AWS Podcast Episode #714: Beyond Compliance - Assess, Audit, and Evaluate with AWS Config

Release Date: March 31, 2025

Introduction

In Episode #714 of the AWS Podcast, hosted by Gillian Ford, Amazon Web Services delves deep into the capabilities of AWS Config—a pivotal service for developers and IT professionals focused on storage, security, infrastructure, and more. Joining Gillian are two AWS Config experts: Tim Honeychurch, a Principal Specialist on the Cloud Governance team, and Rodolfo Brennas, a Principal Solutions Architect specializing in governance and compliance. Together, they explore how AWS Config transcends basic compliance to offer comprehensive assessment, auditing, and evaluation of AWS environments.

Understanding AWS Config

Gillian Ford opens the discussion by highlighting the multifaceted nature of AWS Config, succinctly capturing its essence through Tim's initial description:

“We like to keep it simple by saying that you can use Config to assess, audit and evaluate the resources in your AWS environment.” (01:13)

Tim Honeychurch emphasizes AWS Config's role in providing visibility and compliance tracking:

“Think visibility, assess, audit and evaluate.” (01:49)

Rodolfo Brennas elaborates on the fundamental functionalities:

“Once you enable it, it starts recording all the resources that are deployed within that account and region, creating a snapshot and tracking changes.” (02:23)

Key Features:

• Resource Tracking: AWS Config records and monitors all AWS resources within an account and region.
• Change Management: Every alteration to resources is tracked, providing a comprehensive timeline of configuration changes.
• Aggregators: Centralized visibility across multiple accounts and regions through AWS Config Aggregators.

Managing Internal IT Requirements with Config

Beyond external compliance, AWS Config serves internal IT needs by enforcing organizational policies and best practices. Rodolfo discusses the flexibility AWS Config offers for internal governance:

“AWS Config also gives you the capability to run your own evaluation policies using AWS Config Rules.” (05:41)

AWS Config Rules and Conformance Packs:

• Managed Rules: Approximately 300-400 AWS-managed rules addressing common compliance and operational requirements.
• Custom Rules: Ability to create bespoke rules using AWS Lambda or Guard.
• Conformance Packs: Bundles of AWS Config Rules that can be centrally deployed to ensure consistent policy enforcement across the organization.

Use Cases:

• Operational Best Practices: Ensuring resources like EBS volumes are optimized (e.g., enforcing GP3 volume types).
• Security Policies: Rotating AWS access keys every 90 days or ensuring multi-AZ deployments for load balancers.

AWS Config for Continuous Compliance

Continuous compliance is a critical aspect for organizations subject to regulatory frameworks. Tim Honeychurch underscores how AWS Config facilitates ongoing compliance:

“Continuous compliance captures the status of controls in a report on an ongoing basis, which can be shared with auditors regularly.” (08:23)

Integration with Audit Manager:

• Automated Reporting: AWS Audit Manager leverages AWS Config to generate continuous compliance reports.
• Framework Alignment: Supports various regulatory standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and FedRAMP by implementing relevant conformance packs.

Benefits:

• Real-Time Visibility: Constant monitoring ensures resources remain compliant with evolving standards.
• Audit Readiness: Simplifies the auditing process by providing up-to-date compliance status reports.

Enhancing Security with Config

Security is a paramount concern, and AWS Config plays a vital role in fortifying AWS environments. Rodolfo Brennas highlights the integration of AWS Config with other AWS security services:

“AWS Config powers services like Security Hub and Firewall Manager, enabling centralized deployment and management of security best practices.” (11:07)

Key Integrations:

• Security Hub: Utilizes AWS Config to deploy and monitor security frameworks, ensuring adherence to best practices.
• Firewall Manager: Manages firewall configurations and security group rules, with AWS Config tracking changes and compliance.
• Control Tower: Implements secure landing zones by deploying governance controls powered by AWS Config.

Automated Remediation:

• AWS Systems Manager Integration: Enables automated remediation actions when non-compliant changes are detected. For example, encrypting an S3 bucket automatically if it becomes non-compliant.
• Efficiency Gains: Reduces manual intervention, allowing security teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

Best Practices for Managing Config at Scale

Scaling AWS Config across multiple accounts and regions requires strategic planning. Rodolfo provides actionable best practices:

“Exclude global resources from regional recorders to optimize costs and reduce redundancy.” (22:27)

Recommendations:

1. Enable Config Across All Relevant Regions: Ensure AWS Config is activated in every region where workloads are deployed.
2. Manage Global Resources: Track global resources like IAM roles in a single region to avoid unnecessary duplication and costs.
3. Use Aggregators for Centralized Management: Consolidate configuration data across multiple accounts and regions into a delegated management account.
4. Delegate Administration: Assign AWS Config management to dedicated audit or security accounts to enhance governance and reduce costs.
5. Optimize Recording Settings: For highly dynamic or ephemeral resources, consider adjusting recording frequency or excluding them to manage costs effectively.

Advanced Features of AWS Config

For seasoned AWS Config users, tapping into advanced functionalities can unlock greater efficiencies. Rodolfo introduces the advanced query capabilities:

“The natural language query processor allows customers to ask questions in plain English, simplifying report generation.” (20:09)

Advanced Queries:

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Users can perform complex queries without deep SQL knowledge. For instance:
  • “How many EKS clusters do I have with this particular tag?” (22:03)
• Dynamic Query Building: Automatically adapts to new AWS resource types and services, ensuring queries remain relevant as the AWS ecosystem evolves.

Use Cases:

• Inventory Management: Quickly identify and report on specific resource configurations.
• Operational Insights: Gain actionable insights into resource deployments and changes.

Conclusion

In this comprehensive episode, Gillian Ford, Tim Honeychurch, and Rodolfo Brennas illuminate the extensive capabilities of AWS Config beyond mere compliance. From enabling continuous compliance and enhancing security to managing internal IT requirements and leveraging advanced features, AWS Config emerges as an indispensable tool for modern cloud governance. By adhering to best practices and fully utilizing its integrations and automation capabilities, organizations can achieve robust, scalable, and efficient management of their AWS environments.

“Continuous compliance captures the status of controls in a report on an ongoing basis, which can be shared with auditors regularly.” (08:23)
“AWS Config also gives you the capability to run your own evaluation policies using AWS Config Rules.” (05:41)

For more insights and updates on AWS services, stay tuned to the Official AWS Podcast.