System Administrator: What does He Do? Features and Skills

Technology Nov 18, 2019 0 1587 Add to Reading List

The system administrator work plan differs considerably from employer to employer. In a broad initiative, the title system administrator can be used to describe any administrator responsible for a specialized computer system, such as the servers they support. Depending on the specialty, the system administrator may also be known as a data center administrator, network operations center (NOC) administrator, virtualization administrator, server administrator, or database administrator.

Smaller IT departments usually assign a wide range of responsibilities to the system administrator. In some organizations, a system administrator may need to take care of everything from desktop computers to end-users, to the local corporate network, to the VoIP phone system, and hybrid cloud storage. Dependent on the culture of the association, the system administrator can also be qualified by way of a System Operator (SysOp) or Application Support Engineer (ASE).

Who is the System Administrator?

The distinction between programmer and system administrator varies considerably between mainframe sites. In small IT organizations, where one person may have multiple roles, terms can be used interchangeably.

In large IT organizations with multiple departments, job responsibilities tend to be more clearly separated. System administrators make several regular tasks related to keeping critical business data, while the system programmer attention on maintaining the system itself. One of the reasons for the segregation of duties is to follow auditing procedures, which often require that no one in IT can have free entree to sensitive data/information or resources.

Examples of SA (System administrator) include the database administrator (DBA) and the security administrator.

While the expertise of system programmers is primarily in the hardware and software areas of the mainframe, Freelance system administrators are more likely to have application experience. It often interfaces directly with application developers and end-users to ensure the administrative aspects of applications are met. These roles are not necessarily specific to the mainframe environment but are critical to their proper functioning.

In large IT organizations, the system administrator provides maintenance of the system software environment for business purposes, including the maintenance of daily systems to ensure their proper operation. For example, the DB administrator must ensure the integrity and efficient access to the data stored in the database management systems.

Other examples of common system administrator tasks may include:

• Installation of the software

• Add and delete users and manage user profiles

• Maintenance of access lists to security resources

• Manage storage devices and printers

• Network and connectivity management

• monitor system performance

Check Out: Software Administrator Definition

For troubleshooting purposes, the system administrator typically relies on support from the Software Vendor Support Center to diagnose problems, read downloads, and identify patches. In cases where these jobs/tasks are not performed by the System programmer.

Features and Skills of the System Administrator

Due to the wide range of tasks of system administrators in various organizations, the skills required for system administrators are often extended, as are salary scales. In general, system administrators should be comfortable with application and file servers, desktops, networks, databases, information, and storage security systems. Knowledge of several operating systems is often required, as well as scripts and programming. Virtualization and cloud computing services have also become essential for the job.

Because the jobs generally include provisioning, arrangement, and administration of physical and virtual servers, in addition to software running on servers and supporting hardware, a system administrator must be comfortable with the installation and troubleshooting of IT resources, establish and manage user accounts, update software patches and perform backup and recovery activities.

Non-technical skills are also important for Cloud system administrators. Because the system administrator interacts with people in many IT and business fields, general skills (interpersonal skills) are as necessary as technical skills. When IT services slow down entirely, a system administrator must be able to work under pressure, read the situation as it develops and quickly decide on a response that works best for everyone.

What does a System Administrator do?

A system administrator is answerable for the configuration, maintenance, and consistent operation of a business's network and computer systems. In addition to identifying and solving any network problem, they also update the equipment and software to ensure they are up to date. They can work in office environments for small or large companies or in government organizations. Some of the specific tasks that system administrators may have include:

• Provide technical support for software and hardware problems that users encounter

• Be able to the configuration and operation of computer operating systems.

• Monitor the system daily and respond immediately in case of security or usability problems.

• Update systems and processes as necessary to improve the functionality and resolution of security problems

• Installation and testing of computer equipment and review of application records.

• Respond and resolve help desk requests and create and verify data backups