# Do I Need to Grant Access to My GovCloud Account?

## How It Works Without Direct GovCloud Access

Because AWS requires that every GovCloud account is associated with a commercial AWS payer account and the cost & usage data is passed back to that payer account, if Archera's IAM role is installed on the **commercial payer account** associated with your GovCloud account, it will be able to pull and process cost visibility data to enable platform features like:

* Scenario planning/forecasting
* Cost attribution/monitoring
* Cloud inventory

...all **without any direct access to your GovCloud environment**.

## Optional Direct GovCloud Access

To enable certain Archera features in your GovCloud environment — such as:

* Automated commitment management
* Detailed commitment visibility
* Resource optimization recommendations

...you will be required to grant Archera's GovCloud account IAM access to your GovCloud environment.

## Access is Optional

Granting this additional access is optional. The platform will work for many use-cases (cost reporting, EDP planning, etc.) without Archera needing direct IAM access to your GovCloud environment. However, some key features like commitment optimization will not be available without this access.

## Related Resources

* [What is the Archera AWS account ID?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/aws-onboarding/aws-account-id) (includes GovCloud account IDs)
* [Do Guaranteed Commitments work with AWS GovCloud?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/guaranteed-commitments/govcloud)
* [How Does Archera Access my AWS Environment?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/security/aws-access)