- A
Create a bucket in the logging account with default S3-managed encryption and enable VPC Flow Logs in each account to publish to that bucket.
Why wrong: Does not use customer-managed KMS key.
- B
Create a bucket in the logging account with a KMS key. Grant the necessary permissions to the VPC Flow Logs service in each account to write to that bucket using the KMS key. Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account to publish to the central bucket.
Direct delivery to central bucket with KMS encryption.
- C
Create a bucket in each account with KMS encryption and use S3 Cross-Region Replication to copy logs to the central bucket.
Why wrong: Replication adds complexity and cost.
- D
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose in each account to stream logs to a central S3 bucket with KMS encryption.
Why wrong: Unnecessary complexity; VPC Flow Logs can deliver directly to S3.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a central S3 bucket in the logging account with a customer-managed KMS key and grant the VPC Flow Logs service principal in each account direct write and KMS encrypt permissions. This works because VPC Flow Logs can natively publish to a cross-account S3 bucket when the destination bucket policy and the KMS key policy explicitly allow the source account’s flow logs service principal, eliminating the need for any intermediate replication or streaming services. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of least-operational-overhead architectures for centralized logging, often contrasting this direct delivery approach against more complex solutions like using AWS Firewall Manager or Lambda-based replication. A common trap is overcomplicating the setup with additional accounts or services when the native VPC Flow Logs delivery mechanism already supports cross-account S3 destinations with KMS encryption. Memory tip: “Direct delivery, no middleman—just one bucket policy and one key policy to span the organization.”
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 has a multi-account AWS environment with a centralized logging account. The security team wants to ensure that all VPC Flow Logs from all accounts are delivered to a central Amazon S3 bucket in the logging account. The logs must be encrypted at rest using AWS KMS. The company currently uses AWS Organizations. Which solution meets these requirements with the least operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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
Create a bucket in the logging account with a KMS key. Grant the necessary permissions to the VPC Flow Logs service in each account to write to that bucket using the KMS key. Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account to publish to the central bucket.
Option B is correct because it uses a central S3 bucket in the logging account with a customer-managed KMS key, which satisfies the encryption-at-rest requirement. By granting the VPC Flow Logs service principal in each account the necessary permissions to write to the central bucket and use the KMS key, logs are delivered directly without additional infrastructure. This approach minimizes operational overhead by avoiding replication, streaming services, or per-account bucket management.
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.
- ✗
Create a bucket in the logging account with default S3-managed encryption and enable VPC Flow Logs in each account to publish to that bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Does not use customer-managed KMS key.
- ✓
Create a bucket in the logging account with a KMS key. Grant the necessary permissions to the VPC Flow Logs service in each account to write to that bucket using the KMS key. Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account to publish to the central bucket.
Why this is correct
Direct delivery to central bucket with KMS encryption.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a bucket in each account with KMS encryption and use S3 Cross-Region Replication to copy logs to the central bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Replication adds complexity and cost.
- ✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose in each account to stream logs to a central S3 bucket with KMS encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary complexity; VPC Flow Logs can deliver directly to S3.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may overlook the KMS encryption requirement and choose Option A with SSE-S3, or assume that cross-account delivery requires complex replication or streaming services, when in fact VPC Flow Logs support direct cross-account S3 delivery with proper bucket and KMS key policies.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Flow Logs can publish directly to a cross-account S3 bucket by using a bucket policy that grants the `s3:PutObject` and `s3:GetBucketAcl` permissions to the VPC Flow Logs service principal (`delivery.logs.amazonaws.com`) from the source account. When using KMS, the KMS key policy must also allow the `kms:Encrypt` and `kms:GenerateDataKey` actions for the same service principal. This cross-account delivery works without any intermediate services, but the bucket must be in the same AWS Region as the VPC producing the logs, as VPC Flow Logs do not support cross-Region delivery to S3.
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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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: Create a bucket in the logging account with a KMS key. Grant the necessary permissions to the VPC Flow Logs service in each account to write to that bucket using the KMS key. Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account to publish to the central bucket. — Option B is correct because it uses a central S3 bucket in the logging account with a customer-managed KMS key, which satisfies the encryption-at-rest requirement. By granting the VPC Flow Logs service principal in each account the necessary permissions to write to the central bucket and use the KMS key, logs are delivered directly without additional infrastructure. This approach minimizes operational overhead by avoiding replication, streaming services, or per-account bucket management.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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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