Backup administrator vs windows system administrator

The differences between backup administrators and windows system administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a backup administrator and a windows system administrator. Additionally, a backup administrator has an average salary of $92,866, which is higher than the $79,845 average annual salary of a windows system administrator.

The top three skills for a backup administrator include linux, SAN and unix. The most important skills for a windows system administrator are windows server, infrastructure, and powershell.

Backup administrator vs windows system administrator overview

	Backup Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Yearly salary	$92,866	$79,845
Hourly rate	$44.65	$38.39
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	70,421	94,648
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a backup administrator do?

A backup administrator usually works at a company's information technology department, where they are in charge of developing and overseeing backup systems to protect company data. They create and implement backup plans, develop recovery strategies and protocols, set objectives and guidelines, and conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure the systems' efficiency. They also train new members of the workforce and supervise staff, providing them with technical support and guidance. Moreover, a backup administrator encourages team members to reach goals while implementing the company's standards and regulations.

What does a windows system administrator do?

A Windows System Administrator maintains the systems and servers of a Windows operating system. They evaluate and modify the system's performance.

Backup administrator vs windows system administrator salary

Backup administrators and windows system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Backup Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Average salary	$92,866	$79,845
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $139,000	Between $60,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	Philadelphia, PA	Sunnyvale, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	California
Best paying company	Cedars-Sinai	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Finance

Differences between backup administrator and windows system administrator education

There are a few differences between a backup administrator and a windows system administrator in terms of educational background:

	Backup Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Backup administrator vs windows system administrator demographics

Here are the differences between backup administrators' and windows system administrators' demographics:

	Backup Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8%	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.2% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between backup administrator and windows system administrator duties and responsibilities

Backup administrator example responsibilities.

Monitor and manage Cisco routers and switches management.
Create several Unix bash scripts to automate the environment.
Manage all network infrastructure including firewall, routers, switches, network storage, wireless AP s and CAT5e management.
Manage the preventative maintenance of all critical infrastructure which includes HVAC, generator, security system, and fire suppression.
Manage SnapMirror relationships, troubleshooting replication job failures, SnapVault and other archive solutions.
Ensure AIX data integrity by evaluating, implementing and managing appropriate software and hardware solutions.

Windows system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and configure VPN connections for the users.
Deploy and manage Panasonic PBX and VOIP phone systems and network connectivity.
Manage exchange stores, mailbox provisioning, active sync and monitoring the mailboxes.
Manage data usage, space, security and archival over servers, workstations and NAS machines.
Manage issues with server hardware, networking, web services, database, DNS, clustering, and e-mail.
Manage all OU's under domain at multiple sites across the country through a constant VPN tunnel per client rules.

Backup administrator vs windows system administrator skills

Common backup administrator skills

Linux, 8%
SAN, 8%
Unix, 6%
Disk, 6%
Windows Server, 6%
Disaster Recovery, 5%

Common windows system administrator skills

Windows Server, 9%
Infrastructure, 7%
PowerShell, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
SCCM, 4%

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Backup Administrator vs Windows System Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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