Choose QScout
Prioritize risk before migration spend.
Use approved-scope evidence to identify HNDL exposure, Crypto Debt, PQC readiness, and framework obligations.
Operator-led enterprise quantum-risk assessment
The most public capability facts in this comparison.
Before you fund a PQC migration, know what is exposed and what matters first.
QScout evaluates approved scope for HNDL exposure, Crypto Debt, PQC readiness, and framework mapping. Choose Surface, Silver, or Gold. QScout Pulse keeps approved findings current across tiers; QStrike is a separate scoped follow-on when deeper validation is required.
Public yes-facts · then governed tiers
58yes-facts · next 30
Surface46
Silver57
Gold74
PulseReport family across all three tiers
Operator-led; the website does not execute a self-service assessment.
QScout vs the market
One job: prioritize quantum risk before migration spend.
Focus one peer for a six-row buyer-job view. The fact board is the public score. The nine-product ledger stays in the appendix on a wide display so a phone never has to swipe ten columns. QScout is purpose-built for quantum cyber risk assessment depth; adjacent platforms solve different jobs.
Public yes-facts in this ledger
QScout posts the most public capability facts in this comparison.
58 · +28 vs KeyFactor
A fact is a public Yes or Mapped cell in the same rows as the league table. Ledger count, not a lab bake-off.
- QScout58
- KeyFactor30
- IBM QS19
- Qualys17
- SandboxAQ15
- QuProtect R313
- Fortanix11
- DigiCert9
- Crowdstrike7
- Cisco6
Operating platform
Persistent discovery or enforcement.
Orchestrators, agents, sensors, or crypto-agility planes are a scope choice when those capabilities are required—not a substitute for QScout evidence.
Scope boundary
PKI, certificates, keys, and VM stay adjacent.
Issuance, renewal, HSM/KMS, patching, CVEs, and endpoint ops are adjacent domains—not substitutes for QScout assessment evidence.
QScout: YesPeer public claim: YesPartialNo public claim (—)
Inspectable scope truth
74 modules. 15 framework maps. The website still does not execute the scan.
QScout is operator-led across three governed tiers with declared output formats. What the current evidence proves—and what it does not: the website does not offer public self-service execution, signed-PDF delivery, or public browser artifact access.
Honest category boundary
QScout fits the assessment decision without pretending to replace adjacent operating platforms.
Choose QScout when
- • You need material quantum exposure prioritized before migration budget is committed.
- • You want Surface to begin without a persistent customer-side control plane.
- • You need framework mapping and an executive decision basis from approved scope.
- • You want a governed handoff to QStrike only when deeper validation is warranted.
Choose an adjacent platform when
- • Persistent internal agents or unbounded internet scanning are required — QScout Gold Pulse is ledger-scoped snapshot/delta only (see /trust/continuous-observation).
- • PKI, certificate issuance, renewal, HSM/KMS, or patch operations are the job.
- • Active crypto-agility enforcement matters more than first-mile risk prioritization.
- • The organization is ready to operate the added components and trust relationships.
Market comparison league table
How to read the league table
QScout column is highlighted for a reason: this is the quantum cyber risk assessment category we own. Adjacent products are strong in their own classes. A dash means no matching public claim in reviewed docs— not a smear, and not a reason to understate QScout where we implement the job.
On a phone, use the fact board and the one-peer view above. The ten-column ledger is hidden here so the page does not swipe sideways.
Reviewed: July 16, 2026
Oldest source review: Jul 16, 2026
Correction path: Contact Qtonic Quantum Corp
QualysOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16SandboxAQOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16IBM Quantum SafeOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16FortanixOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16KeyFactorOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16DigiCertOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16Crowdstrike FalconOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16Cisco Quantum SafeOfficial source reviewed 2026-07-16QuSecure QuProtect R3Official source reviewed 2026-07-16
Adjacent-tool data is 33 days old — refresh in progress
1. The Basics - quantum cyber risk jobs
QScout leads the quantum cyber risk jobs that matter: cryptographic discovery, PQC readiness, compliance mapping, and governed evidence. Patch fleets, agents, and container runtime are different product classes—shown separately so they never dilute the peer scoreboard.
| Capability | QScout governed scope | Qualys | SandboxAQ | IBM Quantum Safe | Fortanix | KeyFactor | DigiCert | Crowdstrike Falcon | Cisco Quantum Safe | QuSecure QuProtect R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Authenticated scanning (Silver/Gold) | Yes | VM-led | agent-led | suite-led | HSM/KMS-led | PKI-led | certificate-led | agent-led | network-led | platform-led |
Cryptographic inventory (CBOM) Proof: CycloneDX 1.7 with quantum-extended classification format claimDeclared format capability; redacted target-assessment CBOM sample is required for delivery-proven status | Yes | Partial | Yes† | Yes | Partial† | Yes† | Partial | —† | Partial† | Yes† |
PQC readiness assessment | Yes | TLS/VM-led | agent-led | suite-led | Yes† | PKI-led | certificate-led | Partial† | Partial† | Yes† |
Compliance mapping Proof: 15 frameworks15 named framework mappings in the public claim inventory at /qscout/framework-inventory; taxonomy-bound, not a certification badge | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited | Limited | Yes | Partial | Limited† | Limited† | Partial |
Governed narrative review Proof: governed reviewGoverned narrative review for executive/board use; public buyer copy uses the Intelligence Model brand term | Yes | — | Yes | Partial | — | — | — | —† | —† | — |
Provider-aligned validation path Proof: QStrike handoffAssessment findings can feed provider-aligned forward-threat validation Delivered through the QScout-to-QStrike workflow, not native QScout execution or standalone public hardware proof. | Via QStrike | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared |
Code-level crypto (Silver+) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Partial† | —† | — |
CVE-based vulnerability detection Proof: evidence-backed CVEVersion or banner correlation with supporting enrichment Partial means version or banner correlation plus evidence-backed enrichment, not a full vulnerability management platform. | Partial | Yes | — | Yes | — | Partial | — | Yes | Partial† | — |
Operator-reviewed assessment intake (no self-serve execution) Proof: operator intakeWebsite request intake; execution remains operator-provisioned This row is about intake, not assessment execution or executive-report delivery. | Yes | Yes | — | — | — | Partial | Yes | —† | —† | — |
Published Qtonic Quantum scoring methodology (not third-party independent) Proof: scoring platformPublished transparent scoring methodology and validation framework | Yes | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared |
Different product class (honest boundary)
Adjacent tools are strong here by design. These rows are not QScout failures - they are category boundaries so buyers do not force a false peer comparison.
| Capability | QScout governed scope | Qualys | SandboxAQ | IBM Quantum Safe | Fortanix | KeyFactor | DigiCert | Crowdstrike Falcon | Cisco Quantum Safe | QuSecure QuProtect R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patch management QScout is quantum cyber risk intelligence, not a patch-management platform. Qualys/Crowdstrike win this row because that is their product class — not a QScout defect. | Out of category | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | Partial† | — | — |
Container security scanning General container/runtime security is out of QScout category. Container cryptography appears under Depth when included in authenticated Silver/Gold scope. | Out of category | Yes | — | — | — | Partial | Partial | Yes† | —† | — |
Agent-based asset discovery QScout Surface is external, agentless, operator-reviewed discovery (capability-manifest public_offer + L0/L1). Endpoint-agent fleets are a different product class. | Out of category | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | —† | Partial |
2. Depth — How Far Does It Go?
| Capability | QScout governed scope | Qualys | SandboxAQ | IBM QS | Fortanix | KeyFactor | DigiCert | Crowdstrike | Cisco | QuProtect R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TLS cipher suite enumeration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Partial† | Yes† | Yes |
Certificate chain analysis | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Partial† | Yes† | — |
Quantum-vulnerable algorithm ID | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial† | Partial† | Yes |
Key exchange analysis | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes† | Yes |
Signature algorithm analysis | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Partial† | Yes† | Yes |
Hybrid TLS detection (classical + PQC) | Yes | — | — | Partial | — | Yes | Partial | — | Partial† | — |
ML-KEM / ML-DSA readiness check | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | —† | Partial† | — |
Code-level crypto audit (Silver+) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Partial† | — | — |
Binary / library scanning | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes† | — | — |
Network protocol scanning (SSH, IPsec) | Yes | — | Partial | Yes | — | Yes | — | Partial | Yes† | Partial |
API endpoint crypto analysis | Yes | — | — | Partial | — | Partial | — | — | Partial† | — |
Active cryptographic discovery (non-intrusive) Active external probing: TLS handshake initiation, certificate retrieval, cipher negotiation, banner analysis. No exploitation. | Yes | not compared | not compared | not compared | — | Yes | Partial | — | Partial† | not compared |
Container crypto scanning Covered when included in authenticated Silver or Gold scope; not a universal QScout Surface claim. | Yes | — | Partial | — | — | Yes† | Partial | Partial† | —† | — |
Kubernetes crypto auditing Covered when included in authenticated Silver or Gold scope; not a universal QScout Surface claim. | Yes | — | — | — | — | Partial† | Partial | Partial† | — | — |
Database encryption scanning Covered when included in authenticated Silver or Gold scope; not a universal QScout Surface claim. | Yes | — | — | Partial | — | — | — | — | — | — |
CI/CD pipeline auditing Covered when included in authenticated Silver or Gold scope; not a universal QScout Surface claim. | Yes | — | — | — | — | Partial | Partial | Partial† | — | — |
KMS / vault inventory Covered when included in authenticated Silver or Gold scope; not a universal QScout Surface claim. | Yes | not compared | not compared | not compared | Yes | Yes | Partial | — | —† | not compared |
Service mesh crypto mapping Covered when included in authenticated Silver or Gold scope; not a universal QScout Surface claim. | Yes | — | — | — | — | Partial | Partial | — | Partial† | — |
HNDL risk scoring | Yes | — | — | Partial | — | Yes | — | — | — | — |
Assessment modules | 74 (4 levels) | ~40+ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
CycloneDX CBOM output Proof: CBOM format declarationCycloneDX 1.7 with quantum-extended classification claimed; link is not a customer target CBOM artifact | Yes | not compared | not compared | Yes | — | Yes | not compared | —† | —† | not compared |
CycloneDX 1.7 with quantum-extended classification Proof: quantum classificationCycloneDX 1.7 with quantum-extended fields | Yes | — | — | — | — | Partial | — | — | — | — |
False positive suppression for enterprise targets | Yes | Partial | — | — | — | Partial | — | Partial† | — | — |
3. Output — What Do You Get Back?
| Capability | QScout governed scope | Qualys | SandboxAQ | IBM QS | Fortanix | KeyFactor | DigiCert | Crowdstrike | Cisco | QuProtect R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Letter/number grade | A-F + 0-100 | A+ to F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Cryptographic Debt score Proof: methodologyScoring method and debt framework | Yes | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared |
Executive summary (executive-ready) | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | — | Partial | Partial | Partial† | — | Yes† |
Finding-level remediation guidance | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes† | Partial | Yes |
PQC migration roadmap | Yes | — | Yes† | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | —† | Partial† | Yes |
Machine-readable CBOM export (exact format must be sourced) | Yes | not compared | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | —† | —† | not compared |
Guided engagement report | Yes | VM report | inventory report | suite report | KMS report | PKI report | certificate report | exposure report | network crypto report | R3 reporting pack |
API access | Yes | VM API | platform API | suite API | KMS API | PKI API | certificate API | Falcon API | platform API | enterprise platform |
Governed natural-language analysis Proof: executive-ready outputClient-facing summaries with deterministic pipelines and governed review controls | Yes | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared |
Real-time scan progress UI Not rendered on the current operator-intake page. | — | — | — | Partial† | — | — | — | Partial† | — | Partial |
Dedicated analyst | Engagement-dependent | — | — | Partial | — | — | — | Partial† | — | — |
Historical trend tracking Historical comparison is available under continuous Pulse monitoring of approved targets. | Engagement-scoped | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Risk prioritization (severity + effort) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | — | Yes | Partial | Yes† | Partial | Yes |
Integration with forward-threat demonstration Proof: forward-threat pathAssessment findings can feed provider-aligned forward-threat validation QScout assessment output can feed QStrike for independent forward-threat validation. Adjacent platforms generally emphasize defensive remediation, lifecycle automation, inventory, or policy enforcement rather than a QStrike-style hostile-validation handoff. | Via QStrike | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared | not compared |
Compliance gap report | Yes | — | Yes† | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial† | —† | Yes† |
Delivery timeline | Timeline is set during operator scoping; no public SLA is claimed | ~5 min | Weeks | Weeks | Weeks | Hours (deploy sensors) | Hours (deploy sensors) | Hours (deploy sensors) | Days (network-position) | Not publicly committed |
4. Framework mapping — not certification
QScout maps findings to 15 frameworks through the QScout taxonomy. Public inventory: /qscout/framework-inventory. Live API: /version exposes the deployed SHA; GET /public/scan/{scan_id}/compliance-summary returns framework and control counts per scan. Surface, Silver, and Gold deepen per-framework control coverage where approved; QScout Pulse is the report family across those tiers.
| Framework | QScout governed scope | Qualys | SandboxAQ | IBM QS | Fortanix | KeyFactor | DigiCert | Crowdstrike | Cisco | QuProtect R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mapped | Partial mapping | Mapped | Mapped | Mapped | Mapped | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | — | |
| Mapped | Partial mapping | — | Mapped | — | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | — | — | |
PCI DSS 4.0.1 | Mapped | Mapped | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | Mapped | — | Partial mapping | — | — |
HIPAA | Mapped | Mapped | — | — | Partial mapping | Mapped | — | Partial mapping | — | — |
SOC 2 Type II | Mapped | Partial mapping | — | — | — | Mapped | Mapped | Partial mapping | — | — |
ISO 27001:2022 | Mapped | Mapped | — | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | Mapped | Mapped | Partial mapping | — | — |
FedRAMP (Rev 5) | Mapped | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | — | — |
CMMC 2.0 | Mapped | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | — | — | — | Partial mapping | — | — |
GDPR | Mapped | Mapped | — | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | — | Vendor advertises alignment |
GLBA | Mapped | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
ITAR | Mapped | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
SOX (Section 404) | Mapped | — | — | — | Partial mapping | — | — | — | — | — |
SWIFT CSP v2026 | Mapped | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mapped | — | — | — | — | Partial mapping | — | — | — | — | |
CNSA 2.0 | Mapped | — | — | — | — | Mapped | Partial mapping | — | Partial mapping | Vendor advertises alignment |
5. Intelligence — How Smart Is It?
| Capability | QScout governed scope | Qualys | SandboxAQ | IBM QS | Fortanix | KeyFactor | DigiCert | Crowdstrike | Cisco | QuProtect R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governed finding analysis | Yes | — | Yes | Partial | — | Partial | — | Partial | — | Partial |
Natural-language risk explanation | Yes | — | — | Partial | — | — | — | Partial | — | — |
Executive-ready output generation Illustrative formatSample structure; not client delivery proof | Yes | Yes | Partial | — | — | — | — | Partial | — | Yes |
6. Access + Engagement
How you get started and how the engagement is structured.
Need a first scope before deployment?
QScout Surface operator scope
Start with operator-reviewed intake; the website does not execute a self-service assessment.
Need audit or procurement evidence?
QScout governed scope
Use the scoped 74-module assessment path for CBOM, compliance mapping, and executive narrative.
Need deeper forward-threat validation?
QStrike follow-on path
Move scoped findings into governed validation when assessment evidence is not enough.
Need PKI, HSM, certificate lifecycle, or patch operations?
Adjacent tooling
Use the specialist systems that operate those estates after QScout clarifies the risk.
Assessment start
- QScout
- Contact us
- Qualys
- Enterprise-only
- SandboxAQ
- Enterprise-only
- IBM QS
- Enterprise-only
- Fortanix
- Enterprise-only
- KeyFactor
- Enterprise engagement
- DigiCert
- Enterprise-only
- Crowdstrike
- Enterprise-only
- Cisco
- Enterprise-only
- QuProtect R3
- Qualified complimentary Recon; separate 30-day AWS Marketplace trial; demos available
Assessment scope
- QScout
- 74 modules, 4 levels
- Qualys
- CertView + VMDR
- SandboxAQ
- Agent-based inventory
- IBM QS
- Enterprise inventory
- Fortanix
- Key management
- KeyFactor
- AgileSec + Command
- DigiCert
- TLM + cert management
- Crowdstrike
- Falcon Exposure Management
- Cisco
- Quantum Safe + Crypto Visibility
- QuProtect R3
- QuProtect R3 (Recon + Resilience + Reporting)
Entry path
- QScout
- Operator-reviewed QScout Surface intake; protected catalog after approved scope
- Qualys
- SSL Labs
- SandboxAQ
- OpenCryptography.com
- IBM QS
- No
- Fortanix
- Trial (30-day)
- KeyFactor
- EJBCA CE (open source)
- DigiCert
- SSL Checker (ssltools.digicert.com)
- Crowdstrike
- No
- Cisco
- No
- QuProtect R3
- Qualified Recon; separate marketplace trial
Deployment model
- QScout
- Operator-provisioned; Surface has no persistent customer-side control plane
- Qualys
- SaaS
- SandboxAQ
- Cloud SaaS + agent
- IBM QS
- SaaS + on-prem
- Fortanix
- SaaS + on-prem
- KeyFactor
- SaaS + on-prem
- DigiCert
- SaaS + on-prem
- Crowdstrike
- Cloud SaaS + agent
- Cisco
- Network-position (Cisco fleet)
- QuProtect R3
- SaaS + on-prem / air-gapped claims
Time to first findings
- QScout
- Scoping dependent (analyst-led)
- Qualys
- ~5 minutes
- SandboxAQ
- Hours (deploy agent)
- IBM QS
- Hours (setup)
- Fortanix
- Hours (setup)
- KeyFactor
- Hours (deploy sensors)
- DigiCert
- Hours (deploy sensors)
- Crowdstrike
- Hours (deploy sensors)
- Cisco
- Days (network-position)
- QuProtect R3
- Not publicly committed
Ongoing monitoring
- QScout
- Pulse is continuous ledger-scoped monitoring across Surface, Silver, and Gold engagements
- Qualys
- Continuous with agents/sensors; scheduled scans also available
- SandboxAQ
- Yes
- IBM QS
- Yes
- Fortanix
- Yes
- KeyFactor
- Yes
- DigiCert
- Yes
- Crowdstrike
- Yes
- Cisco
- Yes
- QuProtect R3
- Yes
Federal planning context
OMB M-26-15 makes cryptographic inventory and migration planning a practical federal buying concern. This market guide does not turn that memo into a product certification or universal deadline claim. Read the official memo source.
One governed next step
Scope the evidence before you scope the migration.
Tell the operator what decision you need to make and what access is approved. The outcome is a scoped Surface, Silver, or Gold assessment—not an automatic scan or delivery promise.