System Network Administrator Duties and Responsibilities

Network system administrators monitor and maintain the day-to-day operation of computer systems and networks across the enterprise, ensuring reliable performance and data integrity in local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and organizational intranets. In this role, network system administrators assess a company's needs for configuring and maintaining computer networks, monitoring network and system performance, and collecting data to improve security and reliability.

This IT role mainly performs maintenance and provisioning tasks on the server side. However, the tasks of the network administrator can also include direct user support, especially with upgrades and migrations. The network system administrator must balance technical skills with a thorough understanding of how their organization uses the data infrastructure.

System Network Administrator Duties and Responsibilities

Although the role of a network system administrator can vary slightly from organization to organization, the publications we analyzed had several main roles:

Configure and install networks and operating systems

One of the primary roles of a network system administrator is installing, configuring, and deploying networks and operating systems for use across the enterprise. The network system administrator identifies the company's storage and communication needs and makes key network configuration and bandwidth decisions to give users reliable access to key data and software. The network system administrator can also install operating systems and programs directly on user devices.

Providing technical support to users

System network administrators provide direct support to end users, particularly during system setup and installation, and when changing the network. This may include helping users install the software and making sure it works with their network settings and operating system, troubleshooting connectivity or performance issues, or providing guidance on IT-related processes and procedures. In some organizations, the network system administrator can also allow support requests.

Monitoring system performance

The system network administrator regularly monitors the system's performance to ensure reliability. This can include reviewing error logs, running regular system speed and reliability tests, and tracking user-reported problems. The network system administrator can also perform standard system checks to assess security and stability, reconfigure the configuration to correct problems, or improve reliability.

Monitoring of the server infrastructure

The network system administrator designs and manages many of the internal or server elements of a company's network architecture. This could include installing anti-virus or firewall software for the entire network, configuring databases and access, and providing server-side updates to improve performance. The network system administrator also periodically evaluates the need to update or repair these systems to limit the impact of these changes on employees.

data backup

System network administrators prevent data loss and unauthorized access by performing and validating data backups. Most network system administrators follow internal or external instructions for backing up data on a schedule, and also back up data when requested by IT managers. After the backup is complete, the network system administrator reviews the data and runs tests to make sure it is correct and intact.

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