Ramana Kompella, Head of Research at Cisco OutShift and former networking professor, explains quantum networking, entanglement and teleportation. He warns about harvest-now-decrypt-later risks and outlines post-quantum security work and the Cisco–IBM partnership. He also highlights why linear algebra matters and why quantum timelines are sooner than many think.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
From Academia To OutShift To Deliver Ideas At Scale
Ramana left academia to build systems because he wanted ideas deployed to real customers rather than remain theoretical.
He joined Cisco OutShift to bridge research and product engineering so inventions reach tens of thousands of users.
insights INSIGHT
Quantum Networking Is The Path To Scale Quantum Computers
Quantum networking is needed to scale quantum computing by interconnecting many quantum processors rather than only scaling single processors.
Cisco envisions distributing entanglement and reinventing the stack from devices to protocols to stitch processors into a larger quantum fabric.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Partner Networking With Quantum Compute Providers
Build partnerships between network and compute vendors because quantum networking needs integrated compute to form cloud‑like quantum services.
Cisco partnered with IBM to combine entanglement distribution with quantum processors so customers can submit jobs to quantum data centers.
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Quantum computing isn’t just 10 years away, it’s happening now. In this deep dive, I sit down with Ramana Kompella, Head of Research at Cisco Outshift, to separate the sci-fi vaporware from the engineering reality.
We discuss the immediate threat of "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks, where bad actors steal your encrypted data today to unlock it with quantum computers tomorrow. Ramana breaks down exactly how Cisco is building the "Quantum Network" to counter this, leveraging the "No Cloning Theorem" to create unhackable communication channels.
If you are in cybersecurity, networking, or studying computer science, this is your roadmap to the future. We cover the math you need to learn (Linear Algebra), the timeline for real-world adoption (it’s closer than you think), and how Quantum Teleportation actually works at a packet level.
Topics Covered:
• The 5-Year Timeline: Why the "decade away" myth is wrong.
• Quantum Networking vs. Computing: Why we need to interconnect
quantum processors.
• The Physics of Security: How Entanglement and Teleportation prevent
eavesdropping.
• Career Advice: Why Linear Algebra is the most critical skill for AI and
Quantum jobs.
• Cisco x IBM: The partnership building the future internet.
Big thanks to Cisco for sponsoring this video and sponsoring my trip to Cisco Live Amsterdam 2026.
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// MENU //
0:00 - Coming Up
0:43 - Introduction
02:36 - The Exciting Part about OutShift
04:12 - The Promise of Quantum Computing
07:09 - The Importance of Partnership between IBM & Cisco
07:55 - The Difference between Classical Computing & Quantum Computing
11:25 - Why It is Important to study Maths
12:31 - Technical Details About Quantum Computing
19:19 - When Will Quantum Computing Become a Reality?
20:00 - Will Quantum Computing Break Encryption?
25:36 - Outro & Conclusion
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Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only.
#quantumnetworking #ciscooutshift #cybersecurity
David Bombal