For years, cryptography operated quietly in the background. Teams deployed keys and certificates, relying on proven algorithms like RSA to secure data transmission, enable digital signatures, and manage key exchange – keeping authentication and encrypted data flows running without friction.
Many organizations treated cryptography like fixed infrastructure rather than a living system that requires visibility, governance, and continuous renewal.
Technological advancements in quantum computing are forcing the world to change.
Cryptographic complexity is increasing across the enterprise. Certificate lifecycles, evolving software libraries, expanding cloud environments, regulatory expectations, and the industry’s transition toward quantum-safe cryptography are all converging. Together these forces are reshaping how organizations must govern digital trust at scale.
Given the scale of change, the pace of evolving cryptographic standards, and the need to align skills, governance, and technology, most enterprises cannot take on this work alone. Which is why IBM Consulting and Keyfactor formed a joint approach to help organizations modernize cryptography with confidence and with measurable control.
Do you have a unified inventory of your cryptography? Or what’s hiding beneath the surface? In this blog, we’ll examine what is at risk – and how you can build a practical, governed, and quantum-safe cryptography capability that scales with your business.
Here are the six brutal truths about cryptography – and why your modernization can’t wait.
1. Explosive Identity Growth Across Cloud, DevOps, and Edge Systems
Modern applications depend on certificates and keys to authenticate workloads, containers, microservices, APIs, and IoT devices. The volume grows continuously, and most teams do not have automated processes to issue, track, or rotate these assets. In practice, manual cryptographic discovery can take weeks or months in complex environments, consuming scarce team resources and quickly falling out of date.
Remember – untracked certificates lead to outages.
How IBM and Keyfactor help:
Keyfactor provides automated discovery that locates keys, certificates, protocols, and algorithms across hybrid environments. IBM Consulting brings governance frameworks that assign ownership and policy controls.
2. Fragmented PKI and Legacy Cryptography Hidden Deep in Systems
Most enterprises operate with a patchwork of PKI instances, outdated crypto libraries, undocumented dependencies, and legacy algorithms buried in older applications. Based on what we see across enterprise environments, these blind spots commonly surface as residual SHA-1, DES, or outdated RSA usage embedded deep within applications and dependencies. These blind spots create fragile points that break during audits, upgrades, or deprecations.
Legacy zones often contain:
- Unsupported ciphers
- Hard-coded keys
- Expired or weak algorithms
- Custom or outdated certificate authorities
Remember – your teams cannot modernize what they cannot see. Fragmentation adds operational risk every time systems change.
How IBM and Keyfactor help:
The joint solution starts by building a Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM), a complete inventory of every asset and dependency. IBM Consulting analyzes business and regulatory impact, while Keyfactor tools surface risk patterns and automate remediation paths
3. Manual Certificate and Key Management That Cannot Scale
Many organizations still rely on spreadsheets, scripts, or manual request-and-approval workflows. At current cryptographic volumes — and at post-quantum transition scale — manual effort guarantees failure.
Manual processes introduce:
- Human error in issuance or configuration
- Delayed rotations
- Missed renewals that cause downtime
- Inconsistent policy enforcement
Remember – you simply can’t protect critical services with processes designed for another era.
How IBM and Keyfactor help:
Keyfactor delivers policy-driven lifecycle automation for issuance, renewal, rotation, and revocation. IBM Consulting integrates automation into DevOps and cloud pipelines so teams maintain velocity without compromising governance.
4. Accelerating Regulatory Pressure and Proof-of-Control Requirements
Governments and standards bodies now expect enterprises to demonstrate cryptographic control: where assets live, how they are governed, and how quickly they can be rotated. This includes guidance from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the EU, financial regulators, and global cybersecurity agencies.
Compliance now requires:
- Full visibility into cryptographic assets
- Demonstrable lifecycle controls
- Documented governance structures
- Clear PQC transition plans
Remember – these expectations can’t be met with ad-hoc tools or siloed teams; they require coordinated, scalable cryptographic operations built to adapt as standards evolve.
How IBM and Keyfactor help:
IBM Consulting provides enterprise-scale compliance frameworks and measurable KPIs. Keyfactor enables enforcement and reporting with continuous observability, centralized PKI, and automated lifecycle controls.
5. “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” Threats and the Quantum Computing Transition
Quantum computing introduces a once-in-a-generation shift in enterprise cryptography. Adversaries are already collecting encrypted data today, waiting until quantum computing capabilities become powerful enough to decrypt it. This risk eliminates the idea of “waiting” for standardized PQC algorithms before preparing.
Organizations must begin building crypto-agility now:
- Dual-stack (classical + quantum-safe) readiness
- Algorithm agility for future transitions
- Cryptographic agility within DevOps and CI/CD systems
- Inventory of all quantum-vulnerable assets
Remember – cryptographic transformation takes time, and delaying action only compresses timelines and increases the complexity of the transition.
How IBM and Keyfactor help:
Keyfactor delivers crypto-agile PKI and signing solutions ready for PQC adoption. IBM Consulting brings quantum-safe, enterprise delivery expertise. Together, they guide organizations through planning, testing, migration, and long-term governance.
6. Rising Outage and Supply Chain Risk From Weak or Unknown Cryptography
A single expired certificate could take down critical infrastructure. A compromised signing key can corrupt a software supply chain. Unknown cryptographic dependencies can halt production during audits or upgrades.
Remember – many outages are entirely preventable.
How IBM and Keyfactor help:
The joint solution introduces continuous discovery, automated renewal, centralized signing, and governance models that keep cryptography controlled and predictable across the full enterprise supply chain.
Why Modernizing Cryptography Can’t Wait
Cryptography now defines whether your systems stay online and your data remains secure.
Modernization delivers three strategic outcomes that every enterprise needs:
#1 – Complete visibility across hybrid environments. With improved visibility, you remove blind spots that cause outages and audit failures.
#2 – Automated, policy-driven lifecycle controls. When you add automation, you eliminate manual risks.
#3 – A phased path to quantum-safe resilience. When you modernize, you make PQC readiness much more manageable.
IBM + Keyfactor Partnership: Delivering What Enterprises Need
This partnership pairs two strengths that enterprises rarely find in a single program: deep cryptographic tooling and proven transformation expertise.
Unified Discovery, Inventory, and Risk Scoring
Keyfactor creates a complete view of all cryptographic assets. IBM Consulting interprets business impact, regulatory exposure, and remediation priority.
Modern PKI, Signing, and Automated Lifecycle Controls
Keyfactor platforms (EJBCA, SignServer, and Command) provide a consistent backbone for cryptographic management. IBM embeds these capabilities across cloud, DevOps, and on-prem systems.
Governance and Operating Models That Scale
IBM Consulting helps enterprises build cryptographic Centers of Excellence (CCoEs), formal governance structures, and training programs that ensure modernization lasts.
Long-Term Crypto-Agility and Quantum-Safe Readiness
Keyfactor enables agile cryptography; IBM enables enterprise delivery and alignment with emerging standards.
Together, they provide something rare: a structured, repeatable modernization path that accelerates compliance, reduces operational risk, and prepares organizations for the quantum era.
FAQ: What Leaders Ask Most About Cryptographic Modernization
Why is cryptographic modernization a business priority, not just a technical concern?
Transformation takes time. Additionally, outages, compliance gaps, and weak cryptography directly impact revenue, customer trust, and operational continuity.
Do organizations need to wait for finalized PQC standards before preparing?
No. Quantum risk already exists through “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks. Early preparation prevents a rushed, risky transition later. Standards published by NIST were published in in 2024 and continue to evolve.
What is the role of a CBOM?
A Cryptographic Bill of Materials allows enterprises to see an inventory of cryptographic assets and dependencies. It creates the foundation for risk scoring, remediation, and PQC planning.
Can automation really prevent outages?
Yes. Policy-driven automation eliminates human error and ensures certificates renew or rotate without breaking systems.
How do IBM and Keyfactor divide responsibilities?
Keyfactor delivers the technology backbone for discovery, automation, PKI, and signing. IBM Consulting brings governance, program strategy, and enterprise delivery.
Next Steps: Modernizing Your Cryptography with Keyfactor
Modernization will require you to replace fragmented tools and manual work with a governed, automated, and agile cryptography foundation. The fastest way to start is with clear visibility and structured prioritization.
To continue your modernization journey:
- Download the joint whitepaper, Cryptographic Modernization: Enabling Trust, Compliance and Resilience
- Explore the IBM + Keyfactor partnership to build a stronger future
- Register for the joint webinar and learn how IBM Consulting and Keyfactor guide enterprises through quantum-readiness
Do you have specific questions related to securing your enterprise? Get hands-on guidance during a Discovery Workshop. Reach out anytime with questions!
