Although quantum computers are only found in specialised labs at the moment, that will soon change with the tech expected to be used by industries like cybersecurity and finance, and Microsoft wants to be prepared.

In a recent blog post, the tech giant said: "The integration of PQC capabilities into Windows Insiders and Linux marks a significant step forward in preparing for the quantum era. "Quantum computing has significant potential to help solve some of humanity's greatest challenges, and by proactively addressing the security concerns with current cryptographic standards, Microsoft is helping pave the way for a digital future that both realizes the benefits of quantum and mitigates the security risks."

The landscape is evolving, and the company noted how "the emergence of quantum computing presents both significant opportunities and challenges".

They explained: "In previous blog posts, we discussed how quantum computing could disrupt contemporary cryptographic algorithms, Microsoft’s contributions to quantum safety efforts across the industry, and the addition of PQC algorithms to SymCrypt, our core cryptographic library.

"We are pleased to announce the next significant milestone in our PQC journey: We’re making PQC capabilities available for Windows Insiders, Canary Channel Build 27852 and higher, and Linux, SymCrypt-OpenSSL version 1.9.0."

Customers will be able to start experimenting with post-quantum cryptography "within their operational enviroments".

Thye continued: "PQC algorithms are relatively new, and it is prudent not to consider the initial generation of PQC algorithms as the definitive solution but rather view this as an evolving field.

"This underscores the importance of "Crypto Agility" which involves designing solutions to be more resilient to the use of different algorithms and/or upgradable to use future algorithms as the PQ standards evolve."