Q1 · 2026 Edition Asia-Pacific wide · Free to enter

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Live · Two challenges · 9-minute assessment

The Crypto Agility
Challenge.

Two short challenges. Twelve questions. A scored, downloadable plan — and a quantum character that shows where you sit on the post-quantum readiness curve.

Grand Prize · Thales Professional Services

Top 3 winners win a PQC Phase 1 consultancy from Thales Professional Services: a scoped review of your crown jewel systems, delivered remotely.

In partnership with

Meet your quantum character

The Spark

Crypto Explorer

The Strategist

Migration Planner

The Builder

Transition Architect

The Sovereign

Crypto-Agile Leader

Q1 · 2026 EditionAsia-Pacific wide · Free to enter

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01 · Meet the four quantum characters

Your professional maturity archetype is waiting.

Every respondent leaves the challenge with a quantum character — a label, an archetype, and a 90-day brief tailored to where you sit on the readiness curve.

Tier 1

Crypto Explorer

The Spark

At the start of your quantum journey. Your first 90 days: map the cryptographic terrain, name the owners, and build the inventory that turns uncertainty into a clear baseline.

Tier 2

Migration Planner

The Strategist

You see the path. The next 90 days: convert insight into a phased, owned, dated migration plan — with clear governance and the first PQC pilot scoped and approved.

Tier 3

Transition Architect

The Builder

You design the change. The next 90 days: move from design to evidence — supplier alignment, hybrid environments, and a board narrative that travels.

Tier 4

Crypto-Agile Leader

The Sovereign

You set the standard. The next 90 days: sustain the operating capability — instrumentation, evidence, supplier governance, and a leadership voice that shapes the industry.

02 · About the challenge

A low-friction way to put crypto agility on the agenda.

Twelve questions in Challenge 1, a structured 30/60/90 plan in Challenge 2, and a quantum character at the end that tells you where you sit on the maturity curve. No webinar. No whitepaper to scroll through.

Free to enter Individual or team Quantum character result

Who is this for?

Security leaders, CISOs, heads of infrastructure, PKI owners, platform engineers, risk and compliance leads — anyone whose roadmap intersects with cryptographic change. Whether you are halfway through a post-quantum pilot or only just starting, the four quantum characters (Spark, Strategist, Builder, Sovereign) help you locate yourself on the maturity curve.

How does it work?

Enter your details, complete Challenge 1 (Discover & Protect) at your own pace — four pages, three questions each. We score your responses and assign you one of four quantum characters: The Spark, The Strategist, The Builder, or The Sovereign. Then move into Challenge 2 (Transform) — a structured 30 / 60 / 90 day plan builder with a closing reflection. You can stop after either challenge.

What do I get at the end?

Your Challenge 1 score, your quantum character (with the maturity archetype it represents), a promotional brief tailored to your character, and a downloadable Thales Solution Brief. Your Challenge 2 plan is summarised at the end with a one-sentence blocker you wrote yourself. Every entry is reviewed by the Quantum Spectator editorial team.

Is my data handled responsibly?

Your responses are stored against the email address you provide, used only to deliver your results, the downloadable asset, and the follow-up review. We do not sell or share your responses. You can request deletion at any time by emailing the address in the footer.

Who is judging and why?

The model is co-authored by Quantum Spectator editors and Thales cryptography specialists, drawing on NIST PQC guidance, the CSA Singapore migration timeline, and the Thales post-quantum readiness methodology. The four quantum characters translate the underlying scoring into a memorable, shareable result.

Is the Thales report available to everyone?

To keep the editorial review personal, both Thales Solution Briefs (Network Encryption and Luna HSMs) are released to the first five respondents who complete both challenges each month. Once those five slots are filled, the month closes and the next cycle opens on the first of the following month.

Every respondent who completes the assessment still receives their full Challenge 1 score, quantum character, and personalised Challenge 2 plan — and remains on the editorial list for the next available slot.

Q1 · 2026 EditionAsia-Pacific wide · Free to enter

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Step 1 of 3 · Identify yourself

Tell us who's stepping into the field.

A handful of details so we can score your maturity archetype, ship the right Thales brief, and route personalised feedback to your inbox.

Earn your quantum character (Spark, Strategist, Builder, or Sovereign).

Receive a 30/60/90 brief matched to your maturity archetype.

Download both Thales Solution Briefs (Network Encryption & Luna HSMs).

Top 3 win a $45K PQC Phase 1 consultancy from Thales Professional Services.

Q1 · 2026 EditionAsia-Pacific wide · Free to enter

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Challenge 1 of 2

Discover & Protect.

We'll score your answers against the best-practice response and assign you a quantum character — The Spark, The Strategist, The Builder, or The Sovereign — each with a tailored 90-day brief.

The Spark

Map the terrain.

The Strategist

Plan the move.

The Builder

Design the change.

The Sovereign

Set the standard.

Challenge 1 · Discover & Protect Page 1 of 4

Q1 Foundations

Where should an organization start preparing for future cryptographic change?

What is the best starting point for an organisation preparing for future cryptographic change?

Every certificate in the enterprise Which PQC algorithm is most widely adopted Critical business services, sensitive data and cryptographic dependencies All applications using RSA

Q2 Capability

Strongest sign of crypto agility?

Which of these is the strongest sign that an organisation has real crypto agility?

The company completed one PQC pilot The security team knows which algorithms are deprecated The organisation can identify, prioritise, change and evidence cryptographic mechanisms repeatedly The company uses AES-256

Q3 Inventory

What does "crypto inventory" really need to include?

Which view is most useful for migration planning?

Algorithms only Certificates and key lengths only Algorithms, keys, certificates, protocols, libraries, PKI, HSMs, network encryption, owners and dependencies Asset names and IP addresses

Q4 Dependencies

What counts as a cryptographic dependency?

Which of the following could prevent an otherwise PQC-ready application from migrating?

Q5 Prioritisation

Which asset is most urgent?

Which system should usually be prioritised first for quantum-risk analysis?

A modern SaaS tool with short-lived public data A system storing sensitive data that must remain confidential for 15 years A test environment using old TLS An internal wiki

Q6 Vendors

A vendor says "we support PQC." What next?

Which follow-up question tightens the answer?

Which algorithm names do you support? When will the feature be generally available? Which protocols, certificate chains, HSM/KMS integrations and interoperability combinations have been tested? All of the above

Q7 Hidden risk

Biggest hidden risk in a PQC pilot?

Which failure mode is the most common surprise in real production migrations?

Algorithm performance The test passes in the lab but one dependency in production cannot support the transition Employees do not understand quantum computing The application team uses a different cloud provider

Q8 Governance

What makes a legacy system a governance problem?

Which of these turns an old crypto stack into something the board needs to see?

It cannot migrate immediately It still uses RSA The exception is invisible, unowned or has no review date It is more than ten years old

Q9 Board view

What should a board see?

Which is the most useful board-level view of PQC readiness?

Full algorithm inventory Number of PQC certificates deployed Priority exposure, supplier dependencies, ageing exceptions and decisions required Cryptographic library versions

Q10 Posture

Your organisation's current PQC approach

How would you describe where you are right now?

Already implementing quantum-safe solutions Piloting or testing solutions Developing a formal migration plan Assessing the issue, but no formal plan yet Have not started / no current plans Don't know

Q11 Confidence

How confidently could you swap a critical algorithm?

If a widely used algorithm in your organisation needed replacing, how confident are you that you could make the change without significant disruption?

Q12 Up to 3

Top business impacts that concern you most

If your organisation could not update critical cryptography quickly, which of these would worry you most? Pick up to 3.

0 / 3 selected

Disruption to critical services or operations Exposure of sensitive or long-lived data Regulatory or compliance consequences Loss of customer or end-user trust Financial cost of emergency remediation Delays to digital transformation or new services Other — please specify

Your Challenge 1 score

Meet your quantum character.

Your score

0 / 12

Calculating…

Your quantum character Tier

—

Your 90-day brief

—

Visibility

—

Prioritisation

—

Repeatability

The four quantum characters

If your score shifts next quarter, your character shifts with it. See what each archetype unlocks.

The Spark

Map the cryptographic terrain.

The Strategist

Convert insight into a dated plan.

The Builder

Design the suppliers and governance.

The Sovereign

Set the standard for the industry.

Network Encryption Brief Thales Luna HSMs Brief

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Take the briefing pack with you

Briefs matched to your quantum character.

Two Thales Solution Briefs covering Network Encryption and Luna HSMs — both relevant whether you're the Spark mapping terrain, the Strategist plotting a phased plan, the Builder aligning suppliers, or the Sovereign shaping the industry standard.

Network Encryption Brief Thales Luna HSMs Brief

First 5 respondents each month receive the personalised editorial review. Instant download either way.

Pick the brief that matches your character

The Spark · Network Encryption

A practical starting brief — protect traffic in transit while you build the inventory.

The Strategist · Both

Read both — encryption protects data in motion, HSMs protect the keys underneath.

The Builder · Luna HSMs

Pin the HSM root of trust to your migration plan — ML-KEM, ML-DSA, hybrid.

The Sovereign · Both

Distribute both to your board as the operating standards for quantum-safe delivery.

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Challenge 2 of 2

Transform.

Build a 90-day plan that matches your quantum character — and a one-sentence blocker that names what you need to move.

Step 1 of 3 · Your organisation

Four questions about your organisation.

A few quick context questions so the 90-day plan speaks to your actual operating reality.

What is your regulatory position?

We belong to government, healthcare, financial services or a similar sector that handles critical information and customer data We belong to a regulated sector Not regulated for cybersecurity Unsure

Which date is driving your work?

CSA migration plan submission, 31 March 2027 CSA procurement rule for new CII systems, 1 January 2028 CSA migration complete, 31 December 2031 NIST deprecation of RSA and ECC after 2030 Group or parent company mandate None yet

How many critical business services or crown jewel systems have you identified?

None yet 1 to 3 4 to 8 More than 8

How long must your most sensitive data stay confidential?

Step 2 of 3 · Build the plan

Pick exactly two moves for each 30 day block.

Choose two priorities for each of the 30 / 60 / 90 day blocks. We'll package them into a clean, dated plan you can take to your next steering meeting.

Days 1 to 30 · Govern

The first 30 days

Two things I will do in these 30 days are:

0 / 2

Name the accountable owner Add quantum risk to the enterprise risk register Brief the board and executive committee Ask critical vendors for their post quantum roadmap None of these

Days 31 to 60 · Gather evidence

The 60-day stretch

Two things I will do in these 30 days are:

0 / 2

Interview owners of your critical systems Map your existing cryptographic assets Request a cryptographic bill of materials from vendors None of these

Days 61 to 90 · Fix what you can now

The 90-day finish

0 / 2

Strengthen encryption on public-facing connections Pilot a post-quantum-ready connection in a low-risk path Upgrade encryption on long-lived data at rest Embed crypto agility into procurement and change processes None of these

Step 3 of 3 · Close the loop

What would make this plan fail?

Two single-choice questions to find the blocker and where you want help first — then one open sentence to close out the assessment.

In one sentence, what would stop this plan in your organisation?

Up to 30 words. This is the only free text question and the reviewers read every answer.

Up to 30 words.

0 / 30 words

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Plan received

Thanks, friend.

Your quantum character: —

Your responses are in. We have everything we need to follow up.

If you are one of the first 5 respondents this month, Thales cryptography specialists will get back to you in the next few days with a personalised review of your 90-day plan. Watch your inbox.

The Spark

Map the terrain.

The Strategist

Plan the move.

The Builder

Design the change.

The Sovereign

Set the standard.

Network Encryption Brief Thales Luna HSMs Brief

The Crypto AgilityChallenge.

Your professional maturity archetype is waiting.

The Spark

The Strategist

The Builder

The Sovereign

A low-friction way to put crypto agility on the agenda.

Who is this for?

How does it work?

What do I get at the end?

Is my data handled responsibly?

Who is judging and why?

Is the Thales report available to everyone?

Tell us who's stepping into the field.

Discover & Protect.

Where should an organization start preparing for future cryptographic change?

Strongest sign of crypto agility?

What does "crypto inventory" really need to include?

What counts as a cryptographic dependency?

Which asset is most urgent?

A vendor says "we support PQC." What next?

Biggest hidden risk in a PQC pilot?

What makes a legacy system a governance problem?

What should a board see?

Your organisation's current PQC approach

How confidently could you swap a critical algorithm?

Top business impacts that concern you most

Meet your quantum character.

—

Briefs matched to your quantum character.

Transform.

Four questions about your organisation.

What is your regulatory position?

Which date is driving your work?

How many critical business services or crown jewel systems have you identified?

How long must your most sensitive data stay confidential?

Pick exactly two moves for each 30 day block.

The first 30 days

The 60-day stretch

The 90-day finish

What would make this plan fail?

Your single biggest blocker

Where do you want help first?

In one sentence, what would stop this plan in your organisation?

Thanks, friend.

The Crypto Agility
Challenge.