Quantum security risk to present encryption Quantum computers will seal the fate of conventional encryption techniques. Of these, the hardest hit will be the RSA algorithm used by 99 percent of all applications the encryption standard for any secure transfer and storage of communication data or software updates. What are some solutions to the inevitable?
Quantum computers will seal the fate of conventional encryption techniques


This is only somewhat true in regards to asymmetric cryptosystems. Algorithms such as AES256 and XSalsa20 will remain secure even in the face of full scale quantum computation.


  the hardest hit will be the RSA algorithm used by 99 percent of all applications the encryption standard for any secure transfer and storage of communication data or software updates. 


Both RSA and discrete-logarithm based systems such as Diffie-Hellman (including the Elliptic Curve variants) are vulnerable to Shor's algorithm, and both are widely used. RSA is used more for signatures than for key exchange. RSA is far from a single point of failure and being the only mainstream public-key cryptosystem.


  What are some solutions to the inevitable?


It is arguable that Quantum Computing of scale that will impact cryptography is "inevitable". There are non-trivial engineering barriers that have to be overcome.

Solutions

NIST is currently hosting a contest of sorts to find and standardize quantum-resistant asymmetric calgorithms.

Candidate schemes include:


Hash-based signatures
Code based cryptography
Lattice based cryptography
Supersingular Isogeny Diffie-Hellman
Multivariate cryptography