diff --git a/scm-webapp/src/main/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollector.java b/scm-webapp/src/main/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollector.java
index 8a79293642..eed03c2cd4 100644
--- a/scm-webapp/src/main/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollector.java
+++ b/scm-webapp/src/main/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollector.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 import sonia.scm.cache.Cache;
 import sonia.scm.cache.CacheManager;
+import sonia.scm.config.ScmConfiguration;
 import sonia.scm.group.GroupNames;
 import sonia.scm.group.GroupPermissions;
 import sonia.scm.plugin.Extension;
@@ -76,9 +77,6 @@ import java.util.Set;
 public class DefaultAuthorizationCollector implements AuthorizationCollector
 {
 
-  // TODO move to util class
-  private static final String SEPARATOR = System.getProperty("line.separator", "\n");
-
   /** Field description */
   private static final String ADMIN_PERMISSION = "*";
 
@@ -98,14 +96,16 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollector implements AuthorizationCollector
    *
    *
    *
+   * @param configuration
    * @param cacheManager
    * @param repositoryDAO
    * @param securitySystem
    */
   @Inject
-  public DefaultAuthorizationCollector(CacheManager cacheManager,
-    RepositoryDAO repositoryDAO, SecuritySystem securitySystem)
+  public DefaultAuthorizationCollector(ScmConfiguration configuration, CacheManager cacheManager,
+                                       RepositoryDAO repositoryDAO, SecuritySystem securitySystem)
   {
+    this.configuration = configuration;
     this.cache = cacheManager.getCache(CACHE_NAME);
     this.repositoryDAO = repositoryDAO;
     this.securitySystem = securitySystem;
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollector implements AuthorizationCollector
     Set<String> roles;
     Set<String> permissions;
 
-    if (user.isAdmin())
+    if (isAdmin(user, groups))
     {
       if (logger.isDebugEnabled())
       {
@@ -270,6 +270,37 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollector implements AuthorizationCollector
     return info;
   }
 
+  private boolean isAdmin(User user, GroupNames groups) {
+    boolean admin = user.isAdmin();
+    if (admin) {
+      logger.debug("user {} is marked as admin, because of the user flag", user.getName());
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (isUserAdminInConfiguration(user)) {
+      logger.debug("user {} is marked as admin, because of the admin user configuration", user.getName());
+      return true;
+    }
+    return isUserAdminInGroupConfiguration(user, groups);
+  }
+
+  private boolean isUserAdminInGroupConfiguration(User user, GroupNames groups) {
+    Set<String> adminGroups = configuration.getAdminGroups();
+    if (adminGroups != null && groups != null) {
+      for (String group : groups) {
+        if (adminGroups.contains(group)) {
+          logger.debug("user {} is marked as admin, because of the admin group configuration for group {}", user.getName(), group);
+          return true;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  private boolean isUserAdminInConfiguration(User user) {
+    Set<String> adminUsers = configuration.getAdminUsers();
+    return adminUsers != null && adminUsers.contains(user.getName());
+  }
+
   private String getGroupAutocompletePermission() {
     return GroupPermissions.autocomplete().asShiroString();
   }
@@ -373,6 +404,8 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollector implements AuthorizationCollector
 
   //~--- fields ---------------------------------------------------------------
 
+  private final ScmConfiguration configuration;
+
   /** authorization cache */
   private final Cache<CacheKey, AuthorizationInfo> cache;
 
diff --git a/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest.java b/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest.java
index 2f455469dd..cc39965299 100644
--- a/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest.java
+++ b/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/security/DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ package sonia.scm.security;
 import com.github.sdorra.shiro.ShiroRule;
 import com.github.sdorra.shiro.SubjectAware;
 import com.google.common.base.Predicate;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
 import org.apache.shiro.authz.AuthorizationInfo;
 import org.apache.shiro.authz.SimpleAuthorizationInfo;
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ import org.mockito.Mockito;
 import org.mockito.junit.MockitoJUnitRunner;
 import sonia.scm.cache.Cache;
 import sonia.scm.cache.CacheManager;
+import sonia.scm.config.ScmConfiguration;
 import sonia.scm.group.GroupNames;
 import sonia.scm.repository.PermissionType;
 import sonia.scm.repository.Repository;
@@ -76,6 +78,8 @@ import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 @RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
 public class DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest {
 
+  private ScmConfiguration configuration;
+
   @Mock
   private Cache cache;
 
@@ -99,8 +103,38 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest {
   @Before
   public void setUp(){
     when(cacheManager.getCache(Mockito.any(String.class))).thenReturn(cache);
+    configuration = new ScmConfiguration();
+    collector = new DefaultAuthorizationCollector(configuration, cacheManager, repositoryDAO, securitySystem);
+  }
 
-    collector = new DefaultAuthorizationCollector(cacheManager, repositoryDAO, securitySystem);
+  @Test
+  @SubjectAware(
+    configuration = "classpath:sonia/scm/shiro-001.ini"
+  )
+  public void shouldGetAdminPrivilegedByConfiguration() {
+    configuration.setAdminUsers(ImmutableSet.of("trillian"));
+    authenticate(UserTestData.createTrillian(), "main");
+
+    AuthorizationInfo authInfo = collector.collect();
+    assertIsAdmin(authInfo);
+  }
+
+  private void assertIsAdmin(AuthorizationInfo authInfo) {
+    assertThat(authInfo.getRoles(), Matchers.containsInAnyOrder(Role.USER, Role.ADMIN));
+    assertThat(authInfo.getObjectPermissions(), nullValue());
+    assertThat(authInfo.getStringPermissions(), Matchers.contains("*"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  @SubjectAware(
+    configuration = "classpath:sonia/scm/shiro-001.ini"
+  )
+  public void shouldGetAdminPrivilegedByGroupConfiguration() {
+    configuration.setAdminGroups(ImmutableSet.of("heartOfGold"));
+    authenticate(UserTestData.createTrillian(), "heartOfGold");
+
+    AuthorizationInfo authInfo = collector.collect();
+    assertIsAdmin(authInfo);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -142,7 +176,7 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest {
   public void testCollectWithCache() {
     authenticate(UserTestData.createTrillian(), "main");
 
-    AuthorizationInfo authInfo = collector.collect();
+    collector.collect();
     verify(cache).put(any(), any());
   }
 
@@ -176,9 +210,7 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest {
     authenticate(trillian, "main");
 
     AuthorizationInfo authInfo = collector.collect();
-    assertThat(authInfo.getRoles(), Matchers.containsInAnyOrder(Role.USER, Role.ADMIN));
-    assertThat(authInfo.getObjectPermissions(), nullValue());
-    assertThat(authInfo.getStringPermissions(), Matchers.contains("*"));
+    assertIsAdmin(authInfo);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -238,7 +270,7 @@ public class DefaultAuthorizationCollectorTest {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Tests {@link AuthorizationCollector#invalidateCache(sonia.scm.security.AuthorizationChangedEvent)}.
+   * Tests {@link DefaultAuthorizationCollector#invalidateCache(sonia.scm.security.AuthorizationChangedEvent)}.
    */
   @Test
   public void testInvalidateCache() {