Quantum computers will change the cryptographic panorama. A technology once
believed to lay far away into the future is increasingly closer to real world
applications. Quantum computers will break the algorithms used in our public
key infrastructure and in our key exchange protocols, forcing a complete
retooling of the cryptography as we know it. Quantum Key distribution is a
physical layer technology immune to quantum or classical computational threats.
However, it requires a physical substrate, and optical fiber has been the usual
choice. Most of the time used just as a point to point link for the exclusive
transport of the delicate quantum signals. Its integration in a real-world
shared network has not been attempted so far. Here we show how the new
programmable software network architectures, together with specially designed
quantum systems can be used to produce a network that integrates classical and
quantum communications, including management, in a single, production-level
infrastructure. The network can also incorporate new quantum-safe algorithms
and use the existing security protocols, thus bridging the gap between today's
network security and the quantum-safe network of the future. This can be done
in an evolutionary way, without zero-day migrations and the corresponding
upfront costs. We also present how the technologies have been deployed in
practice using a production network.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in the IEEE
Communications Magazine, Future Internet: Architectures and Protocols issu