NIST’s post-quantum cryptography transition report requires sensitive federal systems to adopt quantum-resistant key establishment by the end of 2030 and digital signatures by the end of 2031, with a broader federal migration target of 2035. The plan calls for coordinated changes across enterprise software, hardware, identity systems and technology suppliers because encrypted data collected now could be decrypted later by a quantum computer – the “harvest now, decrypt later” risk. NIST recommends ML-KEM-768 as the default parameter set for key establishment and cites ML-DSA and SLH-DSA for digital signatures, while allowing alternatives where warranted. Companies buying software, renewing cloud contracts or designing connected devices must verify that the products they purchase now will support these algorithms throughout their useful lives, since migration may span multiple components and years. 1