The answer is to apply a service control policy (SCP) at the production OU level that denies s3:CreateBucket unless versioning and KMS encryption are specified in the request. This is correct because SCPs act as a preventative guardrail at the API level, evaluating the request before the bucket is created; by denying the action unless the required headers—x-amz-bucket-object-locked-enabled-for-bucket-creation for versioning and x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id for KMS encryption—are present, you enforce compliance with zero ongoing operational overhead. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between detective controls (like AWS Config) and preventative controls (like SCPs), with a common trap being to choose Config rules that only alert after noncompliant resources exist. Remember the mnemonic: “SCP stops it before it starts”—if you need to enforce settings at creation, think SCP, not Config.
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 is using AWS Organizations with multiple organizational units (OUs). The security team needs to enforce that all newly created S3 buckets in the production OU have versioning enabled and are encrypted with AWS KMS. Which solution meets these requirements with minimal operational overhead?
Apply a service control policy (SCP) at the production OU level that denies s3:CreateBucket unless versioning and KMS encryption are specified in the request.
SCPs provide preventive enforcement at the organization level.
B
Use AWS CloudTrail to monitor bucket creation and send alerts to the security team.
Why wrong: This only alerts, does not enforce.
C
Create an IAM policy that requires versioning and KMS encryption when creating buckets, and attach it to all users.
Why wrong: Does not cover roles or services; SCP is broader.
D
Use AWS Config rules to detect noncompliant buckets and auto-remediate with Lambda.
Why wrong: This is detective and reactive; the requirement is to enforce proactively.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apply a service control policy (SCP) at the production OU level that denies s3:CreateBucket unless versioning and KMS encryption are specified in the request.
A service control policy (SCP) at the OU level can deny the s3:CreateBucket action unless the request includes both the x-amz-bucket-object-locked-enabled-for-bucket-creation header (for versioning) and the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header (for KMS encryption). This enforces compliance at the API level with no ongoing overhead, as the SCP is evaluated before the bucket is created, preventing noncompliant buckets from existing at all.
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.
✓
Apply a service control policy (SCP) at the production OU level that denies s3:CreateBucket unless versioning and KMS encryption are specified in the request.
Why this is correct
SCPs provide preventive enforcement at the organization level.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to monitor bucket creation and send alerts to the security team.
Why it's wrong here
This only alerts, does not enforce.
✗
Create an IAM policy that requires versioning and KMS encryption when creating buckets, and attach it to all users.
Why it's wrong here
Does not cover roles or services; SCP is broader.
✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect noncompliant buckets and auto-remediate with Lambda.
Why it's wrong here
This is detective and reactive; the requirement is to enforce proactively.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose AWS Config with auto-remediation (Option D) because it sounds automated, but they miss that SCPs are a preventive control with zero operational overhead, whereas Config is reactive and requires Lambda maintenance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policy language with conditions like s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id and s3:VersioningEnabled to inspect API request parameters. Under the hood, SCPs are evaluated by AWS Organizations before the action is allowed, and they apply to all IAM users, roles, and service-linked roles in the OU, including root user, making them a preventive control. A real-world scenario is when a developer uses the AWS CLI without specifying --server-side-encryption aws:kms and --versioning Enabled; the SCP denies the request, ensuring compliance without requiring developer training.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Apply a service control policy (SCP) at the production OU level that denies s3:CreateBucket unless versioning and KMS encryption are specified in the request. — A service control policy (SCP) at the OU level can deny the s3:CreateBucket action unless the request includes both the x-amz-bucket-object-locked-enabled-for-bucket-creation header (for versioning) and the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header (for KMS encryption). This enforces compliance at the API level with no ongoing overhead, as the SCP is evaluated before the bucket is created, preventing noncompliant buckets from existing at all.
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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