Identity and Access Management (IAM) User Request

Overview

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the framework of policies and controls that governs who can access a resource and what they are permitted to do with it. In a cloud environment such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, IAM is the mechanism that grants and constrains access to accounts, services, and data. Getting it right matters for both operational and compliance reasons: over-broad access increases the blast radius of a compromised credential, while access that is too narrow blocks legitimate work.

AWS IAM User and Permissions

An AWS IAM user is a distinct identity created within a specific AWS account, with its own credentials and its own set of permissions. Unlike a person's federated or single-sign-on identity, an IAM user is typically used for programmatic access — scripts, automation, and command-line tooling — rather than day-to-day console sign-in. Because an IAM user's credentials are long-lived by nature, the permissions attached to it should follow the principle of least privilege: grant only the specific actions the user needs to do its job, and nothing more.

 

Purpose of this process

Provisioning IAM users through a single, structured intake form serves three goals:

  • Consistency — every request captures the same information (requester, account, owner, requested permissions, and business justification), so reviewers can evaluate requests uniformly.
  • Least privilege by design — requesters are asked to specify the exact IAM actions they need, which keeps grants scoped and auditable rather than defaulting to broad, hard-to-track permission sets.
  • Accountability and traceability — each request has a named requester, a named account owner, and a documented business case, creating a clear record of why access was granted.

The intake form is the entry point for this process. It is intentionally built to expand over time; today it covers AWS IAM user requests, and additional IAM access types may be added later.

How to submit a request

Submit a request for a new IAM user and permission policy below.

IAM User Request Form https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cvaco46anLqL0G

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