Conclusion

AWS resources can be tagged for a variety of purposes, from implementing a cost allocation strategy to supporting automation or authorizing access to AWS resources. Implementing a tagging strategy can be challenging for some organizations, owing to the number of stakeholder groups involved and considerations such as data sourcing and tag governance.

In this whitepaper, we’ve outlined recommendations regarding designing and implementing a tagging strategy in an organization based on operational practices, defined use cases, stakeholders involved in the process, and tools and services provided by AWS. When it comes to a tagging strategy, it’s a process of iteration and improvement, where you start small from your immediate priority, identify relevant use cases across your organization, and then implement and grow the tagging schema as you need to, while continuously measuring and improving effectiveness. We’ve pointed out that a well-defined set of tags within your organization will allow you to relate AWS usage and consumption to teams responsible for the resources and business purpose for which they exist, in order to align with organizational strategy and value.