The answer is to use AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) to prevent developers from modifying networking resources. SCPs act as a centralized permission guardrail that applies to all IAM users and roles within an account or Organizational Unit (OU), allowing the central IT team to explicitly deny networking actions like ec2:CreateVpc or ec2:DeleteSubnet, regardless of any IAM policies developers might attach. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between preventive controls (SCPs) and detective controls (AWS Config), with a common trap being to choose IAM roles or resource tags, which cannot enforce a hard boundary across accounts. Remember the memory tip: SCPs are the “ultimate deny” — they sit above IAM and cannot be overridden by account administrators, making them the only service that can truly prevent developers from touching networking resources.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 wants to allow developers to manage their own resources in individual AWS accounts while the central IT team manages networking and security. Which AWS service can help enforce that developers cannot modify networking resources?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) to deny networking actions for developer accounts.
Option C is correct because AWS Organizations SCPs can restrict access to networking actions in specific accounts or OUs. Option A is wrong because IAM roles can be assumed by developers, but they don't prevent developers from using other roles. Option B is wrong because AWS Config is detective, not preventive. Option D is wrong because resource tags do not prevent actions.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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 Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) to deny networking actions for developer accounts.
Why this is correct
SCPs can block specific actions across accounts.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Use IAM roles to grant developers access only to their own resources.
Why it's wrong here
Developers could potentially create other roles with broader permissions.
✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect changes to networking resources.
Why it's wrong here
Detective controls do not prevent changes.
✗
Use resource tags to identify networking resources and apply IAM conditions.
Why it's wrong here
Tags can be modified by users with sufficient permissions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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 ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) to deny networking actions for developer accounts. — Option C is correct because AWS Organizations SCPs can restrict access to networking actions in specific accounts or OUs. Option A is wrong because IAM roles can be assumed by developers, but they don't prevent developers from using other roles. Option B is wrong because AWS Config is detective, not preventive. Option D is wrong because resource tags do not prevent actions.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Question Discussion
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