What is the purpose of an Organization Service Control Policy (SCP) in AWS?

An Organization Service Control Policy (SCP) in AWS serves the primary purpose of defining maximum permissions for identity-based policies within an AWS Organization. SCPs are used in AWS Organizations to manage permissions across multiple accounts. By establishing these policies, administrators can set limits on what actions can be performed at the organizational level.

SCPs are particularly useful for ensuring compliance and security across an organization by enforcing governance strategies. While each account can have its own identity-based policies (for IAM users or roles), those policies cannot grant permissions that exceed what is outlined in the SCP. This means that even if an identity-based policy allows certain actions, if the SCP denies those actions, the users in that account cannot perform them. Therefore, they provide a mechanism for the organization to control maximum available privileges for members on various accounts, aligning with broader regulatory and compliance goals.

When discussing the functionalities of other choices, it's clear that they do not address the core function of SCPs. Creating new IAM users, granting or denying access to resources, and monitoring security compliance are activities that can be related to IAM and general organizational security practices but do not define the specific role and functionality of an SCP in terms of permissions management. Understanding this role of SCPs is crucial for employing effective cloud