Protecting an encryption key for data stored in a storage system that includes a plurality of storage devices, including: reading, from at least a majority of the storage devices, a portion of an apartment key; reconstructing the apartment key using the portions of the apartment key read by the majority of the storage devices; unlocking the main portion of each of the storage devices utilizing the apartment key; reading, from the main portion of one of the storage devices, a portion of a third-party resource access key; requesting, from the third-party resource utilizing the third-party resource access key, an encryption key; receiving, from the third-party resource, the encryption key; and decrypting the data stored on the storage devices utilizing the encryption key.