PQC Readiness Is Operational: Move Beyond Discovery

Executive Summary:

PQC readiness is an operating model, not a one-time migration. Discovery shows where exposure might exist; continuous remediation is what reduces it.

Download the Continuous PQC Remediation Checklist to operationalize quantum-risk remediation in design reviews, vendor onboarding, and platform changes. Use the checklist to apply triggers, prioritization, governance, and validation in day-to-day workflows.

Why PQC Readiness Can’t Be a One-Time Migration

Most organizations understand that, within a few years, quantum computers will crack widely used public-key cryptography, and that preparing for that moment will take years. 

Many start with planning and discovery: cataloging cryptographic assets, identifying algorithms, and mapping exposure.

That work matters. But it doesn't reduce risk until production behavior changes.

Post-quantum risk exposure exists today and grows as environments change—new apps, integrations, and dependencies can continuously introduce exposure if a remediation plan isn’t in place.

Treating readiness as a large, linear migration creates a familiar outcome: discovery expands, planning stretches on, and remediation gets deferred to a later “phase” that never quite arrives.

A more effective approach is operational and incremental: reduce exposure where you can now, ensure new deployments improve PQC readiness, learn from outcomes, and expand coverage over time.

Post-quantum readiness isn’t something you finish.
It’s something you maintain.

If your roadmap currently ends at “discovery,” you have a gap. The Continuous PQC Remediation Checklist helps bridge the gap between knowing your exposure and reducing it—by using repeatable controls that fit into operational workflows.

It includes triggers, prioritization guidance, exception governance, and validation checks you can reuse across change workflows.

Get the Checklist

Why Doesn’t PQC Discovery Reduce Risk on Its Own?

Discovery is essential. Organizations need visibility into where cryptography is used, which algorithms are in place, and how systems and dependencies are connected. Without that understanding, responsible planning is impossible.

But discovery doesn’t change production behavior:

• An inventory doesn’t change what algorithms are negotiated in production
• An assessment doesn’t update a library or rotate a key
• Even the most complete discovery is still a point-in-time snapshot

A static inventory isn’t a security control. Discovery is useful, but it doesn’t reduce exposure unless it feeds a durable operating loop: remediation that occurs as change happens, controls that operate continuously, and governance that ensures improvements persist.

In dynamic environments, the “snapshot problem” is immediate. Services are integrated, vendors ship updates, infrastructure evolves, and architectural decisions quietly introduce or preserve legacy cryptographic behavior. Each change can reintroduce exposure regardless of how thorough the last discovery exercise was.

This is where many PQC initiatives stall: discovery improves awareness, but without an operational path to remediation, teams gain awareness without meaningfully reducing exposure.

Visibility is an input. Remediation is the outcome.

Planning vs. Operations: What Actually Changes?

Visualizing the difference helps clarify why programs get stuck.

Use this as a quick gut-check for whether your program is stuck in planning or built for continuous remediation. 

What PQC Readiness Looks Like in Practice

A practical definition of "ready" includes:

• Inventory coverage
• Change-triggered review
• Exception governance
• Remediation playbooks (including hybrid where needed)
• Validation/monitoring to prevent regression

Is Crypto-Agility Enough for PQC Readiness?

Cryptographic agility—the ability to update or replace cryptographic algorithms without major re-architecture—is essential. Without it, PQC migration becomes brittle, risky, and slow.

But agility alone is not risk reduction.

Agility is capability. Remediation is execution.

Systems can be technically agile and still operate with quantum-vulnerable cryptography for years if there’s no operational mechanism to drive change.

Post-quantum risk is reduced when cryptography changes in production in response to evolving constraints—standards maturity, vendor readiness, architectural evolution, and emerging threats.

To make crypto-agility real, organizations pair it with:

• Triggers: when remediation should occur
• Prioritization: where to focus first
• Governance: how decisions stick over time
• Validation: how you prevent regression

Operationalizing PQC Readiness: A Practical Next Step

Strategy documents and roadmaps describe what needs to change. Discovery explains where cryptography exists.

What’s often missing is the operational bridge: a practical way to ensure remediation happens consistently, as part of normal work.

A control-based approach helps bridge that gap.

The goal is to make cryptographic improvements repeatable through agility (change is possible), governance (decisions stick), and continuous remediation (risk declines over time).

Get the Continuous PQC Remediation Checklist

A practical, control-based guide for operationalizing post-quantum remediation.

Use it to:

• Trigger remediation during design reviews, platform updates, and vendor onboarding
• Prioritize actions based on exposure and data sensitivity
• Govern exceptions with ownership and review paths
• Support hybrid and compliance-aligned approaches where needed

This isn’t about completing a checklist once and moving on.  It’s about establishing an operating rhythm that steadily improves cryptographic posture.

Get the Checklist

Ready to Operationalize Continuous PQC Remediation?

Download the Continuous PQC Remediation Checklist to embed risk-based controls into design reviews, vendor onboarding, and platform changes.

Have questions about prioritization, hybrid approaches, or operational controls in your environment?  Talk to a SafeLogic expert to review your current posture and identify the next steps.