Computer systems administrator vs windows system administrator

The differences between computer systems 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 computer systems administrator and a windows system administrator. Additionally, a windows system administrator has an average salary of $79,845, which is higher than the $72,247 average annual salary of a computer systems administrator.

The top three skills for a computer systems administrator include computer system, linux and customer service. The most important skills for a windows system administrator are windows server, infrastructure, and powershell.

Computer systems administrator vs windows system administrator overview

	Computer Systems Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Yearly salary	$72,247	$79,845
Hourly rate	$34.73	$38.39
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	136,907	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 computer systems administrator do?

Computer systems administrators are responsible for organizing and installing a company's computer system, including the WAN, LAN, and other data for communication. They gather information from the users to determine where to improve and troubleshoot hardware and software issues. These administrators ensure that the system they design for a company meets the needs of their users. They maintain the security of their systems and provide technical support for projects. They mainly administer a company's network, database, and security systems.

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.

Computer systems administrator vs windows system administrator salary

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

	Computer Systems Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Average salary	$72,247	$79,845
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $97,000	Between $60,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Sunnyvale, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between computer systems administrator and windows system administrator education

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

	Computer Systems 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	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Computer systems administrator vs windows system administrator demographics

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

	Computer Systems Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 64.0% 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 computer systems administrator and windows system administrator duties and responsibilities

Computer systems administrator example responsibilities.

Create SNP pipeline script in Perl to automate SNP prediction.
Manage static IP address reservations in the corporate and DHCP in the production network.
Manage a mix facility of IBM and DEC mainframe computers, VAX super-mini computers and PDP-11 mini computers.
Design, install, configure and manage Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop environment.
Manage & monitor database servers and perform weekly/monthly data backup schedules and recovery strategies.
Convert manual offices to computerize environment using standalone PCs and UNIX systems.

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.

Computer systems administrator vs windows system administrator skills

Common computer systems administrator skills

Computer System, 12%
Linux, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
DOD, 4%
User Accounts, 3%

Common windows system administrator skills

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

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Computer Systems Administrator vs Windows System Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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