Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
A company needs to store secrets such as API keys and database passwords securely and access them from Compute Engine instances. Which service provides secret storage with built-in IAM integration and automatic rotation?
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
✓
Secret Manager
Secret Manager is the correct service for storing secrets with IAM and versioning. It also supports rotation via Cloud Functions or Pub/Sub.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Secret Manager
Why this is correct
Correct. Secret Manager is purpose-built for secrets.
- ✗
Cloud HSM
Why it's wrong here
Cloud HSM provides hardware-backed key management, not secrets.
- ✗
Cloud Storage
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Storage is not designed for secret management.
- ✗
Cloud KMS
Why it's wrong here
Cloud KMS manages encryption keys, not secrets like passwords.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Secret Manager
A Secret Manager is a centralized tool that securely stores, manages, and controls access to sensitive information like passwords, API keys, and certificates, often automating their rotation and injection into applications.
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 PCA exam.