Power user

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A power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but he or she is not capable of doing advanced, non application-oriented tasks like programming and may or may not be capable of system administration. In enterprise software systems such as Oracle or SAP, this title may go to an individual who is not a programmer, but who is a specialist in a transaction or a business process. The "Super User" in enterprise programs (SAP, Oracle) often refers to an individual who is an expert in a module or process within the enterprise system.

Contents 1 Operating system administration 2 Other uses 3 SAP & Oracle 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Operating system administration

In Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003, there is a "Power Users" group on the system that gives more permissions than a normal restricted user, but stops short of Administrator permissions. It should be noted that if a user is a member of the Power Users group, he or she is able to promote their account to an Administrator with little effort.^[1] Thus, the Power Users group should be used with trustworthy users only; it is not suitable to contain untrustworthy users. The Power Users group has been removed in Windows Vista as part of the consolidation of privilege elevation features in the introduction of User Account Control.^[2]

[edit] Other uses

Power user can also be a marketing term referring to a computer user who seeks and uses products having the most features and the fastest performance.

The term Power user of ICT is also used to describe youth who have acquired advanced technology skills at a young age.

[edit] SAP & Oracle

SAP and Oracle are well known enterprise systems which often require a complex set of training in order to learn. Because of this, and also to encourage engagement with the systems, many companies have created a "Super User Model" (also called Power User, Champion) in order to take regular users and raise them to a level of leadership within the system. Doing this accomplishes three objectives^[3][4]:

1. More engaged use of the system as there is a personal face assigned to champion the system and make acceptance of the technology less challenging.

2. A significant time and cost reduction as companies are not seeking or hiring new or temporary resources for the purposes of developing and/or delivering documentation, training, and support.

3. ROI or proof of concept of the SAP investment should be more easily achieved as users are directly involved, thereby using the system invested in, which benefits the company overall.

Extensive research has been done specifically with the Super User Model in SAP, specifically in regards to the role they take in training and supporting end users. Currently, more than 70% of SAP companies utilize a form of the Super User Model.

Power User can also be described as a term for a leader (non-programmer) in enterprise software, such as SAP AG or Oracle. Often these are people who retain their normal user job role, but also function in testing, training, and first-tier support of the enterprise software.^[5][6]

[edit] See also

Look up power user in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• nobody (username)
• superuser

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Comparison of permissions of power users, administrators and other user groups in Windows active directory