AWS Compliance and Governance are fundamental concepts for organizations operating in the cloud. AWS provides a robust framework to help customers meet regulatory requirements and maintain proper oversight of their cloud resources.
**AWS Compliance** refers to AWS's adherence to various industry s…AWS Compliance and Governance are fundamental concepts for organizations operating in the cloud. AWS provides a robust framework to help customers meet regulatory requirements and maintain proper oversight of their cloud resources.
**AWS Compliance** refers to AWS's adherence to various industry standards, regulations, and certifications. AWS maintains compliance with numerous programs including SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR, and ISO 27001. AWS operates under a Shared Responsibility Model where AWS manages security OF the cloud (infrastructure, hardware, networking), while customers manage security IN the cloud (data, applications, access management).
**AWS Artifact** is a central resource for compliance-related information. It provides on-demand access to AWS security and compliance reports, including SOC reports and certifications. Customers can also access agreements like Business Associate Addendums (BAA) through this service.
**Governance** in AWS involves establishing policies, procedures, and controls to manage cloud resources effectively. Key governance tools include:
- **AWS Organizations**: Enables centralized management of multiple AWS accounts with consolidated billing and service control policies (SCPs)
- **AWS Config**: Tracks resource configurations and evaluates them against desired settings
- **AWS CloudTrail**: Logs all API calls and user activities for auditing purposes
- **AWS Control Tower**: Provides a pre-configured landing zone with guardrails for multi-account environments
**Service Control Policies (SCPs)** allow organizations to set permission boundaries across accounts, ensuring consistent security policies.
**AWS Well-Architected Framework** provides best practices across five pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Cost Optimization.
By leveraging these tools and frameworks, organizations can demonstrate compliance to auditors, maintain proper governance over resources, and ensure their cloud environment aligns with both internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
AWS Compliance and Governance: Complete Guide for Cloud Practitioner Exam
Why AWS Compliance and Governance is Important
Compliance and governance are critical aspects of cloud computing that ensure organizations meet regulatory requirements, maintain security standards, and follow best practices. For businesses operating in regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, or government, understanding AWS compliance capabilities is essential for legal operation and customer trust. AWS provides extensive compliance programs and governance tools that help organizations demonstrate adherence to various standards and regulations.
What is AWS Compliance and Governance?
AWS Compliance refers to AWS's adherence to global and industry-specific regulatory standards and frameworks. AWS maintains certifications and attestations including:
• SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 - Service Organization Control reports • PCI DSS - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard • HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act • FedRAMP - Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program • GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation • ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 - Information security standards
AWS Governance involves the tools, services, and practices that help organizations manage and control their AWS environment, enforce policies, and maintain oversight of resources and spending.
How AWS Compliance and Governance Works
Shared Responsibility Model: AWS operates under a shared responsibility model where AWS is responsible for security of the cloud (infrastructure), while customers are responsible for security in the cloud (data, applications, configurations).
Key Compliance and Governance Services:
• AWS Artifact - Provides on-demand access to AWS compliance reports and select online agreements. This is your go-to portal for downloading compliance documentation.
• AWS Config - Tracks resource configurations and evaluates them against desired configurations. Enables compliance auditing and security analysis.
• AWS CloudTrail - Records API calls and account activity, providing an audit trail for governance, compliance, and operational troubleshooting.
• AWS Organizations - Allows centralized management of multiple AWS accounts with Service Control Policies (SCPs) to enforce governance policies.
• AWS Control Tower - Provides a pre-configured environment for setting up and governing a secure, multi-account AWS environment based on best practices.
• AWS Audit Manager - Helps automate evidence collection to assess whether policies, procedures, and activities are operating effectively.
• AWS Security Hub - Aggregates security findings and performs automated compliance checks against frameworks and standards.
The AWS Compliance Program
AWS Compliance Programs are grouped into categories: • Certifications and Attestations - Third-party auditor assessments • Laws, Regulations, and Privacy - Compliance with specific legal requirements • Alignments and Frameworks - Industry-specific security and privacy frameworks
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on AWS Compliance and Governance Concepts
1. Remember AWS Artifact - When questions ask about accessing compliance reports, audit documents, or AWS certifications, the answer is typically AWS Artifact.
2. Understand the Shared Responsibility Model - Know what AWS manages versus what customers manage. AWS handles physical security, infrastructure, and the cloud platform. Customers handle data encryption, access management, and application security.
3. Know the Difference Between Services: - CloudTrail = Who did what (API logging and audit trail) - AWS Config = What changed and is it compliant (resource configuration tracking) - AWS Artifact = Compliance documentation and reports
4. Service Control Policies (SCPs) - Remember these are used in AWS Organizations to set permission guardrails across accounts.
5. For Multi-Account Governance - AWS Control Tower and AWS Organizations are the primary services for managing governance across multiple accounts.
6. Compliance is a Shared Effort - AWS provides compliant infrastructure, but customers must configure and use services in a compliant manner.
7. Key Associations to Memorize: - Healthcare compliance = HIPAA - Payment processing = PCI DSS - Government workloads = FedRAMP - European data privacy = GDPR
8. When in Doubt - If a question mentions auditing, logging, or tracking changes, think CloudTrail and AWS Config. If it mentions downloading compliance documents, think AWS Artifact.