Deep Cryptographic Expertise
Born from BlackBerry's security team + University of Waterloo cryptography researchers.
Building a Crypto Agile and Quantum Ready Future
ISARA helps enterprises and governments modernize their cryptography and prepare for the quantum future with clarity, visibility, and technical leadership.
Over a decade advancing quantum-safe cryptography.
Founded by leaders from BlackBerry's security division.
Trusted by governments, enterprises, and global security partners.
Our Mission
To build a quantum-safe, cryptographically agile world where encrypted data remains trustworthy, governable, and secure for decades to come. ISARA delivers the tools, research, and guidance organizations need to modernize cryptography and prevent future compromise.
Why We Exist
Cryptography touches every piece of modern infrastructure, yet most organizations have no visibility into the algorithms, keys, or certificates protecting their data. With quantum computing advancing, legacy cryptography becomes an active exposure. ISARA exists to bring order, intelligence, and future-readiness to global cryptographic ecosystems.
A Three-Part Approach to Cryptographic Modernization
Modernizing cryptography goes beyond preparing for quantum threats. It requires addressing today's vulnerabilities, aligning posture with evolving compliance requirements, and building a resilient architecture that can adapt as risks and standards change.
Discovery
Build complete cryptographic visibility across environments, devices, systems, and applications.
Assessment
Understand algorithm weaknesses, expiry exposures, and cryptographic posture risks.
Modernization
Move from legacy crypto to hybrid and quantum-safe systems without disrupting operations.
What Makes Us Different
Standards-Aligned
Active participation in global PQC standards, NIST guidance, and hybrid certificate development.
Purpose-Built for Scale
Designed for long-life infrastructures, IT complexity, and multi-vendor ecosystems.
Future-Ready Architecture
Everything we do supports crypto-agility, hybrid certs, and PQC evolution.
Leadership
Proven leaders shaping the strategy, research, and technology behind ISARA's quantum-safe solutions.
Atsushi Yamada
chief executive officer
-
Dr. Yamada brings deep cryptographic and research leadership — overseeing ISARA's
evolution
as
CEO to guide enterprise- and government-scale transitions to quantum-safe cryptography.
- Holds a Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and earlier degrees in Applied Mathematics & Physics from Kyoto University.
- Appointed CEO in May 2023.
- Joined ISARA in 2015; previously led R&D (Managing Director / VP, Research & Development) at ISARA.
Jim Sortino
Chief Revenue Officer
-
Jim Sortino brings 20 years of cybersecurity and revenue-leadership experience — guiding
ISARA's global go-to-market strategy and enterprise adoption of crypto-agile and
quantum-safe solutions.
- Holds a track record of scaling early-stage security companies, driving three start-ups to successful exits and increasing shareholder value by $808M.
- Appointed CRO after serving as CRO of Dome9, where he grew revenue from $150K ARR to $19M in 18 months ahead of its acquisition by Check Point.
- Joined ISARA following senior leadership roles including VP of Sales for Trend Micro's Deep Security business unit and RVP at enCommerce; two-time CRN Channel Champion award recipient.
Vijay Viswanathan
Head of Research
-
Vijay Viswanathan brings deep product, technology, and go-to-market leadership — shaping
ISARA's product strategy and driving adoption of quantum-safe and crypto-agile solutions
across global markets.
- Holds a track record as a 3x founder, having led one startup to $24M ARR and guided multiple others through product growth and successful acquisitions in GenAI, LLMs, quantum security, cybersecurity, and computer vision.
- Appointed VP of Product & GTM after holding senior leadership roles across four high-growth technology companies, including two that were acquired.
- Recognized for innovation with awards from On Deck Fellowship, Forum Ventures Innovation, GM Innovation, TiEcon, and others between 2017 and 2025.
Justin Mathews
Director of R&D
-
Justin Mathews brings deep engineering and applied cryptography leadership — overseeing
ISARA's research and development efforts to deliver practical, quantum-safe security
solutions.
- Holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and more than a decade of experience in software development and cryptographic engineering.
- Appointed Director of Research & Development after years of leading implementation work that transitioned ISARA's research advancements into deployable products.
- Joined ISARA as the QA Manager, advancing into R&D leadership through contributions across quantum-safe cryptography, software architecture, and product innovation.
Rob Williams
Director of Strategy
-
Rob blends engineering depth with strategic insight, guiding ISARA's long-term direction
and
supporting enterprise adoption of crypto-agile and quantum-safe security.
- Previously held senior engineering and leadership positions at Certicom and BlackBerry, with a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Newcastle.
- Joined ISARA in 2018 as a Security Developer and progressed into a strategic leadership role.
- Brings a multi-decade background in secure software development, communication protocols, and complex system architectures.
How We Work
Security You Can Prove
Our work is grounded in verifiable cryptography, not speculation. Every standard we contribute to, every algorithm we deploy, and every recommendation we make is backed by measurable evidence and rigorous engineering.
Innovation with Accountability
Advancing cryptography means pushing boundaries, but never at the cost of reliability. We innovate deliberately, ensure interoperability, and design migration paths that organizations can trust for the next decade, not the next release cycle.
Partnership Over Procurement
Cryptographic modernization isn't a quick install. We collaborate closely with enterprises, governments, and technology partners to bring clarity to complex systems, support long-term transitions, and ensure trust across multi-vendor environments.
Clarity in Complex Environments
Cryptography is often invisible, distributed, and misunderstood. Our approach is to simplify what's hidden, document what's unknown, and give security leaders the visibility they need to make informed decisions without guesswork.
Long-Horizon Thinking
Quantum computing changes the threat landscape permanently. Everything we architect supports long-life systems, hybrid environments, and the reality that cryptographic choices today determine security outcomes years from now.
Evolve Your Cryptographic Posture: Your Future Depends on It
Modernization takes time. Visibility takes expertise. The right partner in modernization makes all the difference.