AWS Artifact is a service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that offers on-demand access to AWS’s compliance reports, security and compliance documentation, and AWS’s certifications. It is designed to help customers meet various compliance and audit requirements by providing resources that demonstrate how AWS meets specific regulatory, security, and compliance standards.
Key Features of AWS Artifact:
- Access to Compliance Reports:
- Provides access to AWS’s compliance reports, including reports from independent third-party auditors, certifications, and attestations such as SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and more.
- These reports help customers understand how AWS complies with industry standards and regulations.
- AWS Agreements:
- AWS Artifact Agreements allows customers to access and manage AWS’s legal agreements, including the AWS Customer Agreement, Data Processing Addendum (DPA), and the Business Associate Addendum (BAA). These are important for customers in regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, and government.
- Regulatory and Certification Support:
- AWS Artifact helps support various regulatory compliance initiatives by offering pre-built reports and certifications that customers can use for audit and certification purposes.
- It also assists with data residency concerns, showing how AWS services comply with geographic and legal data requirements.
- Self-Service Access:
- AWS Artifact is a self-service portal where customers can download and review compliance documentation as needed, streamlining the process of managing regulatory requirements.
- Centralized Documentation:
- All compliance documentation and AWS’s certifications are organized and easily searchable in the AWS Artifact portal.
Use Cases for AWS Artifact:
- Compliance Audits: Simplifies the process of obtaining and reviewing compliance reports during internal audits or third-party audits.
- Regulatory Requirements: Helps organizations that are subject to regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS to quickly access relevant documentation and understand how AWS aligns with those requirements.
- Legal Agreements: Provides easy access to important agreements and documents like the Data Processing Addendum (DPA) or Business Associate Addendum (BAA) for customers in highly regulated sectors.
- Security Assurance: Enables customers to validate that AWS meets the required security and regulatory controls for their specific use cases.
Key Benefits:
- On-Demand Access: Provides easy, on-demand access to important compliance and legal documents without needing to contact AWS directly.
- Time Savings: Saves time during compliance assessments, audits, and certification processes by providing immediate access to reports and certifications.
- Transparency: Enhances transparency into AWS’s security, privacy, and regulatory practices.
- Streamlined Audits: Facilitates smoother compliance audits by ensuring that all necessary documentation is readily available in one place.
How AWS Artifact Compares to Other AWS Security and Compliance Services:
AWS Artifact is primarily focused on accessing compliance reports and legal documentation, whereas other AWS services like Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Security Hub, and AWS Macie are more focused on active monitoring, threat detection, and data security.
For example:
- Amazon GuardDuty detects security threats in real-time, such as unusual API calls or potential malicious activity.
- AWS Security Hub aggregates findings from various AWS security services, providing an overall view of your security posture.
- Amazon Macie discovers and classifies sensitive data, helping you manage data privacy and protection.
- AWS Artifact, on the other hand, is used for ensuring compliance and supporting audits by providing access to security and compliance certifications, reports, and legal agreements.
How AWS Artifact Works Together with Other AWS Services:
- AWS Artifact can work in tandem with services like AWS Security Hub to help customers not only manage security and compliance alerts but also access the necessary documentation to demonstrate compliance with standards.
- For example, if you are using Amazon Macie to monitor and protect sensitive data, AWS Artifact can provide you with the certifications and reports to show how AWS supports data protection requirements like GDPR or HIPAA.