Everyone running as admin because that's the only way things work?
Admin Rights Everywhere: Security Through Hope
One successful phishing email is all it takes. Admin rights mean malware installs without asking permission.
The Path of Least Resistance to Maximum Risk
Users need admin rights to install apps or update software
IT gives everyone admin to avoid constant support tickets
Users can modify system settings and security configurations
No way to control what gets installed on devices
Security team uncomfortable but sees no alternative
Picture a typical Tuesday morning. One of your account managers receives an email that looks like it's from a client. They click the attachment. With admin rights, the malware installer doesn't need to ask permission. It just runs. Within minutes, files start encrypting. Within hours, it's spread to shared drives. We watched a 40-person consulting firm deal with exactly this. Three days of downtime, $80,000 in lost revenue, and months of security remediation. The entry point? Admin rights on a single MacBook. The security audit afterward asked a simple question: Why did that user have admin privileges? The answer: Because IT couldn't figure out how to manage Macs without giving everyone admin.
What Admin Rights Actually Cost You
Malware Installs Silently
With admin privileges, malicious software doesn't need user approval. It just installs. Ransomware, keyloggers, and cryptominers all get system-level access immediately. Your security software might catch known threats, but zero-day exploits walk right in.
Configuration Drift and Inconsistency
Users change system settings, disable security features, modify firewall rules. Every Mac becomes a unique snowflake with its own configuration. Support becomes impossible because no two systems match. Compliance audits reveal chaos.
Shadow IT at System Level
Users install unauthorized software, often pirated or from untrusted sources. You have no inventory of what's running, no way to remove it, and no visibility into licensing compliance. IT discovers the mess only when something breaks or an audit happens.
Compliance Violations
ISO 27001 requires least-privilege access. GDPR requires technical controls. NIS2 demands documented access management. Admin rights for everyone violates all of these. Auditors see this as a fundamental control failure that undermines your entire security posture.
Least-Privilege Without Breaking Workflows
We implement MDM-based privilege management that removes admin rights from users while enabling specific elevated actions through self-service or automated workflows. Need to install an approved app? Self-service portal. Need to connect a printer? Allowed automatically. Need to modify system security settings? Not happening. Users get the access they need for their jobs: nothing more, nothing less.
Remove admin rights without support ticket explosion
Self-service approved app installation
Automatic elevation for legitimate system tasks
Complete audit trail of privilege escalation
Dramatically reduced malware infection risk
Compliance with least-privilege requirements
Related Services
MDM Implementation
Centralized device management with Jamf Pro, Mosyle, Kandji, Intune, and Omnissa
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Security & Compliance Consulting
GDPR, ISO 27001, and security audits your general IT team can't handle
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Assessments & Audits
Current state analysis: find what's broken before it breaks you
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Stop Managing Security Through Hope
Book a 20-minute call to discuss removing admin rights safely.
