AWS Workspaces with Standalone Managed Directory Service

Answer - C.

The AWS Documentation mentions the following.

Amazon WorkSpaces uses directories to store and manage information for your WorkSpaces and users.

For your directory, you can choose from Simple AD, AD Connector, or AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory (Enterprise Edition), also known as Microsoft AD.

In addition, you can establish a trust relationship between your Microsoft AD directory and your on-premises domain.

Option A is incorrect because this would require more effort.

Option B is incorrect because there is a requirement for a standalone managed directory service.

Simple AD would be the best fit here.

Option D is incorrect because this would not be cost-effective.

For more information on Simple AD with AWS workspaces, please refer to the below URL.

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/latest/adminguide/launch-workspace-simple-ad.html

When setting up AWS Workspaces for 100 users, you can choose from several options for a standalone managed directory service. To select the ideal option with minimal administrative overhead and cost-effectiveness, you can compare the following options:

A. Deploy an AD domain server in a VPC and configure AWS Workspace to use the newly created AD Domain server. This option involves setting up your own Active Directory domain server within an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). This option provides the most flexibility, but it also requires significant administrative overhead and expertise to configure, manage and maintain. It also involves higher costs for EC2 instances and storage for the AD domain server.

B. Choose an AD connector to use along with AWS Workspaces. This option allows you to connect AWS Workspaces to an existing on-premises Active Directory domain. This option is recommended if you have an existing on-premises AD environment, but it requires a VPN connection between AWS and your on-premises network. This option also involves some administrative overhead and expertise to configure and maintain the VPN connection.

C. Choose Simple AD to use along with AWS Workspaces. This option provides a cost-effective, managed directory service that is compatible with AWS Workspaces. It is a lightweight version of Microsoft Active Directory, hosted in the cloud, and can be managed easily using the AWS Management Console. It is suitable for basic directory needs and can handle user authentication and authorization for AWS Workspaces, but it has limited features and does not support all the features of a full-fledged Active Directory.

D. Choose AWS Directory Service to use along with AWS Workspaces. This option is a fully managed directory service, which supports multiple directory types, including Microsoft Active Directory and Simple AD. It provides a managed service with features like automatic backups, patching, and monitoring. AWS Directory Service can integrate with AWS Workspaces and other AWS services. This option provides a balance between flexibility and ease of management, making it a popular choice for customers.

In summary, option C (Choose Simple AD to use along with AWS Workspaces) provides a cost-effective and easy-to-manage solution for basic directory needs, while option D (Choose AWS Directory Service to use along with AWS Workspaces) provides a more comprehensive and fully managed solution for customers who require more advanced features.