How to Centralize and Automate EC2, RDS, and DynamoDB Backups on AWS?

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine appropriate data security controls.

Short answer

B AWS Backup provides a centralized, native way to configure, schedule, and monitor backups for EC2, RDS, and DynamoDB.

Question

A large international university has deployed all of its compute services in the AWS Cloud. These services include Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, and Amazon DynamoDB. The university currently relies on many custom scripts to back up its infrastructure. However, the university wants to centralize management and automate data backups as much as possible by using AWS native options. Which solution will meet these requirements?
  1. Use third-party backup software with an AWS Storage Gateway tape gateway virtual tape library.
  2. Use AWS Backup to configure and monitor all backups for the services in use. Correct Answer
  3. Use AWS Config to set lifecycle management to take snapshots of all data sources on a schedule.
  4. Use AWS Systems Manager State Manager to manage the configuration and monitoring of backup tasks.

Key Takeaways

The question tests whether you can match a fully managed, cross-service backup requirement to the right AWS service; the trap is picking a configuration or orchestration tool (AWS Config, Systems Manager) that manages settings rather than performing the backups themselves.

AWS Backup is the native, centralized service for scheduling and monitoring backups across Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, and Amazon DynamoDB from a single console. This page confirms why option B satisfies the university's requirement to replace custom scripts with AWS-native, automated backup management.

Common mistake: The most common wrong answer is D, AWS Systems Manager State Manager, because it sounds like it 'automates' and 'monitors' tasks — but it applies configuration state to instances; it does not create or retain backups of RDS or DynamoDB.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

AWS Backup is purpose-built to centralize backup across services, and its supported-resource list explicitly covers Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, and Amazon DynamoDB — exactly the three services the university runs. It replaces hand-rolled cron scripts with backup plans that define schedules, retention, lifecycle rules, and cross-region or cross-account copies. Because it is an AWS-native option with a single console and API, it directly satisfies both the 'centralize' and 'automate using AWS native options' requirements. It also adds monitoring through backup vaults, jobs, and CloudWatch/EventBridge notifications, which the university's custom scripts lacked.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A introduces third-party backup software on top of a Storage Gateway tape gateway VTL, which is neither AWS-native end-to-end nor a fit for backing up managed RDS and DynamoDB data directly. Option C confuses governance with backup: AWS Config evaluates and records resource configuration compliance, and while it can trigger remediation, it has no native snapshot lifecycle engine for EC2, RDS, and DynamoDB together. Option D, Systems Manager State Manager, enforces and monitors desired configuration state on managed nodes; it can run scripts, but it is not a backup service and does not provide backup vaults, retention, or restore workflows for managed databases.

Community Comment Notes

Consensus here is unanimous and the reasoning is sound: as Mikado211 put it, "Centralized management of backups == AWS Backup", which is precisely the phrasing of the requirement. Scheldon reinforced this by naming the service the "AWS native tool that will support EC2, RDS and DynamoDB" and pointed to the AWS Backup supported-services documentation. Hkayne summarized the second half of the requirement with "Automate backups = AWS Backup". No commenter defended A, C, or D, which matches the technical analysis above.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When a scenario says 'centralize', 'automate', and 'AWS native', scan the options for the service whose name literally matches the function — AWS Backup. Eliminate tools whose primary job is configuration management, compliance evaluation, or third-party integration, since they can assist backups but never are the backup service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is AWS Systems Manager State Manager wrong for automating these backups?

State Manager only enforces desired configuration state on managed nodes and can run scripts; it creates no backup vaults, retention policies, or restore workflows for RDS and DynamoDB.

Can AWS Config take scheduled snapshots of EC2, RDS, and DynamoDB?

No. AWS Config records and evaluates resource configuration compliance and can trigger remediation, but it has no native snapshot lifecycle management across those services.

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Community Votes

B
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 3 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 3

  1. Mikado211 👍 5 Answered B
    Centralized management of backups == AWS Backup
  2. Scheldon 👍 3 Answered B
    AnswerB AWS native tool that will support EC2, RDS and DynamoDB = AWS Backup https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-backup/latest/devguide/working-with-supported-services.html
  3. Hkayne 👍 3 Answered B
    Automate backups = AWS Backup

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