PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
An SAP system on AWS needs to store sensitive configuration files securely and automatically rotate the encryption keys. Which AWS service should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse AWS Secrets Manager with Parameter Store, but Secrets Manager is designed for rotating secrets (like passwords) automatically, not for storing configuration files, and it lacks the hierarchical parameter organization that Parameter Store provides for SAP configuration management.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with AWS KMS.
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store integrated with AWS KMS is the correct choice because it provides a secure, hierarchical store for sensitive configuration data (like SAP configuration files) and supports automatic key rotation via KMS-managed keys. Parameter Store can store encrypted strings using KMS keys, and KMS can be configured to rotate the underlying encryption key automatically every year (or on demand), meeting the requirement for both secure storage and automated key rotation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with AWS KMS.
Why this is correct
Parameter Store can store configuration securely and use KMS for encryption with automatic key rotation.
- ✗
Amazon S3 with server-side encryption.
Why it's wrong here
S3 does not automatically rotate encryption keys.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) alone.
Why it's wrong here
KMS only manages keys, not configuration storage.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager.
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager is for secrets like passwords, not general configuration.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PAS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PAS-C01 exam.