Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
A startup wants to store application secrets (e.g., API keys, database passwords) securely on Google Cloud. They need to support automatic rotation of secrets and fine-grained access control. Which TWO services should they use? (Choose 2.)
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 primary service for storing secrets, with support for versioning, automatic rotation, and IAM. Cloud KMS can be used to encrypt secrets stored in Secret Manager, providing an additional layer of security. Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) is used for managing encryption keys, but Secret Manager already encrypts secrets at rest using Google-managed keys by default; using CMEK via Cloud KMS adds customer-managed key control. Cloud Storage is not designed for secrets. IAM alone does not provide secret storage. Cloud Functions can access secrets but is not a storage service.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud Storage with object versioning
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Storage is not optimized for secrets management and lacks features like automatic rotation.
- ✗
Cloud Functions
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions can access secrets via Secret Manager but does not store them.
- ✓
Secret Manager
Why this is correct
Secret Manager is the dedicated service for storing and managing secrets with rotation and versioning.
- ✗
Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why it's wrong here
IAM is for access control, not secret storage. It is used with Secret Manager to control who can access secrets.
- ✓
Cloud Key Management Service (Cloud KMS)
Why this is correct
Cloud KMS can be used to create and manage encryption keys for encrypting secrets in Secret Manager.
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
Service
A service is a software component or system that performs a specific function and is available to be used by other programs or users over a network.
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.
About these practice questions
One of 955 original PCA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.