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 is not necessarily capable of programming and 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.
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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.
Self-identified power users, males in particular, will often label themselves as power users if asked, even when they are less than fully competent. In one study, self-identified power users refused to read any instructions, made wrong guesses, and repeatedly became so lost they were unable to complete the test. [1]
In some computing environments a more formal role is assigned to power users.
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[2][3]:
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 regard 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.[2][3]
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. If a user is a member of the Power Users group, he or she has greater chance of exposing the system to malware over a normal user and is able to promote their account to an Administrator by purposely installing malware.[4] Thus, the Power Users group should be used with trustworthy and knowledgeable 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.[5]