Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon CloudWatch Alarms. This combination is correct because Direct Connect publishes dedicated metrics, including virtual interface latency, to CloudWatch, and CloudWatch Alarms can then evaluate those metrics against a defined threshold to trigger notifications when latency exceeds acceptable levels. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of which AWS services provide real-time performance data versus those that serve other purposes like auditing or traffic analysis. A common trap is confusing CloudTrail or VPC Flow Logs for latency monitoring, but CloudTrail records API calls and Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata—neither measures network latency. Trusted Advisor offers best-practice checks but lacks the real-time, metric-driven alerting needed here. For a memory tip, remember that latency is a metric, and metrics live in CloudWatch, so if you need to alarm on latency, you must pair CloudWatch with CloudWatch Alarms.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 company has a hybrid network with multiple AWS Direct Connect connections to multiple VPCs. They want to monitor network performance and receive alerts when latency exceeds a threshold. Which combination of AWS services should be used to achieve this?
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon SNS
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not performance metrics.
AWS Trusted Advisor and Amazon SES
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor does not provide real-time latency monitoring.
Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
CloudWatch provides Direct Connect metrics and alarms for thresholds.
VPC Flow Logs and Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: Flow Logs do not include latency metrics.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
The correct answer is B because CloudWatch publishes Direct Connect metrics such as latency, and CloudWatch Alarms can trigger alerts. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail does not provide performance metrics. Option C is wrong because VPC Flow Logs do not provide latency metrics. Option D is wrong because AWS Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not real-time latency monitoring.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon SNS
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not performance metrics.
AWS Trusted Advisor and Amazon SES
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor does not provide real-time latency monitoring.
Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why this is correct
CloudWatch provides Direct Connect metrics and alarms for thresholds.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
VPC Flow Logs and Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs do not include latency metrics.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ANS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon CloudWatch Alarms — The correct answer is B because CloudWatch publishes Direct Connect metrics such as latency, and CloudWatch Alarms can trigger alerts. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail does not provide performance metrics. Option C is wrong because VPC Flow Logs do not provide latency metrics. Option D is wrong because AWS Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not real-time latency monitoring.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ANS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This ANS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services 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 ANS-C01 exam.
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