- A
Deploy a third-party log collector agent on each EC2 instance.
Why wrong: Agent-based is not scalable for VPC flow logs.
- B
Configure AWS Transit Gateway to aggregate flow logs.
Why wrong: Transit Gateway does not aggregate flow logs centrally.
- C
Use a CloudFormation StackSet to deploy VPC Flow Logs to an S3 bucket in the central account using bucket policies.
StackSet can create flow logs with cross-account delivery to a central S3 bucket.
- D
Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account and publish to a CloudWatch Logs group in the central account.
Why wrong: Cross-account CloudWatch Logs subscription is complex and has limits.
Question 147 of 1,746
How to Centrally Manage VPC Flow Logs for Multiple AWS Accounts
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 has a multi-account AWS environment. The security team wants to centrally manage VPC flow logs for all accounts. They already have a centralized logging account. What is the MOST scalable solution?
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 a CloudFormation StackSet to deploy VPC Flow Logs to an S3 bucket in the central account using bucket policies.
Option C is correct because using a CloudFormation StackSet allows you to deploy VPC Flow Logs consistently across multiple accounts and regions, publishing them to a centralized S3 bucket in the logging account. Bucket policies grant cross-account write access, making this approach highly scalable without per-account agent management or CloudWatch Logs cross-account limitations.
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.
- ✗
Deploy a third-party log collector agent on each EC2 instance.
Why it's wrong here
Agent-based is not scalable for VPC flow logs.
- ✗
Configure AWS Transit Gateway to aggregate flow logs.
Why it's wrong here
Transit Gateway does not aggregate flow logs centrally.
- ✓
Use a CloudFormation StackSet to deploy VPC Flow Logs to an S3 bucket in the central account using bucket policies.
Why this is correct
StackSet can create flow logs with cross-account delivery to a central S3 bucket.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account and publish to a CloudWatch Logs group in the central account.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-account CloudWatch Logs subscription is complex and has limits.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think CloudWatch Logs can natively publish to a cross-account log group, but it cannot; S3 with bucket policies is the correct scalable approach for multi-account VPC Flow Logs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Flow Logs can be published to Amazon S3 or CloudWatch Logs. When using S3, a bucket policy in the central logging account can grant the `s3:PutObject` permission to the source account's VPC Flow Logs service principal (e.g., `delivery.logs.amazonaws.com`). CloudFormation StackSets automate the deployment of the flow log resource across all target accounts and regions, ensuring consistent configuration and enabling centralized log management with lifecycle policies or Athena queries.
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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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 a CloudFormation StackSet to deploy VPC Flow Logs to an S3 bucket in the central account using bucket policies. — Option C is correct because using a CloudFormation StackSet allows you to deploy VPC Flow Logs consistently across multiple accounts and regions, publishing them to a centralized S3 bucket in the logging account. Bucket policies grant cross-account write access, making this approach highly scalable without per-account agent management or CloudWatch Logs cross-account limitations.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways 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. A company is using AWS Organizations with a centralized logging account. They want to collect VPC Flow Logs from all member accounts into a single S3 bucket in the logging account. Which TWO steps are required to achieve this?
medium- ✓ A.Create a bucket policy in the logging account that grants the member accounts permission to write flow logs.
- B.Attach an SCP to the logging account that allows PutObject to the bucket.
- ✓ C.Configure the bucket policy to include a condition that the principal is the VPC Flow Logs service.
- D.Use AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) to share the bucket with member accounts.
- E.Attach an SCP to the member accounts that allows them to create flow logs.
Why A: Option A is correct because a bucket policy in the logging account is required to grant cross-account permissions for VPC Flow Logs delivery. Without this policy, the VPC Flow Logs service in member accounts cannot write to the centralized S3 bucket, even if the member account has its own IAM permissions. Option C is correct because the bucket policy must include a condition that restricts the principal to the VPC Flow Logs service (e.g., `aws:SourceArn` or `aws:SourceAccount`) to prevent unauthorized writes from other services or accounts.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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