Network Admin vs. System Admin: Differences, Salary, Skills

Network Admin vs. System Admin: Differences, Salary, Skills.

What is the difference between a Network Admin and a Systems Admin?

This is a common question for many people who are new to IT. Maybe you’ve seen the network and sysadmins around the office, or maybe you have a friend that is one… But what do they really do? What’s the difference between them? Which one gets paid more? Which one is right for you?

Whether you aspire to be a Network or Sysadmin or simply just want to know what those geeks around your office do all day, then you’ve come to the right place.

In this article I’m going to discuss in detail the differences, similarities, duties and much more between these two roles.

WHAT ARE SYSTEMS?

To fully understand the differences between a Network Administrator and a Systems Administrator, you will need to understand the fundamental differences between networks and systems.

When people refer systems, they are often referring to Servers. A good way to understand what a server is, is to think of it as simply a powerful computer that performs one or more SERVICES in the environment. (hence the name SERVER)

For example, every website is running on a powerful computer (a server) that can handle all the traffic it may receive.  So a common server you may have heard of is a Webserver. As you may have guessed, the SERVICE this type of SERVER provides is hosting a website.

Another common server you would see in any environment is a DNS (Domain Name System) Server.. This server’s sole job is remember domain names (such as google.com, or MIKES_LAPTOP) and their associated IP address. It’s easier for people to remember domain names, but computers speak IP.. So something needs to do that translation from domain name to IP address in order for everything to work.

Well that’s what the DNS server does! It keeps a biiiiiig list of all the domain names and their associated IP addresses that it knows about, and when a computer in the environment wants to communicate with a domain name, that computer reaches out to the DNS server and says “Hey, I am trying to communicate with google.com.. can you tell me google’s IP address?”. Once the computer has the IP address, the communication can begin… This all happens seamlessly to the end user, behind the scenes.

To reiterate, when we refer to systems, we are often referring to Servers… Servers are simply powerful computers that perform a SERVICE in the environment. There are tons of different services that a server can provide, the above examples are just two of the common servers you may see.

WHAT IS A NETWORK?

Now that we know that Servers are those powerful computers in the environment that provide essential services.. How are these servers able to provide these services without a way to GET to the clients that REQUIRE them?

That’s where the Network comes in.

At a high level, a network can be seen as the “roads” that connect everything together. They provide that means of transportation for EVERYTHING on the network, including servers.

And just like our transit system in real life, the network provides addresses so we know where different devices live, the roads to get there, detours and alternate routes when one path is down, and even security checkpoints to prevent certain traffic from going were it shouldn’t.

The most common devices you will encounter that provide the above transit services are switches, routers, and firewalls.

Switches are the devices that all the systems physically plug in to, so that there is a physical path for data to flow.

The router’s job is to know where all the devices on the network live and provide the best path and means to get there.

While the firewalls job is to either allow or prevent traffic from flowing to certain places on the network.

Often times, one of these devices can perform not only its function, but also the function of another device as well…

For instance most all routers have some basic firewall functionalities built in. Most all firewalls perform routing functions. And nowadays it is very common for a switch to have routing capabilities as well.

Like I said, this is a high level explanation of what these devices can do. If you can understand the core functions of each of these devices, the overall purpose for a network and how it differs from the systems ON the network…. Then you will be able to understand the differences between the Systems Administrator and Network Administrator roles.

JOB TITLE

Now, one thing to understand about either of these roles is that there is no clear-cut naming convention used between companies. For example, you will often hear the terms Systems Administrator, sysadmin, Systems Engineer, Server Administrator, Server Admin, and Systems Analyst used interchangeably.

Just like you may hear Network Administrator, Network Admin, Network Engineer, and Network Analyst used interchangeably… Heck I once had a title of Network Manager and not only was I the manager of the network team, I was also the lead engineer who did all the buildouts and planning.

So don’t get confused by all the different possible titles… in most cases they are the same role.. Just a different name.

Now this is not to say that every title that starts with “Systems” or “Network” is the same role. There are exceptions which DO define a different role.

For example, if you hear the term “Technician”, such as Systems Technician or Network Technician; it generally means it’s a lower-level or Junior position and works under the Admin/Engineer roles.

And on the other end of the spectrum; if you see terms like “Manager” or “Architect”, the majority of the time these are more senior level positions.

WHAT DO THEY DO?

Systems Administrator

As we mentioned before, Systems Administrators work with the Servers within a company. This can include the following:

• Ordering the servers
  • If a new server is needed within the organization, the sysadmin will be need to spec out the requirements needed for the server (hardware, ram, CPU, OS, etc.) and often obtain quotes from multiple different vendors.
• Building/installing/configuring/Racking servers
  • Sysadmins are required to deploy servers from “out-of-the-box” to “in-the-rack”. This entails installing the operating system, configuring drive partitions, setting up the RAID array, configuring network settings, installing needed updates, installing needed applications, and then of course racking and testing.
  • Usually a server is configured first with only basic network connectivity settings before it is racked. Once it is racked, this basic connectivity will allow the sysadmin to connect to the server remotely (from their desk rather than in the server room where its racked). From there the sysadmin can configure and test everything else needed for the server deployment.
• Maintaining Servers
  • Servers often require many updates, both from the OS and the applications and services running on the server. It’s the sysadmins responsibility to maintain these updates, and schedule a maintenance window if/when needed to perform these updates.
  • Some servers are an integral part of business operations, and such servers need to be running at all times. If an update or other form of maintenance is needed on the server that would require the server to be offline, the sysadmin will need to schedule a maintenance window where these updates can be applied. Usually this must occur off hours such as late at night, or a weekend in order to limit impact on the business.
• Troubleshooting servers
  • Without a doubt, at one point or another the servers in the environment will encounter an issue of some sort that requires troubleshooting. Depending on the symptoms of the issue, type of server, OS, and application or services running on the server; the sysadmin will need to quickly identify a potential root cause, and implement a fix to resolve the issue.
• Support
  • Often times, the sysadmins are used as tier 2 or tier 3 support for the desktop/help desk team. If the tier 1 support team cannot resolve an issue with a user, desktop, or application; they will escalate to the sysadmin for assistance.
• Project Management
  • Projects are big part of a sysadmins job. There are constantly new applications, new systems, new vendors that require the attention of the sysadmin. It is the sysadmins job to plan out the project accordingly, meet deadlines and setup/install/configure needed servers to meet project completion.

SPECIALIZATION

Unfortunately, not all servers are the same, and oftentimes require a sysadmin to have specialized knowledge in this type of server, or type of application running on the server to support it.

OS

A good example of this would be OS (Operating System) specialization. Two common Operating Systems that you may see in any corporate environment would be Windows Server, and various versions of Linux. Knowing one of these Operating systems does not mean you know the other. Each will require training and experience to maintain the server effectively.

VIRTUALIZATION

Virtualization is common practice nowadays, and most all sysadmins will need to have at least some experience in this area.

In its most basic terms, virtualization can be described one physical server hosting one or more virtual servers. The sysadmin will allocate memory, disk space, and CPU cores from the host server to the virtual servers running on it.

There are many different virtualization options, such as VMware, Hyper-V, and Xenserver to name a few. Though each may accomplish the same goal of virtualization; each are very different and require specific knowledge and experience to configure and maintain properly.

WINDOWS DOMAIN

Windows domains are very common in almost any IT infrastructure. While the network provides the logical connectivity to all devices on the network, the Windows Domain provides the centralized management and authentication of the windows devices ON the network to the devices that are joined to the domain… It’s a mouth full, I know…

Active Directory is the application and service that manages the windows domain through specially configured servers on the network called Domain Controllers.

A good example of Active Directory on a Windows domain is centralized authentication. What this means is the ability to use one set of credentials to log into any workstation on the network (as long as that workstation is joined to the domain). This is different from a home or Work Group computer because these devices store credentials locally. You would need to create a set of credentials on every machine to gain access on a home or Work Group computer. Domain Controllers eliminate this problem.

Active Directory knowledge is at the very least a basic requirement for any Systems Admin. Most all organizations have Windows workstations/Servers and Active Directory is the most widely used Enterprise Central Management Software. For any sysadmin, managing and troubleshooting the windows domain will be a large part of their job.

EMAIL

Email huge part of production in any business and Email servers are what allow it all to work within an organization.

Email is so important and often times so complicated that there may be a sysadmin whose sole job is to maintain the email systems and servers exclusively. Sometimes they will be referred to as an Exchange Admin, or Email Admin.

There are many different types of email Servers that a company could run, such as Exchange or even Lotus Notes to name a couple. The sysadmin who maintains these servers will need to have specialized knowledge in whatever email system the company is running.

Network Administrator

As I discussed earlier, Network Administrators build and maintain the “roads” the systems communicate on. This includes the following:

• Ordering network equipment
  • Similar to sysadmins, network admins will need to spec out the requirements needed for new network equipment (firewalls, routers, switches) and often times obtain quotes from multiple different vendors.
• Configure/rack/test network equipment
  • Network admins are also required to deploy network equipment from out-of-the-box to in-the-rack. But unlike Servers which are an endpoint that sit on the network; Network equipment is what make up the network. So before deploying any network equipment there is usually a lot of planning that needs to take place prior, usually revolving around IP space, network segmentation, network segregation, access control, and routing to name a few.
  • It’s common for a network admin to configure the new equipment at his desk, and put it in a test lab or at least configure the set up in a virtual environment to test the configuration before deployment.
  • Creating Network diagrams can be a useful tool for Network admins before deployment. It acts as an “on-paper” visual roadmap of the network project you are working on. It can also help to cut down on troubleshooting time when there is an issue, because you have visual representation of the network in front of you.
• Network Maintenance
  • Just like servers, network equipment will require patching and updates. It’s the network admins responsibility to maintain these updates, and schedule a maintenance window if/when needed to perform these updates.
  • Because the network provides the platform for all devices in the environment to communicate; If an update or other form of maintenance is needed on the network that would require the network to be down, the network admin will need to schedule a maintenance window where these updates can be applied. Usually this has to occur off hours such as late at night, or weekend in order to limit impact on the business.
• Network Monitoring
  • Monitoring is a big part of a network admins duties. In an ideal scenario the network admin would be aware of a potential network outage before it occurs. Network admins can do this by using software that is installed on a server, which monitors network devices through a protocol called SNMP.
  • Generally this software runs on a dedicated server with enough power to handle, read, and interpret the thousands of logs being sent to it from all the network devices.
  • This software allows the network administrator to configure traps and alerts to for whatever parameters they define. Often email or text alerts are available in the software which would alert the network admin of an issue, anytime or anywhere.
• Network Troubleshooting
  • A big part of a network admins job is to troubleshoot issues that occur on the network. In a network environment, there are constant changes that are being made. While some changes may fix one thing, they may break another. It is the network admins job to identify a potential root cause, and implement a fix to resolve the issue.
• Cabling
  • Cabling is another import aspect of a network admins job. As the network provides the means of communication for all devices, the cabling physically connects the devices together.
  • Two common cabling standards that a network admin will encounter is Ethernet (CAT5,6) and Fiber (Multi-mode, Single-mode).
  • There are times when a network admin will need to run new cable to accommodate new equipment or endpoints. So the network admin should know how to create Ethernet cables, terminate them, and continuity them.
• Support
  • Just like sysadmins, network admins used as tier 2 or tier 3 support for the desktop/help desk team. If the tier 1 support team cannot resolve an issue with a user, desktop, or application; they can escalate to the network admin if the issue appears to be network related.
• Project Management
  • Projects are also a big part of network admins job. There are constantly new applications, new systems, new vendors that require the attention of the network admin. It is the network admins job to plan out the project accordingly, meet deadlines and setup/install/configure the network in a way that meets the needs of the project.

SPECIALIZATION

Networking in general is comprised of industry standards and protocols that are applied across multiple platforms, devices. Though the devices that use these standards can be very different and require specialized knowledge.

CISCO

Cisco is the most widely used network hardware vendor. The majority of all enterprise organizations have at least some Cisco network equipment running in their environment. Cisco equipment also runs on Cisco’s own operating system called IOS. Unlike most computer operating systems such as Windows which have a GUI (Graphical User Interface), the IOS Operating system is command line (CLI) only. This means, in order to communicate with the network device, you will need to type IOS specific commands that the network device understands. Being able to configure and troubleshoot Cisco network equipemt effectively means you need to learn to “speak” IOS. Doing so requires specialized training, experience, and certifications.

JUNIPER

Like Cisco, Juniper is also another network hardware vendor. While Juniper is not nearly as widely used as Cisco, it is the #2 network hardware vendor in the industry. Just like Cisco, Juniper hardware runs on its own operating system called JUNOS. JUNOS is also a CLI only operating system. Though both IOS and JUNOS are CLI only operating systems, they are both very different and each have unique commands. Being able to configure and maintain Cisco IOS devices does not mean you will be able to do so with Juniper JUNOS devices, and vice versa.

WIRELESS

Wireless networks are common practice in most all environments today. And depending on the reliance, complexity, and security of an organization’s wireless needs, a network admin will need to build and maintain the wireless network.

Unlike network switches, wireless Access Points (AP’s) are, well… wireless. They communicate and connect endpoints to the network through them via broadcasted radio frequencies. A network admin will need to understand how this technology works, how to configure these devices, as well as common issues that accompany wireless networks and how to avoid them. And just like other network hardware… Cisco, Juniper and many others have skin in the game.

PHONES (VOIP)

Corporate phone systems fall under the responsibility of a network admin. Nowadays especially due to the growing popularity of VoIP (Voice over IP) in many environments. Because the phone systems traverse the network, it is the network admins responsibility to build out network space for the phones, configure the routing, and often times configure QoS (Quality of Service) to make sure phone traffic is prioritized on the network for good call quality.

In big enough organizations, there can be network engineers whose sole responsibility is to maintain the phone system.

DO THEY OVERLAP?

Do the roles of a Systems Administrator and Network Administrator overlap?

Yes, these roles can overlap, especially in smaller organizations where the IT people need to wear many hats.  Network Admin and Systems Admin can also mean the same exact thing depending on the organization. Bigger organizations are often more compartmentalized and have better defined roles for all their IT people. But a smaller company can have a Systems Admin working on servers one day, and configuring network devices the next.

Even though earlier we defined “systems” as the servers. I have seen “systems” mean IT systems as a whole, which would include both network and servers alike.

It’s also not uncommon for the people posting the job for a Systems Admin or Network Admin within an organization to have any idea the difference between the two roles. To them is just an IT guy to manage their IT “stuff”.

These types of discrepancies in the responsibilities of these roles can often create confusion for the applicants, and even make it hard for the organization to find the right employee for the job. As I mentioned, generally these discrepancies only occur in smaller organizations, but as time goes on and people become more aware of what us “IT people” do, these roles and titles will become more consistent.

SKILLS AND TRAINING

The skills and training needed to be a Systems Admin or Network Admin can vary greatly depending on the organization. But there are three main areas in which you can focus on to expand your qualifications for each role.

COLLEGE DEGREE

I start with college degree because its conventional wisdom in this day and age that you need a college degree to get any good job in corporate America. And this still holds true to some extent today. For a lot of organizations (that don’t know any better), having a college degree will get you in the door for an interview and even sometimes the job. And for some positons in the corporate world this is fine, but not IT. IT is the modern day white-collar trade, especially at the systems and network admin level. It requires specialized skills and knowledge to be able build, maintain, and troubleshoot the systems that business runs on.

While a college degree can prove you have the discipline and fortitude to meet deadlines, learn new things, and perform well enough to graduate.. It does not prove you have the specialized skills to manage a network. Even a degree in Systems or Network Administration alone is not enough. Sure you might learn the basics of how servers work, or some of the fundamentals of networking, but it won’t give you the specific skills and knowledge you need to be able to perform in an enterprise networking environment.

If anything, the main advantage to a college degree is it looks great on a resume. Given two candidates with the same experience and qualifications, yet one has a degree and the other does not… 9 times out of 10 the college degree holder gets the job.

CERTIFICATIONS

In IT, certifications are the rage. There are certifications you can study for and obtain for almost any facet of IT, whether it’s networking, systems, desktops etc. There are even more specialized vendor specific certifications like Cisco, Juniper and Microsoft that you can obtain as well.

Unlike a college degree, studying for and passing a certification means you’ve ACTUALLY learned something. You can’t expect to pass by just showing up like you can with most college degrees.

It also proves you were able to obtain pertinent and specific knowledge of a certain technology. And while passing a certification exam does not prove you have actual hands-on experience with the technology, it does prove you have knowledge to at least understand and even contribute to the IT team within an organization.

Especially companies that run on specific vendors like Cisco or Microsoft, they often want someone certified in those technologies BY those vendors to manage their systems.

EXPERIENCE

Experience trumps all!

There is nothing more valuable than experience, and organizations know this.

Someone that has been in the trenches managing technology for years, knows what to do when sh!t hits the fan, knows how to implement strategies to make business that runs on technology more efficient is credentials you can’t get by sleeping through four years of school, or studying for a few months for an exam.

No one will know how to build, configure, and maintain technology better than someone who has done it before.

SALARY

Often newcomers to IT want to know which role is PAID MORE… The Server guys or the Network guys?

And this is an important question, but the answer is not straight forward. As you can imagine, there are so many factors that play into the salary for each role, such as location, size of the company, experience, certifications, education…

In addition, as we discussed earlier, the titles for the positions vary, even though they may mean the same thing.. So even if you were to research the salary of a Network Engineer, it may not be the same salary as a Network Administrator, or Network Analyst. And you are bound to find different results for the SAME job title depending where you look, making it difficult for people to get a good grasp on what each of these roles actually make.

I figure, the best way to get the MOST ACCURATE ballpark figure for the U.S National average for each of these positions would be to do a lot of math and research from multiple reputable sites.

First, you would need to identify the common Titles that each position could be referred to.. You would then need to find five or six reputable salary sites for your research… From there you would need to research the salary on all of these sites for EACH of the common Titles..  You would then need to do the math to determine the average salary for each these titles BASED on what each of these sites is reporting… From there you would need to do the math AGAIN to determine the OVERALL average salary for ALL of these common titles…

Sounds like a lot of work… Well you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what I did.

The six reputable job salary sites I used for this research are Glassdoor, Payscale, Salary.com, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn.

Systems

Let first take a look at Systems.

The four most common titles for Systems jobs are: Systems Administrator, Systems Engineer, Systems Analyst, and Server Administrator.

Systems Engineer

Based on the 2019 US National Average Salary reported from each of these sites, the average salary for the Title “Systems Engineer” is $88,216.33.

Out of the four titles, I found that Systems Engineer has the highest average salary.

Systems Analyst

The title with the second highest salary is, “Systems Analyst” with an average salary of $74,655.17.

Server Administrator

The title with the third highest salary is, “Server Administrator” with an average salary of $73,519.83.

Systems Administrator

The title with the lowest salary out of the four titles is, “Systems Administrator” with an average salary of $69,018.17.

NETWORK

Now let’s take a look at the network.

For network, there are three titles are used most often and they are: Network Administrator, Network Engineer, and Network Analyst.

Network Engineer

Based on the 2019 US National Average Salary reported from each of these sites, the average salary for the Title “Network Engineer” is $81,228.17.

Out of the three network titles, I found that Network Engineer has the highest average salary.

Network Administrator

The title with the second highest salary is, “Network Administrator” with an average salary of $64,015.33.

Network Analyst

The title with the lowest salary out of the three titles is, “Network Analyst” with an average salary of $61,471.83.

So which role is PAID MORE… The Server guys or the Network guys?

With a Grand Total average salary based on six different sites and four different titles… The Systems role has a higher average salary coming in at $76,352.38.

The network at a close second, falling short by nearly $7,500, the Grand Total Average salary for Networks is $68,905.11.

Now, this is by no means a fool-proof means of identifying which role generally gets paid more. Because as I mentioned earlier, depending on the company, location and other factors… these numbers could look drastically different from you would actually get if hired in one of these roles.

But at the very least, I hope if gives you a better understanding of the potential salary ranges… and apparently which role you could expect to see paid more.

WHICH ROLE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Sysadmins and Network Admins are two very critical roles in every IT team. They each require specialized knowledge, credentials and experience to be successful and each role has the potential to make good money that is relatively similar.

If you have aspirations to embark down one of these paths but you still cannot make up your mind, it will be helpful to know some of the pro’s and con’s of each role.

System Administration

Lets start with System Administration.

PRO’S

• If you like computers… everything from getting your hands dirty in hardware, learning operating systems, and installing applications.. Then the Systems team may be a good path for you, because just like computers, servers require similar care.

• If you enjoy working with and learning new applications, then Systems may be for you. Servers host applications that run on the network. You could go to 500 different companies and would find different applications running in each of these organizations. It’s the server teams’ job to install these applications and keep them running smoothly on the servers for the business.

CON’S

• Server issues never seem to be straight forward. Often times you can be experiencing a quirky problem that has no rhyme or reason and you need to dig deep into every possible cause, whether it be hardware or software to try and resolve the issue. You need to be able to expect, learn, and identify these issues when they occur.

• Servers require LOTS of updates… whether its updates to the OS, or the applications running on the server, the server team is in charge of scheduling and installing these updates.. Often times these updates will require the server to be down which means after-hours work or nights and weekends… It’s also common for updates to break something. For example, if you are performing an Operating System patch or update, if the applications running on that server are not compatible with the new updates, then this application will no longer work… and it will be the sysadmins job to either roll back the updates, or update the application as well to a version that works with the new OS update.

Network Administration

PRO’S

• Networking is more “black and white” than Systems. While it can be complicated and a lot of information to grasp, it all boils down “Networking”. All networking runs on a universal set of standards and protocols. You will often find something either works or it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t you simply need to refer back to the fundamentals of networking to find out where the problem lies.

• Being in networking affords you many opportunities to be the “hero”. A network outage rarely means something small. One small network failure can mean MANY systems are now down that used that device for connectivity on the network. Whether you need to reroute traffic or find another creative way to bring the network back up, all eyes will be on the network admin to “save the day”.

CON’S

• By the same token, ALL eyes on you during a network outage is a LOT of pressure. You need to be able to work quickly and efficiently to bring the network back up. When critical systems are offline due to a network outage, every second that goes by where these systems are offline, the business is losing money. If you are not good under pressure, then networking may not be for you.

• “Blame the network”. No matter where you go, no matter what company you work for… In IT, whenever there is an issue of some sort, everyone seems to blame the network first. In networking you are guilty until proven innocent… It is often your responsibility as the Network admin to prove the issue is NOT network related… Not the other way around.

NOTE TO READER

All things considered; though there are noteworthy differences between the two positions, there isn’t one significant advantage or disadvantage to either position.   If you have aspirations to be either a Network or Systems Administrator, there are a few things you can count on..  Working under pressure, a decent salary, working nights and weekends, and TROUBLESHOOTING.

I hope with the information provided in this article gave you a better idea what each position does, as well as their differences and similarities.  I hope you can use this information to make a more educated decision as to what path may be right for you.