IBM has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the 2024 Global Company of the Year for its market-leading contributions to cryptography and standards. The company’s involvement in cryptography dates back to the 1960s, and it has demonstrated thought leadership through multiple initiatives and alliances with leading technical working groups, including the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
IBM offers many cryptography solutions, including cloud key management, certificate lifecycle automation, and managed encryption services. The company’s extensive research in cryptography and its contribution to open-source libraries have positioned it to implement and evaluate the adoption of new algorithms. Ozgun Pelit, senior industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan, praised IBM’s work, noting that the company has closely studied over 25 industries and sectors to map out the specific use cases of public key encryption across business value chains.
IBM’s Contributions to Cryptography and Standards: A Leader in Post-Quantum Cryptography
IBM has a long history of contributing to cryptography and standards, dating back to the 1960s when its submission of the Lucifer cipher was adopted as the precursor for data encryption standard (DES). This legacy continues today, with IBM recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the 2024 Global Company of the Year in the post-quantum cryptography (PQC) industry. The company’s involvement in PQC is multifaceted, with a wide range of advisory, consulting, and system integration offerings designed to accelerate an organization’s journey to become quantum-safe.
IBM’s thought leadership in PQC is demonstrated through its multiple initiatives and alliances with leading technical working groups, including the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other PQC coalitions. The company has close engagements with international and regional telecommunications and financial services industry standards and industry bodies, as well as anchor clients on the definition, implementation, and interoperability of standards. This includes performing several technical flagship projects with these organizations.
One key aspect of IBM’s contributions to PQC is its extensive research in cryptography. The company has developed various cryptography solutions, including cloud key management, certificate lifecycle automation, managed encryption services, cryptography asset discovery, observability, and remediation. Additionally, IBM offers PQC-specific education programs, lattice-based cryptosystems, distributed cryptography, homomorphic encryption, and zero-knowledge proofs.
IBM’s Research and Development in Post-Quantum Cryptography
IBM’s research in PQC has been instrumental in the development of new algorithms. The company has contributed to open-source libraries and worked with international standards organizations to implement and evaluate the adoption of these new algorithms. NIST recently published three PQC algorithms as standards, two of which IBM developed – ML-KEM (formerly CRYSTALS-KYBER) and ML-DSA (CRYSTAL-Dilithium). SPHINCS+ was the third announced standard. IBM’s FN-DSA (formerly Falcon) was also among the four algorithms NIST initially selected in 2022, and is expected to be standardized in the future.
Furthermore, IBM submitted three additional quantum-safe signature schemes in 2023, continuing to support NIST and its ongoing standardization efforts. The company’s research and development in PQC have positioned it as a leader in the industry, with a deep understanding of the specific use cases of public key encryption across various business value chains.
IBM’s Quantum Safe Technology: Enabling Clients to Evaluate Their Cryptography Posture
IBM has developed a distinct set of technological capabilities called IBM Quantum Safe technology. This technology enables clients to evaluate their cryptography posture and helps them on their journey to becoming quantum-safe. IBM’s cross-functional teams work with client teams to ensure the consistency, standardization, and establishment of best practices when setting up and scaling capabilities.
The company has also been instrumental in defining data representation to describe, inventory, and share information about the presence of cryptographic artifacts in applications and systems through its cryptography bill of materials (CBOM). CBOM captures cryptography artifacts and assesses the cryptographic posture of assets, and it is integrated into SBOM standards and used in vendor, alliance, and open-source projects.
IBM’s Collaborative Approach to Post-Quantum Cryptography
IBM’s expertise in quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography positions it as an all-encompassing partner for organizations preparing and executing their PQC journey. The company harnesses its proven methodology, lessons learned, and best practices to tailor solutions to the specific needs of its clients.
Beyond its enterprise-focused methodology, IBM is working with several national governments on PQC, helping them define national quantum-safe advisories and directives at the national level and industry-specific guidelines for critical infrastructure use cases. This collaborative approach has earned IBM Frost & Sullivan’s 2024 Global Company of the Year Award in the post-quantum cryptography industry.
In conclusion, IBM’s contributions to cryptography and standards have been instrumental in shaping the PQC industry. The company’s research and development, technological capabilities, and collaborative approach have positioned it as a leader in the field, with a wide range of offerings designed to accelerate an organization’s journey to become quantum-safe.
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