AWS Cloud Operations Blog

Category: Configuration, compliance, and auditing

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Govern your applications centrally using AppRegistry and Application Manager

The customers I work with often handle multiple applications in their cloud environments. In general, an application includes multiple AWS resources deployed via AWS CloudFormation stacks, APIs, or other infrastructure as code tools. My customers often ask me about efficient mechanisms for managing the resources and governing the security policies of their resources in an Application […]

Building a cloud CMDB on AWS for consistent resource configuration in hybrid environments

In this post, we will show you how you can design and implement a configuration management database (CMDB) strategy as part of your cloud operating model. We are going to review some common needs when building a CMDB and the relevant AWS services that will help you build a comprehensive solution. We will talk about […]

Using AWS CloudTrail to propagate tags across related AWS resources - Part 2

Using AWS CloudTrail to propagate tags across related AWS resources – Part 2

AWS allows customers to assign metadata to their AWS resources in the form of tags. Each tag consists of a customer-defined key and an optional value. Tags can make it easier to manage, search for, and filter resources by purpose, owner, environment, or other criteria. AWS tags can be used for many purposes like organizing […]

Using OPA to create AWS Config rules

Using OPA to create AWS Config rules

In this blog post, we will show how you can use AWS Config custom rules with Open Policy Agent (OPA) to evaluate the compliance of your AWS resources. AWS Config enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configuration of your AWS resources. The service continuously monitors and records your AWS resource configurations and allows […]

Implement AWS Config rule remediation with Systems Manager Change Manager

Implement AWS Config rule remediation with Systems Manager Change Manager

AWS Config enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. AWS Config rules are evaluated when changes are made in the AWS environment. By analyzing changes as they occur, you can catch compliance violations quickly and minimize the exposure to your organization. When you apply a remediation action to an […]

Centrally track Microsoft SQL Server licenses in AWS Organizations using AWS License Manager and AWS Systems Manager

Centrally track Microsoft SQL Server licenses in AWS Organizations using AWS License Manager and AWS Systems Manager

Update (March 30, 2023): The solution has been updated to support delegated administrator account in your AWS organization. Most enterprises find it hard to maintain control of the commercial licensing of Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, and IBM products due to limited visibility. They wind up over-provisioning licenses to avoid the headache with third-party license providers or […]

Ensure license compliance in AWS for ISVs using ISV seller-issued licenses

Ensure license compliance in AWS for ISVs using ISV seller-issued licenses

AWS License Manager helps reduce the risk of noncompliance by providing independent software vendors (ISVs) with a centralized AWS account and built-in controls to ensure only approved users and workloads can consume licenses. ISVs can use License Manager to manage and distribute software licenses to end users with and without AWS accounts. As an issuer, […]

Save costs and deploy highly available Microsoft Exchange on AWS using Dedicated Hosts and License Manager

In a previous blog, “How to run Microsoft Exchange on AWS using Amazon EC2”, you learn how you can run Microsoft Exchange on AWS. However, did you also know that you could save costs by bringing both your Windows Server and Exchange licensing to Dedicated Hosts? In this post, I will show you how Amazon […]

Use Amazon Athena and AWS CloudTrail to estimate billing for AWS Config rule evaluations

Use Amazon Athena and AWS CloudTrail to estimate billing for AWS Config rule evaluations

AWS Config is a service that enables you to audit your AWS resources for compliance to a desired configuration state. You are billed based on the number of Configuration Items (a point-in-time snapshot of an AWS resource) recorded and the number of AWS Config rules (a function that reports resource compliancy) evaluated per resource per […]

AWS AppConfig: The Amazon service that helps you scale for large events like Prime Day

AWS AppConfig: The Amazon service that helps you scale for large events like Prime Day

Amazon uses a number of AWS services to help meet increased traffic and demand during Prime Day events. As Jeff Barr has mentioned in his previous blog posts, some key services used in Prime Day include: Amazon DynamoDB handles the trillions of Prime Day requests. Amazon Interactive Video Service (Amazon IVS) enables shoppers to shop […]