Identity and Access Management (IAM)
By Abhinay Durishetty
3 mins read
What is AWS IAM?
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a key service within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem that allows you to securely manage access to your AWS resources. It enables you to create and manage users, roles, and permissions, thereby ensuring that only authorized parties can access specific resources. IAM is the gatekeeper of your cloud environment, helping you answer the critical question: "Who is allowed to do what?"
Why IAM?
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a key service within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem that allows you to securely manage access to your AWS resources. It enables you to create and manage users, roles, and permissions, thereby ensuring that only authorized parties can access specific resources. IAM is the gatekeeper of your cloud environment, helping you answer the critical question: "Who is allowed to do what?"
Why IAM?
- Controlled Access: Specify who can access your AWS resources, similar to having a safe with restricted access codes.
- Simplified Management: Create roles with permissions and assign them to users or services, like keys for specific locks, simplifying access management.
- Enhanced Security: Offers multi-factor authentication, detailed access logging, and real-time monitoring via AWS CloudWatch, adding layers of security to protect your resources.
- Auditing and Compliance: Keeps a record of all activities, aiding in auditing and compliance requirements, ensuring transparency for audits.
- Flexible Billing: Track AWS costs separately for different departments or projects by setting up individual users and roles for detailed cost tracking and budgeting.
- Granular Permissions: Customize access control by setting permissions at a granular level, specifying what users can do with specific AWS actions and resources.