Centrally Enforce AWS Config Rules Across Accounts Using Organizations
A company uses AWS Organizations and wants to centrally manage AWS Config rules across all member accounts. They have enabled AWS Config in the management account and used AWS Config aggregator to view compliance status across accounts. However, they want to enforce a specific Config rule in all accounts automatically. Which solution should they use?
Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS Config conformance packs with AWS Organizations to centrally enforce AWS Config rules across accounts. This is correct because conformance packs allow you to deploy a collection of AWS Config rules and remediation actions as a single entity, and when integrated with AWS Organizations, they automatically apply to all current and future member accounts without manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of governance at scale—specifically, the distinction between aggregation (AWS Config aggregator only views compliance) and enforcement (conformance packs deploy and remediate). A common trap is confusing AWS Config aggregator or Service Control Policies (SCPs) as enforcement tools, but SCPs set permission boundaries, not Config rules. Remember: conformance packs are the “deploy and enforce” hammer, while aggregators are just the “view” magnifying glass.
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 Config conformance packs with AWS Organizations to deploy the rule across all accounts.
AWS Config conformance packs can be deployed across all accounts in an AWS Organization using the AWS Organizations integration. Conformance packs allow you to deploy a collection of AWS Config rules and remediation actions consistently. Option B is incorrect because the AWS Config aggregator only provides a central view of compliance status; it does not automatically enable rules in member accounts. Option C is incorrect: while CloudFormation StackSets can deploy Config rules, conformance packs are the recommended and more straightforward method for deploying Config rules across an organization. Option D is incorrect because SCPs (Service Control Policies) are used to manage permissions and cannot directly enforce AWS Config rules.
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 Config conformance packs with AWS Organizations to deploy the rule across all accounts.
Why this is correct
Conformance packs can be deployed organization-wide.
- ✗
Use the AWS Config aggregator to manually enable the rule in each account.
Why it's wrong here
Aggregator does not enable rules.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a Config rule template to each account.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFormation StackSets can deploy a Config rule resource definition across member accounts, but it does not provide the centralised enforcement and ongoing compliance monitoring capabilities required to automatically enforce rules. The question specifically asks to "enforce a specific Config rule in all accounts automatically," which goes beyond mere resource deployment. StackSets are highly effective for provisioning and maintaining identical AWS resources, such as a standard set of security logging configurations or initial Config setup, across an AWS Organization from a single template.
- ✗
Create an SCP that requires all accounts to enable AWS Config.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs cannot enforce specific rules.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SAP-C02
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. Refer to the exhibit. A company has created a CloudTrail trail named 'my-trail' in the management account of AWS Organizations. The trail is configured to deliver logs to a central S3 bucket. The security team wants to capture all management events from all accounts in the organization. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely issue?
medium- A.The trail is not a multi-region trail
- B.The trail does not include global service events
- C.The trail has log file validation enabled, which prevents cross-account delivery
- ✓ D.The trail is not an organization trail
Why D: The exhibit shows that the CloudTrail trail 'my-trail' is not configured as an organization trail. In AWS Organizations, a trail must be explicitly created as an organization trail to automatically log management events from all member accounts. Without this setting, the trail only captures events from the management account, not the entire organization.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.