Getting Started with AWS Systems Manager (SSM)

Introduction

AWS Systems Manager (SSM) is a powerful tool designed to help us manage our AWS resources and on-premises infrastructure more efficiently. Systems Manager offers a suite of features that can streamline our processes, enhance security, and ensure compliance across our environments. Let's dive into what AWS Systems Manager is and how we can get started with it.

What is AWS Systems Manager?

AWS Systems Manager is a management service that provides a central location to view and control our AWS infrastructure. It allows us to automate operational tasks, making it easier to maintain our system's security and compliance. With Systems Manager, we can manage our servers, databases, applications, and services across AWS and on-premises environments from a single interface.

Key Features

• Operations Management: Handle incidents, view operational data, and monitor our AWS resources with Incident Manager, Explorer, OpsCenter, and CloudWatch Dashboards. 
• Parameter Store: Securely manage configuration data such as passwords and database strings.
• Session Manager: Manage our EC2 instances and on-premises servers without the need for SSH keys.
• Change Management Tools: Simplify requesting, approving, and implementing operational changes.
• Node Management: Keep our instances compliant and manage them remotely with tools like Compliance, Fleet Manager, Inventory, and Patch Manager.
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• Quick Setup: Automate the setup of AWS Systems Manager to configure services and features according to best practices quickly.

The SSM Agent

We must install the SSM Agent for the AWS Systems Manager to manage our EC2 instances and on-premises servers. The agent is pre-installed on many Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), but we may need to manually install or update it on our instances.

Conclusion

AWS Systems Manager is a versatile tool that can simplify the management of our AWS and on-premises resources. By automating operational tasks, securing our environment, and ensuring compliance, Systems Manager enables us to focus more on development and less on administration. Start with the basics, and as we grow more comfortable, explore the full range of features Systems Manager has to offer.

See also

Read more about operations management tools of the systems manager at cloudericks.com/blog/exploring-aws-ssm-operations-management-tools.

Read more about application management tools of the systems manager at cloudericks.com/blog/exploring-aws-ssm-application-management-tools.

Read more about AWS SSM Change Management Tools at cloudericks.com/blog/exploring-aws-ssm-change-management-tools.

Read about AWS SSM Node Management Tools at cloudericks.com/blog/exploring-aws-ssm-node-management-tools.