AWS Audit Manager — A service that helps you continuously audit your AWS usage to simplify how you manage risk and compliance.
Overview
Audit Manager automates evidence collection and compliance assessments, making it easier to prove your compliance with frameworks like SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and more.
Key Insight: Audit Manager automates the tedious work of compliance — collecting evidence, mapping controls, and generating audit reports — saving hundreds of hours during audits.
Core Audit Manager Concepts
| Concept | Description | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Compliance standard (SOC 2, PCI DSS, etc.) | Pre-built or custom |
| Control | Specific compliance requirement | Mapped to AWS Config rules |
| Evidence | Proof of compliance | Auto-collected from AWS services |
| Assessment | Ongoing compliance evaluation | Tracks compliance over time |
| Control Set | Collection of controls | Grouped by framework |
How Audit Manager Works
flowchart TD F["Select Framework<br/>SOC 2 / PCI DSS / HIPAA / Custom"] A["Create Assessment in AWS Audit Manager"] M["Map Controls to Data Sources<br/>AWS Config, CloudTrail, Security Hub"] E["Automated Evidence Collection"] R["Control Review and Compliance Evaluation"] G["Generate Audit-Ready Reports"] S["Evidence Store<br/>(S3 encrypted)"] F --> A --> M --> E --> R --> G E --> S R -. Ongoing updates .-> E
Pre-Built Frameworks
| Framework | Description |
|---|---|
| SOC 2 | Service Organization Control 2 |
| PCI DSS | Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard |
| HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act |
| AWS Control Tower | AWS multi-account best practices |
| CIS AWS Foundations | Center for Internet Security benchmarks |
| ISO 27001 | Information security management |
Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Pre-Built Frameworks | Ready-to-use compliance frameworks |
| Custom Frameworks | Build your own compliance requirements |
| Automated Evidence Collection | Gathers evidence from Config, CloudTrail, etc. |
| Continuous Monitoring | Real-time compliance status |
| Workflow Integration | Delegation, evidence request, review |
| Report Generation | Export audit-ready PDF reports |
Control Mapping
Controls are mapped to AWS Config rules for automated evidence collection.
| Control | Config Rule | Evidence Collected |
|---|---|---|
| ”S3 buckets encrypted” | s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled | Configuration of S3 encryption |
| ”EC2 instances in VPC” | ec2-instance-in-vpc | VPC configuration |
| ”IAM password policy” | iam-password-policy | IAM password policy settings |
Use Cases
| Use Case | Description |
|---|---|
| Compliance Audits | Streamline SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA audits |
| Risk Management | Continuously assess compliance posture |
| Evidence Collection | Automate tedious evidence gathering |
| Internal Controls | Enforce internal security policies |
| Multi-Account Compliance | Aggregate evidence across organization |
Pricing
| Component | Price | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Manager | Available through AWS Support plans | Varies |
| Data Storage | Standard S3 pricing for evidence storage | S3 free tier applies |
⚠️ Pricing Disclaimer: AWS pricing is subject to change. Check with AWS Support for specific pricing details.
Audit Manager vs Other Compliance Tools
| Tool | Focus | Complementarity |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Manager | Your compliance evidence | Proves YOU are compliant |
| AWS Artifact | AWS compliance documents | Proves AWS is compliant |
| Config | Configuration tracking | Provides raw data to Audit Manager |
| Security Hub | Security findings | Feeds into Audit Manager controls |
TL;DR
- AWS Audit Manager = Automated compliance evidence collection and reporting
- Frameworks = Pre-built (SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA) or custom
- Controls = Mapped to AWS Config rules for automated evidence
- Evidence = Auto-collected from Config, CloudTrail, Security Hub
- Benefits = Streamline audits, continuous compliance, automated reports
- Pricing = Available through AWS Support plans
- Complementary = Use with Artifact (Audit Manager = You; Artifact = AWS)
Resources
AWS Audit Manager Documentation Complete Audit Manager user guide.
Audit Manager Frameworks | List of pre-built frameworks.
Getting Started with Audit Manager Setup and configuration guide.