> 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/organization-model/environments.md).

# Environments

Tell Heeler which cloud accounts are production versus sandbox, so risk is scored against where things actually run.

Where something runs changes how much it matters. A vulnerability in production is urgent; the same one in a throwaway sandbox usually isn't. **Connection Mapping → Environments** is where you classify your cloud accounts so Heeler scores risk against reality. Getting this right is one of the biggest levers on prioritization.

{% 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 %}

<figure><img src="https://414480750-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXP3dp2kecwKA2KvYkntz%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-3988abc7038a3bc769d43ada8f1f1d92a29f42ec%2Fam-mapping-environments.png?alt=media" alt="The Environments page with provider tabs for AWS, GCP, Azure, and Kubernetes, showing environment cards like Production and Corporate labeled HIGH IMPACT with counts of organizational units, accounts, and tags."><figcaption><p>Environments — classify each provider's accounts, with the impact level shown on every card.</p></figcaption></figure>

## One tab per provider

The page has a sub-tab for each cloud you've connected — **Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure,** and **Kubernetes** — because each classifies accounts by its own hierarchy.

## The environments and their impact

Every account falls into one environment, and each environment carries a fixed **impact** level that feeds risk scoring:

<table><thead><tr><th width="220">Environment</th><th width="140">Impact</th><th>Meaning</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Unassigned</strong></td><td>HIGH IMPACT</td><td>Not yet classified. Treated as high-impact on purpose, so nothing slips through under-scored — classify these first.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Production</strong></td><td>HIGH IMPACT</td><td>Serves end users and customers.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Disaster Recovery</strong></td><td>HIGH IMPACT</td><td>Stands in for production during an incident.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Corporate</strong></td><td>HIGH IMPACT</td><td>Serves internal company needs.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Staging</strong></td><td>LOW IMPACT</td><td>Pre-production.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Development</strong></td><td>LOW IMPACT</td><td>Active development.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Test</strong></td><td>LOW IMPACT</td><td>Testing.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Sandbox</strong></td><td>LOW IMPACT</td><td>Experimentation.</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="info" %}
**Unassigned is deliberately treated as high-impact.** Until you classify an account, Heeler assumes the worst so findings there aren't under-prioritized. Clearing out Unassigned is the highest-value thing to do on this page.
{% endhint %}

## Assigning accounts to an environment

Each environment card shows clickable counts you use to populate it. The labels match each provider's hierarchy:

<table><thead><tr><th width="150">Provider</th><th>Group by</th><th>Individually by</th><th>Or by</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>AWS</strong></td><td>Organizational Units</td><td>Accounts</td><td>Tags</td></tr><tr><td><strong>GCP</strong></td><td>Folders</td><td>Projects</td><td>Tags</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Azure</strong></td><td>Management Groups</td><td>Subscriptions</td><td>Tags</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Kubernetes</strong></td><td>—</td><td>Clusters</td><td>Tags</td></tr></tbody></table>

Assigning by the grouping level (an OU, folder, or management group) or by **Tags** is usually best — new accounts land in the right environment automatically instead of arriving Unassigned.

## Effect on prioritization

Environment impact is a direct input to how Heeler prioritizes: a finding on a production, DR, or corporate account is weighted up; the same finding on staging or sandbox is weighted down. Misclassify production as low-impact and its findings will look less urgent than they are — so treat this page as security-relevant configuration.

## Set it up

First-time environment classification, including tag-based rules, is covered in Get Started:

{% content-ref url="/pages/hhXUasy6olTPDWYQhepB" %}
[Environments](/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/get-started/map-your-organization/environments.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Related

* [The findings model](/mrecEO40m5D6bt7Pq5pE/findings.md) — how environment impact factors into risk.


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