Quick Answer
The answer is AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO). This service is the correct choice because it is purpose-built to enable single sign-on from a corporate identity provider, allowing employees to authenticate to the AWS Management Console using their existing corporate credentials through federation via SAML 2.0 or OIDC. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of centralized identity federation versus traditional IAM users; a common trap is selecting AWS IAM Identity Provider (which is a feature of IAM for role-based federation, not the SSO service itself) or AWS Directory Service (which is for Microsoft AD, not general corporate IdP integration). The key distinction is that IAM Identity Center manages permissions across multiple AWS accounts and applications from a single IdP connection, while IAM roles only handle access to a single account. Memory tip: think “SSO = Single Sign-On for many accounts,” whereas “IAM IdP = one role per account.”
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. 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 wants to allow its employees to authenticate to the AWS Management Console using their existing corporate credentials. Which AWS service should be used to integrate with the company's identity provider?
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Secrets Manager is for secrets.
AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory
Why wrong: This is for using AWS Managed Microsoft AD, not for federation.
AWS Certificate Manager
Why wrong: ACM is for certificates.
AWS IAM Identity Center (AWS SSO)
IAM Identity Center supports federation with external IdPs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS IAM Identity Center (AWS SSO)
AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO) is the correct service because it is specifically designed to enable single sign-on (SSO) from an external identity provider (IdP) to AWS accounts and business applications. It supports federation via SAML 2.0 or OIDC, allowing employees to authenticate using their existing corporate credentials and then access the AWS Management Console without needing separate IAM users.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager is for secrets.
AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory
Why it's wrong here
This is for using AWS Managed Microsoft AD, not for federation.
AWS Certificate Manager
Why it's wrong here
ACM is for certificates.
AWS IAM Identity Center (AWS SSO)
Why this is correct
IAM Identity Center supports federation with external IdPs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory with federation, but Directory Service is for managing AD domains in AWS, not for integrating with an external corporate IdP to provide SSO to the AWS console—that requires IAM Identity Center or IAM SAML federation.
Detailed technical explanation
IAM Identity Center uses a trusted token issuer model where the external IdP (e.g., Okta, Azure AD, or Ping) issues a SAML 2.0 assertion that IAM Identity Center validates and then maps to AWS roles or permission sets. Under the hood, it creates a temporary AWS STS token for the user, enabling access to the console or CLI without storing long-term credentials in AWS. A subtle behavior is that IAM Identity Center can also synchronize users and groups from an external IdP via SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) protocol, allowing automatic provisioning and deprovisioning of access.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS IAM Identity Center (AWS SSO) — AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO) is the correct service because it is specifically designed to enable single sign-on (SSO) from an external identity provider (IdP) to AWS accounts and business applications. It supports federation via SAML 2.0 or OIDC, allowing employees to authenticate using their existing corporate credentials and then access the AWS Management Console without needing separate IAM users.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.
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