AWS IAM, or Amazon Web Services Identity and Access Management, is a service that helps you manage access to your AWS resources securely. It allows you to create and manage users, groups, and permissions, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access specific resources. This helps protect your data and services from unauthorized access. With AWS IAM, you can define roles and policies that specify what actions users can perform on which resources. This fine-grained control enhances security and compliance, making it easier to manage permissions across your organization. Overall, AWS IAM is essential for maintaining a secure cloud environment.