PQC Migration for Energy, Utilities, Water, and Transport
Operators have to start migrating equipment with a 25-year service life before every post-quantum question is settled. Migration in operational technology (OT) environments has constraints that enterprise IT does not. Devices have limited computing resources, and safety-critical systems cannot be taken offline for upgrades. Upgrades have to fit annual maintenance windows, and IEC 62443 and NERC CIP add approval requirements to every change.
This course covers quantum-safe migration for energy, utilities, water, and transport infrastructure. It also covers the approach that OT environments require.
Course Outline
Module 1 Where OT Systems Use Cryptography
Where cryptography is used in OT environments: SCADA protocols, DCS authentication, historian data encryption, remote access, and inter-facility communication. The OT-specific challenge: devices with 10–25 year lifetimes, limited processing power, and safety certification requirements.
Module 2 Gateway-Based Migration
When endpoints cannot be upgraded, gateways at the network boundary provide PQC protection. Gateway architecture design. Protocol translation and re-encryption. Performance implications for real-time control systems. Managing dual-protocol operation during transition.
Module 3 Safety-Case and Regulatory Considerations
IEC 62443 implications for cryptographic changes. NERC CIP compliance during migration. Safety-case recertification requirements when cryptographic components change. The relationship between functional safety and cybersecurity in PQC migration.
Module 4 Migration Planning for Long-Lived Assets
Prioritizing migration based on asset lifecycle and replacement schedules. Integrating PQC migration with planned technology refresh cycles. Managing the residual risk of assets that cannot be migrated before end-of-life. Historian data protection: re-encrypting archived data with PQC algorithms.
Prerequisites
None. Sector experience is helpful but not required. For a broader PQC foundation, consider starting with Post-Quantum Foundation.
Certificate of Completion
Upon completion, you receive a Quantum Academy certificate of completion. It is separate from our professional certifications and states your CPE credits, one for each 60 minutes of teaching. CISSP, CISM and CRISC holders can claim them with their certifying body. The credits also count toward renewing a Quantum Academy certification. Our CPE credits page explains how to claim them.
Who this course is for
OT security architects, control systems and automation engineering leads, safety engineering, and the security leadership responsible for the boundary between IT and OT. It suits manufacturing, transport, water, chemicals, and anyone else running industrial control systems.
If you work for a regulated utility, Quantum-Safe Energy and Utilities covers utility regulation in more depth, including the NERC CIP material introduced in Module 3.
What you’ll be able to do afterward
- Assess PQC migration constraints in OT environments (safety cases, patching windows, device lifetimes)
- Identify un-upgradeable device populations and plan appropriate mitigation (gateway, isolation, retirement)
- Apply ICS/SCADA protocol considerations to PQC planning
- Apply the NIS2 and sector-specific compliance requirements for critical infrastructure
- Design PQC migration plans within safety-case constraints
What you leave with
When you finish, we email you the course handbook, a PDF of every slide with notes that explain it in full. We also include a PDF copy of Quantum Ready. The handbook is yours to keep.
Enrollment includes 180 days of access to the online on-demand course. Where that course is not yet published, the 180 days start on the day it is.
Where this course fits
Nothing is required. Post-Quantum Foundation covers the algorithm vocabulary if you want it first. The Quantum-Safe OT and Critical Infrastructure Intensive is the full-day, hands-on workshop. Quantum-Safe Energy and Utilities covers the additional requirements for regulated utilities.
Why we teach this
The course is built on the OT and Critical Infrastructure Extension of the Applied Quantum PQC Migration Framework. The practitioners who teach here wrote it, and it is published openly under Creative Commons at pqcframework.org. Our faculty runs migration programs in this sector and teaches the constraints they meet in that work.
About this program
Quantum Academy credentials are private professional credentials issued by Quantum Academy, a trade name of Post-Quantum Institute. They are not government-issued licenses, accredited degrees, or academic credit, and earning one does not guarantee employment, promotion, regulatory approval, or any other specific outcome.
Quantum Academy programs are educational and informational only, and are not legal, compliance, or engineering advice.