Application framework for high security requirements in R&D environments based on quantum cryptography

Companies running research and development (R&D) departments invest considerable effort into the protection of results and security of communication channels. In cases where particular expertise is unavailable within the company, R&D may be partially outsourced to external specialists being universities or independent research centers. In any such case where highly valuable data is to be exchanged between departments of a company or a university, quantum cryptography offers a convenient way to protect the investment and revenue tied to the research. Upon recent results within the EU-project SECOQC, we present an application framework that is suitable for meeting R&D security requirements. We draw from the latest experimental results, demonstrating the feasibility and efficiency of using quantum cryptography in that context.