Duties and Responsibilities of the System Network Administrator

System network administrators monitor and support the day-to-day operation of information systems and networks throughout the organization, ensuring reliable performance and data integrity on the organization's local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and intranets . In this role, system network administrators assess the needs of a business when setting up and maintaining computer networks, monitoring network and system performance, and collecting data to improve security and reliability .

This IT role primarily operates on server-side deployment and maintenance tasks, but the tasks of the system network administrator may also include direct user support, particularly during upgrades and migrations. The system's network administrator must balance technical skills with an overview of how the organization uses its data infrastructure.

Duties and Responsibilities of the System Network Administrator

While the role of a system network administrator may vary slightly depending on your organization, the posts we reviewed shared several basic responsibilities:

configure and install networks and operating systems

One of the primary roles of a systems network administrator is to install, configure, and deploy networks and operating systems for use throughout the organization. The system network administrator determines the organization's data storage and transmission needs and makes key decisions about network configuration and the ability to provide users with reliable access to key data and software. The system network administrator can also directly install operating systems and programs on the user's hardware.

Provide technical support to the user

System network administrators provide direct support to end users, particularly during system setup and installation, as well as during network changes. This can include helping users install software and making sure it works with the operating system and network settings, troubleshooting connection or performance issues, or providing guidance on IT-related processes and procedures. In some organizations, the system's network administrator can also resolve support requests.

Monitor system performance

The system's network administrator regularly checks system performance to ensure reliability. This may include reviewing error logs, periodically testing the speed and reliability of the system, and monitoring user reported problems. The system network administrator can also perform routine system checks to assess security and stability, changing settings to troubleshoot or improve reliability.

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