AWS Security Compliance Guides
Choose the Right Guide for Your Needs
Two comprehensive approaches to the same 300+ AWS security controls - organized for different use cases and audiences. Read more to decide which is best for your team, or just scroll to the bottom to download them both.
Understanding Your Options
Both guides cover the identical set of 300+ AWS security controls across all major services and compliance frameworks. The difference lies in how they organize and present this information to serve different organizational needs.
Whether you're a DevOps engineer implementing security controls or a compliance officer preparing for audits, we have the right format to accelerate your AWS security journey.
Guide Comparison
🔧
AWS Service Compliance Requirements
Service-by-Service Implementation Guide
Technical checklist organized by AWS service with step-by-step implementation guidance for security controls.
Content Structure:
- ACM (Certificate Manager) - 3 controls
- DMS (Database Migration) - 12 controls
- EC2 (Compute Cloud) - 50+ controls
- S3 (Storage Service) - 15+ controls
- IAM (Identity Management) - 20+ controls
- Plus: ECS, EKS, RDS, KMS, WAF, and more
Organization Example:
EC2 Security Controls:
• EC2.1 - EBS Snapshots Privacy
• EC2.7 - Volume Encryption
• EC2.13 - Security Group Rules
→ Technical implementation focus
Best For:
- DevOps and Security Engineers
- Service-specific security hardening
- Technical security assessments
- Step-by-step implementation
- Troubleshooting security issues
📋
Compliance Standard AWS Checklist
Regulatory Framework Mapping Guide
Compliance-focused checklist organized by regulatory standards with audit preparation guidance.
Content Structure:
- CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark
- NIST 800-53 r5 (Federal)
- NIST 800-171 r2 (CUI)
- PCI DSS v3.2.1 & v4.0.1
- Cross-framework priority controls
- Phased implementation strategy
Organization Example:
CIS 1.1-1.6 Root Account Security:
• Maps to IAM.4, IAM.6, IAM.9
• Satisfies NIST, PCI DSS requirements
→ Compliance requirement focus
Best For:
- Compliance Officers and Auditors
- Regulatory requirement mapping
- Audit preparation and documentation
- Executive compliance reporting
- Multi-framework compliance
Detailed Feature Comparison
| Feature |
Service Compliance Guide |
Compliance Standard Guide |
| Primary Organization |
By AWS Service (ACM, EC2, S3, etc.) |
By Compliance Framework (CIS, NIST, PCI) |
| Content Focus |
Technical implementation details |
Regulatory requirement mapping |
| Target Audience |
DevOps, Security Engineers |
Compliance Officers, Auditors |
| Use Case |
Service hardening, troubleshooting |
Audit preparation, compliance reporting |
| Control Coverage |
300+ AWS Security Controls |
Same 300+ AWS Security Controls |
| Framework Mapping |
Controls tagged with framework references |
Frameworks organized with control mappings |
| Implementation Guidance |
Detailed technical steps |
Compliance context and phased approach |
| Compliance Standards |
CIS, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, PCI DSS |
Same + Cross-framework analysis |
Content Overlap and Differences
What's the Same:
- Identical Security Controls: Both guides cover the exact same 300+ AWS security controls
- Same Technical Requirements: Implementation details and security outcomes are identical
- Same AWS Service Coverage: Complete coverage across all major AWS services
- Same Compliance Mapping: Both reference CIS, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, and PCI DSS
What's Different:
- Organization Structure: Service-based vs. compliance framework-based organization
- Navigation Approach: Technical service focus vs. regulatory requirement focus
- Implementation Context: Technical how-to vs. compliance why and when
- Audience Optimization: Engineering teams vs. compliance and audit teams
Which Guide Should You Choose?
Consider your primary use case and organizational role when making your selection.
Choose Service Compliance Guide If:
- You're implementing security controls
- You need technical configuration details
- You're troubleshooting specific services
- You work primarily with AWS infrastructure
- You prefer service-by-service approach
Choose Compliance Standard Guide If:
- You're preparing for compliance audits
- You need regulatory requirement mapping
- You're reporting to executives or auditors
- You work primarily with compliance frameworks
- You need cross-framework analysis
💡 Pro Tip
Many organizations benefit from having both guides. Technical teams use the Service Compliance Guide for implementation, while compliance teams use the Compliance Standard Guide for audit preparation and reporting.
Ready to Strengthen Your AWS Security?
Both guides provide comprehensive coverage of AWS security best practices mapped to major compliance frameworks. Choose the format that best serves your organization's immediate needs.
Remember: Implementing these 300+ controls manually can be time-intensive. Consider our automated Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solutions for continuous monitoring and compliance reporting.