Temporary administrator

Policy for allocation of administrator rights

To be granted administrator rights on your Windows PC, you must follow the current policy at UiO.

• The access should not be used to turn off, modify, or otherwise disrupt security and operational functions on the machine.
• The access should not be used to modify or customize centrally distributed software such as the Office suite, Zoom, etc. Any need for changes to these should be reported to the IT department.
• You are responsible for assessing the quality of software that requires administrator rights, as well as the sources/origin of the software.
• You are responsible for obtaining the correct and legal licenses for the intended use of self-installed software.
• Admin access should not be used to create new local users.

You are personally responsible for acting in accordance with the current policy. Violations of the policy will result in a loss of administrator rights. All use of temporary admin rights is logged.

Categories of administrator rights

Administrator rights are allocated based on categories, with category 4 having the longest duration of administrator rights but also the strictest requirements for justification of allocation. 

1. No administrator rights: You are not allowed to have elevated rights as an administrator. This is the standard practice for the majority of users at UiO to maintain security and comply with recommendations from the Norwegian National Security Authority.
2. Temporary administrator rights: You can be granted temporary elevated rights for up to 4 hours at a time. The need for these rights will be evaluated by your local IT support. Please contact IT-Help for assistance.
3. Three months of administrator rights: You can request access to elevate your user account to administrator rights for a period of three months using the online application form. The access is documented and managed by the IT organization and will automatically expire after the specified duration. User guide for the use of temporary administrator rights.
4. One year of administrator rights: You can request access to elevate your user account to administrator rights for a period of one year using the online application form. The access is documented and managed by the IT organization and will automatically expire after the specified duration. User guide for the use of temporary administrator rights.

Apply for extended administrator rights

User guide for temporary administrator rights

1. Evaluate how long you need administrator rights for. Note that there are stricter requirements for being granted administrator rights for one year compared to three months.

2. Submit an application for temporary administrator rights.

3. If your application is approved, you will receive a notification via email. Once approved, you can start the UiO Temporary Administrator application from the Start menu.

4. Start the app. It takes a few seconds to finish running.  

5. When the app is finished, you will get a notification saying that you have been given administrator rights for a certain duration of time. 

6. You will receive a notification via email when there are 10 business days remaining for your administrator rights. At that point, you will have the opportunity to apply for a renewal of your administrator rights. If you do not apply for a renewal, your administrator rights will expire automatically.