- A
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: CloudHSM is a hardware security module, but KMS is the recommended service for key management.
- B
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
KMS is used to manage encryption keys for data at rest.
- C
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Secrets Manager is for managing secrets, not encryption keys.
- D
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why wrong: ACM is for managing SSL/TLS certificates.
Question 477 of 1,733
PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is running SAP on AWS and needs to encrypt all data at rest for the SAP HANA database. Which AWS service should be used to manage the encryption keys?
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 Key Management Service (KMS)
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is the correct service for managing encryption keys for SAP HANA on AWS because it provides a centralized, highly available key management system that integrates directly with AWS services and supports envelope encryption. For SAP HANA, KMS can be used to encrypt the EBS volumes, S3 buckets, or other storage where HANA data resides, and it allows you to control key rotation, access policies, and auditing via AWS CloudTrail, meeting the requirement to encrypt data at rest.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM is a hardware security module, but KMS is the recommended service for key management.
- ✓
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why this is correct
KMS is used to manage encryption keys for data at rest.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager is for managing secrets, not encryption keys.
- ✗
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why it's wrong here
ACM is for managing SSL/TLS certificates.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS CloudHSM with KMS, thinking that because CloudHSM provides dedicated HSMs it must be the correct choice for key management, but the question specifically asks for a service to 'manage' encryption keys, which is KMS's core function, while CloudHSM is a raw HSM service that requires manual key management and lacks native integration with AWS storage services for transparent encryption.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, KMS uses FIPS 140-2 validated hardware security modules (HSMs) to protect key material, and it supports envelope encryption where a customer master key (CMK) encrypts data keys that are then used to encrypt data; this allows efficient encryption of large volumes of SAP HANA data without direct interaction with the CMK for every operation. A subtle behavior is that KMS keys are regional and cannot be directly exported, which means cross-region disaster recovery for SAP HANA requires careful planning, such as using multi-Region keys or re-encrypting data in the target region. In a real-world scenario, if SAP HANA uses EBS volumes encrypted with a KMS key, the key policy must grant the EC2 instance role permission to use the key, and the key must be in the same region as the instance, which is a common misconfiguration that leads to launch failures.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Key Management Service (KMS) — AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is the correct service for managing encryption keys for SAP HANA on AWS because it provides a centralized, highly available key management system that integrates directly with AWS services and supports envelope encryption. For SAP HANA, KMS can be used to encrypt the EBS volumes, S3 buckets, or other storage where HANA data resides, and it allows you to control key rotation, access policies, and auditing via AWS CloudTrail, meeting the requirement to encrypt data at rest.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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