Word of the Day: system administrator (sysadmin)

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms |August 3, 2017

system administrator (sysadmin) A system administrator (sysadmin) in information technology (IT) is a person who supports a multi-user computing environment and ensures continuous, optimal performance of IT services and support systems. System administrator job responsibilities vary greatly among employers. In a large enterprise, the title system administrator may be used to describe any administrator who is responsible for a specialized IT system such the one that supports servers. Depending upon the specialty, the systems administrator may also be known as a data center administrator, a network operations center (NOC) administrator, a virtualization administrator, a server administrator or a database administrator. Smaller IT departments generally give the system administrator position a wider scope of responsibilities, and in some organizations, a sysadmin may need to support everything from end user desktop computers, to the organization's local area network (LAN), wireless LAN (WLAN), voice over IP (VoIP) phone system and hybrid cloud storage. Depending upon the organization's culture, the system administrator may also be referred to as a system operator (SysOp) or application support engineer (ASE). Systems administrator duties and skills Due to the wide range of job responsibilities for system administrators in various organizations, system administrators' job skill requirements are often broad, as are salary ranges. In general, sysadmins must be comfortable working with application and file servers, desktops, networks, databases, information security systems and storage. Familiarity with multiple operating systems, as well as scripting and programming, is often required. Increasingly, virtualization and cloud computing skills have also become essential to the job. Because tasks generally include provisioning, configuring and managing physical and virtual servers, as well as the software that runs on the servers and the hardware that supports them, a system administrator should feel comfortable installing and troubleshooting IT resources, establishing and managing user accounts, upgrading and patching software, and performing backup and recovery tasks. Nontechnical skills are equally important for sysadmins. Because the system administrator interacts with people in so many areas of IT and business, soft skills (people skills) are just as necessary as hard skills. When IT services are slow or down entirely, a system administrator must be able to work under pressure, read a situation as it unfolds and quickly decide upon a response that yields the best result for all involved. IT system administrator certifications System administrators are expected to have at least one, but preferably multiple, certifications for the job. Depending on the technologies used within an enterprise, common certifications in demand include Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), CompTIA Server+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA). Quote of the Day "System administrator responsibilities require that the sysadmin be something of a jack of all trades when it comes to system and network administration and management." - Ed Tittel   Trending Terms data center administrator sysop patch management virtualization administrator MCSA network operating system   Learning Center IT leaders: How the systems administrator role can stay relevant The traditional systems administrator role is upended by the cloud. IT leaders say those employees can remain relevant, and it starts with learning to code. What system administrator responsibilities are paramount today? System administrator responsibilities can cover a broad set of functions ranging from managing an SMB LAN to caring for a complex data center network. Managing containers challenges system administrator responsibilities Managing containers is becoming an important aspect of system administrator responsibilities, as container adoption becomes widespread. How the virtualization system administrator job is changing The system administrator job has changed over the years, and now requires a candidate with a diverse set of technical skills and a flexible disposition. New IT job requirements include soft skills, business acumen IT job requirements have undergone some serious changes over the past year, and job applicants would be wise to update their skill sets accordingly. Writing for Business The system administrator's question was "Will the cost savings of a multi-user environment make up for the difficulty of deploying ____ a. it?" b. it"? Answer       Stay In Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com   Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed!   FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2016 TechTarget. All rights reserved.