Question 1,335 of 1,746
Design Solutions for Organizational ComplexitymediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct approach is to use an AWS Config rule to detect VPCs without Flow Logs and trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook to enable them, publishing to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket. This solution works because AWS Config continuously evaluates all VPCs against a custom rule that checks for Flow Logs, and when a non-compliant VPC is found—including any newly created ones—it invokes an Automation runbook that configures the logs and delivers them to a shared S3 bucket in the logging account. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of automated governance and remediation at scale, often contrasting Config-driven detection with event-driven triggers like CloudTrail or Lambda, which can miss pre-existing resources. A common trap is choosing a solution that only reacts to new VPC creation events, failing to cover existing VPCs. Memory tip: think "Config catches all, Automation fixes all"—the rule evaluates continuously, and the runbook handles the remediation without manual intervention.

SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity

This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. 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 centralized logging account and multiple member accounts. The security team wants to enable VPC Flow Logs for all VPCs across all accounts and centralize the logs in the logging account. The solution must be automated and ensure that new VPCs are automatically included. Which approach should be taken?

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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

Use an AWS Config rule to detect VPCs without Flow Logs and trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook to enable them, publishing to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket.

Option C is correct because AWS Config can continuously evaluate all VPCs against a custom rule that checks for the presence of VPC Flow Logs. When a non-compliant VPC is detected (including newly created ones), Config can trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook that enables Flow Logs and publishes them to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket in the logging account. This approach is fully automated, covers existing and new VPCs, and centralizes logs without requiring event-driven triggers that might miss resources created before the rule was deployed.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • Use AWS CloudTrail to monitor VPC creation and invoke an AWS Lambda function to enable Flow Logs.

    Why it's wrong here

    CloudTrail logs API calls but does not directly monitor VPC Flow Logs configuration.

  • Use Amazon EventBridge to capture VPC creation events and trigger an AWS Lambda function to enable Flow Logs.

    Why it's wrong here

    EventBridge can capture events, but this approach may not be as automatic for existing VPCs.

  • Use an AWS Config rule to detect VPCs without Flow Logs and trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook to enable them, publishing to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket.

    Why this is correct

    This automates detection and remediation.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Use AWS Trusted Advisor to check VPC Flow Logs configuration and send alerts to an Amazon SNS topic.

    Why it's wrong here

    Trusted Advisor does not enable Flow Logs automatically.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often choose EventBridge (Option B) because it seems like the most direct way to react to VPC creation, but they overlook the requirement to also handle existing VPCs and the need for continuous compliance monitoring, which AWS Config provides out of the box.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS Config custom rules use AWS Lambda functions to evaluate resource compliance, and when paired with AWS Systems Manager Automation, they can execute multi-step remediation workflows such as creating Flow Logs, attaching IAM roles, and publishing to a cross-account S3 bucket. The Automation runbook can use the AWS-RunShellScript or AWS-EnableVpcFlowLogs document to configure Flow Logs with specific traffic types (ACCEPT, REJECT, ALL) and log formats. This approach ensures that even VPCs created before the rule was enabled are evaluated during the next configuration snapshot or periodic evaluation, providing full coverage across all member accounts when using AWS Organizations and a centralized Config aggregator.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
  • Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
  • Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

  • Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
  • Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAP-C02 question test?

Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use an AWS Config rule to detect VPCs without Flow Logs and trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook to enable them, publishing to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket. — Option C is correct because AWS Config can continuously evaluate all VPCs against a custom rule that checks for the presence of VPC Flow Logs. When a non-compliant VPC is detected (including newly created ones), Config can trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook that enables Flow Logs and publishes them to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket in the logging account. This approach is fully automated, covers existing and new VPCs, and centralizes logs without requiring event-driven triggers that might miss resources created before the rule was deployed.

What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SAP-C02

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A company has a multi-account AWS environment with 50 accounts. They need to implement a centralized logging solution for VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail, and AWS Config logs. The logs must be stored in a central S3 bucket and encrypted with a customer-managed KMS key. Which THREE steps should be taken to meet these requirements?

medium
  • A.Create an S3 bucket policy that grants permissions to the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals from all accounts to write logs.
  • B.Use AWS Config aggregator to collect configuration data from all accounts into a central account.
  • C.Configure CloudTrail in each account to send logs to the central S3 bucket.
  • D.Create a customer-managed KMS key with a key policy that allows the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals to use the key for encryption.
  • E.Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account and deliver them to a central CloudWatch Logs group.

Why A: Option A is correct because the central S3 bucket must allow log delivery from all accounts via bucket policy. Option B is correct because CloudTrail trails can be configured to deliver to a central bucket across accounts. Option D is correct because KMS key policy must grant permissions to the log delivery services across accounts. Option C is wrong because VPC Flow Logs cannot be directly aggregated to a central account without third-party tools or cross-account delivery. Option E is wrong because AWS Config data is per-account; aggregation is done via Aggregator, not direct log delivery.

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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026

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This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.