AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Quick Facts (2025)

Exam Domain Breakdown

Domain 1: Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation (20% of the exam)

Task Statement 1.1: Implement metrics, alarms, and filters by using AWS monitoring and logging services.

• Identify, collect, analyze, and export logs (for example, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, CloudWatch Logs Insights, AWS CloudTrail logs).
• Collect metrics and logs by using the CloudWatch agent.
• Create CloudWatch alarms.
• Create metric filters.
• Create CloudWatch dashboards.
• Configure notifications (for example, Amazon Simple Notification Service [Amazon SNS], Service Quotas, CloudWatch alarms, AWS Health events).

1.1 summary: This section emphasizes how to use AWS's monitoring and logging tools for observability. You will practice setting up CloudWatch metrics, dashboards, and alarms to track operational health. By gathering logs through CloudWatch Logs and CloudTrail, you ensure visibility across workloads and environments. Notifications tie it all together, allowing you to proactively respond to events with services like Amazon SNS.

The practical focus is on designing reliable monitoring so that stakeholders always have timely insights. Building these capabilities not only strengthens operational control but also improves security, governance, and response time. Expect questions that highlight which services are appropriate for specific scenarios and how different monitoring tools work together.

Task Statement 1.2: Remediate issues based on monitoring and availability metrics.

• Troubleshoot or take corrective actions based on notifications and alarms.
• Configure Amazon EventBridge rules to invoke actions.
• Use AWS Systems Manager Automation runbooks to take action based on AWS Config rules.

1.2 summary: This section shows you how to move from identifying issues to automated, effective remediation. You will learn how proactive alerts lead to quick recovery, whether through manual troubleshooting or by triggering automated playbooks in Systems Manager. EventBridge is key here, enabling event-driven remediation and control for workloads in production.

The focus expands from monitoring to hands-on response. Understanding how to reduce disruption and improve uptime will ensure that workloads stay highly available. This emphasizes the value of automation and AWS-native integrations that turn monitoring signals into resilient action.

Domain 2: Reliability and Business Continuity (16% of the exam)

Task Statement 2.1: Implement scalability and elasticity.

• Create and maintain AWS Auto Scaling plans.
• Implement caching.
• Implement Amazon RDS replicas and Amazon Aurora Replicas.
• Implement loosely coupled architectures.
• Differentiate between horizontal scaling and vertical scaling.

2.1 summary: This section highlights strategies to keep workloads adaptive and responsive as demand changes. Auto Scaling and Aurora replicas provide flexibility, while caching reduces latency for end users. Understanding when to use horizontal versus vertical scaling ensures optimal cost and performance outcomes.

You will apply these principles to design cloud architectures ready to handle unexpected changes in load. Expect to explore tradeoffs between approaches, illustrating the importance of elasticity in modern cloud operations. The result is stronger, more cost-effective infrastructure.

Task Statement 2.2: Implement high availability and resilient environments.

• Configure Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) and Amazon Route 53 health checks.
• Differentiate between the use of a single Availability Zone and Multi-AZ deployments (for example, Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling groups, ELB, Amazon FSx, Amazon RDS).
• Implement fault-tolerant workloads (for example, Amazon Elastic File System [Amazon EFS], Elastic IP addresses).
• Implement Route 53 routing policies (for example, failover, weighted, latency based).

2.2 summary: This section teaches how to design resilient systems that run even when parts of the infrastructure fail. Load balancing, multi-AZ deployments, and dynamic DNS routing ensure workloads stay operational across diverse failure scenarios. Resiliency is achieved by distributing services intelligently.

The goal is to create architectures that never become single points of failure. High availability builds user trust and promotes long-term stability. By combining these AWS services, operations teams have strong tools to minimize service interruptions.

Task Statement 2.3: Implement backup and restore strategies.

• Automate snapshots and backups based on use cases (for example, RDS snapshots, AWS Backup, RTO and RPO, Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager, retention policy).
• Restore databases (for example, point-in-time restore, promote read replica).
• Implement versioning and lifecycle rules.
• Configure Amazon S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR).
• Perform disaster recovery procedures.

2.3 summary: Backup and restore strategies are essential parts of business continuity. By automating snapshots and retention efforts, you ensure workloads are always recoverable. You will consider objectives like RTO (recovery time) and RPO (recovery point) to meet business requirements effectively.

This ensures confidence that workloads can be restored quickly and accurately. You will also apply multi-region strategies, like S3 Cross-Region Replication, and consider disaster recovery playbooks that allow workloads to survive unexpected disruptions.

Domain 3: Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation (18% of the exam)

Task Statement 3.1: Provision and maintain cloud resources.

• Create and manage AMIs (for example, EC2 Image Builder).
• Create, manage, and troubleshoot AWS CloudFormation.
• Provision resources across multiple AWS Regions and accounts (for example, AWS Resource Access Manager [AWS RAM], CloudFormation StackSets, IAM cross-account roles).
• Select deployment scenarios and services (for example, blue/green, rolling, canary).
• Identify and remediate deployment issues (for example, service quotas, subnet sizing, CloudFormation errors, permissions).

3.1 summary: This section is about efficiently deploying and maintaining resources across environments and accounts. You will plan and launch solutions with CloudFormation, Image Builder, and multi-account provisioning tools like StackSets. Understanding deployment scenarios ensures you choose the right strategy for application delivery.

Emphasis is placed on operational excellence and governance. Troubleshooting deployment issues ensures that infrastructure as code practices remain consistent and scalable at enterprise levels. This prepares you to keep resources predictable and optimally managed in production.

Task Statement 3.2: Automate manual or repeatable processes.

• Use AWS services (for example, Systems Manager, CloudFormation) to automate deployment processes.
• Implement automated patch management.
• Schedule automated tasks by using AWS services (for example, EventBridge, AWS Config).

3.2 summary: This section focuses on reducing repetitive work through automation. Tools like Systems Manager automate patching and operational tasks, and EventBridge ensures scheduled activities keep workloads consistent with desired state.

Automating operational practices saves time and reduces error rates. The focus is on keeping workloads aligned with governance and security standards while increasing efficiency. Expect scenarios where automation best practices directly improve business outcomes.

Domain 4: Security and Compliance (16% of the exam)

Task Statement 4.1: Implement and manage security and compliance policies.

• Implement IAM features (for example, password policies, multi-factor authentication [MFA], roles, SAML, federated identity, resource policies, policy conditions).
• Troubleshoot and audit access issues by using AWS services (for example, CloudTrail, IAM Access Analyzer, IAM policy simulator).
• Validate service control policies (SCPs) and permissions boundaries.
• Review AWS Trusted Advisor security checks.
• Validate AWS Region and service selections based on compliance requirements.
• Implement secure multi-account strategies (for example, AWS Control Tower, AWS Organizations).

4.1 summary: This section highlights the importance of robust identity, governance, and compliance strategies within AWS operations. You will practice using IAM tools, SCPs, and Organizations to enforce guardrails at scale. Additionally, you will monitor and review access through auditing and analysis tools.

The emphasis is on control and accountability across environments. Security and compliance become operational strengths with proper setup, ensuring workloads remain secure while meeting industry regulations.

Task Statement 4.2: Implement data and infrastructure protection strategies.

• Enforce a data classification scheme.
• Create, manage, and protect encryption keys.
• Implement encryption at rest (for example, AWS Key Management Service [AWS KMS]).
• Implement encryption in transit (for example, AWS Certificate Manager [ACM], VPN).
• Securely store secrets by using AWS services (for example, AWS Secrets Manager, Systems Manager Parameter Store).
• Review reports or findings (for example, AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Config, Amazon Inspector).

4.2 summary: This section covers how to protect sensitive data at every layer. Strong key management, encryption strategies, and secrets management keep data safe whether at rest or in transit. Tools like AWS KMS and Secrets Manager are central to this approach.

You will also analyze findings from security services to continuously improve posture. Data protection is seen not only as a technical concern but as a foundational practice that reinforces trust, availability, and compliance.

Domain 5: Networking and Content Delivery (18% of the exam)

Task Statement 5.1: Implement networking features and connectivity.

• Configure a VPC (for example, subnets, route tables, network ACLs, security groups, NAT gateway, internet gateway).
• Configure private connectivity (for example, Systems Manager Session Manager, VPC endpoints, VPC peering, VPN).
• Configure AWS network protection services (for example, AWS WAF, AWS Shield).

5.1 summary: This section examines how to configure and secure networking with Amazon VPC. From routes and gateways to private endpoints and VPN connectivity, you will learn how to design hybrid and isolated networking at scale.

Protection services like WAF and Shield strengthen the security of internet-facing workloads. Mastering networking ensures performance, security, and flexibility for business-critical systems.

Task Statement 5.2: Configure domains, DNS services, and content delivery.

• Configure Route 53 hosted zones and records.
• Implement Route 53 routing policies (for example, geolocation, geoproximity).
• Configure DNS (for example, Route 53 Resolver).
• Configure Amazon CloudFront and S3 origin access control (OAC).
• Configure S3 static website hosting.

5.2 summary: This section focuses on how workloads are presented to users around the world. CloudFront, Route 53, and DNS resolvers bring performance and stability with low latency.

By mastering routing policies and delivery configurations, you provide seamless experiences for end users while enriching resiliency. Expect scenarios showing how these features improve system delivery time and availability.

Task Statement 5.3: Troubleshoot network connectivity issues.

• Interpret VPC configurations (for example, subnets, route tables, network ACLs, security groups).
• Collect and interpret logs (for example, VPC Flow Logs, ELB access logs, AWS WAF web ACL logs, CloudFront logs).
• Identify and remediate CloudFront caching issues.
• Troubleshoot hybrid and private connectivity issues.

5.3 summary: This section demonstrates the importance of monitoring and troubleshooting networking issues. By analyzing logs from VPC, ELB, and CloudFront you can uncover patterns and remediate problems.

Troubleshooting ensures smooth connectivity for critical apps, both in public cloud and hybrid environments. Using structured approaches ensures quick recovery, supporting reliability at scale.

Domain 6: Cost and Performance Optimization (12% of the exam)

Task Statement 6.1: Implement cost optimization strategies.

• Implement cost allocation tags.
• Identify and remediate underutilized or unused resources by using AWS services and tools (for example, Trusted Advisor, AWS Compute Optimizer, AWS Cost Explorer).
• Configure AWS Budgets and billing alarms.
• Assess resource usage patterns to qualify workloads for EC2 Spot Instances.
• Identify opportunities to use managed services (for example, Amazon RDS, AWS Fargate, Amazon EFS).

6.1 summary: This section focuses on aligning performance with cost efficiency. Tagging resources and configuring budgets ensure all usage is properly tracked. Analytics tools like Cost Explorer highlight opportunities to save while maintaining value.

Workload analysis also determines when Spot Instances or managed services are appropriate to lower expenses. Together, these capabilities encourage financial visibility and efficiency.

Task Statement 6.2: Implement performance optimization strategies.

• Recommend compute resources based on performance metrics.
• Monitor Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) metrics and modify configuration to increase performance efficiency.
• Implement S3 performance features (for example, S3 Transfer Acceleration, multipart uploads).
• Monitor RDS metrics and modify the configuration to increase performance efficiency (for example, Performance Insights, RDS Proxy).
• Enable enhanced EC2 capabilities (for example, Elastic Network Adapter, instance store, placement groups).

6.2 summary: This section highlights optimizing the speed and scalability of workloads. By monitoring performance metrics across EBS, RDS, and compute resources, you fine-tune infrastructure to deliver greater responsiveness.

Features like S3 Transfer Acceleration and proper use of enhanced networking further improve efficiency. Performance optimization goes hand in hand with cost management, delivering reliable and efficient systems that adapt dynamically to organizational needs.