A method comprises: receiving, at a first device, a request to decrypt data encrypted with a symmetric key, the encrypted data stored on a memory device; retrieving shards of the symmetric key, the shards encrypted with public keys from a plurality of devices, wherein decryption of the data requires reconstituting the symmetric key from a threshold number of the shards; determining a priority to request decryption of the shards with private keys from the plurality of devices; requesting decryption by the plurality of devices of the shards in the determined priority until the threshold number of shards is reached; reconstituting the symmetric key from the decrypted shards; and decrypting the encrypted data with the symmetric key.