Getting Quantum Ready: Strategies for Today and Tomorrow
As enterprises navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape, quantum computing is not a distant future issue, it’s a CTA today. The discussion will frame the pressing questions: How do we evaluate current vulnerabilities, and what actionable steps can organizations take now to prepare for a post-quantum world? With real-world examples like recent penetration operations underscoring our vulnerabilities, it’s time to transition from ‘if’ to ‘when’ and ‘how’ in our quantum journey. We will also explore groundbreaking quantum chip advancements from Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and more that are redefining the future of computing and timing of Q-day.
Qrypt CTO and co-founder, Denis Mandich, focuses on quantum security, R&D, post quantum encryption (PQC) algorithms and standards bodies. He holds several patents in cryptography, cyber technologies and information processing. Denis a founding member of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), a founding member of the NSF-funded Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance (MQA), founding member of the Center for Quantum Technologies (CQT), advisor to the Quantum Startup Foundry and Board member of quantum chip manufacturer Quside.
Prior to joining Qrypt, Denis served 20 years in the US Intel Community working on national security projects, cyber infrastructure, and advanced technology development. He has degrees in Physics from Rutgers University and speaks native level Croatian and Russian.
Dr. Celia Merzbacher is Executive Director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), a global consortium managed by SRI International that aims to enable and grow the quantum industry. Dr. Merzbacher has more than two decades of experience as a leader of large multidisciplinary partnerships and programs at the intersection of government and industry. She is a member of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community. She serves on the board of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Foundry and on advisory boards for several quantum research institutes worldwide. She previously was Assistant Director of Technology R&D at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Merzbacher is a Fellow of the AAAS.
Christopher Moretti has been an executive leader with Evernorth Health Services (formerly Cigna) since October, 2015 and is currently responsible for all infrastructure engineering Leading the Global Engineering & Infrastructure Services. In this role, Chris provides executive leadership over the teams that deliver Cigna’s voice & data networks, security engineering, contact center, database, compute, storage, information management, mainframe, cloud & devops.
Previous to Cigna, Chris spent 14 years at General Electric and its subsidiaries in various executive leadership roles supporting its insurance, consumer and commercial banking businesses. While at GE, Chris attended and graduated many of their prestigious management training classes including AIMC and EIMP. Most recently, Christopher was Managing Director of Global Networks for J.P. Morgan Chase & Company based in midtown Manhattan.
Chris started his career in IT performing many different hands on technical roles in client/server, network and security for various sized firms in the greater New York market including a period where he consulted for Greenwich Technology Partners.
Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Connecticut and currently resides in Shelton, CT with his wife and 3 sons.
