The PQC Confidence Gap
Enterprises say they're ready for post-quantum. Their own answers say otherwise.
Three quarters of security leaders say they maintain a continuously updated inventory of every certificate, key, and algorithm in their environment. Then you read the rest of their answers.
New research from Axiad reveals a gap between what leadership believes about post-quantum readiness and what their own teams, testing history, and contradictions show. One in five respondents contradicted their own readiness claims within the same eleven-question survey. And the closer a respondent sits to the actual cryptography, the less confident they are.
90% vs. 33%
C-suite leaders who claim a current crypto inventory vs. the hands-on practitioners who agree
46%
have no single named individual responsible for leading PQC migration
51%
have never formally tested public-facing infrastructure for post-quantum key exchange support
1 in 3
has taken no specific action on harvest now, decrypt later
Five findings inside the report
- Confidence collapses under its own weight
22% of security leaders contradicted their own readiness claims within a single survey, claiming a capability in one answer and citing its absence as a top obstacle in the next. - The closer you get to the keyboard, the worse it looks
Readiness optimism rises with seniority. 90% of CISOs and CIOs claim a continuously updated crypto inventory. Among the architects and PKI engineers who manage those assets, it's 33%. - Nobody owns the migration
46% of enterprises can't name the person responsible for PQC migration. In government, the segment facing the hardest deadlines, it's 66%. - Awareness has outrun action on HNDL
98% know about harvest now, decrypt later. A third have done nothing specific about it, and 30% are waiting for regulators before they move. - Even the most prepared are under-resourced
Among the 27% who claim every readiness marker, nearly half say the migration is still losing the fight for priorities and budget.
Who should read this
- CISOs and CIOs setting post-quantum migration timelines and budgets
- Security architects and PKI leaders building the cryptographic inventory those timelines depend on
- GRC and compliance teams tracking EO 14412, CNSA 2.0, and sector-specific PQC mandates
- Federal and DIB security leaders facing the December 2030 and 2031 migration deadlines
About the research
500+
Employee organizations
76%
Primary decision-makers
Fielded July 15-28, 2026 by Centiment, an independent research panel provider, on behalf of Axiad. Respondents held security and IT leadership roles including CISO, CIO, VP and director of security, IT director, security architect, and PKI/cryptography specialist, across financial services, healthcare, government, energy and utilities, manufacturing, technology, insurance, retail, and professional services.
.svg)
%201.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)