Post-Quantum Readiness Starts With the Infrastructure You Buy Today | A Brand Briefing at Black Hat USA 2026 with Larry Lunetta, Vice President, Portfolio Technical Marketing at HPE | Hosted by Sean Martin

Post-quantum cryptography was in conversation after conversation at Black Hat USA 2026, yet Larry Lunetta of HPE walked part of the show floor and counted a single reference to quantum. Where the topic shows up, and where it does not, says something about who is expected to solve it.

Why does a problem described in 1994 matter now? Larry Lunetta points to Peter Shor, who asked what would happen to RSA if a different kind of computing technology existed. What changed since then is the trajectory. Five years ago cryptographically relevant quantum computing looked like a 10 to 15 year phenomenon. Larry Lunetta now puts it as soon as three years out, with the original algorithm improved, qubit hardware advancing, and classical supercomputing pulling the timeline in alongside it.

The exposure starts before any of that arrives. Larry Lunetta describes harvest now, decrypt later, where an attacker collects RSA-encrypted data today and waits for the machine that can open it. Data that carries no consequence when it leaks this year can be read later, which puts long-lived information like identity records and medical data at the front of the queue rather than in a later phase.

HPE puts a three part journey in front of customers. Cryptographically aware asks which data is most sensitive, where it lives, and whether it is protected sufficiently. Cryptographically planning reaches into the refresh cycle, so that new network, server, and storage purchases already implement PQC-relevant algorithms. Cryptographically nimble accounts for the fact that no cryptographically relevant quantum computer exists to test against yet, which makes the ability to change algorithms and firmware quickly part of the design.

Who owns the conversation inside the business? Larry Lunetta puts the CISO at the center of gravity, with CIOs becoming aware and boards engaged where GDPR governs customer and private information. His advice for security leaders is to broaden the conversation toward infrastructure and operations, and to make encryption and PQC readiness a question asked during procurement rather than after it.

This is a Brand Briefing. A Brand Briefing is an on-location conversation recorded on site at Black Hat USA 2026, putting a spotlight on the guest and their company and pairing it with the editorial reach of ITSPmagazine. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/performance/#briefing

GUEST

Larry Lunetta, Vice President, Portfolio Technical Marketing at HPE
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryathpe/

RESOURCES

Black Hat USA 2026 event coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/black-hat-usa-2026-cybersecurity-event-coverage-in-las-vegas
HPE: https://www.hpe.com
Post-Quantum Cryptography overview: https://www.hpe.com/us/en/what-is/post-quantum-cryptography.html
HPE technology leadership in quantum: https://www.hpe.com/us/en/about/technology-leadership-quantum.html

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KEYWORDS

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