Updating account ownership

Transferring an account that you own

As the account owner, you can transfer the account ownership only by creating a support case. This cannot be done by self-service. The new owner must be an existing user within the account. If the person that you want to own the account isn't an existing user, invite them to the accountbefore you create the support case.

To create the support case, click the Help icon > Support center from the console menu bar, and click Create a case. In the case description, include the full name and IBMid of the user that is to be the new account owner. IBM Cloud Support completes the ownership change as directed by the account owner.

When you transfer your account to a new owner, the previous account owner is automatically removed from the account. The new owner can invite the account's previous owner back to the transferred account as necessary. To ensure the security of the account, IBM Cloud Support cannot modify the account's user list.

Transferring an account from another owner

If the owner of an account leaves the company and there is a need to transfer the account, a new owner must be identified. Then, create a support case to request a transfer.

The new owner must have an IBMid or be a user of the account. If the user does not have an IBMid, the new owner must create the IBMid and be added to the account by another user.

In the support case to request an account transfer, you must attach an official document from your company that contains the following information.

• Your official company letterhead
• Your company's article of incorporation, if applicable
• A statement that the individual is no longer associated with your company
• An explanation that you want the account owner to be changed to a new owner
• The given name and surname of the new account owner
• The email address and phone number of the new account owner
• A signature of an executive at your company
• The account number of the account to transfer

When the ownership is transferred to the new owner, be aware that the previous account owner will be automatically removed from that account, and the new owner will have full access to the account. The new owner needs to invite the account's previous owner back to the account to keep them within it.

When you're logged in to the account, you can find the account number in the IBM Cloud menu bar next to the account name. For example, you might see 1234567 - IBM, where the account number is 1234567.

To create the support case, click the Help icon > Support center from the console menu bar, and click Create a case. Attach the official request document to the case before you submit it.

Granting alternative account owner access

Alternative account owner access grants the following assignments:

• Administrator and manager roles on All Identity and Access enabled services
• Administrator role on All Account Management services
• A classic infrastructure flag that indicates the trusted profile is the alternative account owner

You can set only one trusted profile as the alternative account owner. A trusted profile with alternative account owner access can't be modified after creation. If you create an additional alternative account owner, an error occurs. For more informaiton, see troubleshooting.

To set a trusted profile as the alternative account owner, complete the following steps.

1. Go to Manage > Access (IAM) in the IBM Cloud console.
2. Select Trusted profiles.
3. Click Create.
4. Set the Alternative account owner access toggle to Yes.
5. Click Continue.
6. Define which federated users can apply the trusted profile. For more information, see Establishing trust with federated users.
7. Click Continue.
8. Review the policies and permissions that the trusted profile is assigned.
9. Click Create.

The trusted profile with alternative account owner access is indicated by alt owner in the trusted profiles table.

Users with the administrator, operator, or editor role on the IAM Identity service can grant or revoke access to the trusted profile at any time by updating the trust relationship.

Differentiating between the account owner and the alternative account owner

The alternative account owner doesn't replace the account owner, but they share some of the same privileges.

Every IBM Cloud account must have a valid account owner. Accounts without a valid account owner are subject to suspension and possible termination. For more information, see Transferring ownership of your account.

The following table shows the difference between the account owner and the alternative account owner:

Account owner and alternative account owner comparison.

Privileges	Account owner	Alternative account owner
Full access to all resources
Assign access to others
Update the account owner
View all users
Set user visibility
Billing responsibility
Owner notifications
Default email