Identity and Access Management (IAM) (12 min)

What is IAM?

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a framework of policies and technologies that ensures the right individuals have appropriate access to cloud resources. It controls authentication (who you are) and authorization (what you can do).

Key IAM Concepts

Core IAM concepts include users, groups, roles, and policies. Roles define a set of permissions, which can be assigned to users or groups, allowing precise control over who can access specific cloud resources and actions.

Why IAM Matters

Proper IAM configuration is one of the most important layers of cloud security. Following the principle of least privilege — granting only the permissions necessary to perform a task — significantly reduces the risk of accidental or malicious data exposure.