The correct choice is deploying AWS Managed Microsoft AD in a central account and sharing it with other accounts using AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM). This approach is the most scalable and secure because RAM enables cross-account AWS Managed Microsoft AD sharing without duplicating directory data or managing separate connectors, allowing all VPCs across accounts to authenticate against a single, centrally managed directory while maintaining network isolation through AWS PrivateLink. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of centralized identity management versus distributed solutions; a common trap is selecting AD Connector per VPC, which adds unnecessary overhead and scaling limits, or assuming VPNs are required when RAM handles the cross-account trust natively. Remember the mnemonic: "RAM for AD, not AD per VPC" — if you need cross-account directory access, share it, don't clone or connect it.
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 is migrating its on-premises Active Directory to AWS Managed Microsoft AD. The company has multiple VPCs across different accounts that need to authenticate against the same directory. What is the MOST scalable and secure way to provide this access?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deploy AWS Managed Microsoft AD in a central account and share it with other accounts using AWS Resource Access Manager.
Option A is correct because sharing the directory via RAM allows cross-account access. Option B is wrong because AD Connector per VPC adds management overhead. Option C is wrong because VPNs are not needed for this. Option D is wrong because directory cloning is not for cross-account access.
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.
✗
Set up a VPN connection from each VPC to the on-premises AD.
Why it's wrong here
Not using AWS Managed AD and introduces network latency.
✓
Deploy AWS Managed Microsoft AD in a central account and share it with other accounts using AWS Resource Access Manager.
Why this is correct
Allows centralized directory with cross-account sharing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Clone the directory and deploy it in each account.
Why it's wrong here
Creates multiple directories to manage, not scalable.
✗
Deploy an AD Connector in each VPC pointing to the on-premises AD.
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Deploy AWS Managed Microsoft AD in a central account and share it with other accounts using AWS Resource Access Manager. — Option A is correct because sharing the directory via RAM allows cross-account access. Option B is wrong because AD Connector per VPC adds management overhead. Option C is wrong because VPNs are not needed for this. Option D is wrong because directory cloning is not for cross-account access.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 migrating its on-premises Active Directory to AWS Managed Microsoft AD. The directory will be used for authentication across multiple VPCs in different accounts. The company needs to ensure that resources in all VPCs can resolve DNS names from the directory. What is the MOST scalable and secure solution?
hard
A.Create a VPN connection between each VPC and the on-premises AD, then use DNS forwarders.
B.Use Amazon Route 53 private hosted zones and associate them with all VPCs.
C.Deploy the directory in each VPC and use AWS Managed Microsoft AD multi-region replication.
✓ D.Deploy the directory in a shared services VPC in the management account. Use AWS Transit Gateway to connect all VPCs and configure the directory's DNS as a forwarder via Amazon Route 53 Resolver.
Why D: Option A is correct because using AWS Transit Gateway with a shared services VPC allows centralized DNS resolution via VPC Peering or DNS forwarding. Option B (Route 53 Resolver endpoints) is also a good solution but is more complex and costly. Option C (Direct Connect) is not needed. Option D (VPN) is less scalable.
Variation 2. A company is migrating its on-premises Active Directory to AWS Managed Microsoft AD. They need to ensure that users can authenticate to AWS resources using their existing corporate credentials. What is the MOST secure and scalable solution?
medium
A.Federate using SAML 2.0 with on-premises ADFS and map AD groups to IAM roles.
B.Deploy AD Connector in each VPC to proxy authentication requests to on-premises Active Directory.
✓ C.Set up AWS Managed Microsoft AD and establish a trust with the on-premises Active Directory. Use IAM roles to grant access based on AD groups.
D.Use AWS Directory Service Simple AD and synchronize with on-premises Active Directory using AD Connector.
Why C: Option C is correct because AWS Managed Microsoft AD can establish a forest trust with an on-premises Active Directory, allowing users to authenticate using their existing corporate credentials. This approach is secure (Kerberos-based trust, no password exposure) and scalable (AWS handles AD infrastructure). IAM roles can then be mapped to AD groups via SAML or IAM Identity Center for fine-grained access to AWS resources.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
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