A method, an apparatus, a system, and a computer program product are presented for allowing an administrative user to provide help, support, or assistance to other users within a computing environment. An administrator obtains a username of a user who requires assistance through some means. The administrator belongs to a special group of users that is allowed to invoke a switch-user function, which obtains a comprehensive version of that user's identity, e.g., security credentials, while maintaining a session. With respect to applications and systems within a computing environment, the administrator's session will have the attributes of the assumed user identity as if the administrator had logged in with that user's authentication information. The administrator then accesses resources while impersonating that user in order to assist that user or to find a problem.