Implement an account structure

Establishing a well-defined account structure is crucial for effective governance of cloud resource usage. It allows organizations to allocate costs more accurately, gain insights into spending patterns, and helps to enforce policies that ensure financial accountability as innovation continues.

Best Practices

• Create Organizational Units: Organize accounts based on business units or projects. This segmentation leads to improved cost allocation and accountability. Implement AWS Organizations to manage permissions, policies, and billing across the OU structure effectively.
• Utilize Cost Allocation Tags: Implement tagging strategies that categorize resources by cost centers or projects. This practice enhances transparency regarding resource usage and enables better analysis of costs across the structured accounts.

Supporting Questions

• Are the roles and responsibilities for account management clearly defined?
• Is there a regular review process of account structures to ensure they align with organizational changes?

Roles and Responsibilities

• Cloud Financial Manager: Responsible for monitoring and managing cloud expenditures, ensuring that the account structure aligns with financial governance goals.
• DevOps Engineer: Manages cloud resources, ensuring that tagging and resource organization adhere to the established account structure.

Artifacts

• AWS Organizations Policy Documents: Document outlining the governance policies for managing the AWS accounts and the roles of individuals across the organization.
• Cost Allocation Tagging Strategy: A documented strategy that defines how resources should be tagged to accurately reflect usage and facilitate effective cost management.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Organizations: AWS Organizations allows you to create multiple accounts under one master account, facilitating centralized management, billing, and security while enforcing policies that help manage costs.
• AWS Budgets: AWS Budgets enables you to set budget thresholds, alerting you when costs exceed certain limits, helping to manage spending across the structured account environment.

Question: How do you govern usage?
Pillar: Cost Optimization (Code: COST)