The Mid-Year Global Intelligence Review Special Edition | January – June 2026 About this Special Edition This special edition departs from the normal weekly format. Rather than examining a single seven-day reporting window, it assesses the cumulative developments that shaped the first half of 2026 across quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography (PQC), standards, regulation, government policy, commercial adoption, and enterprise readiness. The objective is not to report ev

Every year organisations invest billions in business transformation. Digital transformation. Cloud migration. Cybersecurity. Operational resilience. Artificial Intelligence. Post-Quantum Cryptography. The strategies are ambitious. The technology is impressive. The budgets are substantial. Yet programme after programme fails to deliver the expected outcomes. Why? The answer is surprisingly consistent. Organisations rarely fail because they lack strategy. They fail because they

The First Step Towards Post-Quantum Readiness Most organisations understand that quantum computing will eventually require a transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Far fewer know where to begin. The greatest challenge is rarely selecting new cryptographic algorithms. It is understanding where cryptography exists across the organisation, how it is being used, what business processes depend upon it, and which assets are most exposed to future quantum risk. Our Post-Quan

Successful transformation is not about deploying the latest technology. It is about changing how an organisation operates, governs risk, makes decisions and delivers measurable business outcomes. At SITG-Consulting, we help organisations design and execute complex transformation programmes that strengthen governance, improve operational resilience and prepare businesses for emerging technological and regulatory challenges. Our expertise spans business transformation, digital

The Tipping Point: How Quantum Korea 2026 Exposes the Industry’s Reality and Its Fault Lines Quantum Korea 2026, held from July 2 to July 4 at DDP Art Hall in Seoul, is not just another conference on the international technology circuit. It is a geopolitical signal, a commercial barometer, and a diagnostic event that shows exactly where the quantum industry is advancing, where it is stalling, and where the rhetoric still exceeds the reality. Under the banner “Quantum in Actio

#PQC and #Data: The Three #Cryptographic Domains Post-quantum risk is about the data being protected, not the algorithms themselves. Every cryptographic dependency maps to one of three data states. If you do not know which state you are protecting, you do not know what you are securing. #Data in #Motion Information moving across networks or channels. TLS sessions, VPN tunnels, 5G key agreement, SWIFT messages, API calls. Quantum relevance: interception and harvest. If the con

SITG‑Consulting Review & Dissection 𝐀 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐘𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑 The European Payments Council has released EPC342‑08 v16.0.1, its 2026 update on cryptographic algorithm usage and key‑management practices. This deck provides SITG‑Consulting’s independent review and dissection of the document - what it gets right, where it stops, and the enterprise‑level gaps it leaves unaddressed. Necessary, but not sufficient. This is ou

𝐈'𝐕𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐈 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐒. Codswallop. Absolute codswallop. - NO YOU HAVE NOT 𝐀𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩. 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬. Eve

Words matter. Especially when organisations are making strategic decisions. One of the biggest problems across cyber security, governance, risk, resilience and quantum isn't technology. It's language. Different vendors define the same term differently. Standards use different terminology. Consultants invent new phrases. Boards are expected to make decisions using inconsistent vocabulary. That creates confusion before the real work even starts. To address that, we've made the

Booking a cyber discovery sprint online demands precision and clarity. The process must be straightforward, efficient, and tailored to meet the needs of complex organizations. I have navigated this terrain extensively. This post breaks down the cyber sprint booking process into clear, actionable steps. It highlights key considerations and practical tips. The goal is to empower enterprises, financial services, critical infrastructure, government, and healthcare sectors to secu

Cyber threats evolve rapidly. Institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) face increasing risks. These risks target critical infrastructure, financial services, government operations, and healthcare systems. Strengthening cyber resilience is no longer optional. It is essential for survival and growth. I explore effective cyber resilience strategies tailored for GCC institutions. I provide practical insights and actionable steps to enhance security posture and operation

SITG-Consulting delivers specialized expertise in cyber security, quantum technology, and regulatory compliance. The firm supports global enterprises, financial services, critical infrastructure, government, and healthcare sectors. SITG Consulting helps organizations build resilience and achieve sustainable transformation. The focus lies on forensic insight and strategic governance. This approach prepares clients for future risks and evolving threats. Core Competencies of SIT

How “The Machine Doesn’t Exist” Became a Strategy for Doing Nothing PQC denial doesn’t look like a typical internet conspiracy theory. It doesn’t scream on dark web forums; it wears a tailored suit, speaks with a polished executive drawl, and masquerades as "reasonable, pragmatic risk management." It sounds like someone who has read a few academic papers, knows the current hardware constraints, and wants you to believe quantum risk is just a sci-fi distraction cooked up by ve

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍'𝐓. 𝐅𝐅𝐒. Every few weeks someone announces the next revolution. AI Governance. Quantum Governance. Sovereign Intelligence. Machine-Layer Authority. Algorithmic Governance. No. You've discovered a new technology, a new risk profile or a new application. You haven't discovered a new discipline. So let me ask one question. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡

Brian Couzens Founder & CEO, SITG-Consulting | Forensic Strategist | Cyber Resilience, Quantum Risk & Governance | Transformation, ERM & Independent Validation | Writer | White Paper Author | Evidence-Based Decision Making June 29, 2026 This week featured an unusually dense cluster of consequential announcements across PQC governance, quantum hardware, capital formation, and infrastructure standardisation. The United States signed two executive orders simultaneously on 22 Jun

For years, agencies have talked about preparing for the quantum threat. Most of that talk stayed in the realm of strategy, awareness and long term planning. That changed the moment OMB released M 26 15. This memo is not a discussion document. It is the operational order that forces every civilian agency to begin the transition to post quantum cryptography now. It defines the work, sets the deadlines and assigns responsibility across leadership teams. The quantum threat is no

When the President issued the Executive Order on Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks earlier this week, the internet and linked was flooded with high-level hot takes most of which was nonsense. And high-level mandates don't secure networks. Operational playbooks do. The EO gave the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) up to 90 days to issue official guidance. Instead, the federal government moved in an unprecedented 48-hour turnaround, dropping Memoran

Technology is becoming more complex. Regulatory expectations continue to increase. Boards are expected to make critical decisions based on information that is often fragmented, inconsistent or unsupported by evidence. SITG-Consulting exists to solve that problem. We are an independent transformation, governance and assurance consultancy that helps organisations establish control across complex technology, cyber security, regulatory and cryptographic environments. Our work sup

Science is doing exactly what science is supposed to do. A new peer-reviewed critique published in Nature has challenged aspects of Microsoft's Majorana-based quantum computing research, arguing that the evidence may not conclusively demonstrate the physics the company claims. Microsoft strongly disagrees and maintains its roadmap remains on track. This is not a story about Microsoft "failing." It is a reminder that extraordinary scientific claims invite extraordinary scienti

NIST CSF 2.0 may be one of the most important Quantum Readiness frameworks available today. Not because it contains a section on quantum computing. It doesn't. Not because it tells organisations which algorithms to deploy. It doesn't do that either. What CSF 2.0 does provide is something far more important. Governance. The 2024 update elevated governance to a core function, recognising that cybersecurity is no longer solely a technology challenge. It is a board, executive and