Quantum security spending will exceed 5% of the overall IT security budget in 2026, according to Forrester. The timeline to Q-Day is narrowing, and cryptographic migration takes years. Quantum computers that can break current encryption do not exist yet. Still, the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat is already active, because attackers can store encrypted data today and decrypt it later. NIST also plans to deprecate RSA and ECC by 2030 and disallow them by 2035, which leaves only a few years to migrate. This guide explains why quantum security is now a planning priority, what the migration path looks like, and how CISOs should spend their quantum security budgets.
Why Quantum Security Spending Is Surging in 2026
Quantum security has moved from a distant concern to a budget item because three developments arrived close together.
First, NIST finalized three post-quantum cryptography standards in August 2024. That removed the biggest technical barrier, because organizations now have vetted algorithms they can deploy. So waiting for standards is no longer a reason to delay.
Second, hardware progress from major quantum computing vendors suggests the physics barriers to fault-tolerant machines can be overcome. The Cloud Security Alliance’s migration roadmap treats Q-Day as feasible by 2030. As a result, the timeline that once stretched comfortably toward 2035 now looks shorter.
Third, budgets are following. According to Forrester, more than 90% of Asia-Pacific firms are expected to invest in post-quantum technologies. So quantum security is turning from a research topic into a buying category.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) means cryptographic algorithms built to resist attacks from both classical and quantum computers. NIST finalized three PQC standards in August 2024, after an eight-year global competition that evaluated 82 algorithms from 25 countries. The main standards are ML-KEM (formerly CRYSTALS-Kyber) for key exchange and ML-DSA (formerly CRYSTALS-Dilithium) for digital signatures. They are meant to replace the RSA and ECC systems that quantum computers are expected to break.
The “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” Threat
The most immediate quantum security threat comes from data being collected now. Adversaries can copy encrypted data today and decrypt it once quantum computers become available. This “harvest now, decrypt later” (HNDL) approach makes the threat real even though a cryptographically relevant quantum computer does not exist yet.
Encrypted communications, trade secrets, patent filings, healthcare records and intelligence data are all attractive targets. If data keeps its value for five, ten or fifteen years, as much financial and intellectual property data does, it is already exposed to a future quantum attacker. Data that has been stolen also cannot be recovered. So the real question is how old the data will be when someone decrypts it.
Spending on encryption is rising too. According to Gartner forecast data, the encryption subsegment will grow from $1.04 billion in 2023 to $2.04 billion by 2029, an 11.95% CAGR and a 2x increase. That is fast growth for an area that has usually grown slowly. HNDL is therefore turning quantum security into a compliance and business continuity issue.
Where Quantum Security Spending Is Being Allocated
Forrester names four main areas where organizations will increase quantum security spending in 2026. Knowing them helps CISOs build budgets that match the migration work ahead.
| Spending Category | Purpose | Priority Level |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting Services | Plan quantum security migrations and build roadmaps | ✓ Immediate: most organizations lack internal PQC expertise |
| Cryptographic Discovery and Inventory | Map all encrypted data, keys, and cryptographic dependencies | ✓ Critical: you cannot migrate what you cannot find |
| Cryptographic Agility Solutions | Enable rapid algorithm swaps without wholesale system replacement | ✓ Strategic: reduces future migration cost and risk |
| Library and Component Replacement | Replace outdated cryptographic libraries in applications | ◐ Ongoing: coordinated with development teams |
For most organizations, the first step is an inventory of every cryptographic asset, before any new algorithm goes in. Security teams need a “crypto bill of materials” that maps every encrypted data store, cryptographic library, certificate and key. Without it, nobody can decide which systems to migrate first.
The Quantum Security Migration Roadmap
Moving from current cryptography to quantum-resistant architecture is a structured migration. Most organizations should plan for it between 2026 and 2031.
Planned migration costs much less than an emergency one, and that is the comparison executives should see. An emergency migration after Q-Day would cost far more, and it still would not protect data that was already harvested. Organizations that wait therefore face both the highest migration costs and the most exposure from data stolen earlier.
Talk to an ExpertNot sure where your cryptography sits? Start your PQC inventory with us.
How Cloud Providers Are Rolling Out Post-Quantum Cryptography
Major cloud providers are leading quantum security work, which gives enterprises a practical place to start.
Five Priorities for Quantum Security in 2026
Based on Forrester’s predictions and NIST’s timeline, here are five priorities for CISOs and risk officers:
- Create your cryptographic inventory now: You cannot migrate what you cannot find, so build a “crypto bill of materials” that maps encrypted data, libraries, certificates and keys. Start with systems that protect long-lived sensitive data.
- Assess the HNDL threat to your own data: Adversaries are already harvesting encrypted data, so work out which assets keep their value beyond the expected quantum timeline. Data that must stay secret for decades should migrate early.
- Use cloud-native PQC: AWS, Microsoft and Google already offer hybrid post-quantum protection, so switch it on for data in transit now. As a result, you gain protection without building it yourself.
- Build cryptographic agility into your architecture: Instead of swapping one fixed set of algorithms for another, design systems that can change algorithms quickly. Then, when standards change again, you adapt without a full replacement.
- Track vendor and partner migration plans: Your quantum security is only as strong as the weakest supplier, so ask vendors for their PQC migration timelines. Also add quantum readiness to your buying criteria.
Key Takeaway Quantum security spending will exceed 5% of IT security budgets in 2026, because NIST’s 2030 deprecation date and harvest-now-decrypt-later threats push organizations to migrate. NIST finalized post-quantum standards in 2024, major cloud providers already offer hybrid PQC, and the encryption market is set to double to $2.04 billion by 2029. Organizations that start their cryptographic inventory and migration planning now will pay far less than those forced into emergency fixes.
Looking Ahead: Quantum Security Beyond 2026
The quantum security picture will keep changing as hardware improves and deadlines approach. NIST’s plan to deprecate RSA and ECC by 2030 sets a date that every organization using public-key cryptography has to plan for.
Organizations that start an orderly migration in 2026 can finish before that date, at manageable cost and with little disruption. Those that wait until 2029 or 2030, however, will face rushed and expensive fixes, while data harvested earlier stays exposed. So the cost of starting goes up every quarter.
For CISOs and security architects, quantum security is a test of planning. The threat is not here yet, but the preparation has to start now. Organizations that build cryptographic agility, keep full inventories and use cloud-native PQC will run the transition as a managed program instead of an emergency.
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References
- 5% of IT Security Budget, RSA/ECC Deprecated 2030, Four Spending Areas, 90% APAC Investment: Forrester — 2026 Technology and Security Predictions
- Q-Day Feasible by 2030, 1399 Logical Qubits, NIST Standards August 2024, Migration Roadmap: Cloud Security Alliance — Enterprise Post-Quantum Migration Roadmap
- Encryption Market $1.04B to $2.04B, 11.95% CAGR, Gartner 4Q25 Security Forecast Data: Software Strategies Blog — Top 6 Cybersecurity Trends from Gartner’s 2026 Security Forecast
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