The answer is an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances when the instance type is not t2.micro. This is correct because Service Control Policies (SCPs) operate as a centralized guardrail across all accounts in an AWS Organization, allowing you to explicitly deny actions at the root, OU, or account level. By crafting a deny effect on the RunInstances action with a condition that the ec2:InstanceType does not equal t2.micro, you effectively block any non-compliant instance launches while permitting the allowed type. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of SCP evaluation logic—specifically that a deny always overrides an allow, making explicit deny policies the safest way to enforce restrictions across OUs. A common trap is confusing SCPs with IAM policies; remember that SCPs set boundaries, not permissions. Memory tip: “Deny the rest, allow the best”—use a deny SCP with a condition to whitelist only the desired instance type.
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 uses AWS Organizations with several OUs. The security team wants to restrict the use of specific instance types (e.g., all instances except t2.micro) across all accounts. Which SCP should be applied?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
An SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances when the instance type is not t2.micro.
Option B is correct because a deny SCP on the RunInstances action for non-allowed instance types will prevent launching those instances. Option A is wrong because allow SCPs require explicit allow, which is not the best approach here. Option C is wrong because IAM policies are per-account and not centralized. Option D is wrong because AWS Config does not prevent actions.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
An IAM policy applied to each account's admin role to restrict instance types.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are not centralized across accounts.
✗
An SCP that allows ec2:RunInstances only for t2.micro.
Why it's wrong here
Allow SCPs are not recommended; deny is more effective.
✓
An SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances when the instance type is not t2.micro.
Why this is correct
Deny SCPs block non-compliant actions.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
An AWS Config rule to terminate non-compliant instances.
Why it's wrong here
Config is detective, not preventive.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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 SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances when the instance type is not t2.micro. — Option B is correct because a deny SCP on the RunInstances action for non-allowed instance types will prevent launching those instances. Option A is wrong because allow SCPs require explicit allow, which is not the best approach here. Option C is wrong because IAM policies are per-account and not centralized. Option D is wrong because AWS Config does not prevent actions.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
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 SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
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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 uses AWS Organizations with several OUs. The security team wants to enforce that EC2 instances in production accounts cannot have public IP addresses. The solution must be preventive and should not rely on developers remembering to follow guidelines. What should the security team do?
hard
A.Use the Amazon EC2 'Block public access' feature at the account level.
B.Create an IAM policy that denies ec2:RunInstances if the instance is launched with a public IP and attach it to all IAM roles in production accounts.
C.Use AWS Config to detect instances with public IPs and automatically terminate them.
✓ D.Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies ec2:RunInstances if the request includes AssociatePublicIpAddress=true and attach it to the production OU.
Why D: Option B is correct because SCPs can deny EC2:RunInstances if the NetworkInterface has AssociatePublicIpAddress set to true. Option A is wrong because IAM policies can be overridden by service-linked roles. Option C is wrong because the 'Block public access' feature is for S3. Option D is wrong because it is detective, not preventive.
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Question Discussion
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