AWS Systems Manager

What This Service Solves

Systems Manager centralizes operational management for instances, automation, patching, parameters, sessions, and inventory.

• Use Systems Manager for Run Command, Session Manager, Automation documents, Parameter Store, Patch Manager, and State Manager.

When You Should Not Use It

• Do not expect SSM to work if the agent, IAM instance profile, and network path are missing.

What AWS Manages and What You Manage

AWS provides management services. You manage documents, targets, roles, approvals, logging, and network prerequisites.

Security Implications

Use scoped roles, session logging, encryption, restricted documents, and no open SSH where Session Manager fits.

Availability and Scaling

Automation can remediate issues, but poorly scoped automation can spread damage quickly.

Target tags, maintenance windows, and rate controls matter for fleet operations.

Cost Behavior

Many features are included, but advanced features, logs, and managed instances can add cost.

Common Integrations

• EC2
• CloudWatch
• EventBridge
• IAM
• KMS
• CloudFormation

How AWS Might Present It

Certification-Specific Depth

Sources and Review Metadata

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