NordLocker Rebuilds Its Encrypted Storage to Get Post-Quantum Ready

Secure file encryption platform NordLocker has rebuilt its encrypted cloud storage from the ground up, and one reason is quantum. The company, part of Nord Security, replaced the core of its platform in a project codenamed Renaissance, swapping a locker-based file system for a journaling design it says runs far faster. The rebuild also sets the service up to adopt post-quantum encryption later without another overhaul.

A rebuilt storage engine

The old system stored a locker’s file-tree metadata as one encrypted structure. Changing a file required reloading and updating that structure, which caused operations to slow as the locker grew. The new engine writes every change as a small, individually encrypted entry added to a running log, and each entry cryptographically links to the one before it, which makes silent tampering with a locker’s history detectable. Files are still encrypted on the user’s device before they reach NordLocker, so the zero-knowledge model stays intact.

The speed gains land where the old design struggled. NordLocker says uploads and downloads are now about 10 times faster, and complex operations across many files around 100 times faster, staying stable even on accounts with hundreds of thousands of files.

“Project Renaissance is a major technological leap for NordLocker,” said in a July 10 press release Aivaras Vencevičius, the company’s head of product, pointing to gains in speed, file management, and sharing. The rebuild also drops the requirement to create lockers before uploading, lets users drop files anywhere, and adds folder sharing with Editor or Viewer roles, optional security codes, and link expiration dates.

Getting ready for post-quantum

The quantum piece is preparation, not a live feature. NordLocker isolated its most quantum-sensitive cryptography into a single dedicated layer, so it can drop in post-quantum algorithms later without rearchitecting the product again.

The company is holding off on flipping that switch until the post-quantum standards mature. For a service aiming to keep files readable for decades, the reasoning is to have the foundation ready now and make the swap once the algorithms settle. The upgrade is rolling out across all platforms automatically.