Certes Earns Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 Global Enabling Technology Leadership in Post-Quantum Cryptography
Certes has recently been awarded Frost & Sullivan’s prestigious 2026 Global Enabling Technology Leadership Recognition in the realm of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This accolade follows a meticulous and independent evaluation of various vendors operating within the PQC market, underscoring Certes’ significant contribution to addressing emerging security challenges.
The timely recognition comes amid growing concerns surrounding the migration of embedded cryptography across legacy systems, cloud environments, and critical infrastructures. Security teams face the formidable challenge of transitioning these systems, a process that is expected to take years. Meanwhile, the looming threat of “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks continues to hover, suggesting that data intercepted today may remain vulnerable for future exploits, particularly once quantum computing technology reaches a powerful threshold. According to Frost & Sullivan, the greatest risks pertain to data possessing extended regulatory, legal, or commercial obligations. Consequently, it is imperative for organizations to initiate protective measures alongside their migration efforts rather than waiting for their completion.
Innovative Cryptographic Solutions: The Certes Approach
At the core of Certes’ platform lies its innovative Cryptographic Abstraction Layer (CAL). This pivotal technology functions between applications and infrastructure, effectively separating cryptographic protection from the underlying technology stack. Instead of waiting for individual vendors to release quantum-safe updates—often with disruptive upgrades—security teams can implement centralized management of cryptographic transitions. This capability allows for the secure application of encryption to data traversing various systems.
The Certes platform includes the Certes Enforcement Point (CEP), which handles encryption and decryption along the data path, as well as the Certes Policy Manager (CPM) that oversees centralized management of policies and cryptographic controls. A standout feature highlighted by Frost & Sullivan is Certes’ policy-driven key architecture, allowing each application or data flow governed by a specific policy to utilize unique cryptographic keys, distinct rotation schedules, and components controlled by the customer. This advanced architecture is bolstered by quantum-based random number generation and the provisions for customer-owned keys, reinforcing the importance of data sovereignty.
Additionally, Certes’ patented Layer 4 payload protection secures data payloads while maintaining original network headers. This enables continued functionality for routing, Quality of Service (QoS), monitoring, Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) applications, and flow visibility tools, all without necessitating rewrites of existing applications or overhauls to network architecture. Deployment options are versatile, encompassing physical appliances, virtual machines on platforms such as VMware ESXi, KVM, Red Hat, and Nutanix AHV, as well as client agents for both Windows and Linux systems. The newly released Version 7 enhances enforcement capabilities closer to workloads and end-users, thereby reducing unprotected segments along the data’s trajectory.
Future-Proofing Beyond Quantum Threats
Frost & Sullivan’s report also emphasizes Certes’ capabilities that extend beyond simple PQC migration. The ability to segment cryptographic environments can effectively separate IT and Operational Technology (OT), thereby limiting lateral movements within flat network structures. Moreover, Certes’ dynamic virtual air gap functionality allows organizations to isolate critical applications, data flows, and backups during live attacks, ensuring the preservation of recovery processes. Their encryption solutions also provide safeguards against sensitive data exposure to both internal and external Large Language Models (LLMs), thus reinforcing organizational governance over the adoption of AI technologies.
As expressed by Ozgun Pelit, Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, “Certes stands out in the emerging post-quantum security market through its focus on protecting data independently of the applications and infrastructure around it. Its combination of cryptographic abstraction, crypto-agility, and centralized policy enforcement provides organizations with a practical way to reduce near-term quantum risk while navigating what will inevitably be a complex, multi-year migration.”
Paul German, CEO of Certes, articulated the pressing nature of cryptographic evolution: “The next cryptographic revolution could arrive before many organizations have finished implementing the last one. Post-quantum cryptography is only the beginning. As AI and quantum technologies advance, cryptographic change will accelerate, and organizations cannot afford to rebuild their applications, networks, and security infrastructure every time it happens.”
In closing, he remarked, “In a world where cryptography must constantly evolve, the ability to enact change without disrupting peripheral systems is not merely a luxury; it is a pressing necessity.”
For those interested, the full Frost & Sullivan report is available here.
This significant recognition for Certes not only highlights their innovative approach to cryptography but also underscores the urgent need for organizations to adapt proactive measures amidst an evolving threat landscape, positioned at the intersection of quantum computing and cybersecurity.