- A
Storing data in Google Cloud automatically makes an application HIPAA-compliant.
Why wrong: HIPAA compliance is not automatic. Using Google Cloud's HIPAA-eligible services plus signing a BAA provides the foundation, but customers must implement their own administrative, technical, and physical safeguards.
- B
Google offers HIPAA-eligible services and signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), but customers must implement their own technical safeguards and access controls.
Google provides HIPAA-eligible cloud infrastructure and signs BAAs. However, HIPAA compliance requires customer actions: access control, audit logging, workforce training, and breach procedures — all customer responsibilities.
- C
HIPAA compliance is impossible on public cloud; healthcare data must stay on-premises.
Why wrong: HIPAA explicitly allows use of cloud services with appropriate BAAs and technical safeguards. Many healthcare organizations successfully operate HIPAA-compliant workloads on Google Cloud.
- D
Google Cloud's automatic data encryption fully satisfies all HIPAA technical safeguard requirements.
Why wrong: Encryption at rest and in transit addresses specific HIPAA technical safeguards but HIPAA has many additional requirements: access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security — all requiring customer configuration.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is that Google Cloud helps achieve HIPAA compliance by offering HIPAA-eligible services and signing a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), but customers must implement their own technical safeguards and access controls. This is because HIPAA compliance on Google Cloud follows a shared responsibility model: Google provides a compliant infrastructure and the contractual BAA, while the customer remains responsible for configuring encryption, audit logging, and identity management to protect electronic protected health information (ePHI). On the Google Cloud Digital Leader exam, this question tests your understanding that signing a BAA alone does not make an application compliant—a common trap is assuming Google automatically secures your data. Remember the memory tip: “Google signs the paper, you secure the data”—the BAA is the legal foundation, but your technical controls are the walls.
Cloud Digital Leader Trust and security with Google Cloud Practice Question
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of trust and security with google cloud. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 healthcare company needs to store patient data in Google Cloud and must comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Which statement correctly describes how Google Cloud helps them achieve HIPAA compliance?
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
Google offers HIPAA-eligible services and signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), but customers must implement their own technical safeguards and access controls.
Option B is correct because Google Cloud provides HIPAA-eligible services and offers a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to covered entities, but compliance is a shared responsibility. Customers must configure their own technical safeguards, such as access controls, audit logging, and encryption key management, to meet HIPAA requirements. Google Cloud does not automatically make an application compliant; the customer must implement the necessary controls.
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.
- ✗
Storing data in Google Cloud automatically makes an application HIPAA-compliant.
Why it's wrong here
HIPAA compliance is not automatic. Using Google Cloud's HIPAA-eligible services plus signing a BAA provides the foundation, but customers must implement their own administrative, technical, and physical safeguards.
- ✓
Google offers HIPAA-eligible services and signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), but customers must implement their own technical safeguards and access controls.
Why this is correct
Google provides HIPAA-eligible cloud infrastructure and signs BAAs. However, HIPAA compliance requires customer actions: access control, audit logging, workforce training, and breach procedures — all customer responsibilities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
HIPAA compliance is impossible on public cloud; healthcare data must stay on-premises.
Why it's wrong here
HIPAA explicitly allows use of cloud services with appropriate BAAs and technical safeguards. Many healthcare organizations successfully operate HIPAA-compliant workloads on Google Cloud.
- ✗
Google Cloud's automatic data encryption fully satisfies all HIPAA technical safeguard requirements.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption at rest and in transit addresses specific HIPAA technical safeguards but HIPAA has many additional requirements: access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security — all requiring customer configuration.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the shared responsibility model by presenting options that imply full vendor responsibility (like automatic compliance) or full customer responsibility (like impossibility), and the trap here is assuming that encryption alone satisfies all HIPAA technical safeguards, ignoring access control and audit requirements.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model, Google Cloud provides infrastructure security and HIPAA-eligible services (e.g., Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud SQL) that support encryption at rest and in transit, but the customer is responsible for configuring Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies, enabling audit logs via Cloud Audit Logs, and managing customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) if needed. A real-world scenario is a healthcare provider using Cloud Storage with a BAA but failing to set bucket-level IAM permissions, leading to unauthorized access and a HIPAA violation. The BAA contractually binds Google to safeguard PHI, but it does not replace the customer's obligation to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this GCDL question test?
Trust and security with Google Cloud — This question tests Trust and security with Google Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Google offers HIPAA-eligible services and signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), but customers must implement their own technical safeguards and access controls. — Option B is correct because Google Cloud provides HIPAA-eligible services and offers a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to covered entities, but compliance is a shared responsibility. Customers must configure their own technical safeguards, such as access controls, audit logging, and encryption key management, to meet HIPAA requirements. Google Cloud does not automatically make an application compliant; the customer must implement the necessary controls.
What should I do if I get this GCDL 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on GCDL
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An organization wants to use Google Cloud for processing healthcare data subject to HIPAA regulations in the United States. Which contractual document must the organization obtain from Google before storing Protected Health Information (PHI) in Google Cloud?
easy- A.A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to prevent Google from disclosing the existence of the healthcare application
- ✓ B.A Business Associate Agreement (BAA), which is legally required by HIPAA before any covered entity can process Protected Health Information with a cloud provider
- C.A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) as required under GDPR for European data subjects
- D.An ISO 27001 certificate issued by Google Cloud demonstrating information security compliance
Why B: Under HIPAA, a covered entity or business associate must obtain a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) from any cloud service provider that will create, receive, maintain, or transmit Protected Health Information (PHI). Google Cloud offers a BAA that contractually binds Google to comply with HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules, including safeguarding PHI and reporting breaches. Without a signed BAA, storing PHI in Google Cloud would violate HIPAA regulations.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This GCDL 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 GCDL exam.
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