Who are KETS Quantum Security? 

Nominated for Best Cyber Security Innovation at the UK Business Tech Awards, meet KETS Quantum Security.

KETS Quantum Security is the UK’s most commercially advanced quantum-safe encryption and secure networking company. Since it was founded in 2016, KETS has moved from research and development to manufacturing products right here in the UK. It has successfully brought to market Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems, which create ultra-secure encryption keys for protecting network communications. KETS is the first and only company in the UK to achieve both domestic and international sales of these ready-to-use quantum-safe systems.

Why quantum security matters now 

For decades, our digital world has relied on cryptography to keep secrets safe. From the passwords we type into banking apps, to the encrypted communications between hospitals, energy networks and military systems. These protections work because, with today’s computers, cracking the complex mathematical equations at the heart of modern encryption would take thousands, if not millions, of years.

But a new era of computing is on the horizon. Quantum computing is rapidly becoming a reality. By 2030, a quantum computer will be online. This milestone will cause a seismic shift in cybersecurity. Exposing vulnerabilities in the encryption algorithms that were previously deemed unbreakable. It will tear through existing encryption methods in seconds, not millennia. 

The very real concern is that if a hostile nation or cybercriminal group gains access to a quantum computer before we’ve updated our defences, the results could be catastrophic; impacting critical infrastructure such as telecommunications, financial services, defence, energy and healthcare.

To solve this challenge at KETS Quantum Security, the company has developed ground-breaking proprietary technology, which keeps communications protected against this threat of quantum hackers, protecting critical infrastructure across the globe. 

The groundbreaking tech that will protect against quantum threats

Recently, through a £1.7m contract with the UK government, the firm has developed a security-hardened and scalable next-generation QKD prototype, set to protect critical infrastructure, including telecommunications networks, with initial sales already underway. 

With funding from Innovate UK, KETS worked on a major project to create a quantum encryption device designed for real-world use. The goal was simple but challenging: build a system that is fast, small enough to fit into existing technology setups, easy to install, and able to be made in large numbers.

Working closely with BT, KETS developed a prototype the size of a standard server. It includes a high-speed random number generator that creates secure digital keys and advanced automation that drastically cuts down the time and effort needed to set up and run the system.

The new system transitions to integrated silicon chips for its optical heart, enabling KETS’ roadmap to continue to shrink the system, while also being able to source chips at scale. This is a crucial development that makes QKD a viable commercial offering. The scalability is particularly critical for telecommunications providers to create an effective defence against a quantum attack.

The KETS hardware provides a long-term, quantum-safe solution to the post-Q-Day challenge, allowing organisations across the globe to safeguard against the threat of ‘harvest now, decrypt later’. This looming danger reminds us that even though quantum computers aren’t available now, any sensitive data that’s collected by those with malicious intentions now, can be accessed the minute a quantum computer goes live and makes traditional encryption redundant. The longer leaders in the public and private sectors ignore this risk, the more significant the impact will be once Q-Day arrives.   

Lisa Matthews, MD and COO at KETS Quantum Security said:

“The quantum threat is no longer a distant reality. It has expedited into one of the world’s most serious and urgent challenges, and all our data is at stake. That’s why we have worked relentlessly to turn research into working technology that protects all our global communications.

Being on the shortlist at the UK Business Tech Awards is a testament to that journey and to the team behind it. We are proud to be the first UK company to bring quantum-safe chip-based hardware to market and to show what practical security looks like in a quantum-proof future.”