This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An organization is running a batch job that processes sensitive data. The job writes output to a Cloud Storage bucket. The security team requires that all data at rest be encrypted with a customer-managed key. Which key type should be used?
Cloud HSM
Why wrong: Cloud HSM is a hardware security module, not a key type.
Default encryption (Google-managed)
Why wrong: Google-managed keys are not customer-managed.
Customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK)
Why wrong: CSEK requires supplying keys per object, not managed via KMS.
Cloud KMS CMEK
CMEK provides customer control over keys via Cloud KMS.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Cloud KMS CMEK
Cloud KMS CMEK (Customer-Managed Encryption Keys) is the correct choice because it allows the organization to control and manage the encryption keys used to protect data at rest in Cloud Storage, meeting the security team's requirement for customer-managed keys. CMEK keys are created and managed in Cloud KMS, and you can control key rotation, access, and lifecycle, ensuring compliance with regulatory mandates for customer-managed encryption.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cloud HSM
Why it's wrong here
Cloud HSM is a hardware security module, not a key type.
Default encryption (Google-managed)
Why it's wrong here
Google-managed keys are not customer-managed.
Customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK)
Why it's wrong here
CSEK requires supplying keys per object, not managed via KMS.
Cloud KMS CMEK
Why this is correct
CMEK provides customer control over keys via Cloud KMS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between key types (CMEK, CSEK, Google-managed) and key protection methods (Cloud HSM, Cloud KMS), so the trap here is confusing Cloud HSM (a key protection option) with a key type, or thinking CSEK is still the recommended customer-managed approach for Cloud Storage.
Detailed technical explanation
CMEK in Cloud Storage uses envelope encryption: a Cloud KMS key (the key encryption key or KEK) encrypts a data encryption key (DEK) that encrypts the object data. This allows you to rotate the KEK without re-encrypting the data, and Cloud Audit Logs record every use of the key. A real-world scenario is a healthcare organization that must comply with HIPAA and needs to prove they control the encryption keys; CMEK provides the ability to disable or destroy the key to render data inaccessible, which is not possible with Google-managed keys.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Planning and configuring a cloud solution — This question tests Planning and configuring a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Cloud KMS CMEK — Cloud KMS CMEK (Customer-Managed Encryption Keys) is the correct choice because it allows the organization to control and manage the encryption keys used to protect data at rest in Cloud Storage, meeting the security team's requirement for customer-managed keys. CMEK keys are created and managed in Cloud KMS, and you can control key rotation, access, and lifecycle, ensuring compliance with regulatory mandates for customer-managed encryption.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This ACE 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 ACE exam.
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