Five AWS IAM best practices to bolster cloud security

To mitigate risks and protect cloud resources, many organizations rely on AWS IAM policies. Use these five tips to learn the basic features -- and limitations -- of the service. Identity and access management plays an essential role in any cloud security strategy. Those who need access to cloud resources should receive it -- but only to the extent in which they need it. IT administrators, for example, require higher levels of cloud access than an end user. AWS' Identity and Access Management (IAM) service acts as a directory through which admins can grant, restrict and track users' cloud access privileges. Not only does this help IT teams control in-house access to the cloud, but it also acts as a first line of defense against outside intrusions and hackers. But before admins get started with the service, they should familiarize themselves with certain AWS IAM best practices. These include how to create and manage IAM accounts and how to supplement the IAM service with other native and third-party tools.