Building your cryptographic inventory: A customer strategy for cryptographic posture management

Cryptographic inventory management is crucial for organizations to assess their post-quantum cryptography readiness, as identifying existing cryptographic uses across applications, infrastructure, and services is a significant challenge. The lack of visibility into current cryptography usage hinders teams' ability to plan and prioritize modernization efforts. Microsoft's Quantum Safe Program strategy emphasizes the need for a comprehensive cryptographic inventory, as cryptography is deeply embedded in modern IT environments, including applications, network protocols, and cloud services. The urgency to plan for post-quantum cryptography migration is increasing due to advancements in quantum developments¹. This necessitates a proactive approach to cryptographic posture management, enabling organizations to protect and migrate their systems with confidence. The ability to manage cryptographic inventory effectively is essential for organizations to ensure a secure transition to post-quantum cryptography, making it a critical aspect of quantum readiness.