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We have a domain group setup on each PC that's a member of the local administrators group. Users can be added as members of this domain group for administrator access for a very limited time to allow for quick installation of software etc. Anyone who has a laptop gets local administrator rights. This avoids a lot of issues when they are away from the office and need to install software. Firmin Charlot, MCSE, A+, Information Systems Manager Educational and Support Services 162 Student Services Building East Lansing, MI 48824 [log in to unmask] (517) 432-7541 Submit technical requests at http://help.ess.msu.edu/ -----Original Message----- From: MSU Network Administrators Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard Wiggins Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 3:00 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [MSUNAG] How do you manage Administrator access for your users? I'm curious how folks manage access to Administrator accounts. One piece of advice is to create a general user account and use it at all times except when you need to install a program or make another system change. That way it's harder for spyware or other malware to break in. My question is whether those of you who manage fleets of machines give your end users access to the Administrator account, even if you encourage users to follow the above advice. You may have noticed that ACNS will be updating the SSL VPN to support Mac's new Leopard operating system. Whenever the SSL VPN is updated, users need to upgrade the Java client installed on their computers, and this requires admin access. (See http://servicestatus.msu.edu/status_detail.php?id=1995) Obviously you'd want to avoid the scenario where your user is on the road and needs to update the client but they don't have Administrator access. There are other examples. Once I was using a loaner laptop and could not connect to a Wi-Fi network on the road because it was not an encrypted network, and Windows demands Administrator access to connect anyhow. During last Friday's wireless test folks needed to be sure they had a Java VM installed, and to install a speed test applet. Or maybe you need to upgrade software for some reason while on the road. OK, enough examples -- I look forward to hearing how you handle this. /rich