Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies (AZ-300) Practice Exam

What is the main advantage of using symmetric encryption?

1. It provides better security compared to asymmetric encryption

2. It is usually faster than asymmetric encryption

3. It can encrypt data with multiple keys

4. It offers higher integrity checks

The correct answer is: It is usually faster than asymmetric encryption

The main advantage of using symmetric encryption is that it is generally faster than asymmetric encryption. Symmetric encryption uses the same key for both the encryption and decryption processes, which allows for more efficient computations and quicker processing times when handling large volumes of data. This performance benefit is particularly significant in scenarios where speed is critical, such as encrypting or decrypting data in real-time communications or large datasets in database management. Asymmetric encryption, on the other hand, involves a pair of keys (a public key and a private key), which tends to make the encryption and decryption processes slower and more resource-intensive. In many applications, this speed difference makes symmetric encryption the preferred choice for tasks that require high throughput, such as bulk data encryption. The other options, while they may have merits in different contexts, do not capture the essential advantage of symmetric encryption in terms of processing speed. For instance, symmetric encryption does not inherently provide better security than asymmetric encryption; rather, it is more about the use case and implementation details. Moreover, the claim about encrypting data with multiple keys is misleading, as symmetric encryption typically relies on a single shared key. Lastly, while symmetric encryption can ensure data integrity through hashing mechanisms, integrity checks are not a direct feature of the