> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.heeler.com/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.heeler.com/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/administer-and-monitor/connections-and-integrations/vendor-and-trusted-connections.md).

# Vendor and Trusted Connections

See which third parties have access to your cloud, and tell Heeler which external accounts are legitimate so it stops flagging them.

When a resource policy in your cloud grants access to an account you don't own, Heeler treats that as third-party access worth knowing about. Two sub-tabs under **Administration → Connections** work together to manage it: **Vendor Connections** shows the third parties Heeler recognizes automatically, and **Trusted Connections** is where you approve the external accounts you know are legitimate so they stop showing up as unknowns.

{% hint style="info" %}
Changing anything on this page requires the **Administrator** role. An **Administrator (read-only)** can view it but can't make changes.
{% endhint %}

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Vendor Connections" %}
This tab is populated **automatically** — there's no Add button. Heeler ships with a catalog of well-known SaaS vendors' cloud account IDs (observability, security, and infrastructure tools), and matches them against the access it finds in your environment.

<figure><img src="https://414480750-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXP3dp2kecwKA2KvYkntz%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a77ea4a8c48a4e0c748b959c85344362b4639aad%2Fam-connections-vendor.png?alt=media" alt="The Vendor Connections list showing recognized third-party vendors such as SegmentIO, Datadog, and New Relic, each an AWS Account with a Resource Count."><figcaption><p>Vendor Connections — recognized third parties with access to your cloud.</p></figcaption></figure>

<table><thead><tr><th width="240">Column</th><th>What it means</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Connection Information</strong></td><td>The recognized vendor and the external account ID.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Connection Type</strong></td><td>What kind of access it is (for example, AWS Account).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Resource Count</strong></td><td>How many of <em>your</em> cloud resources grant this vendor access — its footprint in your environment. A count climbing over time is worth a look.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Because these are recognized vendors, they're treated as known and don't raise unknown-third-party findings. The list is read-only — you can't edit or remove entries, since it reflects what Heeler recognizes plus what it observed in your policies.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Trusted Connections" %}
This is where **you** approve the external accounts Heeler doesn't recognize but you know are legitimate — a partner account, another business unit, a vendor not in the catalog.

<figure><img src="https://414480750-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXP3dp2kecwKA2KvYkntz%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8adc88082d5b019db3c5dcf033ea37032ec1a4f6%2Fam-connections-trusted.png?alt=media" alt="The Trusted Connections tab with an Add Trusted Connection button and an empty list."><figcaption><p>Trusted Connections — the external accounts you've vouched for.</p></figcaption></figure>

**Add a trusted connection** with **Add Trusted Connection**, identifying the account, subscription, project, or organization. From then on, Heeler treats access granted to it as legitimate and stops flagging it as unknown third-party access. Use the row's **⋯** menu to **Edit** (rename) or **Delete** an entry you added.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Vendor vs. Trusted, in one line:** Vendor Connections are the third parties Heeler recognizes for you (read-only); Trusted Connections are the ones you vouch for yourself. Both tell Heeler "this external access is expected" — anything in *neither* list is what surfaces as unknown third-party access worth investigating.
{% endhint %}

## Verify it worked

After you add a trusted connection, access to that account no longer appears as an unknown third party in your cloud findings. The addition is recorded in the [Audit Log](/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/administer-and-monitor/audit-log.md).

## Related

* [Operational Health](/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/administer-and-monitor/operational-health.md) and your cloud findings — where unknown third-party access surfaces.
* [Source Connections](/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/administer-and-monitor/connections-and-integrations/source-connections.md) — the cloud organizations these accounts relate to.


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