Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for IT Systems and Network Administrator

🎯 Role Definition

The IT Systems and Network Administrator is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and securing the organization's IT infrastructure — including servers, networks, virtualization, cloud services, endpoints, backup and recovery, and perimeter security — to ensure high availability, performance, and compliance with policies and SLAs. This role combines hands-on systems and network administration, proactive monitoring and tuning, incident response and troubleshooting, change management and documentation, and collaboration with stakeholders and vendors to deliver reliable, scalable, and secure IT services.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Help Desk Technician (Level 1 / Level 2)
Network Technician / Field Engineer
Junior Systems Administrator or IT Support Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Systems / Network Administrator
Network Architect or Infrastructure Engineer
IT Manager / Head of IT
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer or Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)

Lateral Moves:

Cybersecurity Analyst / Security Engineer
Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure)
DevOps Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, deploy and maintain on-premises and cloud-based network infrastructure (routers, switches, VLANs, wireless controllers, load balancers) to meet business requirements and scalability goals.
Administer, configure and harden Windows Server (Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, File & Print Services) and Linux servers (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu) across production and test environments.
Manage virtualization platforms (VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter; Microsoft Hyper-V) including host management, VM provisioning, resource allocation and performance tuning.
Implement and operate cloud services and hybrid architectures (Azure, AWS, Azure AD Connect, VPC, IAM) including cost optimization, IAM policies and connectivity.
Design, configure and maintain enterprise firewall and perimeter security (Palo Alto, Fortinet, Check Point, Cisco ASA) and VPN solutions (IPSec, SSL) to protect sensitive data and remote access.
Monitor network and systems health using monitoring and observability tools (SolarWinds, Nagios, Zabbix, PRTG, Datadog) and proactively respond to performance degradation and incidents.
Manage backup and disaster recovery solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Azure Backup) including scheduling, testing restores, and documenting RTO/RPO procedures.
Patch, update and maintain operating systems, firmware, hypervisors and network device software in accordance with change control and security policies to reduce vulnerabilities.
Troubleshoot complex multi-vendor network and systems issues across LAN/WAN, wireless, routing (OSPF/BGP), switching, and end-user connectivity to minimize downtime and meet SLAs.
Implement and maintain identity, access and authentication controls (Active Directory, LDAP, SSO, MFA) and conduct periodic access reviews and least-privilege enforcement.
Perform capacity planning and performance analysis for storage, compute, and network resources; forecast needs and propose scalable solutions and budget requirements.
Document system and network architectures, runbooks, standard operating procedures, troubleshooting guides, and network diagrams using structured documentation practices.
Execute security hardening and remediation activities in collaboration with security/compliance teams, including vulnerability scanning, patch management and incident containment.
Lead or support systems and network projects (migrations, refreshes, consolidations, data center moves) including planning, implementation, testing, cutovers and post-implementation reviews.
Configure and manage enterprise storage systems (SAN, NAS, iSCSI), including provisioning, replication and monitoring storage performance and utilization.
Maintain and manage endpoint infrastructure (Windows 10/11, macOS, mobile device management, AV/EDR) and coordinate fleet updates, imaging, and lifecycle replacements.
Administer print services, remote access technologies, and collaboration infrastructure (VoIP, Microsoft 365 / Exchange, Teams) to support business continuity and productivity.
Coordinate with vendors, MSPs and third-party support, escalate complex hardware/software issues, and manage procurement and warranty replacement processes.
Implement network segmentation, micro-segmentation and secure configuration guidelines to reduce attack surface and enforce regulatory controls (PCI, HIPAA, GDPR where applicable).
Conduct regular backup, recovery and business continuity drills; validate disaster recovery plans and document lessons learned and remediation actions.
Maintain asset inventory, track hardware and software lifecycles, ensure software license compliance and support audits and compliance requirements.
Provide advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis for recurring incidents and implement permanent fixes to prevent recurrence.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc infrastructure requests, proof-of-concepts and performance tuning exercises driven by business units.
Automate routine administration, patching and provisioning tasks using scripting (PowerShell, Bash) and configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet).
Assist with onboarding and training of new IT staff and provide end-user guidance for systems, remote access and security best practices.
Participate in change advisory board (CAB) meetings, maintain change logs, and ensure changes follow ITIL-based processes and rollback plans.
Contribute to IT strategy, roadmaps and technology evaluations to align infrastructure with business goals and cost targets.
Maintain SLAs and KPIs for availability, incident response times and resolution quality and report metrics to leadership.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Windows Server administration (Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, File Services) — planning, hardening and troubleshooting.
Linux systems administration (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu) — shell scripting, package management, service configuration.
Network engineering fundamentals (TCP/IP, VLANs, subnetting, routing protocols such as OSPF/BGP, switching).
Experience with enterprise networking devices and OSs (Cisco IOS, Juniper Junos, Aruba, HP/HPE switches).
Firewall and perimeter security management (Palo Alto, FortiGate, Check Point, Cisco ASA) and VPN technologies (IPSec, SSL).
Virtualization platforms — VMware vSphere/vCenter and Microsoft Hyper-V management and troubleshooting.
Cloud administration fundamentals (Azure, AWS) including hybrid connectivity, IAM, VPC/VNET and resource provisioning.
Backup and disaster recovery solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Azure Backup) and restore validation.
Scripting and automation (PowerShell, Bash, Python) and configuration management (Ansible, Puppet).
Monitoring and observability tools (SolarWinds, Nagios, Zabbix, PRTG, Datadog) and log aggregation (ELK, Splunk).
Storage administration (SAN/NAS, iSCSI), RAID, and storage performance tuning.
Endpoint management and security tools (Intune/MDM, SCCM/Endpoint Manager, EDR solutions).
Identity and access management (Active Directory, Azure AD, LDAP, SSO, MFA).
Network services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, SMTP) administration and troubleshooting.
Familiarity with regulatory controls and security standards (ITIL, NIST, ISO 27001, PCI, HIPAA) and compliance processes.

Soft Skills

Strong analytical and systematic troubleshooting mindset with the ability to perform root cause analysis.
Clear verbal and written communication for technical and non-technical audiences, including documentation and reporting.
Customer-focused service orientation and ability to prioritize incidents and requests under pressure.
Collaborative team player who can work cross-functionally with developers, security, and business stakeholders.
Project management basics: planning, executing, testing, and documenting infrastructure projects and migrations.
Attention to detail and a continuous improvement mindset to automate, optimize and reduce operational risk.
Vendor management and negotiation skills to coordinate third-party support, SLAs and contracts.
Time management and multitasking ability to handle production support, projects and on-call rotation.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Information Technology, Networking, Computer Science or equivalent practical experience and certifications.

Preferred Education:

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

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Information Technology
Network Engineering
Cybersecurity
Systems Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in systems and network administration roles supporting enterprise environments.

Preferred:

5+ years of hands-on experience managing Windows/Linux servers, virtualization (VMware/Hyper-V), enterprise networking and security appliances, with demonstrated experience in cloud integrations (Azure/AWS), backup/DR planning, and automation/scripting.

Certifications that strengthen candidacy: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, MCSA/MCSE (legacy), CompTIA Network+/Security+, Cisco CCNA/CCNP, VMware VCP, Veeam Certified Engineer, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or similar.