ISC Governance Risk And Compliance Practice Question
An organization must maintain HIPAA compliance in a hybrid cloud. Which architecture pattern best enables strict separation of duties between the administrative team and the data 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 CloudHSM
Using an external HSM (Hardware Security Module) like AWS CloudHSM ensures that administrators of the cloud infrastructure have no access to the keys, fulfilling the separation of duties requirement.
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 this is correct
Provides physical control and separation of duties for keys.
- ✗
Client-Side Encryption with local storage
Why it's wrong here
Increases complexity and management overhead significantly.
- ✗
Azure Key Vault
Why it's wrong here
Cloud-managed, does not provide the same physical isolation.
- ✗
AWS KMS with Multi-Region keys
Why it's wrong here
KMS keys are managed by the cloud provider, not as distinct as CloudHSM.
About these practice questions
One of 208 original ISC 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 and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official (ISC)² exam blueprint
This ISC practice question is part of Courseiva's free (ISC)² 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 ISC exam.