SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
A company is planning to connect its on-premises data center to AWS to support a high-performance hybrid cloud architecture. The connection must support a consistent 10 Gbps bandwidth and provide a private, dedicated network path to reduce jitter and latency. Which TWO steps should the architect take?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAA-C03 often tests the misconception that a Site-to-Site VPN can deliver dedicated 10 Gbps consistent bandwidth — candidates who pick VPN or Accelerated VPN miss that only Direct Connect provides a private, dedicated circuit.
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
✓
Provision an AWS Direct Connect dedicated connection.
Option A is correct because an AWS Direct Connect dedicated connection provides a private, dedicated network path from the on-premises data center to AWS and supports consistent 10 Gbps bandwidth, which directly addresses the requirements for reduced jitter and latency. Option C is correct because the Direct Connect connection must terminate on the AWS side at a Virtual Private Gateway (for a single VPC) or a Direct Connect Gateway (to reach multiple VPCs across Regions), making this a required configuration step for the hybrid architecture. Option B is incorrect because a Site-to-Site VPN runs over the public internet, so it cannot guarantee a consistent 10 Gbps or a dedicated private path. Option D is incorrect because Accelerated Site-to-Site VPN uses AWS Global Accelerator to improve public-internet VPN performance but still does not provide a dedicated private connection or guaranteed 10 Gbps. Option E is incorrect because Route 53 Resolver handles DNS resolution between on-premises and AWS and is unrelated to establishing the dedicated high-bandwidth network path.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Provision an AWS Direct Connect dedicated connection.
Why this is correct
A dedicated connection provides a physical Ethernet port (1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, or 100 Gbps) dedicated to a single customer. This ensures that the bandwidth is not shared and provides the most consistent performance for high-throughput applications compared to hosted connections or VPNs.
- ✗
Configure a Site-to-Site VPN as the primary connection.
Why it's wrong here
Site-to-Site VPNs run over the public internet, which means bandwidth and latency can fluctuate based on internet congestion. A single VPN tunnel is also limited to 1.25 Gbps, making it unsuitable for a requirement of consistent 10 Gbps high-performance throughput.
- ✓
Set up a Virtual Private Gateway (VGW) or Direct Connect Gateway.
Why this is correct
A Direct Connect Gateway allows the connection to interface with multiple VPCs across different regions. This is a necessary architectural component to route traffic from the Direct Connect location to the specific resources within the AWS cloud environment efficiently.
- ✗
Enable Accelerated Site-to-Site VPN.
Why it's wrong here
Accelerated VPN uses Global Accelerator to route traffic to the nearest AWS edge location, which can reduce latency compared to standard VPN. However, it still operates over the public internet and cannot guarantee the same level of consistency or 10 Gbps bandwidth as Direct Connect.
- ✗
Use Amazon Route 53 Resolver for all DNS queries.
Why it's wrong here
While Route 53 Resolver is important for hybrid DNS resolution, it does not impact the physical network performance or provide the 10 Gbps dedicated bandwidth required for the data transfer itself. It is a management service rather than a throughput enhancement solution.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
One of 149 original SAA-C03 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 September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.