MINNEAPOLIS - Feb. 19, 2026 - PRLog -- The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA), the leading organization dedicated to advancing Fibre Channel technology, today announced the completion of the INCITS Fibre Channel – Security Protocols, Third Edition (FC-SP-3) specification. The new standard represents a significant milestone in the evolution of secure, high-performance storage networking for enterprise and mission-critical environments.
FC-SP-3 builds on Fibre Channel's long-standing leadership in storage security, addressing rising enterprise requirements driven by global regulatory mandates, increasing cyber threats, and emerging post-quantum computing risks.
"Security has always been foundational to Fibre Channel," said Mark Jones, President of the Fibre Channel Industry Association. "With the completion of FC-SP-3, we're delivering the next evolution of Fibre Channel security with one that helps organizations meet increasingly complex regulatory requirements, supports encryption-everywhere and Zero Trust strategies, and positions the industry to address emerging post-quantum security challenges, all while maintaining the performance and reliability enterprises depend on."
Addressing Rising Regulatory and Security Demands
Enterprises worldwide are facing growing pressure to strengthen data protection, resilience, and cyber-risk management across their infrastructure. Regulatory frameworks such as NIS2 (Network and Information Security Directive 2), the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), and evolving national cybersecurity standards are driving organizations to adopt stronger, end-to-end security controls, including within storage networks.
FC-SP-3 enables organizations to meet these requirements by providing enhanced security mechanisms that help protect data in transit, enforce strong authentication, and support Zero Trust architectures within Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs).
Designed for "Encrypt Everything" Storage Strategies
As enterprises increasingly adopt "encrypt everything" approaches to data protection, FC-SP-3 delivers robust support for pervasive encryption across the storage fabric. The specification enables secure, authenticated communication between hosts, switches, and storage devices, helping ensure sensitive data remains protected from unauthorized access and tampering.
These capabilities are especially critical for industries such as financial services, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure, where data confidentiality, integrity, and compliance are essential to operational trust.
Preparing for Post-Quantum Security Challenges
FC-SP-3 also reflects the industry's proactive response to the long-term implications of quantum computing. As advances in quantum technology threaten traditional cryptographic methods, the new specification introduces greater cryptographic agility, helping organizations prepare for future post-quantum security transitions while continuing to rely on Fibre Channel's proven performance and reliability.
The completion of FC-SP-3 reinforces Fibre Channel's position as a trusted platform for secure, high-performance storage in modern data centers, private cloud environments, and AI-enabled enterprise infrastructures.
Upcoming FCIA Webinar on FC-SP-3: Fibre Channel Security Prepares for Quantum Resistance
When: March 18, 2026
Time: 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET
Presenters: Roger Hathorn, IBM; Mark Jones, Broadcom
Register Here: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/14967/661504
For more information about FC-SP-3, visit www.fibrechannel.org.
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
Source: FCIA
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