Power User vs Administrator: Balancing Access and Security

In any computing environment, managing user access is a foundational element of security and operational efficiency. The discussion of Power User vs Administrator highlights two crucial but frequently misunderstood levels of privilege. While both roles possess advanced technical skills compared to a standard user, their authority, objectives, and impact on an organization are fundamentally different. Properly distinguishing between these roles is not merely a technical exercise; it is a strategic decision that directly affects an organization’s security posture, employee productivity, and the overall stability of its IT infrastructure. This article provides a comprehensive comparison of their functions, responsibilities, and appropriate use cases.

What is the Main Difference Between Power User vs Administrator?

The main difference between Power User and Administrator is that a Power User has elevated permissions and deep knowledge to maximize their own productivity and control their specific environment, while an Administrator possesses ultimate, system-wide authority to manage the entire infrastructure, security, and all user accounts for an organization. The Power User’s scope is personal efficiency; the Administrator’s scope is total system stability and security.

Who is a Power User and who is an Administrator?

In the complex hierarchy of system access, the roles of Power User and Administrator represent two distinct levels of privilege and responsibility, often misunderstood as being interchangeable. Understanding their unique functions is critical for maintaining a secure and efficient IT environment.

A Power User is an individual who possesses a deep, often specialized, understanding of an operating system or specific applications. They are not typical users; they leverage advanced features, customize their environment extensively, and often use scripting or command-line tools to automate tasks and enhance their workflow. Their primary focus is on maximizing their personal productivity and efficiency. For example, a data scientist who writes complex scripts to process data, a graphic designer who manages custom fonts and application plugins, or a developer who configures a local development server are all acting as Power Users. While they have permissions beyond a standard user—such as the ability to install certain approved software or modify advanced settings within their user profile—their control is fundamentally limited to their own workspace and does not extend to core system files or other users’ accounts.

An Administrator, on the other hand, is the custodian of the entire system or network. Often referred to as a System Administrator or ‘SysAdmin,’ this role holds the highest level of privilege, commonly known as ‘root’ or ‘administrator’ access. Their responsibility is not personal productivity but the overall health, security, and availability of the IT infrastructure for all users. An Administrator’s tasks are global in scope: they create and manage user accounts, set security policies, deploy software across the organization, manage server and network hardware, perform system-wide updates, and troubleshoot issues that affect the entire user base. A mistake made by an Administrator can have catastrophic consequences, such as data loss, a major security breach, or system-wide downtime. They hold the ‘keys to the kingdom’ and are accountable for its protection and smooth operation.

Key differences between Power User and Administrator

1. Scope of Authority: A Power User’s permissions are typically confined to their own user account and machine, allowing for advanced customization. An Administrator has system-wide authority, affecting all users, hardware, and software on the network.
2. Primary Objective: The Power User’s goal is to enhance personal productivity and workflow efficiency. The Administrator’s primary goal is to ensure system security, stability, and availability for the entire organization.
3. User Account Management: A Power User has no ability to create, modify, or delete other user accounts. An Administrator is solely responsible for the entire lifecycle of user accounts, including creation, permissions, and deletion.
4. Software Installation: Power Users may be able to install software for their own use, often within limitations set by the administrator. Administrators can install, update, and remove any software on a system or deploy it to all users across the network.
5. Security Responsibility: A Power User is a consumer of security policies and is responsible for their own account’s security. An Administrator is the creator, implementer, and enforcer of security policies for the entire system.
6. System-Level Configuration: A Power User can typically change settings that affect their own experience (e.g., desktop appearance, application settings). An Administrator can modify core, system-level configurations like network firewalls, Group Policies, or kernel parameters.
7. Impact of Errors: A mistake made by a Power User usually only impacts their own machine or data. A mistake made by an Administrator can bring down critical services, compromise the entire network, or result in catastrophic data loss.
8. Accountability: Power Users are accountable for their own work and data. Administrators are accountable for the integrity and performance of the entire IT infrastructure.
9. Nature of Troubleshooting: A Power User troubleshoots issues with their specific applications or complex workflows. An Administrator troubleshoots systemic problems like server outages, network failures, or security incidents.

Key similarities between Power User and Administrator

1. Advanced Technical Knowledge: Both roles possess technical knowledge and skills that far exceed those of a standard user, enabling them to interact with the system on a deeper level.
2. Problem-Solving Orientation: Both Power Users and Administrators are often the go-to individuals for solving technical problems, albeit at different scales and scopes of impact.
3. Requirement for Elevated Privileges: To perform their functions effectively, both roles require permissions greater than a standard user account, which also makes their accounts a higher-value target for attackers.
4. Use of Advanced Tools: Both frequently utilize specialized utilities, command-line interfaces (e.g., PowerShell, Bash), and scripting to manage their respective domains more efficiently.
5. Focus on Optimization: Whether for personal workflow (Power User) or system-wide performance (Administrator), both roles are constantly seeking ways to optimize processes and improve efficiency.
6. Interaction with System Internals: Both roles are comfortable and proficient in navigating and modifying complex system settings, such as the Windows Registry or configuration files in Linux.
7. Gatekeepers of Knowledge: Within their spheres of influence, both Power Users and Administrators often serve as informal mentors or guides, helping other users understand technology better.

Roles and Responsibilities of Power User vs Administrator

1. Responsibility for User Accounts: An Administrator is responsible for creating, managing, and deleting all user accounts and groups across the system or domain. A Power User has zero responsibility or authority over any account other than their own.
2. Responsibility for System Security: The Administrator is accountable for defining, implementing, and enforcing the organization’s entire security posture, including firewalls, antivirus deployment, and access control policies. A Power User is responsible only for adhering to these policies and securing their local account.
3. Responsibility for Software Management: An Administrator’s role includes the centralized deployment, patching, and lifecycle management of software for the entire organization. A Power User’s responsibility is limited to installing and managing approved applications for their individual use only.
4. Responsibility for System Stability: The Administrator is ultimately accountable for the availability, performance, and stability of the entire IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, and core services. A Power User is responsible only for the stability of their own workstation.
5. Responsibility for Data Management: An Administrator is responsible for system-wide data integrity, including implementing and managing backup and recovery solutions for critical company data. A Power User is responsible for managing and backing up their own local files and work product.
6. Responsibility for Change Management: Administrators must follow formal change management processes for any modification that could impact the production environment, requiring documentation and approval. A Power User can make changes to their local environment more informally and with greater agility, as the impact is contained.
7. Responsibility for Troubleshooting: An Administrator is tasked with diagnosing and resolving systemic issues that affect multiple users or critical infrastructure. A Power User’s troubleshooting role is confined to resolving issues with their own applications, scripts, and local machine configuration.
8. Responsibility for Compliance and Auditing: The Administrator is responsible for configuring system logging, monitoring for unauthorized activity, and generating reports to meet regulatory compliance standards (like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOX). A Power User has no such responsibilities and is simply a subject of this auditing.

Pros of Power User Over Administrator

1. Reduced Security Risk: A Power User account has significantly fewer privileges than an Administrator account. If a Power User’s credentials are stolen, the potential damage is contained to their local machine and user profile, preventing the attacker from gaining control over critical system infrastructure or other user accounts.
2. Enhanced User Autonomy and Productivity: Power Users can install approved software, customize their settings, and resolve many of their own technical issues without needing to create a support ticket and wait for an Administrator. This autonomy directly translates to increased efficiency and less downtime for skilled employees.
3. Lower Impact of Errors: Mistakes are inevitable, but the consequences of an error made by a Power User are far less severe. An incorrect setting or a faulty script will typically only affect the individual’s machine, whereas a similar mistake by an Administrator could bring down an entire network or server.
4. Fostering Innovation and Specialization: Experts in fields like data science, engineering, or design often need specialized tools and configurations. The Power User role allows them to tailor their environment to their unique workflow, fostering innovation without compromising the stability of the core system.
5. Alignment with the Principle of Least Privilege: The Power User model is an excellent implementation of the security principle of least privilege. It grants users only the specific permissions they need to perform their advanced tasks, rather than providing the excessive and unnecessary access of a full Administrator account.
6. Reduced Burden on IT Staff: By empowering users to be more self-sufficient, the number of routine requests funneled to the IT department is significantly reduced. This frees up Administrators to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as security architecture, infrastructure upgrades, and system-wide performance tuning.
7. Faster Task Execution for Local Needs: When a Power User needs to install a new application plugin or run a diagnostic tool, they can do so immediately. This agility is a stark contrast to the potentially lengthy change control and approval processes that an Administrator must often navigate for system-wide changes.

Cons of Power User Compared to Administrator

1. Inability to Perform System-Wide Changes: A Power User’s primary limitation is their scope. They cannot perform tasks that affect the entire system or other users, such as modifying core network settings, managing system services, updating hardware drivers, or deploying software organization-wide.
2. Limited Troubleshooting Capabilities: When a problem originates outside of their local machine—such as a server-side application error, a network outage, or a failed directory service—a Power User is unable to resolve it. They must escalate the issue to an Administrator, which can introduce delays.
3. Potential for Inconsistent Environments: If an organization has many Power Users managing their own machines, it can lead to a lack of standardization in software versions and configurations. This ‘configuration drift’ makes centralized management, patching, and support more challenging for the IT team.
4. Dependency on Administrators for Critical Tasks: Despite their advanced skills, Power Users remain fundamentally dependent on Administrators for essential functions like account creation, permission adjustments for others, and the resolution of major system incidents.
5. Inability to Manage Other Users: A Power User has no authority over any other user account. They cannot assist a colleague by resetting a password, adjusting file permissions, or creating a new account for a team member, tasks that are exclusively handled by Administrators.
6. Risk of ‘Shadow IT’: If the permissions granted to a Power User are too restrictive for their legitimate needs, they may be tempted to find unsanctioned workarounds. This can lead to the use of unauthorized software or cloud services, creating security vulnerabilities and compliance issues known as ‘Shadow IT.’

Pros of Administrator Over Power User

1. Complete System Control: An Administrator possesses unparalleled, system-wide authority. This allows them to manage every facet of the IT environment, from server hardware and network firewalls to security policies and data backups, ensuring holistic and consistent oversight.
2. Centralized Management and Standardization: Administrators can enforce uniform standards across the entire organization. By deploying standardized operating system images, software versions, and security configurations, they simplify maintenance, streamline support, and ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.
3. Robust Security Enforcement: Only an Administrator can implement and lock down critical, system-wide security measures. This includes configuring firewalls, managing Active Directory Group Policies, deploying endpoint protection, and responding to security incidents with the authority to isolate or shut down compromised systems.
4. Ability to Resolve Any Technical Issue: With full access to all systems, logs, and configuration tools, an Administrator is equipped to diagnose and resolve any technical problem, no matter how complex or widespread. Their authority allows them to address root causes, not just symptoms.
5. Comprehensive User and Access Management: Administrators are solely responsible for the entire lifecycle of user accounts. They can create, modify, and delete users and groups, ensuring that access permissions are correctly provisioned and, just as importantly, de-provisioned when an employee leaves the organization.
6. Efficient Software Deployment and Patching: Using centralized management tools, Administrators can deploy new software, updates, and critical security patches to hundreds or thousands of machines simultaneously and silently. This ensures the entire organization is protected from vulnerabilities without relying on individual user action.
7. System-Wide Auditing and Monitoring: Full administrative access is required to implement and manage comprehensive auditing and monitoring solutions. This capability is crucial for tracking system activity, detecting potential threats, investigating security breaches, and generating reports for compliance purposes.

Cons of Administrator Compared to Power User

1. Catastrophic Impact of Errors: A single mistake by an Administrator can have devastating consequences. A mistyped command could delete critical data, a misconfigured policy could lock out all users, and an incorrect network change could bring down the entire organization’s operations.
2. High-Value Target for Attackers: Administrator accounts are the ‘keys to the kingdom’ and are therefore the primary target for cyberattacks. A compromised admin account gives an adversary complete control over the network, making it a far more dangerous security risk than a compromised Power User account.
3. Potential for Operational Bottlenecks: If every elevated task requires an Administrator’s intervention, it can create a significant bottleneck. Power Users and other employees may face delays in their work while waiting for an Administrator to perform a relatively simple task like installing a specific application.
4. Risk of Privilege Abuse: The absolute power of an Administrator account carries an inherent risk of intentional misuse. A disgruntled employee with administrative access could cause irreparable harm, steal sensitive data, or sabotage systems.
5. Violation of Least Privilege for Daily Tasks: Using a full Administrator account for routine, non-administrative work (like reading email or browsing the web) is a major security anti-pattern. It needlessly exposes the most powerful credentials on the network to common threats like phishing and malware.
6. Increased Complexity and Stress: The responsibility for the health and security of an entire IT infrastructure is immense. The Administrator role is inherently high-stress, demanding constant vigilance, deep expertise across numerous technologies, and ultimate accountability for any system failure or security breach.
7. Slower Agility for Specific Changes: Administrators must often adhere to strict change management protocols, requiring documentation, approval, and scheduled maintenance windows before implementing changes. This necessary caution means they cannot act with the same agility as a Power User making an approved change to their local environment.
8. Greater Overhead for Account Security: Administrator accounts require more stringent security controls, such as mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA), privileged access management (PAM) solutions, and regular password rotation. This adds a layer of operational complexity not typically required for Power User accounts.

Situations when Power User is Better than Administrator

In many operational contexts, assigning Power User privileges is a more strategic and secure choice than granting full administrative rights. This approach balances user autonomy with system integrity, making it ideal for specific scenarios.

1. Empowering Specialized Roles: A data scientist, software developer, or graphic designer often needs to install specialized libraries, development tools, or application plugins that are not part of the standard corporate software catalog. Granting them Power User status allows them to manage their unique software stack and configure their local environment for peak productivity without compromising core system files or security settings.
2. Reducing the Attack Surface: In accordance with the Principle of Least Privilege, every full administrator account is a high-value target for cybercriminals. By assigning Power User rights instead, the potential damage from a compromised account is significantly limited. An attacker gaining control of a Power User account cannot alter system-wide security policies, access other users’ data, or install rootkits.
3. Managing Lab or Research Environments: In a research or testing laboratory, users frequently need to install and uninstall different software versions, adjust specific hardware settings, and run diagnostic tools. A Power User role provides the necessary flexibility to perform these tasks on their designated workstation without creating a bottleneck by requiring an administrator for every change.
4. Facilitating Remote Work for Technical Staff: Technical employees working remotely can resolve many of their own issues—such as reconfiguring network adapters for a home network or installing a necessary VPN client update—if they have Power User privileges. This self-sufficiency reduces their reliance on the IT helpdesk and minimizes downtime.
5. Minimizing the Impact of User Error: An accidental misconfiguration or the installation of unstable software by a Power User will typically only affect their own machine. The same mistake made by an Administrator could disrupt services for an entire department or the whole organization, making the Power User role a safer option for delegating advanced permissions.
6. Streamlining Application-Specific Administration: Some complex applications require a user to have elevated rights to manage its internal settings, users, or data connections. A Power User account can provide these necessary permissions for the application without granting unrelated and excessive privileges to manage the entire operating system.
7. Reducing IT Department Workload: By empowering trusted users to handle their own advanced configuration and software installation needs, the volume of routine support tickets submitted to the IT department decreases. This allows system administrators to focus their efforts on strategic infrastructure management, security, and critical incidents rather than routine user requests.

Situations when Administrator is Better than Power User

Despite the benefits of the Power User role, there are numerous critical functions where the absolute and centralized authority of an Administrator is not just better, but essential for the security and stability of the IT infrastructure.

1. Deploying System-Wide Security Patches: When a critical vulnerability is discovered, an Administrator is required to deploy the security patch to every server and workstation across the organization simultaneously. A Power User lacks the authority and tools to perform this essential, large-scale security function.
2. Managing User Identity and Access: The entire lifecycle of a user account—from creation and group membership assignment to password resets and eventual de-provisioning when an employee leaves—must be handled exclusively by an Administrator to maintain a secure and auditable system.
3. Configuring Core Network Infrastructure: Modifying firewall rules, setting up virtual private networks (VPNs), managing DNS and DHCP servers, and configuring network switches are foundational tasks that affect connectivity for all users. These responsibilities require the comprehensive control of an Administrator.
4. Implementing and Enforcing Group Policies: To ensure a standardized and secure user environment, Administrators use tools like Active Directory Group Policy to enforce password complexity rules, restrict access to control panel settings, and map network drives. A Power User can only be a subject of these policies, not a creator.
5. Performing System Backups and Disaster Recovery: The responsibility for backing up critical company data from servers and implementing a disaster recovery plan in the event of a catastrophic failure rests solely with Administrators. They are the only ones with the access required to restore entire systems and data volumes.
6. Responding to a Security Incident: If a security breach is detected, an Administrator must take immediate action. This can include isolating compromised machines from the network, analyzing system-wide logs to trace the attacker’s activity, and forcibly terminating malicious processes, all of which are beyond a Power User’s capabilities.
7. Installing and Managing Enterprise-Level Software: Deploying and maintaining enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, or database servers requires deep integration with the operating system and network. This level of installation and configuration is exclusively an administrative task.

Security Implications and Best Practices

Managing these two types of accounts correctly is fundamental to organizational security. Each role presents different risks that must be addressed with specific security controls.

Securing the Administrator Account

Administrator accounts are the most powerful and, therefore, the most targeted accounts on any network. They require special protection. An administrator should have a separate, standard user account for daily activities like checking email and browsing the internet, using the administrative account only when performing tasks that require elevated privileges.

This practice of using separate accounts for different privilege levels is a core security measure. It greatly reduces the exposure of the powerful credentials to common threats. Additionally, all administrator accounts must be protected with strong Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and managed through a Privileged Access Management (PAM) system to log and control their use.

Managing Power User Permissions Safely

Granting Power User status must be done carefully to avoid introducing new vulnerabilities. A good practice is to use application whitelisting, which restricts Power Users to installing only software from a pre-approved list. This prevents them from accidentally or intentionally installing malicious or unstable programs.

Regularly auditing the activities of Power Users is also a sound strategy. By logging their installations and system modifications, an organization can track changes and quickly identify the source of any problems. This creates accountability and provides a valuable record for troubleshooting if a Power User’s actions cause an issue on their machine.

The Principle of Least Privilege in Practice

The core idea behind having both roles is the Principle of Least Privilege. This principle states that users should only be given the access they need to perform their jobs and nothing more. For most advanced users, a Power User account provides the right balance of flexibility and security.

Applying this principle means that full Administrator accounts should be very rare and tightly controlled. By limiting powerful permissions, an organization reduces its overall risk profile. A security breach of a Power User account is a contained problem, while a breach of an Administrator account is a system-wide catastrophe.

Skill Development and Career Paths

The journey to becoming a Power User or an Administrator involves different skills and leads to different career opportunities. Knowing these paths helps individuals and organizations plan for technical growth.

The Path to Becoming a Power User

A person often becomes a Power User through practical need and personal interest. They are driven to master the tools they use every day for their job. This involves self-directed study, experimenting with advanced features, and finding ways to make their own work faster and easier.

Their expertise is typically very deep in a specific area but may not be broad. For instance, a financial analyst might become a Power User of spreadsheet software by writing complex macros and scripts. Their knowledge is focused on that application, not necessarily on the entire IT infrastructure.

The Path to Becoming an Administrator

The path to becoming an Administrator is often more structured and formal. It requires a wide base of knowledge covering networking, server management, security principles, and different operating systems. This education frequently comes from certifications and dedicated training programs.

This career demands a strong sense of duty and a methodical approach to managing complex systems. The career progression can lead to senior positions in IT management, specialized security roles, or cloud engineering. The focus is always on the health of the entire system, not individual productivity.

How the Roles Can Interact and Evolve

Power Users can be a great help to an IT department. They can act as the first line of support for their immediate team, answering questions and solving minor problems. This frees up administrators to work on bigger issues.

A Power User who shows a strong aptitude for technology may decide to pursue a career in IT. Their deep familiarity with how end-users work with specific software can make them an excellent candidate for a helpdesk or junior administrator role. This can be a natural first step from being an expert user to a system manager.

FAQs

How does the concept of a Power User translate to macOS or Linux environments?

In macOS and Linux, the concept of a Power User exists more in practice than as a formally defined group like it once was in Windows. A user in these environments becomes a Power User by proficiently using the Terminal, writing shell scripts, managing their own software with package managers like Homebrew (macOS) or apt (Linux), and customizing their dotfiles to create a highly optimized workflow. They operate within their home directory’s permissions but can perform advanced tasks without needing system-wide root access. The equivalent of an Administrator is the ‘root’ user or a user account with ‘sudo’ (superuser do) privileges, which grants temporary root-level authority to perform system-wide actions.

What happened to the ‘Power Users’ group in modern Windows versions?

In modern versions of Windows, starting with Windows Vista and continuing through Windows 10 and 11, the built-in ‘Power Users’ group has been deprecated and its permissions are now functionally identical to a standard User account. Microsoft made this change to improve security and more clearly enforce the Principle of Least Privilege. The group is maintained only for backward compatibility with legacy applications that might query for its existence. The modern approach to granting elevated, but not full administrative, permissions involves more granular controls through User Account Control (UAC) settings and specific security policy assignments rather than a single, broadly defined group.

Can a single person be both a Power User and an Administrator?

Yes, it is common for an IT professional to function in both capacities, but best security practices dictate they do so using separate accounts. An individual would use a standard or Power User account for their daily, non-administrative tasks, such as managing their own development projects, writing scripts, or using productivity software. When a task requires system-wide changes—like installing a new server role, modifying a Group Policy, or managing other user accounts—they would explicitly elevate their privileges or log in with their separate, dedicated Administrator account. This separation minimizes the risk of accidental damage and reduces the exposure of the high-privilege account to threats.

How do these roles apply to cloud computing platforms like AWS or Azure?

In cloud platforms, the Power User vs. Administrator concept is implemented through Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies. An Administrator role would be equivalent to a user with a ‘root’ account or a policy granting full administrative privileges (*:*), allowing them to create and destroy any resource, manage billing, and control all user access. A Power User equivalent would be a developer or engineer assigned a custom IAM role with specific permissions. For example, they might have full control over EC2 instances and S3 buckets within a specific project but be denied permission to modify networking infrastructure, change billing information, or manage other users’ permissions.

Is one role inherently more valuable to a company than the other?

Neither role is inherently more valuable; they are both critical to an organization’s success but serve different functions. The Administrator is essential for providing a stable, secure, and available IT foundation upon which the entire business operates. Their value is in risk mitigation and operational continuity. The Power User, on the other hand, drives value through innovation and efficiency within their specific domain, such as a data scientist generating business insights or a developer building a new product. A company needs both: Administrators to keep the system running securely and Power Users to leverage that system to its fullest potential for business goals.

Can a Power User manage hardware drivers?

Generally, a Power User cannot manage or update critical hardware drivers, as this is considered a system-level modification that requires full administrative privileges. Installing or updating drivers for components like the graphics card, chipset, or network interface controller can affect the stability of the entire operating system. An incorrect or incompatible driver could cause system crashes or hardware malfunctions. This task is firmly within the responsibility of an Administrator, who can test the driver for compatibility and deploy it in a controlled manner, often through centralized management tools.

How does User Account Control (UAC) in Windows affect these two roles?

User Account Control (UAC) is a security feature in Windows that helps differentiate the actions of these two roles. For a standard or Power User, a UAC prompt will appear when an action requires administrative privileges, and they must enter the credentials of an Administrator account to proceed. They cannot approve the action themselves. For an Administrator, the UAC prompt serves as a security checkpoint, asking for consent before allowing a high-privilege action to run. The Administrator can simply click ‘Yes’ to proceed without entering a password. UAC reinforces the security boundary by ensuring that administrative-level changes are always made intentionally, not accidentally or by malware.

What is the relationship between a ‘Super User’ and these roles?

The term ‘Super User’ is most commonly associated with Linux and other Unix-like operating systems, where it is synonymous with the ‘root’ account—the absolute administrator. In this context, a Super User is the direct equivalent of an Administrator, possessing unlimited system-wide authority. The term is also sometimes used more informally in a business context to describe a Power User who has become the go-to expert for a specific application, like a CRM or ERP system. In this informal usage, they are a ‘super user’ of that software, often training others, but they do not have administrative privileges over the underlying operating system.

Power User vs Administrator Summary

The core distinction in the Power User vs Administrator comparison lies in the scope of authority and primary objective. A Power User is granted elevated permissions to maximize their own productivity and control their local environment, focusing on personal workflow efficiency. Their impact is contained, and their role is a practical application of the Principle of Least Privilege. An Administrator, conversely, holds ultimate system-wide authority, with the primary objective of ensuring the security, stability, and availability of the entire IT infrastructure for all users. Their actions are global and carry immense responsibility. Choosing between these roles is a critical security decision: empower individuals with Power User status for autonomy and innovation, but reserve the absolute control of an Administrator account for managing and protecting the entire system.

Power User vs Administrator Comparison Summary