Privileged Use Policy

The ASU Information Security Policy establishes guidelines and standards for the preservation of the confidentiality, integrity and availability of University information resources. To assist in managing and complying with these guidelines, faculty and staff have access to the Elevate Admin tool for temporarily granting administrative access when needed. Learn more about the Elevate Admin tool here. For additional information: ASU Information Security Policy.

All operating systems and databases have privileged accounts, frequently called “administrator,” “service,” or “root” accounts. These accounts may be used to run specific services or processes on a given system. These types of accounts normally have elevated privileges whereby it can modify the system’s operation, authentication methods, access controls, logs, and the privileges of other accounts.

Users on ASU owned systems should be logged into their regular accounts and not their privileged accounts on a day to day basis.

If you are a user who is needing an exception from the policy for a specific system, contact your IT Manager.

Account Usage for Privileged Use include:

• Installing, upgrading, or troubleshooting system or application software.
• Relocating the individual’s files from critically overloaded locations.
• Performing repairs required to return a system to normal operating parameters.
• Running security checking programs and maintaining system backups.
• Monitoring and tuning the system to ensure capability, continuity, reliability, and security.
• For tasks requiring temporary administrative access, consider using the Elevate Admin tool, which ensures compliance with university policies. Details about the Elevate Admin tool can be found here.

Account Usage NOT for Privilege Use Include:

• Surfing the web
• Accessing email
• Opening attachments
• Conducting any other activities beyond their specific intended purpose.