- A
Use AWS Config rules to detect resources in unapproved Regions and trigger automatic remediation.
AWS Config can detect non-compliant resources and trigger remediation to delete or flag them.
- B
Create an IAM policy that denies actions in unapproved Regions and attach it to all IAM roles.
Why wrong: IAM policies are not as comprehensive as SCPs and can be overridden by resource policies.
- C
Configure AWS IAM Identity Center to restrict access to approved Regions.
Why wrong: IAM Identity Center manages SSO and permissions sets but does not enforce Region restrictions.
- D
Enable AWS CloudTrail and set up an SNS notification for any API call in an unapproved Region.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs but does not prevent actions.
- E
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies all actions in non-compliant Regions. Attach it to the root or OUs.
SCPs provide preventive controls at the organization level.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to create a service control policy (SCP) that denies all actions in non-compliant Regions and attach it to the root or OUs, paired with AWS Config rules to detect and auto-remediate non-compliant resources. SCPs provide preventive guardrails by overriding IAM permissions at the organization level, effectively blocking any API calls to unapproved Regions across all accounts, while Config offers detective and corrective enforcement by triggering actions like resource deletion or stopping instances. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the layered defense model in AWS Control Tower, where SCPs handle proactive enforcement and Config handles reactive compliance—a common trap is choosing only one mechanism, but the question explicitly requires two steps. Remember the mnemonic “SCP to Stop, Config to Correct” to pair preventive and detective controls for full Region restriction.
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 using AWS Control Tower to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants to enforce that all accounts use a specific AWS Region for data storage. Which TWO steps should be taken to enforce this requirement?
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 rules to detect resources in unapproved Regions and trigger automatic remediation.
AWS Control Tower uses Service Control Policies (SCPs) to centrally enforce restrictions across all accounts in an organization. An SCP that denies all actions in non-compliant Regions, attached to the root or OUs, prevents users in those accounts from performing any action in unapproved Regions, even if they have IAM permissions. AWS Config rules can detect non-compliant resources and trigger automatic remediation (e.g., deleting or stopping resources), providing a detective and corrective layer. Together, these two steps enforce the requirement proactively (SCP) and reactively (Config).
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 Config rules to detect resources in unapproved Regions and trigger automatic remediation.
Why this is correct
AWS Config can detect non-compliant resources and trigger remediation to delete or flag them.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create an IAM policy that denies actions in unapproved Regions and attach it to all IAM roles.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are not as comprehensive as SCPs and can be overridden by resource policies.
- ✗
Configure AWS IAM Identity Center to restrict access to approved Regions.
Why it's wrong here
IAM Identity Center manages SSO and permissions sets but does not enforce Region restrictions.
- ✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail and set up an SNS notification for any API call in an unapproved Region.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs but does not prevent actions.
- ✓
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies all actions in non-compliant Regions. Attach it to the root or OUs.
Why this is correct
SCPs provide preventive controls at the organization level.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse IAM policies (which are account-level and can be bypassed by administrators) with SCPs (which are organization-wide and cannot be overridden by account admins), leading them to select Option B instead of Option E.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are evaluated before IAM policies and can explicitly deny actions even if an IAM policy allows them; they use the same policy language but are applied at the organization root, OU, or account level. AWS Config rules can use AWS Lambda for custom remediation, but for Region enforcement, a managed rule like 'region-required' can be used with auto-remediation via Systems Manager Automation or AWS Config remediation actions. In a real-world scenario, an SCP might deny 'ec2:RunInstances' in us-east-1, but a user could still launch an instance in us-east-1 if they have an IAM policy that allows it—unless the SCP explicitly denies the action for that Region.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — study guide chapter
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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 Config rules to detect resources in unapproved Regions and trigger automatic remediation. — AWS Control Tower uses Service Control Policies (SCPs) to centrally enforce restrictions across all accounts in an organization. An SCP that denies all actions in non-compliant Regions, attached to the root or OUs, prevents users in those accounts from performing any action in unapproved Regions, even if they have IAM permissions. AWS Config rules can detect non-compliant resources and trigger automatic remediation (e.g., deleting or stopping resources), providing a detective and corrective layer. Together, these two steps enforce the requirement proactively (SCP) and reactively (Config).
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: Jun 24, 2026
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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