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Quantum supremacy and the path to encryption chaos
This article is part of the Modern Stack issue of October 2018, Vol. 1, No. 4
You don't need to fully understand the algorithms or scientific theory behind how quantum computing works to recognize its potential to disrupt modern cryptography and enterprise IT security. Quantum computing is not simply the evolution of high-performance computing. Instead, it represents a completely new perspective on computing itself, relying on qubits -- as opposed to bits -- that represent the probability of being a 1 or a 0 simultaneously. The theory is certainly more complex than I'm qualified to explain, but the important takeaway is that quantum computers have the ability to perform calculations that classical computers cannot. In fact, the term quantum supremacy is used to describe a milestone in which a universal quantum computer performs a task beyond the capability of a conventional computer within a reasonable amount of time. Why is quantum computing emerging now? Quantum computers exist today, but so far, none has achieved quantum supremacy. However, we may not be far off. In March 2018, Google announced a 72-...
Features in this issue
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AI and machine learning take on cloud security woes
AI-infused technologies continue to target almost all aspects of cloud monitoring and management, including security. But don't assume they're a silver bullet.
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DevOps metrics point to fast releases, open source adoption
You can always be better at DevOps. Assess these metrics from a variety of DevOps teams to see where you could stand to improve -- and give your team some positive reinforcement.
News in this issue
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Quantum supremacy and the path to encryption chaos
Widespread use of quantum computing isn't as far into the future as some might think. When it arrives, this powerful computing technology could turn IT security upside down.
Columns in this issue
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Invest in an IT infrastructure upgrade -- or keep fixing it
Because upgrades to infrastructure equipment can be expensive and difficult, the easier decision is to renew a support contract. But delay comes at a cost, too.
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Cloud and containers rewrite monitoring and management rulebooks
IT performance management is tricky when it stretches as big as the public cloud and scrunches as small as a microservice. IT ops techniques must change to keep up.