The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently proposed expanding the block and key length of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to 256 bits in order to meet the encryption needs under the threat of big data processing and quantum computing. AES currently uses 128-bit blocks and supports 128, 192 and 256-bit key lengths. NIST says that increasing block and key lengths will help improve the ability to combat quantum computing and ensure the security of encryption systems. Meanwhile, other quantum security schemes are being tested, including a post-quantum cryptography experiment completed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Bank of France. Although the threat of quantum computing is still decades away, experts are calling for crypto systems to be ready.