You secure privileged and admin access by limiting who has it, granting elevated rights only when they are needed, protecting those accounts with multi-factor authentication, and logging how they are used. Admin accounts are the keys to everything, so in a development environment full of powerful access, controlling them tightly is one of the most important things you can do.
Developers often need more access than an average user, which makes disciplined control of admin rights essential. Here’s how to do it.
1. Limit who has admin rights
The fewer people with standing admin access, the smaller your risk. We help you keep admin rights to those who genuinely need them, rather than handing them out widely by default.
2. Elevate only when needed
Rather than everyone running as an administrator all day, elevated rights can be granted for specific tasks when required. That keeps day-to-day work in a safer, lower-privilege state, which limits what an attacker or a mistake can do.
3. Protect admin accounts strongly
Privileged accounts deserve the strongest protection: MFA, unique credentials and careful handling. A compromised admin account is far more damaging than a normal one, so these get extra care.
4. Log and review use
Keeping a record of how privileged access is used means unusual activity can be spotted and reviewed. Visibility over your most powerful accounts is a key part of keeping them safe.
A real example: controlled elevation on dev machines
We supported a software company serving financial trading firms where elevation on developer machines was controlled rather than open, so engineers got the rights they needed for specific tasks while everyday work stayed in a safer state. Controlled access like this is how you protect a dev environment without slowing it down.
For a software, technology or financial trading firm, this is part of managed IT and security that usually costs about £45 to £100 per user per month, scaling with your headcount, your security needs and how much uptime the business depends on.
Why technology and trading firms choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including software and technology companies and firms that serve financial markets. We know the systems these teams depend on: secure VPN and remote access, source control and build pipelines, virtual dev and test environments, Microsoft 365 and Teams, and the security that banks and regulators expect, from multi-factor authentication and endpoint protection to application allowlisting and email security. We work with technology and trading firms in London and across Essex and Hertfordshire. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we’ve been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Not sure who holds admin rights in your firm? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT and we’ll get it under control.