Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for IT Administrator

💰 $55,000 - $95,000

ITSystems AdministrationNetwork AdministrationInfrastructureSecurity

🎯 Role Definition

An IT Administrator is responsible for the reliable operation, maintenance, security, and continual improvement of an organization’s IT infrastructure. This role combines hands-on systems and network administration with user support, security practices, automation, vendor coordination, and strategic contribution to infrastructure roadmaps. The IT Administrator ensures uptime and performance for servers, virtual platforms, storage, networking, desktop/laptop fleets, cloud services (Azure/AWS), and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft 365/Exchange.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Help Desk Technician / Desktop Support
  • Network Technician / Junior Systems Administrator
  • IT Support Specialist

Advancement To:

  • Senior IT Administrator / Systems Engineer
  • Infrastructure Engineer / Cloud Engineer
  • IT Manager / IT Operations Manager
  • Solutions Architect / Infrastructure Architect

Lateral Moves:

  • Security Analyst / Cybersecurity Engineer
  • Cloud Engineer / Platform Engineer
  • DevOps Engineer / Automation Engineer
  • Endpoint Management Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, deploy, and maintain Windows Server and Linux server environments, including installation, patching, role configuration (DNS, DHCP, file/print, IIS), performance tuning, and lifecycle management to ensure high availability and compliance.
  • Administer Active Directory and Azure AD: create and manage user and group accounts, implement Group Policy Objects (GPOs), troubleshoot authentication/authorization issues, and maintain synchronization between on-prem AD and Azure AD/Entra.
  • Manage Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online tenant administration: license management, mailbox provisioning, mail flow configuration, Exchange hybrid setups, retention policies, and security hardening of collaboration services.
  • Configure, monitor, and maintain virtualization platforms (VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or similar): provision and decommission VMs, manage storage and snapshots, configure HA/DRS/replication and apply updates with minimal downtime.
  • Implement and operate backup and disaster recovery solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Azure Backup, native snapshots), including scheduling, retention policies, restore testing, and maintaining documented recovery procedures and RTO/RPO targets.
  • Administer network infrastructure devices including layer 3 switches, routers, firewalls (Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, Palo Alto), manage VLANs, routing, NAT, ACLs, and implement and support site-to-site and remote access VPNs for secure connectivity.
  • Maintain endpoint management and security platforms (Intune/Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM), Jamf, CrowdStrike, Windows Defender ATP): deploy OS/images, software distribution, patching, configuration baselines, and incident remediation.
  • Operate and tune monitoring and observability systems (Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus, Datadog, SolarWinds) to proactively detect outages and performance degradation; create alerts, dashboards, and runbooks for on-call teams.
  • Perform routine patch management across servers, workstations, network devices and firmware; coordinate maintenance windows, test patches in lab environments and track compliance for regulatory audits.
  • Maintain perimeter and endpoint security controls: implement firewall policies, IDS/IPS, web/proxy filtering, email security (spam/phishing protections), and vulnerability remediation in partnership with security teams.
  • Troubleshoot complex infrastructure incidents, perform root-cause analysis, and drive post-incident corrective actions; maintain incident logs and communicate impact and resolution to stakeholders.
  • Manage hardware and software asset lifecycle: procurement, inventory tracking, vendor liaison, warranty escalations, license renewals, and total cost of ownership reporting.
  • Develop, document and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), runbooks, network diagrams, architecture documentation, and on-call/resolution playbooks to support consistent operations and onboarding.
  • Automate routine tasks and orchestration using scripting languages (PowerShell, Bash) and configuration management tools (Ansible, Terraform, Puppet) to reduce manual effort and improve repeatability.
  • Participate in capacity planning and performance forecasting for compute, storage, and networking resources; recommend infrastructure upgrades and cost optimization strategies.
  • Lead or support IT projects and migrations such as cloud migrations (Azure/AWS), Active Directory consolidation, virtualization refreshes, datacenter relocations, and modern workplace rollouts.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory and corporate policies by supporting audits, applying security controls, and implementing logging and retention policies for systems and infrastructure.
  • Provide third-level escalation for helpdesk tickets, mentor junior staff, and deliver technical training for IT team members and end-users when required.
  • Maintain and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans; schedule and perform DR drills, evaluate outcomes, and update documentation and configuration as needed.
  • Manage and optimize storage systems and SAN/NAS platforms: provisioning, snapshots, replication, monitoring, and capacity adjustments.
  • Implement and support identity and access management best practices (least privilege, role-based access control, MFA) and maintain privileged access processes and tooling.
  • Coordinate with vendors and service providers on escalations, maintenance activities, service-level agreements (SLAs), and contract renewals to ensure stable service delivery.
  • Ensure secure configuration and lifecycle management for mobile devices and remote access solutions, supporting mobile workforce requirements and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc reporting and operational metrics: create and maintain dashboards, monthly uptime and incident trend reports, and contribute data for executive IT reporting.
  • Drive continuous improvement: evaluate new technologies, proof-of-concepts, and recommend architecture or process changes to increase reliability, security, and automation.
  • Participate in IT governance and change management processes: prepare change requests, perform impact analysis, and validate post-change outcomes.
  • Contribute to IT strategy and roadmap planning by providing operational input, cost estimates and risk assessments for infrastructure initiatives.
  • Assist with procurement cycles and budget forecasting by assessing lifecycle costs, support contracts, and vendor performance for hardware and cloud services.
  • Coordinate periodic vulnerability scans, remediation plans and follow-up verification in collaboration with security teams.
  • Provide cross-functional support during product or service launches and integrations to ensure infrastructure readiness and scalability.
  • Participate in on-call rotation for emergent incidents and after-hours emergency response, providing timely escalation and remediation.
  • Facilitate end-user training sessions for new systems, security awareness, and standard platform usage to reduce repeat incidents and improve self-service adoption.
  • Maintain relationships with external consultants and managed service providers (MSPs) to supplement in-house capabilities for large projects or specialized tasks.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Active Directory (AD) administration, Group Policy (GPO) design and troubleshooting, Azure AD/Entra integration and hybrid identity.
  • Microsoft 365 / Exchange Online tenant management, mail flow, security and compliance features.
  • Virtualization: VMware vSphere, vCenter, ESXi and/or Microsoft Hyper-V administration and capacity planning.
  • Cloud fundamentals and operational experience with Azure and/or AWS (VM provisioning, identity, networking, cost optimization).
  • Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, subnetting, DNS, DHCP, VPNs; hands-on experience with Cisco, Juniper or similar network devices.
  • Firewall configuration and network security (Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco ASA/Firepower) and VPN technologies.
  • Backup and recovery solutions (Veeam, Azure Backup, snapshots, tape/replication strategies) and DR planning/testing.
  • Endpoint management and patching systems: Microsoft Intune, SCCM/ConfigMgr, Jamf or equivalent.
  • Scripting and automation: PowerShell, Bash, and configuration-as-code tools (Ansible, Terraform) for repeatable deployments.
  • Monitoring and observability tools: SolarWinds, Nagios, Datadog, Prometheus, or equivalent with skill to build alerts and dashboards.
  • Storage and SAN/NAS administration, RAID configuration, iSCSI, NFS, and storage performance tuning.
  • Identity and access management controls: MFA, RBAC, IAM policy implementation and privileged access management.
  • Security fundamentals: vulnerability management, endpoint protection platforms, encryption, logging and SIEM integration (Splunk, Azure Sentinel).
  • ITIL-based processes: incident, problem, change and configuration management.

Soft Skills

  • Clear communicator: able to explain technical issues to non-technical stakeholders and create concise documentation.
  • Analytical problem-solver: methodical approach to diagnosing complex system and network incidents; strong root-cause analysis.
  • Prioritization and time management: handle competing operational tasks during peak incident periods and planned maintenance windows.
  • Collaboration and teamwork: works effectively with security, development, and business teams to deliver infrastructure projects.
  • Customer-focused mindset: delivers professional support to internal users, understands business impact and SLAs.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning: keeps current with changing cloud, security and infrastructure technologies.
  • Attention to detail: produces accurate runbooks, change tickets, and system documentation to reduce operational risk.
  • Leadership and mentorship: coaches junior technicians and leads small cross-functional workstreams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology / Systems
  • Network Engineering
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud Computing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2 to 5 years of hands-on systems and network administration experience for mid-level roles; entry-level IT Administrator roles may accept 1–2 years with strong foundational skills.
  • Senior IT Administrator roles typically require 5+ years of infrastructure, virtualization, and cloud operational experience.

Preferred:

  • Proven experience administering hybrid on-premises and cloud environments (Azure/AWS).
  • Experience with enterprise-grade backup/DR solutions, virtualization platforms, and endpoint management.
  • Certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator / Microsoft 365, MCSA/MCSE, CompTIA Network+/Security+, Cisco CCNA, VMware VCP, or ITIL Foundation are highly desirable.
  • Demonstrated experience implementing security hardening, patch management programs, and participating in incident response and audits.
Explore More Careers