- A
Use AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager in the management account.
Why wrong: Patch Manager operates within a single account.
- B
Use AWS Systems Manager Quick Setup to configure patching across accounts.
Quick Setup provides centralized configuration across accounts in an organization.
- C
Use AWS Systems Manager Automation documents in each account.
Why wrong: This requires manual setup per account.
- D
Use AWS Config rules to trigger patching in each account.
Why wrong: AWS Config is not designed for patching automation.
Question 947 of 1,746
Automated Patching of EC2 Across Accounts — Systems Manager Quick Setup
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 use AWS Systems Manager to automate patching of EC2 instances across multiple AWS accounts. What is the most efficient way to manage this centrally?
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 AWS Systems Manager Quick Setup to configure patching across accounts.
AWS Systems Manager Quick Setup is the most efficient way to centrally configure patching across multiple AWS accounts because it automates the deployment of SSM Patch Manager resources, including patch baselines, maintenance windows, and IAM roles, across accounts in an AWS Organization. It eliminates the need to manually set up patching in each account, providing a single-pane-of-glass management experience from the management account.
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 Systems Manager Patch Manager in the management account.
Why it's wrong here
Patch Manager operates within a single account.
- ✓
Use AWS Systems Manager Quick Setup to configure patching across accounts.
Why this is correct
Quick Setup provides centralized configuration across accounts in an organization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager Automation documents in each account.
Why it's wrong here
This requires manual setup per account.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules to trigger patching in each account.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config is not designed for patching automation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume Patch Manager in the management account is sufficient for cross-account patching, overlooking the need for centralized orchestration across accounts, which Quick Setup provides.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Quick Setup leverages AWS Organizations and AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy SSM resources consistently across accounts. It automatically creates a service-linked role (AWSServiceRoleForAmazonSSM) and configures the required IAM permissions, ensuring that Patch Manager can operate across accounts without manual role assumption. In a real-world scenario, a company with hundreds of accounts can use Quick Setup to enforce a uniform patching schedule and baseline, reducing operational overhead and ensuring compliance.
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 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.
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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 AWS Systems Manager Quick Setup to configure patching across accounts. — AWS Systems Manager Quick Setup is the most efficient way to centrally configure patching across multiple AWS accounts because it automates the deployment of SSM Patch Manager resources, including patch baselines, maintenance windows, and IAM roles, across accounts in an AWS Organization. It eliminates the need to manually set up patching in each account, providing a single-pane-of-glass management experience from the management account.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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