Mark Pecen, chief operating officer of ISARA Corp., has been re-elected
chairman of the European
Telecommunication Standards Institute’s (ETSI) Quantum-safe Cryptography
Working Group focused on setting standards for the implementation
and deployment of quantum-safe cryptography to protect data and critical
systems from a quantum computer enabled attack.
ISARA is the world’s leading provider of quantum-safe and crypto-agile
security solutions and ETSI is the key global ICT standards-setting
organization. ETSI’s quantum-safe cryptography working group is
developing a standardized framework for the implementation of
quantum-safe algorithms – and includes companies such as Amazon, IBM,
Cisco, AT&T, Gemalto and Thales. Because they process information
differently than digital computers, quantum computers are expected to be
vastly more powerful and capable of cracking current encryption that
protects everything from bank accounts to nuclear power plants.
“Standardized technologies are what serious users of security solutions
want, because users like governments and OEMs are no longer willing to
take the risks associated with proprietary solutions,’’ said Pecen, who
was one of the founding members of the ETSI quantum-safe cryptography
working group in 2015. “ETSI is focused on ensuring that the practical
aspects of turning hard math problems into functional security products
will result in systems that work together all around the world. The work
of our members is crucial, because the pace of research and development
makes the prospect of a stable, large-scale quantum computer within the
next decade a very real possibility.”
The ETSI Quantum-safe Cryptography Working Group originally started out
as the Quantum-safe Industry Specification Group and in March 2015 this
group published one of the first comprehensive reports on quantum
computing’s threat to public key cryptography. Since then, the group has
published several reports and analyses that shape the way quantum-safe
primitives will be deployed globally. The group meets five times a year
at the ETSI headquarters in Sophia Antipolis, France.
Pecen is a former Senior VP for BlackBerry, Ltd., where he founded the
Advanced Technology Research Centre and developed a significant portion
of BlackBerry’s wireless and networking patent portfolio. He holds more
than 100 patents in areas of wireless communication, networking and
computing, many of which have been adopted in global standards,
including those adopted by the Global System for Mobile
Telecommunication (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System
(UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) for
4G wireless, and others.
Pecen holds board positions at the University of Waterloo Institute for
Quantum Computing, Wilfrid Laurier University Lazaridis School of
Business and Economics, Communication Research Centre (CRC) of Industry
Canada, and several private and public companies in North America and
Europe. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton
School of Business and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
To learn more about global quantum-safe standard-setting efforts by ETSI
and other organizations, visit www.isara.com/standards.
About ISARA Corporation
ISARA Corporation, the world’s leading provider of agile quantum-safe
security solutions, leverages decades of real-world cybersecurity
expertise to protect today’s computing ecosystems in the quantum age.
With our partners, we’re clearing the path to quantum-safe security for
enterprises and governments by delivering practical, standardized
solutions for a seamless migration. Co-founded in 2015 by former
BlackBerry security executives, our team has since launched several
first-of-its-kind solutions such as a quantum-safe cryptographic
library, integration tools for developers, and agile technologies. With
an emphasis on interoperability, we proudly collaborate on international
standards-setting efforts. For more information, visit www.isara.com or
follow @ISARACorp on
Twitter.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190620005010/en/