What is the primary function of AWS IAM?

The primary function of AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is to control access to AWS services and resources. IAM allows organizations to manage user identities and their associated permissions within the AWS cloud environment. This means administrators can set policies that define who can access specific services and resources and what actions they are allowed to perform.

With IAM, you can create and manage AWS users and groups, and use permissions to allow and deny access to AWS resources. This fine-grained control is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of your cloud infrastructure, ensuring that only authorized individuals can perform actions such as launching instances, modifying configurations, or accessing sensitive data.

Effective access control through IAM is fundamental to governance and compliance, making it a key component of AWS security best practices. By assigning roles, users, and policies, businesses can uphold principles of least privilege and monitor access across their accounts.

This comprehensive access management capability differentiates IAM from other functions like data storage management, which focuses on how data is stored and managed, or networking and connectivity, which pertains to how resources communicate over a network. IAM's primary emphasis is being on authentication and authorization, which is crucial for securing cloud environments.