You’ve been sent here to better understand your company’s administrative rights. Please read this document thoroughly and ask your supervisor any specific questions that might come out of this overview.
Standard Vs Administrator
What is a standard user vs an administrative user? Standard users are limited in the actions they can take on an operating system. The concept of least privileged applies here, meaning you only have the rights you need to do your job. Installing additional software and accessing specific security sections of the operating system should be limited by default.
Administrators, on the other hand, have full access to all the security sections of the operating system and can install and uninstall software on a computer. We specifically decide to limit our client admin access to “Local Admin” meaning the Administrator permissions are limited to that computer and cannot login to servers or have elevated permissions on your internal network.
Computers setup with standard users will have a pop-up take over the screen (in Windows) that requires typing a username/password before proceeding. Users with Administrative rights will only see a Yes/No dialogue which is why we encourage you not to login to computers with your Local Admin account unless specifically instructed to do so by a supervisor or Advantage Computing.
Using your Administrative Permissions
Your company has determined that you should have permissions to access the Administrative elements of your computer or provide those rights to others in your company. With this permission comes great responsibility.
When NOT to use these permissions:
- To install personal/free software on company computers
- To log into machines directly
- To change security settings deployed by your company
- To give administrative rights on a pop-up that you do not understand or know why it happened
When you SHOULD use these permissions:
- To install approved software or update software as needed
- To repair a computer at the instruction of a supervisor or Advantage Computing
Common sense becomes key in making sure these privileges are not abused. If you do not know why a computer is asking for Admin rights, cancel the prompt and contact your supervisor or Advantage Computing immediately. Your company should already install and maintain all the software you need to do your job. If not, please contact your supervisor and make sure to update your company software whitelist.