PQShield and Carahsoft Technology have announced a new partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as PQShield’s Master Government Aggregator, making the company’s post-quantum cryptography product suite, which is compliant with new NIST PQC Standards, available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft’s reseller partners and NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V, OMNIA Partners, E&I Cooperative Services Contract, and The Quilt contracts.
“We are pleased to partner with Carahsoft to help Government customers transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2035 to meet the deadline set by national cybersecurity agencies like the NSA and NCSC,” said Ben Packman, Chief Strategy Officer at PQShield. “With the release of the new NIST standards, we’ve reached a critical milestone in advancing post-quantum security. Post-quantum cryptography is already making its way through the supply chain, and quantum-safe, NIST-aligned products are available today. To accelerate adoption, we not only need continued development but also greater education and clear guidance for enterprises on what these standards mean and how they affect their security responsibilities. Given that Government agencies and critical national infrastructure will likely be among the first targets of quantum-enabled threats, it is essential to collaborate with partners like Carahsoft to help these institutions navigate the transition to post-quantum readiness.”
PQShield stands out for its deep expertise in NIST’s PQC standards – as co-authors of all published standards to date – and its proprietary cryptographic algorithms, patented technologies and security protocols. Its solutions are rigorously tested to meet Cloud, Edge, and government-grade requirements, aligning with certifications such as NIST, Common Criteria, SESIP, and PSA.
PQShield’s products enable Government departments and suppliers to reach compliance with the new PQC standards set out in regulations like the National Security Agency’s (NSA) CNSA 2.0 and NSM-10 by the 2030 timeline. They also support the transition away from vulnerable cryptographic algorithms, including the NIST-mandated phase-out of RSA by 2035.
PQShield’s varied product suite allows Government department IT leaders to choose implementations of PQC that best match their priorities – something that is increasingly important for organisations that require either fast-performance, high-security or low-footprint solutions.
Its three pillars – ultra fast, ultra secure, and ultra small – mean PQShield can deliver high-quality PQC products to address customers’ optimisation problems head-on.
- Ultra-fast PQPerform delivers high-performance PQC at the core of the network to accelerate new and existing applications. This is particularly critical in the networking sector, for example with applications like firewalls, routers and HSMs
- The ultra-secure PQPlatform implementations are optimised for use in products that are the target of highly sophisticated attackers, for instance, in critical infrastructure devices with a long lifecycle that require the highest levels of integrity
- Ultra-small PQMicroLib targets implementations in memory-constrained devices, embedded systems, microcontrollers, and devices that are already in the field, like energy smart meters and industrial controls. This is particularly useful for OEMs and device manufacturers, where efficient implementations of PQC are needed to secure end-to-end-encrypted (E2EE) comms channels and to ensure data confidentiality and integrity
“The addition of PQShield’s products to Carahsoft’s solution portfolio aligns with our mission to offer the most relevant and up-to-date technology to our government customers,” said Brian O’Donnell, Vice President of Cybersecurity Solutions at Carahsoft. “The 2035 NIST deadline means the need for compliant and secure post-quantum cryptography solutions is rapidly increasing. Carahsoft and its reseller partners are equipped and ready to meet the procurement needs of Public Sector organisations that still need to adopt quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms.”
PQShield’s software, hardware, and services are available through Carahsoft’s SEWP V contracts NNG15SC03B and NNG15SC27B, OMNIA Partners Contract #R240303, E&I Contract #EI00063~2021MA and The Quilt Master Service Agreement Number MSA05012019-F.
