# Ensure IAM users are managed centrally via identity federation or AWS Organizations for multi-account environments

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000228298-ensure-iam-users-are-managed-centrally-via-identity-federation-or-aws-organizations-for-multi-account
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [Security Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000065178) › [AWS Services](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/62000097507)
- Last updated: 2026-05-29
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

## **Description:**

AWS Organizations is an account management service that enables you to consolidate multiple AWS accounts into an _organization_ that you create and centrally manage. AWS Organizations includes account management and consolidated billing capabilities that enable you to better meet the budgetary, security, and compliance needs of your business.

## **Rationale:**

In multi-account environments, IAM user centralization facilitates greater user control. User access beyond the initial account is then provided via role assumption. Centralization of users can be accomplished through federation with an external identity provider or through the use of AWS organizations.

## **Impact:**

Centralizing IAM user management to a single identity store reduces complexity and, thus, the likelihood of access management errors.

## **Default Value:**

N/A

## **Pre-Requisite:**

AWS environments implementing AWS Organizations

## **Remediation:**

### **Test Plan:**

-   AWS Console Process
    

For multi-account AWS environments with an external identity provider.

1.  Determine the master account for identity federation or IAM user management
    
2.  Login to that account through the AWS Management Console
    
3.  Click Services
    
4.  Click IAM
    
5.  Click Identity providers
    
6.  Verify the configuration
    

Then..., determine all accounts that should not have local users present. For each account.

1.  Determine all accounts that should not have local users present.
    
2.  Log into the AWS Management Console
    
3.  Switch role into each identified account
    
4.  Click Services
    
5.  Click IAM
    
6.  Click Users
    
7.  Confirm that no IAM users representing individuals are present
    

For multi-account AWS environments implementing AWS organizations without an external identity provider.

1.  Determine all accounts that should not have local users present
    
2.  Log into the AWS Management Console
    
3.  Switch role into each identified account
    
4.  Click Services
    
5.  Click IAM
    
6.  Click Users
    
7.  Confirm that no IAM users representing individuals are present
    

### **Implementation Plan:**

The implementation procedure will vary based on the individual organization's implementation of identity federation and/or AWS organizations, with the acceptance criteria that no non-service IAM users and non-root accounts are present outside the account providing centralized IAM user management.

**Backout plan:**

N/A

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.