[ajug-members] Do Developers need Administrator rights

[tooger at bellsouth.net]

Fellow Developers

I need your input on the topic of administrator priveleges. The public network is a dangerous place. To protect the interests of the business, a network administrator has to put in place significant defenses. One of these defenses is to impose a policy that restricts a user from installing whatever they want onto their desktop/laptop. 

In the Windows world, this typically means that the user has no administrator priveleges. This policy works well for the typical user and certainly prevents them from installing all sorts of rubbish on their corporate desktop exposing the business in many different ways. The larger the company, the greater the risk, the more restrictive the policy. I have found though that this policy doesn't work too well for Developers (or is it just me).

Developers need to be able to install versions of tools and products at will. At times, they may need to have access to the registry. They may need to install and run desktop editions of some pretty advanced software e.g. Oracle XE or SQL Server 2005 Express as part of building their development environment. Trying to do our jobs without Administrator priveleges is like being forced to paint a room with a toothbrush and your hands tied behind your back. (Of course, I would say the Windows security model is the root issue - can I do sudo in Windows?)

However, I also recognise the need for a network administrator to secure the network.

What is the solution to providing a flexible development environment for developers without exposing the network? One solution may be to have a dedicated development network separate to the corporate network. What are your thoughts on this solution? What about other solutions (virtual environments)? How do you cope with such restrictive policies (personally, I've had to resort to using my own laptop and private network at work)?

Jason