A foundational requirement for any Cloud engagement is establishing secure AWS account governance. Whether you’re provisioning new environments for customer workloads or managing internal Cloud assets, having the right processes in place is critical to reducing long-term risk and ensuring operational continuity.
In this article, we explore essential best practices for AWS account governance – why they matter, what AWS recommends, and how organisations can implement them using proven tools and techniques.
Why This Matters
Failing to follow a structured approach to account governance can lead to significant security risks and operational liabilities. For example, creating AWS accounts using personal email addresses – a common misstep – can leave businesses locked out of critical resources when those employees depart. Even more concerning is the potential exposure if root access is not properly secured, putting sensitive cloud infrastructure and data at risk.
Security at the account level is the foundation of a well-architected AWS environment. Without a clear process in place, even the most robust application-level security measures can be undermined. That’s why AWS emphasises the importance of defining governance policies that address root user controls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), contact information, and audit logging.
Four Core Principles for Account Governance
Here are four key practices every organisation should adopt when setting up or managing AWS accounts:
1. Use of the Root Account
The root user in an AWS account has unrestricted access to all services and resources. As such, it should only be used for activities that absolutely require it, such as:
- Updating support plans
- Restoring lost IAM permissions
- Enabling MFA delete on S3 buckets
- Closing accounts or changing account settings
Never use the root user for day-to-day operations. Instead, create named IAM users or use AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO) for granular access control.
2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
AWS recommends enabling MFA for all accounts, and it is mandatory for the root user. MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification (e.g., a one-time code from a virtual or hardware device). This is your first line of defence against unauthorised access.
3. Configure Valid Contact Information
Always assign corporate-owned email distribution lists for root account recovery and billing notifications. This ensures continuity even if an individual leaves the organisation.
Avoid using personal or individual emails. Phone numbers should also be assigned to company-managed lines or systems.
4. Enable and Protect CloudTrail Logs in All Regions
AWS CloudTrail provides a record of all account activity, including actions taken via the AWS Management Console, SDKs, and CLI. For maximum coverage and protection:
- Enable CloudTrail in all regions, even those not actively used.
- Store logs in a dedicated S3 bucket with versioning and MFA Delete enabled.
- Restrict access using IAM policies, limiting log deletion to trusted roles only.
Additional Best Practices
5. Block Public Access on All S3 Buckets
Enable Block Public Access at the account level unless public access is explicitly required. This protects your S3 data from being exposed over the internet. AWS Trusted Advisor will flag risky buckets – don’t ignore the findings.
6. Set Up Login the Right Way
Use IAM Identity Center or a federated identity provider for Single Sign-On (SSO) whenever possible. It creates a central access point for users and simplifies access provisioning and deprovisioning.
Use role-based access to delegate permissions to users. Different roles allow for a separation of responsibilities and capabilities when in an AWS account, or across several. Assign users the appropriate roles for their duties (e.g. read-only, service admin), but always make sure to follow the AWS least-privileged access model, and only give users the minimum they need to perform tasks.
7. Enforce Password Policies
Set strong password requirements: enforce complexity, expiration, and reuse prevention. Apply these settings to IAM users and any federated identity systems. This strengthens your security posture and reduces the likelihood of compromise through weak credentials.
8. Use AWS Budgets to Monitor Costs
Set monthly cost thresholds and receive alerts when spending exceeds forecasts. Unexpected spikes may indicate misconfigurations or malicious activity, giving you early warnings before costs spiral out of control.
9. Enable Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty continuously monitors for threats such as:
- Unusual API calls
- Access from known malicious IPs
- Cryptocurrency mining activity
It can be integrated with CloudWatch and SNS to automate alerts and responses.
10. Review Trusted Advisor Regularly
Prioritise high-risk issues flagged in red (e.g., S3 bucket exposure, unencrypted data). Set up weekly email reports (requires Business or Enterprise support plans).
How to Implement Governance Policies Effectively
Implementing these standards can be streamlined through internal documentation such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), wikis, and security onboarding guides.
Organisations should ensure:
- Policies are accessible and consistently enforced across engagements.
- Engineers and architects are trained on proper account provisioning.
- A formalised checklist or automated workflow is used for AWS account setup.
An example SOP might include:
- A Root usage policy and allowed tasks
- MFA setup instructions, including approved virtual MFA apps
- CloudTrail configuration templates with bucket policies and IAM roles
- Contact information update processes, referencing internal systems
Tip: AWS Prescriptive Guidance is a great starting point—see Prescriptive Security Controls for Account Governance.
Conclusion
Effective AWS account governance is more than a checklist – it’s a mindset rooted in operational discipline and long-term risk mitigation. By institutionalising practices like root account lockdown, MFA enforcement, secure contact management, and audit log protection, organisations build a secure foundation for everything that follows in the Cloud.
As environments grow more complex with multi-account and multi-region deployments, clear policies ensure every team member operates securely and consistently – reducing both vulnerabilities and administrative overhead.
For teams looking to modernise their Cloud operations or prepare for enterprise scale, strong account governance is the most impactful place to start.
Through our AWS Well-Architected Framework (WAF) reviews, we help organisations strengthen their infrastructure by embedding resilience, operational excellence, and automated best practices into every layer of their Cloud environment.
As an AWS Advanced Tier Partner, we can also help unlock AWS funding programmes to subsidise your review, making it easier to identify risks, strengthen recovery processes, and build customer trust before an incident ever occurs.
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