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Free · Video Series and Hiring Matrix · For IT Leaders and Executive Management

What features are already enabled in your Claude Team plan before you've done anything?

A two-page spread that explains the important settings in the Admin Center: what’s enabled by default (as specified by the provider), what we recommend, and at what stage you should adjust them. It also includes a video series that walks you through the Matrix step by step.

Get the Hiring Matrix for Free Watch the video series first

Free. No purchase necessary. The download will appear immediately after you submit the form.

By Nico Röpnack, Lighthouse Consultings, Registered Partner in the Claude Partner Network. Interface version: October 2026.

The factory condition is not your starting point.

You’ve signed up for the Team Plan, invited your first colleagues, and things are up and running. Then you open the Admin Center for the first time and see that many features are already set to “on.” As of October 2026, this includes three features that allow Claude to act independently.

This is not the provider's fault. However, the factory settings do not replace a decision made by your organization. Your responsibilities lie elsewhere: data, costs, liability, the works council, and management.

Three things happen if no one changes the settings:

  • Content can leave the organization, for example, through email invitations sent to external parties regarding artifacts that are permitted by default.
  • Consumption is rising, and no one has set a limit.
  • Claude reads a rigged website and could act on it.

A new car comes with factory settings. For a fleet, you determine the settings before the first drive.

The good news: You don't have to forbid anything. You just need to establish an order.

First the guardrail, then the switch

You're not getting less Claude—you're getting Claude in the right order.

Our guiding principle is simple. No switch that allows Claude to read or act on external content is activated until the appropriate guardrail is in place.

Three steps you'll find in *The Matrix*:

  1. Classify each switch based on a question: Does Claude just read, or does Claude also act? Reading is inexpensive; acting is expensive.
  2. Set up guardrails for risky decisions: organizational skills that ensure your rules are followed in every meeting—for example, regarding sources, data protection, and house style.
  3. Roll it out in phases. Day 0 for identity, costs, guardrails, and agent switches; Weeks 1–2 for secure day-to-day operations; starting in Week 3 for knowledge and agents; and starting in Month 2 for everything that requires more governance.

Let’s be honest: A guardrail isn’t a lock. A skill controls Claude, not people. The hard limits remain the switches in the Admin Center, the permissions for your data sources, and the training of your staff. That’s why we say “guardrail before switch” and not “skill instead of switch.”

The Hiring Matrix

A two-page spread that you fill out—not just read.

The matrix consists of a two-page spread to be filled out, plus an appendix listing the opportunities and risks for each setting—26 settings in total. The columns are: Setting, Factory Default (Team), Our Recommendation, Previous Guideline, Your Status, and Completed. It also includes a box for the Enterprise Plan and a status date.

Six lines to look at (as of October 2026):

Setting Ex Works (Team) Our Recommendation When
User Provisioning (JIT) By invitation only Set up with SSO; remove logouts yourself Day 0
Invite link to Access via SSO or invitation Day 0
Claude in Chrome to Only with "Block all sites" and a short allowlist Day 0
Built-in browser to Only with the Chrome allowlist; otherwise, it's off Day 0
Enable "Automatically approve" mode to from Day 0
Email invitations sent outside your organization (Artifacts) to from Day 0

Lines for which the supplier has not explicitly documented the factory settings are marked with “Check within your organization.” Where we indicate the factory settings as they were at our facility, the note “unchanged at our facility” appears.

Get the complete matrix

Here's how we did it

We've cleaned up our own Admin Center. We, too, had a lot of things set to "on."

On October 1, 2026, we went through Lighthouse Consulting’s team tenant, screen by screen, and documented what we found and what we changed. The video series shows the actual tenant. Here are five takeaways:

  • "Automatically approve" was enabled and even set as the default mode. We turned both off. Claude now asks for confirmation before taking action.
  • Claude in Chrome used to allow all websites. Now, the setting is "Block all sites" plus a short, carefully curated list of allowed sites.
  • New skills used to be made available to everyone without a review. Now, the release status is set to “Requires review.”
  • Only an owner can set policy switches; an admin cannot. The Admin Center itself recommends designating a second owner to prevent any single person from becoming a bottleneck.
  • We test skills on sample files before uploading them. Older versions may remain in the history, so a bug isn't automatically fixed when a new version is released.

And we deliberately left it that way because any deviation requires a reason, and the matrix is a recommendation, not a requirement. We make that clear as well.

A note for context: We display the English interface, and it changes constantly. That's why all documents include a date, and we review them monthly.

Privacy: Who Can See What?

An engineer asks Claude how much the CEO earns. What happens?

When it comes to connectors—for example, to SharePoint—Claude operates based on the permissions of the person making the request. Anyone who is not authorized to open the payroll file in the source will not be able to access it through the connector, unless they use their own connector with a shared key. The key points, therefore, lie elsewhere—namely, where content leaves the scope of those permissions:

  • Projects that the entire organization can view and use
  • Shared chats where replies remain visible to others
  • Organizational skills and instructions with sample data that Claude can use to respond to everyone
  • Features that use a company-specific account instead of individual user permissions

For each data category—such as salaries and personnel data, customer confidential information, competitive and trade secrets, and financial metrics—we outline in this series the potential pathways through which they could be leaked and the appropriate safeguards. The most effective measure, however, lies outside of Claude: cleaning up the permissions at the source.

Let’s be honest: The Team Plan includes fixed roles (Owner, Admin, User), while custom roles are only available in the Enterprise Plan. If you have very strict requirements, it’s worth taking a look at the Enterprise Plan. And yes, the works council and data protection officers should be brought into the discussion early on. This is not legal advice, but rather guidance for your discussions.

Designed for people who are introducing Claude, not for developers.

This is right for you if

  • If you are an IT manager, office manager, or executive at a medium-sized company,
  • You have a team plan or want to book one, but don't have your own development department,
  • You need a logical sequence rather than a menu-based approach.

Probably not, if

  • Are you looking for a deep dive into Claude Code or the API?
  • If you want to train your employees: We offer a basic course for this purpose (see below).

Video Series

The sequence that fills the matrix.

Setting Up the Claude Admin Center Correctly: What, When, How (Team Plan)

The avatar in this video is AI-generated. This is not legal advice.

Chapter

Free of charge

Download the Hiring Matrix

Enter your first name and email address; the company name is optional. The matrix will then be available for download immediately.

HubSpot form (will be connected after setup)

  • First Name · Email Address (required) · Company (optional)
  • After you submit the form, the download will appear right here.

Request the Matrix Now

Thanks, the Matrix is ready.

Download the settings matrix right here.

Download the Hiring Matrix

The download link will be added after the matrix has been uploaded.

After you submit the form, the download will appear right here.

Once the settings are in place, it's time for the next step.

Claude Basics: The Hands-On Course

The Admin Center provides the framework. The real impact comes when your employees use Claude confidently. The basics course covers this in 32 short lessons using your own materials and shows you how to handle company data with care. Our recommendation: Start by learning the basic functions, then gradually grant more access.

To the Basic Course

Rollout Support Using Jointly Developed Skills

If you don’t want to tailor the guidelines to your company on your own: We’ll support your rollout and work with your team to develop the necessary skills, tailored to your policies, templates, and terminology. This includes setup in the tenant and ongoing maintenance. The process begins with an initial consultation.

Schedule an initial consultation

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Matrix cost, and what do I have to do to get it?
Nothing—the Matrix is free. Just enter your first name, email address, and, optionally, your company name. Once you submit the form, the download will appear directly on the page.
Does that apply only to the Team Plan?
The matrix is designed for the Team Plan, since that’s where most small and medium-sized businesses start. A box indicates what’s included in the Enterprise Plan—for example, SCIM, audit logs, and custom roles. The matrix explicitly states where the plans differ.
What is the current status?
The Admin Center is constantly changing, and new toggles are often already set to “on.” That’s why the matrix includes a date, and the course features a section titled “What’s New for Admins.” Always check important settings within your own organization as well.
Is this legal advice or a data protection guarantee?
No. This series is intended to provide knowledge and guidance. Please consult your experts regarding legal issues, such as data processing on behalf of others, works councils, or data protection.
Do I need any prior knowledge or an IT department?
No. This series is designed for people who are implementing Claude without a development team. You'll need access to the Admin Center or someone who has it. The "Owner" role is required to toggle the policies, and this series explains why.

Smartsheet Premier Solution Partner – Lighthouse Consultings on the Smartsheet Marketplace