Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a framework of policies and technologies that ensures the right individuals have appropriate access to technology resources. It governs user identities, authentication, and authorization across cloud platforms.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the cornerstone of cloud security. It provides centralized control over who can access cloud resources, what actions they can perform, and under what conditions access is granted. Every major cloud provider, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, offers its own IAM system that integrates deeply with all other platform services.
IAM operates on the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users and services are granted only the minimum permissions needed to perform their tasks. This is achieved through a combination of users, groups, roles, and policies. Policies define specific permissions and are attached to identities or resources to enforce access controls.
Misconfigurations in IAM are one of the most common causes of cloud security breaches. Overly permissive policies, unused credentials, and lack of multi-factor authentication can all lead to unauthorized access. Organizations should regularly audit IAM configurations, rotate credentials, and implement conditional access policies to maintain a strong security posture. Automated tools like Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solutions can continuously monitor IAM configurations for drift and non-compliance.