This blog is based on an interview given by Jim Ricotta, CEO at Aliro, on The Deep Edge Podcast: Aliro: Quantum Security at the Edge: Turning Breakthroughs into Business Strategy, Episode 63, originally published April 10, 2025.
Data protection today relies largely on mathematical algorithms: crypto systems built on the assumption that certain problems are computationally infeasible to solve. With the emergence of quantum computing, traditional cryptographic methods like RSA and ECC are rapidly approaching obsolescence. These systems, once thought unbreakable, will soon be vulnerable to quantum-powered attacks capable of cracking them in a fraction of the time. This looming threat is driving a paradigm shift in cybersecurity from math-based to physics-based security. Instead of relying on the difficulty of factoring large numbers or computing discrete logarithms, Quantum Secure Communication (QSC) uses the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics to ensure the privacy and integrity of data. These laws are not assumptions, they are provable and have been tested and validated through countless demonstrations.
As a result, we’re moving beyond the limitations of classical encryption. The shift to quantum networking re-defines what “secure” truly means in an era of quantum threats.
One of the most urgent challenges in cybersecurity today is Harvest Now Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks. The idea is straightforward: adversaries can intercept encrypted data today, store it, and wait for the arrival of quantum computers powerful enough to decrypt it in the future. Sensitive data that seems secure now could be fully exposed years from now, and without any warning. The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and other global security bodies have formally recognized this risk. They've called for a transition away from traditional public key cryptography, the systems that have served us well for over 30 years but are now seen as vulnerable in the near future.
Organizations benefitting from Quantum Secure Communications
Different organizations will adjust their security postures at different times. Think of a pyramid. There are organizations at the top of the pyramid that need the highest security that's available. Those organizations are government organizations like the Department of Defense and the intelligence community.
Today, the demand for quantum security is expanding beyond the top of the security pyramid. The next level on the pyramid are financial services, banking institutions, and telcos. These organizations are under pressure to protect long-term sensitive data, such as transaction histories, customer records, and encryption keys. A breach years from now could retroactively expose decades of confidential data. The threat from quantum computers is real, and organizations with long data shelf lives are waking up to it.
Next in line are industries like pharmaceuticals, energy and utilities and large enterprises. These sectors manage intellectual property, critical infrastructure, and operational technologies that cannot afford to be compromised. The risks of data interception and decryption of clinical trial data, grid telemetry, and operations are motivating a move to Quantum Secure Communications.
As the technology becomes more mature and widespread, small and medium enterprises. These businesses are watching closely as QSC is deployed in larger organizations and become the new baseline for responsible data protection.
At Aliro, we encourage the migration to quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms, such as those being standardized in the post-quantum cryptography (PQC) space. These new algorithms are designed to mitigate quantum attacks, but they still rely on mathematical problems. The reality, though, is that math-based systems could eventually be broken. Threat actors are motivated to attempt to crack these new math-based problems. Aliro proposes taking this approach one step further: for an organization’s most critical communications, implement an entanglement-based quantum networking solution. These systems don’t simply rely on hard math problems; they take advantage of the unbreakable laws of physics.
Quantum Secure Communication is possible with today’s technology, using quantum optics and photon detectors. Quantum processors and quantum computers aren’t needed to implement QSC. Organizations can begin deploying quantum-secure infrastructure now, long before quantum computers become mainstream.
A Sample Quantum Secure Communications Program with AliroNet®
The first step toward implementation of QSC is designing and validating your quantum network. Aliro Simulator models the quantum network topology and traffic while simulating the physics behind the network. It accounts for real-world variables such as:
- Fiber characteristics (noise, dispersion, loss)
- Laser specifications (bandwidth, pulse shape)
- Photon detector performance (dark count rate, jitter)
This level of detail allows organizations to accurately model everything from two-node testbeds to regional-scale production deployments. Aliro Simulator supports known quantum protocols like BBM92 and E91, and outputs real-world planning data using real-world off-the-shelf components. It’s already in use in Aliro’s own environment, where simulated results have matched measured performance in live entanglement-based networks integrated with Cisco routers using the SKIP protocol.
Using a simulator is a low-cost way to find out very practical information. For example, in the case of secure key generation using entanglement between two nodes that are 10 km apart, what happens at 20 km, 50 km, and 100 km distances? How does the key rate and error rate change?
Once the quantum network has been designed and that design has been validated, hardware can be purchased and integrated into the existing fiber infrastructure. Controlling this hardware and managing it throughout the lifetime of the network is fundamental to the success of the quantum network, just as it is for the classical Internet. Aliro Orchestrator serves as the software-defined brain of the quantum network, managing the lifecycle of quantum services. It performs tasks familiar from classical networking:
- Device onboarding and offboarding
- Performance monitoring
- Entanglement service creation and configuration
Aliro Orchestrator abstracts the complexity of managing quantum nodes and entanglement-based key generation, making it practical to deploy these networks in enterprise and telecom environments.
In order to make the process of operating hardware across a wide spectrum of vendors efficient and effective, Aliro created AlirOS®. AlirOS is an operating system software stack that implements quantum networking protocols like BBM92. It’s built to run efficiently on a mix of conventional processors and FPGAs, which are required for ultra-fast classical messaging used to confirm entangled photon detections with sub-nanosecond precision. This enables real-time, hardware-integrated key generation with high fidelity.
AliroNet is a future-proof, hardware agnostic software system. As the network grows and evolves, as new hardware and protocols are made available, these can be folded seamlessly into the existing network.
Aliro’s team includes world-class quantum physicists, led by our founder and CTO Dr. Prineha Narang, a renowned professor in the field, as well as seasoned veterans from the classical networking world, with experience at companies like Cisco, Juniper, Nokia, and Ericsson. These are the people who helped build the scalable infrastructure of today’s classical Internet. The combination of classical networking and quantum physics knowledge is a unique and powerful combination, enabling Aliro to solve the challenges of entanglement-based networking and leading to the development of a strong intellectual property portfolio, including several patents.
Aliro has also formed strategic alliances to support the go-to-market strategy. In addition to venture capital backing, Aliro is supported by industry leaders like Cisco and Accenture as investors and channel partners. Aliro engages with large enterprises and government agencies, alongside trusted integration teams with deep customer relationships and proven implementation experience.
Reach out today to find out how your organization can benefit from Quantum Secure Communications by emailing us as info@alirotech.com
