In the AWS shared responsibility model, which aspect is the customer's responsibility?

In the AWS shared responsibility model, the customer's responsibility primarily focuses on the configuration of security settings related to the services that they utilize on AWS. This includes actions such as setting up firewalls, managing access controls, encrypting data, and ensuring that security best practices are followed within their applications and deployed resources.

This distinction is crucial because, while AWS manages the underlying infrastructure, including the physical security of data centers and the operation of the data center facilities, customers have the autonomy and obligation to secure their own applications, data, and configurations. For instance, if a customer fails to configure access privileges properly, it could lead to unauthorized access to their data—an aspect that AWS does not control.

The other choices involve responsibilities that AWS retains. The physical security of the data centers and the overall management of the global infrastructure are solely in AWS's purview. Similarly, the operational aspects of data center facilities are managed by AWS to ensure they meet high availability, security, and compliance standards. Hence, the focus of the customer's responsibility remains squarely on how they configure and manage their own security settings in the cloud environment.