enterprises.
In this partnership, both parties have agreed to support organisations in Singapore with plans to co-develop and provide end-to-end quantum-safe and privacy-enhancing services. These services intend to safeguard organisations’ data and update their cryptography from potential quantum-enabled attacks.
Apart from this, a recently published white paper has also been co-authored by both companies to guide organisations on the crucial phases for their quantum-safe journeys.
Titled “Managing Risks and Opportunities for Quantum Safe Development,” this paper further emphasises the vulnerability of cryptographic technologies used across the government and the industry to “harvest now, decrypt later” threats. These threats entail that adversaries might steal encrypted files and store them until more advanced quantum computers emerge.
Commenting about the partnership, Colin Tan, general manager and technology leader at IBM Singapore, said, “At IBM, we pride ourselves on being a leader in quantum-safe technology development. We have played a crucial role in the development of quantum-safe algorithms that are now being evaluated by the US government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). And as we are confident in these algorithms, some of our latest enterprise infrastructure systems already come with quantum-safe cryptography to help organisations stay ahead of emerging threats.”
“We are pleased to today announce the signing of this MOU between IBM and NCS, a technology services firm with a strong track record in the Asia Pacific region, and we are looking forward to helping Singapore organisations safeguard their data and modernise their cryptography for the quantum era,” added Colin.
Foo Siang-tse, senior partner, Cyber at NCS, also shared, “We firmly believe that the time is now for organisations to embark on a quantum-safe journey. In line with our commitment to build digital resilience for enterprises and governments, NCS has been assessing, developing, and evaluating quantum-safe solutions over the past few years.”
“Through this MOU with IBM, a company at the forefront of quantum-safe technology, we aim to enable organisations to plan and execute their strategies for remediation. Clients can also leverage NCS’ expertise and end-to-end capabilities in transforming organisations’ security posture, processes, and governance to secure their organisations for the quantum future,” concluded Foo.
This initiative was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on February 8, indicating their joint commitment to deliver technology solutions, professional services, and cybersecurity expertise.