IBM and the Telefónica Digital Business Division, Telefónica Tech, have just signed a collaboration agreement to develop and offer quantum security solutions that future computers are going to raise. And, the arrival of quantum computing will allow more evolved calculations, but also brings with it a critical challenge: to guarantee the safety of the data in the future in which traditional encryption algorithms could become vulnerable. In addition, although a cryptographically relevant quantum computer is not available, the data could already be vulnerable because cybercriminals can collect and decipher them in the future.
IBM has developed business software focused on quantum safety and research -based assets to offer a comprehensive solution to the planned quantum risks. IBM Guardium Quantum Safe, which is part of the IBM Guardium Data Security Center, helps organizations to obtain visibility and manage cryptography to address vulnerabilities, guide prioritization and remediation, and improve security posture. It also has IBM Guardium Key LifeCle Manager, which provides centralized, safe and scalable encryption key.
As a complement, IBM Quantum Safe Explorer and IBM Quantum Safe Remediator are technological assets developed to discover cryptographic vulnerabilities in the code, test the performance of quantum safety algorithms and establish quantum safety proxies.
By virtue of this agreement, both companies will work together to combine IBM QUANTUM-SAF technology with the experience of Telefónica Tech in the provision of managed cybersecurity services and professionals with the aim of creating robust solutions that provide security to companies and administrations public in front of the new and future security risks of a post-whattical world.
These solutions will be specifically designed to help protect the critical data of organizations from the risk of being deciphered by quantum computers, by applying the new QUANTUM-SAF Criptography Standards defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of states Joined. For this, IBM has developed two of the three algorithms that have been published as post-quantic cryptography standards, contributing to data protection in the quantum era.
In the presentation of the agreement, Raquel Ruíz Lozano, a global head of strategic alliances of Telefónica Tech, said that “quantum computing offers incredible opportunities, but it could also mean an important challenge in terms of cybersecurity. This collaboration agreement with IBM allows us ”
It is essential that organizations begin to evaluate their cryptography and plan a transition to quantum safety standards
Adolfo Hernández Pulido, Technology Managing Director of Telefónica at IBM, stressed that “it is essential that organizations begin to evaluate their cryptography and plan a transition to quantum safety standards. In IBM, we are proud not only of having participated in the development of new post-quantic cryptography algorithms, but also to be leaders in new technologies and safe services for quantum computing. We are delighted to sign this collaboration agreement with Telefónica Tech focused on Quantum-Safe technology. ”
The future integration of the IBM ‘Quantum-Safe’ technologies in the Portfolio de Servicios de Telefónica Tech is being designed to improve the proactive risk evaluations carried out by Telefónica Tech operations professionals with the aim of helping organizations to identify and face the cryptographic vulnerabilities presented by their infrastructure.
In accordance with the agreement, Telefónica Tech will also help organizations in their transition to new standards, protocols or cryptographic algorithms to guarantee resilience and agility to the risks of cybersecurity that poses quantum computing, and the transition to new technologies of encryption ‘quantum-sofle’.
In addition, the agreement contemplates the creation of a joint office of use cases, focused on key areas such as communications encryption, adaptation to new safe algorithms and the protection of critical environments.
In this context, IBM infrastructure has already been deployed at the Telefónica Tech headquarters in Madrid to boost commercial development. This infrastructure is composed of elements specifically designed to promote a safe and resistant environment against the threats of the post-what.
Among others, an IBM Linuxone system is included, which is protected with end-to-end encryption, which includes the new Quantum-Safe cryptography; IBM storage technology; as well as other advanced solutions for the protection of master and operational encryption keys.
