

# Setting up a new Amazon account
<a name="setting-up-aws"></a>

If you don't have an Amazon account, sign up for an Amazon account and create an IAM admin user.

If you do not have an Amazon Web Services account, use the following procedure to create one.

**To sign up for Amazon Web Services**

1. Open [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choose **Sign Up**.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions.

## Secure IAM users
<a name="secure-an-admin"></a>

After you sign up for an Amazon Web Services account, safeguard your administrative user by turning on multi-factor authentication (MFA). For instructions, see [Enable a virtual MFA device for an IAM user (console)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_mfa_enable_virtual.html#enable-virt-mfa-for-iam-user) in the *IAM User Guide*.

To give other users access to your Amazon Web Services account resources, create IAM users. To secure your IAM users, turn on MFA and only give the IAM users the permissions needed to perform their tasks.

For more information about creating and securing IAM users, see the following topics in the *IAM User Guide*: 
+ [Creating an IAM user in your Amazon Web Services account](https://docs.amazonaws.cn//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_create.html)
+ [Access management for Amazon resources](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access.html)
+ [Example IAM identity-based policies](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_examples.html)

For more information, see the following topics in the *IAM User Guide*:
+ [What is IAM?](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/introduction.html)
+  [Getting set up with IAM](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/getting-set-up.html) 
+ [Creating an administration user and group (console)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/getting-started_create-admin-group.html) 