I am working with Identity and Access Management. We have a team of 30 people, and we need to provide some developer access, quality access, manager access, and team access. Whenever we need to create any infrastructure using the console, we create it using access.
AWS DevOps/ Site Reliability Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Managing team access and restriction with effective identity solutions
Pros and Cons
- "AWS IAM is useful since it restricts unauthorized use of the AWS console."
- "Workload management could be improved by providing temporary access."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
AWS IAM is useful since it restricts unauthorized use of the AWS console. For example, if a new member joins my team, only that person can access specific services. IAM helps manage compliance-related challenges by ensuring that all EC2 machines are working fine, addressing security issues raised by the security team, and making sure that the compliance report is up to date.
What is most valuable?
Identity and Access Management is a very useful service because it allows us to restrict unauthorized use of the AWS console. For example, if a new member joins my team, only that person can access specific services.
We have monthly security checks to ensure access is provided only to authorized users. IAM enables us to save time with features like OTP-based access and temporary access concepts.
What needs improvement?
To manage IAM more effectively, permissions could be set for specific groups. For instance, if we have different accounts, we can set permissions for specific people. Workload management could be improved by providing temporary access.
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AWS Identity and Access Management
December 2025
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with AWS IAM for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IAM is a very useful service for our security needs, and we have not faced any performance issues with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are no scalability issues with IAM. AWS has not faced any scalability issues, with IAM serving as a security feature, similar to a password.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up IAM is straightforward and can be done within an hour for one security policy against an EC2 machine. It can be configured via the console or through code using Terraform and offers multi-factor authentication and OTP-based access.
What about the implementation team?
In my project, forty people are responsible for managing IAM and ensuring security.
What was our ROI?
AWS IAM helps save much time once the initial setup issues are resolved. It provides automation for granting access to developers and enhances efficiency through features like OTP-based access.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IAM is free to use and does not incur any associated costs. The IAM policies come by default when creating any server, such as EC2.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend using IAM because it is free, can manage unauthorized access, and is easy to install. Before using IAM, test with temporary security challenges or credentials, like 12-hour or 24-hour access before proceeding to full access.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group Manufacturing Head at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Centralized security management improves permission handling with integrated service capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "AWS IAM is beneficial as it provides standard access and identity management policies and roles for monitoring and logging."
- "AWS IAM could be improved by providing a graphical user interface which would simplify permissions management, making it easier for beginners to quickly understand and manage permissions."
What is our primary use case?
I am a cloud engineer and DevOps engineer. I mainly use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for setting some policies for developers, such as granting limited access to specific resources as part of managing permissions.
Additionally, roles, policy management, and monitoring and logging are essential, and integration with services like EC2, Lambda, S3, and others.
How has it helped my organization?
AWS IAM centralizes security management and helps us manage all permissions in a centralized way, allowing for temporary credentials and multi-factor authentication, enhancing user security.
What is most valuable?
AWS IAM is beneficial as it provides standard access and identity management policies and roles for monitoring and logging. It integrates IAM with other AWS services, which simplifies permission management.
What needs improvement?
AWS IAM could be improved by providing a graphical user interface which would simplify permissions management, making it easier for beginners to quickly understand and manage permissions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with AWS CloudFormation for over two years, and I have used AWS IAM for approximately four plus years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AWS IAM is stable with no performance issues. When rules are set for users or groups, they reflect instantly.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not faced any scalability issues with AWS IAM.
How are customer service and support?
I prefer Stack Overflow and Googling for support and currently use QuestInfo GPT, so I have not asked any questions to AWS Access support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a bit complex and challenging, however, over time and with experience, it becomes easier for users to manage IAM policies.
What other advice do I have?
I definitely recommend AWS IAM as it provides 750 free hours for practice, which is beneficial, especially considering the cost for beginners.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
AWS Identity and Access Management
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about AWS Identity and Access Management. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
SDE-1 at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Effective user management with advanced security features
Pros and Cons
- "The ease of control and the ability to manage group policies and individual policies are valuable features."
What is our primary use case?
I used AWS Identity and Access Management to create a user authenticator and manage subdomains with access to the operating system. I assigned group policies and rules regarding their usage. Additionally, I used IAM for managing group policies and individual policies as part of my cybersecurity domain studies.
What is most valuable?
The ease of control and the ability to manage group policies and individual policies are valuable features.
Also, the security features, such as two-step verification, multifactor authentication, and customizable password policies, are very effective.
What needs improvement?
Currently, I find the new interface much improved and usable without any flaws that I can point out. There is nothing in particular that I feel is missing or in need of enhancement as everything seems easy to access and well-detailed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with AWS Identity and Access Management for around two weeks.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In my project, AWS did not require high efficiency as it utilized minimal resources. Therefore, I did not encounter any stability or performance issues.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had any interaction with technical support or customer service related to AWS Identity and Access Management.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Microsoft Azure but only for storing data, not for identity and access management.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and took approximately thirty minutes to complete while I was learning the various features.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I used Microsoft Azure prior to AWS.
What other advice do I have?
The AWS Identity and Access Management solution is generally easier to use compared to other web services. Their role-based access management is of great importance for those in the cybersecurity domain, and I would recommend it to anyone interested.
I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
AWS Cloud Engineer at a tech services company
Highly helpful for monitoring and privilege management
Pros and Cons
- "IAM is highly helpful for monitoring and privilege management."
- "There could be improvements in making the command line interface options clearer regarding the purpose of each selection."
What is our primary use case?
I use AWS Identity and Access Management mostly as a team leader managing twenty to twenty-five client accounts, primarily on AWS. I handle their accounts and ensure proper access by creating IAM users and roles, assigning specific privileges, particularly when juniors need to work only on certain services like EC2.
How has it helped my organization?
The purpose of IAM is to give privileges and monitor activities. We also configure additional services like CloudTrail for monitoring inside our AWS infrastructure. It helps identify issues like unauthorized activities causing cost increases and aids in efficient project management.
What is most valuable?
IAM is highly helpful for monitoring and privilege management. It allows me to manage access and policies effectively, ensuring that every person has the right level of access. The integration with CloudTrail aids in efficiently tracking activities and maintaining security. This comprehensive approach reduces operational costs and enhances efficiency.
What needs improvement?
There could be improvements in making the command line interface options clearer regarding the purpose of each selection. Clarity on options to create credentials for specific purposes could be enhanced for better user understanding.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the IAM solution for around three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. The credentials are always active, and there are no concerns about stability.
How are customer service and support?
I didn't require any support because I didn't face any issues with IAM. Therefore, I haven't reached out to technical support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I haven't worked on any other IAM solutions from different vendors. I have solely worked with AWS IAM.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very simple and straightforward. You log into the AWS console, navigate to the IAM console, and you have options like user, role, and policies to create credentials. The process is quick, taking only five to ten minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IAM is free of cost. You don't have to pay anything to create a user. It's a free service.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend AWS IAM to anyone starting with AWS because it is a basic and mandatory tool. It is efficient and user-friendly.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give it a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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