Post-Quantum Cryptography Implementation Needs More Than Tech: Study Reveals Human and Organizational Barriers

As quantum computing advances, the software industry faces an urgent but complex task: replacing conventional encryption with quantum-resistant algorithms before hostile actors with quantum capabilities can decrypt sensitive data. A fresh systematization of knowledge (SoK) from researchers now shows that the real bottleneck isn't primarily technological—it's human and organizational.

The Quantum Threat and the PQC Pivot#

The rise of quantum computing poses a fundamental threat to current cryptographic systems. Organizations must integrate Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) mechanisms—algorithms designed to withstand quantum attacks—into their software infrastructure. Yet developers and organizations attempting this transition encounter steep barriers: complex implementation requirements, scarce expertise, and weak organizational readiness.

A Lopsided Research Landscape#

The study finds that existing academic work has fixated on the technical dimension—algorithmic security and performance metrics—while leaving human and organizational factors largely in shadow. This narrow focus misses the lived reality of implementation: the skills people need, how teams coordinate, and whether institutions are prepared for such fundamental change.

The HOT Framework#

To address these blind spots, the researchers propose the PQC-HOT framework, which examines implementation through three interconnected dimensions:

• Human factors – Developer expertise, training gaps, and individual capability
• Organizational factors – Readiness, governance, budget allocation, and institutional change management
• Technology factors – Cryptographic algorithms, performance, and integration tools

The framework reveals that these challenges are not isolated problems to solve one by one. Rather, they form an interconnected web of constraints that span all three domains, suggesting that true quantum resilience requires coordinated transformation across people, processes, and systems.

Implications for Future Work#

The findings point beyond simple cryptographic replacement toward a more holistic redesign of how software teams adopt, integrate, and sustain quantum-resistant technologies. Scalable and durable quantum resilience will demand that researchers and practitioners attend as much to human capability and organizational capacity as to algorithmic strength.