Cloudflare named winner of the 2024 DigiCert Quantum Readiness Award

DigiCert has announced the results of the inaugural DigiCert® Quantum Readiness Awards. Cloudflare (NYSE: NET), the leading connectivity cloud company, won the prestigious honor, while Migros, one of the largest retail companies in Switzerland, and DXC Technology, a leading global technology service provider, were selected as finalists by the judges. The awards ceremony took place during DigiCert’s World Quantum Readiness Day, a virtual event dedicated to raising awareness about the threats quantum computing poses and steps companies should take now to prepare.

Cloudflare's journey towards post-quantum cryptography excellence started with experimentations in 2017, to deploying advanced algorithms to its services in 2022, to today providing broad post-quantum encryption support for free by default across its products and services to help customers secure their websites, APIs, cloud tools, and remote employees against future threats. Cloudflare has set a benchmark in the industry. Their proactive community-first approach, which includes open-sourcing implementations and extensive collaborations with industry partners, has significantly contributed to global standardization efforts. Cloudflare’s strategy of forming a dedicated task force to facilitate the company-wide transition to secure both internal and external connections against quantum threats, showcases a commitment to innovation and security. Cloudflare's leadership in this field was further underscored by its commitment made at the 2023 Summit for Democracy, to make post-quantum cryptography available for free, solidifying its role as a pioneer in promoting a safer Internet for the future.

"Cloudflare recognized early on that it was necessary to get our systems ready for the undefined time at which quantum computers would become a threat to cryptography," said John Graham-Cumming, Chief Technology Officer at Cloudflare. "We made a commitment to post quantum readiness in 2017 through the work of our Research team. We began working, doing experiments, and the result is this Quantum Readiness Award and the fact that all of our customers have post quantum cryptography available today."

This year's honorees were selected by an expert panel of judges, including:

• Blair Canavan, Director, Alliances – PQC Portfolio, Thales

• Tim Hollebeek, Industry Technology Strategist, DigiCert

• Dr. Ali El Kaafarani, CEO, PQShield

• Bill Newhouse, Cybersecurity Engineer & Project Lead, National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, NIST

• Alan Shimel, CEO, TechStrong Group

• Hugh Thompson, Chairman, RSAC

“Quantum computing presents both an unprecedented opportunity and a significant threat to the current encryption standards that enable security, trust and online privacy. It is encouraging to see many of the applicant companies leaning into this very important transformation to quantum agility in order to protect data and infrastructure,” said Dr. Hugh Thompson, RSAC Chairman and Quantum Readiness Award judge. “On behalf of the judging panel, we are excited to see Migros, DXC Technology, and of course, the winner, Cloudflare recognized for their efforts in acting with haste on this critical move to quantum resistant cryptography."

Most enterprises (61%) report being unprepared for the threat posed by quantum computing. The DigiCert Quantum Readiness Awards recognizes organizations that are at the forefront of safeguarding digital security in the quantum era. These leaders are setting an example for what it means to be quantum ready, demonstrating exceptional innovation in addressing quantum challenges.

DigiCert Quantum Readiness Awards underscore the importance of collaborative efforts in developing robust defenses against the looming quantum threats. As quantum computing technology continues to advance, DigiCert remains committed to supporting organizations worldwide in their journey toward quantum preparedness.