Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Network and Systems Administrator

🎯 Role Definition

A Network and Systems Administrator is responsible for designing, deploying, operating, and maintaining an organization's network and server infrastructure to ensure high availability, security, and performance. This role blends network engineering, systems administration, virtualization, cloud integration, and security operations. The ideal candidate is a hands‑on technologist with strong troubleshooting skills, experience in enterprise environments, and a focus on automation, monitoring, and compliance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

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

Advancement To:

Senior Network & Systems Administrator
Systems Engineer / Network Engineer
Network Architect / Infrastructure Architect
IT Manager / Infrastructure Manager

Lateral Moves:

Cloud Engineer / Cloud Systems Administrator
Security Analyst / SOC Engineer
DevOps Engineer / Site Reliability Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, configure, and maintain enterprise wired and wireless network infrastructure (routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers, load balancers) to achieve high availability and meet capacity and security requirements; implement VLANs, subnetting, routing protocols (OSPF, BGP), and QoS policies.
Administer Windows Server environments including Active Directory, Group Policy Objects (GPOs), DNS, DHCP, and certificate services; manage domain joins, authentication issues, trust relationships, and AD health.
Install, configure, and administer Linux servers (Red Hat, CentOS, Ubuntu) performing package management, kernel tuning, system hardening, cron jobs, and shell scripting to support application workloads and automation.
Deploy and manage virtualization platforms such as VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V: create and maintain VMs, templates, resource pools, HA clusters, DRS, snapshot policies, and host maintenance procedures.
Design and manage cloud infrastructure and hybrid connectivity (AWS, Azure, GCP) including VPC/VNet configuration, security groups, IAM roles, VPNs, Direct Connect/ExpressRoute, and cloud monitoring.
Implement, maintain, and tune enterprise backup and disaster recovery solutions (Veeam, NetBackup, Windows Server Backup), schedule and verify backups, and regularly test restores and DR playbooks to meet RTO/RPO objectives.
Configure, monitor, and enforce network and endpoint security controls (next‑gen firewalls, IDS/IPS, NAC, endpoint protection) and coordinate vulnerability scans, patching, and remediation with security teams to reduce exposure.
Manage remote access technologies including site‑to‑site and client VPNs (IPSec, SSL), remote desktop gateways, MFA solutions, and secure access policies for remote and mobile users.
Monitor network and system health using observability and monitoring platforms (Nagios, SolarWinds, Datadog, Prometheus, Zabbix) and create alerting thresholds, dashboards, and escalation procedures to maintain SLAs.
Troubleshoot complex incidents across LAN/WAN/Internet connectivity, including packet capture analysis, QoS issues, latency/bandwidth problems, and coordinate vendor escalation and root cause analysis.
Maintain enterprise storage systems (SAN, NAS, iSCSI, NFS) and coordinate capacity planning, LUN management, RAID configuration, snapshots, and performance tuning for application owners.
Manage messaging and collaboration platforms including Exchange Server and Office 365 administration, mail flow, anti‑spam/anti‑phishing policies, and migration activities.
Plan and execute maintenance windows, OS and firmware patching, and version upgrades for servers, storage systems, and network devices with rollback plans and change management documentation.
Create and maintain accurate technical documentation: network diagrams, server inventories, configuration baselines, runbooks, SOPs, and operational procedures to support audits and on‑call teams.
Lead or contribute to infrastructure projects such as data center moves, network redesign, cloud migration, consolidation, and security hardening initiatives; coordinate timelines, resources, and stakeholders.
Automate repetitive tasks using scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python) and configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef), and develop reusable automation modules to improve reliability and reduce manual errors.
Participate in capacity planning and performance forecasting for compute, storage, and network resources; provide recommendations for procurement and lifecycle replacement strategies.
Manage and maintain PKI, digital certificates, and TLS deployments across services and applications; ensure secure certificate lifecycle management and automated renewal where possible.
Integrate systems with SIEM and log management tools (Splunk, ELK) to centralize logs, implement alerting for security events, and support audits and incident investigations.
Provide 2nd and 3rd line technical support and mentorship to junior administrators and help desk teams; own escalations, root cause analysis, post‑incident reviews, and continuous improvement activities.
Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and internal policies (PCI, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR) by supporting audits, documenting controls, and implementing required technical safeguards.
Evaluate and recommend new networking, systems, and security technologies, proof of concepts, and vendor solutions to align infrastructure strategy with business goals and cost constraints.

Secondary Functions

Maintain IT asset inventory and lifecycle records; coordinate hardware procurement, vendor RMA, and warranty service to minimize downtime.
Prepare technical and executive reports on system health, uptime, incident trends, capacity consumption, and risk profiles for stakeholders.
Participate in on‑call rotation and after‑hours emergency support to ensure 24/7 availability of critical infrastructure.
Develop and deliver training and knowledge transfer sessions for operations staff and end users on system changes, security best practices, and new tools.
Assist in the creation and testing of business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including tabletop exercises and full failover tests.
Support change management processes: review RFCs, assess technical impact, develop implementation plans, and validate post‑change outcomes.
Collaborate with application teams, vendors, and managed service providers to troubleshoot application delivery issues and coordinate infrastructure requirements.
Research emerging technologies, prepare ROI/impact analyses, and support strategic roadmap planning for infrastructure modernization.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Networking: TCP/IP, VLANs, subnetting, routing (OSPF/BGP), MPLS, NAT, QoS, WAN technologies.
Network devices: hands‑on experience configuring and troubleshooting Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Meraki, or Palo Alto hardware.
Systems administration: Windows Server (Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, GPO) and Linux administration (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu).
Virtualization: VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter; Microsoft Hyper‑V; experience with VM lifecycle and clustering.
Cloud platforms: AWS and/or Microsoft Azure (VPC/VNet, IAM, hybrid connectivity, cloud security best practices).
Security tooling: firewall administration, IDS/IPS, endpoint protection, vulnerability scanners (Nessus), and NAC solutions.
Backup & DR: Veeam, NetBackup, Bacula, or enterprise backup solutions and DR planning/testing.
Monitoring & logging: Nagios, SolarWinds, Datadog, Prometheus, Splunk, ELK stack for alerting and observability.
Automation & scripting: PowerShell, Bash, Python; configuration management with Ansible, Puppet, or Chef.
VPN & remote access: IPSec, SSL VPN, RDP gateways, MFA implementations.
Storage administration: SAN/NAS, iSCSI, NFS, storage performance tuning and capacity planning.
PKI and certificate management, TLS/SSL configuration, and secure key management.

Soft Skills

Clear written and verbal communication for technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Strong problem‑solving and analytical reasoning under pressure during incidents.
Detail orientation for documentation, change controls, and compliance.
Prioritization and time management with the ability to handle multiple concurrent projects and incidents.
Collaboration and cross‑functional teamwork with application owners, security, and vendors.
Customer service mindset and the ability to translate technical issues into business impact.
Proactive learning and adaptability to adopt new tools, processes, and cloud technologies.
Leadership and mentoring skills to develop junior engineers and standardize operational practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent hands‑on experience; or proven track record through technical certifications and practical experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Network Engineering, or related technical field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Information Technology / Information Systems
Network Engineering
Cybersecurity
Electrical or Computer Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of hands‑on experience in systems and network administration in medium to large enterprise environments.

Preferred: 5+ years of progressive experience supporting enterprise networks, virtualization, cloud services, and security controls; demonstrated project experience with migrations, cloud adoption, or data center consolidation.

Recommended certifications (preferred but not always required): CCNA/CCNP, CompTIA Network+/Security+, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator / MCSA / MCSE, VMware VCP, RHCE, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, ITIL Foundation.