SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating its on-premises VMware VMs to AWS. The company wants to use the same management tools and maintain consistency. Which AWS service should be used for this migration?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests whether candidates confuse migration tools (SMS, DMS, MGN) with target platforms (VMware Cloud on AWS); the phrase 'same management tools' is the tell that you need a VMware-preserving environment, not a migration service.
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
✓
VMware Cloud on AWS
VMware Cloud on AWS is the correct service because it runs the actual VMware SDDC (vSphere, vSAN, NSX) on AWS bare-metal infrastructure, allowing the company to keep using its existing VMware management tools like vCenter and vSphere Client while gaining AWS services. This directly satisfies the requirement to maintain tooling consistency during migration. AWS SMS and DMS are migration tools, not environments that preserve VMware management tooling, and Snowball Edge is a physical data-transfer device.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Server Migration Service (SMS)
Why it's wrong here
AWS SMS is closed to new customers and migrates server workloads without preserving VMware management tooling or operational consistency. It is tempting because SMS targets server migration, but VMware Cloud on AWS runs native vSphere, keeping existing tools and management practices intact.
- ✗
AWS Snowball Edge
Why it's wrong here
AWS Snowball Edge performs offline bulk data transfer via physical appliances, so it cannot migrate running VMware VMs while preserving their management tooling. It is tempting because it suits petabyte-scale data movement or edge computing in locations with constrained bandwidth, where shipping a device is the only viable transfer method.
- ✓
VMware Cloud on AWS
Why this is correct
VMware Cloud on AWS runs the native vSphere stack on dedicated AWS hardware, so existing VMware management tools such as vCenter and vSphere Client keep working unchanged. That directly satisfies the requirement to maintain the same management tooling and operational consistency during migration.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS replicates database schemas and data between heterogeneous engines; it cannot move VMware virtual machines or preserve their management tooling. It is tempting because DMS genuinely suits database migrations, such as moving an Oracle instance to Amazon RDS, but this scenario requires server-level migration via AWS Application Migration Service.
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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 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.