Pittsburgh ISSA April Meeting
Details
Join us on May 19, 2026!
Featured Speaker: James Ringold
Topic: Practical Quantum Safe Cryptography
Organizations rely on cryptography that was never designed with large‑scale quantum computers in mind. While fully capable quantum machines are still emerging, the risks they pose to today’s data and systems are already very real—especially for information that must remain confidential for years or decades.
Join us for a focused session on practical quantum‑safe cryptography, where we’ll cut through the hype and concentrate on what matters for security and architecture teams right now.
We’ll cover:
1. Where quantum computing really is today (for cryptography): A clear-eyed look at current quantum capabilities, realistic timelines, and what’s signal vs. noise for security planning.
2. How quantum computers threaten today’s cryptography: What algorithms are at risk (e.g., RSA, ECC), what “break” actually means in practice, and which use cases are most exposed.
3. Risk assessment in a “harvest now, decrypt later” world: How to think about long-lived data, regulatory and contractual obligations, and which systems and data sets should be prioritized for quantum‑risk review.
4. What you can do now to prepare for quantum‑safe cryptography: Concrete steps: crypto‑inventory, data‑lifetime analysis, architecture patterns, migration planning, and how emerging post‑quantum standards fit into your roadmap.
Who should attend: Security architects, CISOs, IT leaders, compliance and risk teams, and anyone responsible for protecting sensitive or long‑lived data.
Key takeaway: You’ll leave with a practical, action‑oriented checklist for assessing your organization’s quantum risk and starting a realistic transition toward quantum‑safe cryptography—without waiting for the future to arrive first.
About the Speaker: James Ringold
James Ringold is a cybersecurity leader, speaker, author, and former CISO with 25 years of experience helping organizations strengthen security, compliance, and identity programs. His career spans retail, electronic discovery, investigations, cloud services, aerospace, defense, nuclear energy, and manufacturing, giving him a broad perspective on attacker behaviors, business risks, and technology challenges. He currently serves as a Security Solutions Engineer Manager at Microsoft, where he leads and enables a team of solutions engineers who help customers protect data, systems, and networks using Microsoft Security technologies. His work emphasizes AI‑enabled SOC experiences and maximizing the value of human intelligence in cybersecurity operations.
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (Presentation starts at 6:00 PM)
Location: Hackers Guild PGH
2247 Babcock Blvd - Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Who Should Attend
Security engineers, vulnerability analysts, CISOs, SOC teams, researchers, and anyone responsible for assessing or prioritizing security risk will find this session especially valuable.