What is AWS Organizations?
AWS Organizations is a free governance tool that enables users to create and manage multiple AWS accounts from a single location. It helps in managing users’ accounts without requiring them to switch between accounts.
Benefits of AWS Organizations
AWS Organizations enables users to centralize their logs by integrating with AWS CloudTrail, roll up billing to a single account, and share Reserved Instances across multiple accounts. It is free to set up and users will only be billed for the resources used in each account. The maximum limit of user accounts under AWS Organizations is 10, though this can be changed by contacting AWS Support.
How to Use AWS Organizations
Using AWS Organizations is simple and straightforward. Once the organization is created, users can add new AWS accounts, link existing accounts, and set policies on how the accounts will be managed. It also allows users to share resources between accounts and centralize their logs.
Conclusion
AWS Organizations is a great tool for managing multiple user accounts from a single location. It allows users to centralize their logs, share resources between accounts, and set policies on how the accounts will be managed. It is easy to set up and free to use, and users will only be billed for the resources they use in each account.
Components of AWS Organizations:
Management/Master Account
The Management/Master account is the administrative account in AWS Organizations that has full rights over all the accounts in the Organization. It is used to centrally manage all accounts and handle the billing, logging, and other administrative tasks.
Member Account
The accounts in AWS Organization, other than the Master account, are referred to as Member accounts. These can be existing accounts or new accounts added to the Organization.
Organization Units (OU)
Organization Units (OUs) are the units in which all the accounts in the Organization are grouped. Multiple OUs can be created, and they can be nested within each other.
Policies
AWS Organizations provides various policies that can be used to restrict access and set parameters for each account. The most important policy provided is the Service Control Policy (SCP), which can be used to control access to resources and services.
AWS Organizations Policies:
Opt-Out Policies for AI Services
Opting out of AI services allows you to store and use your content without worrying about data breaches. Most organizations have an opt-out policy to ensure the data is kept secure and private.
Backup Policies
Backup policies are essential for organizations to comply with various regulations. These policies provide a comprehensive plan to ensure the data is stored securely and is backed up regularly. With a backup policy in place, organizations can maintain consistency and reliability in their data.
Service Control Policies
Service Control Policies (SCPs) are the most important policy in AWS Organizations. They limit the actions of the accounts in the organization, ensuring that all actions are in accordance with the organization’s access control guidelines.
Tag Policies
Tag policies are used to set standards for tagging resources in AWS. These policies allow users to define the tag keys and their allowed values, ensuring that all tags are consistent and meaningful. Tag policies
help organizations keep track of their resources and make it easier to find what they need.
Service Control Policies (SCP):
Introduction to AWS Service Control Policies
AWS Service Control Policies (SCPs) are documents used to manage and create permissions or guidelines for users and resources within an AWS account. They are the best way to set limits and restrict access to users and resources, and can even be applied to the Root account.
Understanding How SCPs are Implemented
SCPs are implemented with AWS Organizations. They are applied to each and every resource within the account, ensuring that all users and resources remain within the confines of the policy. These policies can be found under AWS Organizations → Policies → Service Control Policies.
Advantages of Using SCPs
Using SCPs has a variety of advantages, including increased security and compliance, improved cost control, and the ability to enforce organizational standards. SCPs can also help to ensure that users and resources remain within the confines of a policy, reducing the chances of a data breach or unauthorized access.
AWS Organization Features:
Centralized Management
Organizations allow users to link multiple accounts and centrally manage them. With Organizations, users can add existing or new accounts to the organization and gain control of each account from one master account.
Grouping and Hierarchical Organizations
Organizations allow users to group accounts together, either normally or in a hierarchical structure. This allows users to create different Organization Units (OU) for different access levels and nest OUs inside each other.
Policies and Restrictions
Organizations allow users to set policies to restrict activities of each account and set boundaries. This allows users to keep accounts secure from unauthorized activities.
Integration with IAM and Other AWS Services
Organizations can be integrated with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) in order to set up roles for users and accounts. Additionally, Organizations can also be integrated with other AWS services such as AWS Backup and CloudTrail.
Cost-Effective and Free to Use
Organizations is cost-effective as users are only charged for the resources used by each account. Furthermore, setting up and using Organizations is free of charge.
Advantages of Using Organizations
Quickly Scale Your Environments With AWS Organizations
Using AWS Organizations, users can quickly scale their environment by adding and grouping new accounts. With the help of Organization’s APIs, new accounts can be added and created programmatically. The new account will be immediately covered by the group’s policies.
Group Accounts Systematically and Hierarchically
Organizations makes it easy to group accounts in a hierarchical and systematic way. This makes it easier to use.
Efficiently Provision Resources Across Accounts
AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) with AWS Organization allows users to share resources between accounts in an Organization. This eliminates the need to use duplicate resources for different accounts.
Centrally Manage and Govern Multiple Accounts
A master account with admin access can be used to centrally manage all accounts within an Organization. This makes it easier to manage and govern multiple accounts.
Set Limits With Service Control Policies (SCPs)
Service Control Policies (SCPs) can be set in AWS Organizations to set boundaries and restrict each account. This helps to limit what users can do.
Manage Costs and Logs Centrally
Organizations makes it possible to manage and consolidate billing and logs for each account. This helps to manage costs and logs centrally.
Use Cases of AWS Organizations:
Grouping Accounts in AWS
Grouping accounts in AWS allows you to restrict access to accounts via a single account and manage billing and costs centrally. You can also share resources between various accounts, set up production, development, or foundation OU accounts, and organize accounts in a hierarchical or nested manner.
Optimizing Access and Cost Management
Organizing accounts in AWS enables you to optimize access and cost management. You can apply access restrictions to accounts through a single account, centralize billing and costs, and share resources between accounts. This helps ensure that you have secure access to your AWS accounts and that you can effectively manage costs.
Establishing Hierarchical Accounts
You can also set up accounts in a hierarchical or nested manner. This allows you to break down your accounts into different organizational units, such as production, development, or foundation accounts. This helps you to streamline resource sharing, manage access restrictions, and optimize cost management.