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First Line Software is a premier provider of software engineering, software enablement, and digital transformation services. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the global staff of 450 technical experts serve clients across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
The security topics for this month’s HSD Café meeting was the current state of Quantum technology, along with its opportunities and threats. Quantum computing is expected to make a significant impact on encryption, which is one of the most important mechanisms for securing data.
Hosted by the Hague Security Delta (HSD) on September 17th, the meeting was attended by professionals from many disciplines, including staff from First Line Software. Local experts were featured during the three main sessions:
- Professor Stephanie Wehner, who is the Roadmap Leader of the Quantum Internet and Networked Computing (QINC) roadmap at the QuTech research center, ran a session titled: Where are we now with Quantum Networking?
- Jaya Baloo, former CISO of KPN and Quantum ambassador KPN, led a discussion about the opportunities and threats associated with Quantum Technology and Cyber Security.
- Dimitri van Esch from the financial services firm ABN AMRO, presented a case study about the initiatives ABN AMRO has focused on relative to quantum computing and cybersecurity.
The last session of the event was a panel discussion during which attendees asked questions and the group explored the potential for collaboration among companies, research firms and other organizations on how to best utilize quantum technology while managing cybersecurity threats.
Another meeting highlight was the announcement and launch of a report published by the HSD office: Understanding the strategic and Technical Significance of Technology for Security, Implications of Quantum Computing within the Cybersecurity Domain. As part of their Quantum Technology initiative, the Hague Security Delta (HSD) is creating an environment cyber security companies can use for experimenting with Quantum Key Exchange technology which can lead to greater innovation of their encryption products.
There is a great deal of hype and confusion about how the technology will be used and there are already suspicions that encrypted data is being stolen and criminals could make this data readable using Quantum technology. That is what makes the topic so important and timely.