Adding AWS Accounts to N2W for Seamless Cloud Backup
Let’s face it: managing data across multiple AWS accounts can feel a bit like juggling flaming swords—possible, but unnecessarily nerve-wracking. What if you could bring all of your AWS resources into one tidy, backup-ready dashboard with just a few clicks? Enter N2W, your secret weapon for taming the AWS multi-account beast.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the process of integrating additional AWS accounts into your N2W console, supercharging your backup strategy—minus the chaos. Ready? Let’s make cloud backup effortless and secure.
Why Add Additional AWS Accounts?
Here’s the thing: not every AWS account needs its own battalion of deployed servers just to make backup work. With N2W, you can consolidate your resource management and backups from unlimited AWS accounts—all from a single, centralized “pane of glass.” Effortless visibility. Streamlined control. Sweet, right?
This approach is a lifesaver for organizations juggling separate environments for dev, test, prod, or even multi-tenant setups. By layering accounts and managing them together, you eliminate silos and minimize the risk of missing critical data when disaster strikes.
Getting Started: Account Integration Made Simple
Pulling an AWS account into N2W is refreshingly straightforward, but there are a couple of important decisions along the way.
First, when adding a new account, you’ll provide a friendly name (to keep things organized) and choose the account type. Stick with “Backup”—that’s the ticket for accounts whose resources you want N2W to protect. If you’re integrating a DR (disaster recovery) account, there’s a separate option for that, but most of us will be setting up Backup.
Next up: authentication. Here’s where the magic really happens.
Assume Role: The Gold Standard for Security
Tempted to just hand over IAM user credentials for access? Think again. While it’s technically possible, using IAM users for backup operations opens the door to a host of permissions pitfalls and security headaches.
Instead, let’s take the high road: Assume Role. By leveraging cross-account IAM roles, you allow N2W to temporarily assume the required permissions in your secondary AWS accounts—no static keys, no nerve-wracking risks. It’s secure, flexible, and less likely to blow up in your face if someone tweaks a user’s permissions down the line.
Creating Cross-Account Roles: Step-by-Step
Here’s how you pull that off:
- Hop over to IAM in your secondary AWS account and hit “Create Role.”
- Choose AWS Service as your trusted entity, and select EC2 as the use case (no, not a trick question—this is the right choice).
- Attach the required policies. Where do you get these? From N2W’s handy zip file, packed with JSON templates tailored to your license tier (Advanced, Enterprise, etc.). Open each JSON file in a text editor, copy the contents, and create new policies in the AWS console. Name them clearly—something memorable like
N2WAdvanced1. - With your shiny new policies in hand, finish creating the role. But wait! Just before clicking “Create,” hit the Trust Relationships tab.
Here’s the secret sauce: add a trust policy allowing your N2W primary account to assume this role. You’ll paste in the account ID for your N2W server and the attached role name. This trust relationship is the gatekeeper, ensuring only the right account gets in.
Final Steps: Plugging Everything In
Back in the N2W console, input your secondary account number and the name of the role you just built. Leave the External ID blank unless your setup specifically calls for it.
Choose which regions and resource types (EC2, RDS, DynamoDB, and so on) you want under N2W’s watchful eye. If you’re using resource tags to fine-tune your backups, enable tag scanning. Otherwise, you’re set!
Hit save. Like magic, your new AWS account appears in your N2W backup estate, ready for hands-free, policy-driven protection. Now go on—centralize, simplify, and sleep easy knowing your data’s backed up, secure, and always at your fingertips. The cloud has never looked so manageable!
