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Google Cloud IAM
Controls who can perform which actions on Google Cloud resources
Why learn Google Cloud IAM?
Teams use Google Cloud IAM to adopt cloud identity and access management without building the complete underlying platform themselves.
The problem it solves
Controls identities, roles, and permissions for cloud resources
Where it came from
Google Cloud IAM is Google Cloud's offering for cloud identity and access management. Its closest catalog counterparts are Microsoft Entra ID and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM); they address the same broad need but are not feature-for-feature identical.
Build your understanding
Work through these exercises in order. Try the task before opening a reference.
- Explain the main responsibility of Google Cloud IAM.
- Choose a workload that fits Google Cloud IAM.
- Identify one operational tradeoff of Google Cloud IAM.
- Compare Google Cloud IAM with Microsoft Entra ID.
- Compare Google Cloud IAM with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM).
Documentation and sources
- Google Cloud products at a glance (docs.cloud.google.com)
Connect the ideas
Alternatives
Real World Example
Granular Access Control for Data Analytics
A data analytics firm managing sensitive client datasets across multiple departments.
The business problem
Over-privileged service accounts allow developers to accidentally delete production datasets, increasing risk of data loss.
How this topic solves it
Implementing Google Cloud IAM to enforce the principle of least privilege by assigning specific roles to service accounts based on functional requirements.
- Identify the specific actions required for the data processing service account.
- Select predefined IAM roles that map to these minimal required actions.
- Apply the IAM policy to the specific project or resource level.
- Audit existing permissions to remove broad 'Editor' or 'Owner' roles.
Shows the relationship between identities, roles, and resources.
Binding
Permissions
BigQuery Dataset
- Identity → assigned to → IAM Policy
- Role → defined in → IAM Policy
- IAM Policy → authorizes access to → Resource
Expected business outcome
Reduced blast radius for accidental resource deletion and improved compliance posture.
Limitations and checks
IAM policies can become complex to manage at scale; verify effectiveness using the Policy Intelligence tool to identify overly permissive access.