Quantum Safe Migration: Can You Actually Migrate That System?

When organizations begin planning for quantum-safe migration, the initial focus is often on what needs protection—data, communications, critical systems and what needs to be migrated.

But soon after comes the harder question: Can you actually migrate that system?

Not every system is upgradeable. Not every vendor is cooperative or still active. Not every protocol or cryptography artifact can be replaced. And not every team has the time, tools, or budget to figure it all out without a plan.

This is where many initiatives face hurdles—not because the threat, but because migration feasibility is misunderstood, underestimated, or ignored altogether.

Why Migration Feasibility Analysis Matters

We already know that quantum-safe cryptography isn’t plug-and-play. It often requires updates to cryptographic artifacts such as libraries and protocols, replacement of unsupported hardware, changes to system architecture, product re-certification, and more.

Rushing into migration without understanding what’s feasible leads to wasted effort, unrealistic roadmaps, or stalled initiatives. To avoid this, your teams need to ask:

• Can the system support required upgrades?

• How complex will the migration be?

• Are required components even available?

• What are the blockers—architectural, regulatory, operational?

• Will the cost and effort justify the outcome?

Without proper feasibility analysis involving key stakeholder, any strategy and plan is incomplete or ineffective.

Core Dimensions of Feasibility Analysis

A structured feasibility analysis should examine multiple aspects of your systems and applications for quantum safe migration. Key points to consider include:

• System Upgradeability: Can the system's cryptographic artifacts including protocols, libraries, keys, certificates or other modules be modified or replaced? Is there modularity or crypto agility already present?

• Architecture Complexity: What is the nature of architecture or design of the system? Are the components tightly coupled or loosely integrated? How many dependent systems must be updated if one cryptographic component changes?

• Legacy vs. Modern System Classification: Older systems often contain hardcoded crypto and have limited vendor support, whereas modern systems may be designed with upgrade paths or agility in mind. What kind of systems are you dealing with?

• Hardware Constraints: Many IoT devices, embedded systems, or secure elements may lack the memory, compute power, bandwidth, or cryptographic support needed for post-quantum algorithms.

• Certification and Compliance Requirements: Any upgrade may require re-certification—a process that can take months. This is especially critical for systems governed by FIPS, PCI DSS, or industry-specific standards.

• Source Code Availability: Do you have access to the system’s source code? Is it actively maintained? Closed-source or unsupported systems pose significant challenges.

• Inter-system Dependencies: How are systems interconnected? Will upgrading one affect several others?

• Rollback or Dual-mode Capability: Can the system operate in hybrid mode (classical + PQC)? Is rollback supported if a post-quantum update causes issues? Can changes be reversed safely?

Each of these becomes a feasibility signal—and collectively, they reveal where you can act now, where more preparation is needed, and where quantum risk will persist for longer.

The Role of Feasibility Analysis in Your Quantum-Safe Strategy and Roadmap

Done right, a feasibility analysis helps you:

• Segment systems into migration-ready, migration-possible, or migration-constrained

• Prioritize resources where action is most impactful and least risky

• Set realistic timelines—months for some systems, years for others

• Expose hidden costs—vendor dependencies, re-certification needs, toolchain upgrades

• Provide executive clarity on the true scope and complexity of quantum-safe migration

In short, it transforms your quantum-safe migration into a planned, strategic journey.

How AvinyaSQ QRA Solution Helps You Do It Right

At AvinyaSQ, feasibility analysis is one of the core capabilities of our Quantum Risk Assessment (QRA) solution.

The QRA Feasibility Analysis Module is designed to be used even before full cryptographic discovery begins. It helps to evaluate systems – based on upgradeability, hardware constraints, architectural complexity, crypto agility and other inputs from your IT and security teams. Once cryptographic discovery is complete, QRA enriches the assessment with actual information of cryptographic artifacts, helping your teams perform detailed risk assessment—enabling a phased, prioritized migration strategy.

Feasibility analysis is not a checkbox—it’s a strategic lens.

Whether you're starting your journey or scaling it, this module helps you such that you're not just reacting to quantum risk—you’re responding with a plan that can actually work. It shows you what can move fast, what needs preparation, and where risk will remain or require significant investment.

If you haven’t included feasibility analysis in your quantum risk assessment, your quantum-safe strategy and roadmap is incomplete.

Contact us to learn more about QRA Solution.