Data center administrator vs data center technician

The differences between data center administrators and data center technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a data center administrator and a data center technician. Additionally, a data center administrator has an average salary of $49,854, which is higher than the $46,560 average annual salary of a data center technician.

The top three skills for a data center administrator include customer service, linux and vmware. The most important skills for a data center technician are patients, customer service, and CLIA.

Data center administrator vs data center technician overview

	Data Center Administrator	Data Center Technician
Yearly salary	$49,854	$46,560
Hourly rate	$23.97	$22.38
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	172,212	139,177
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a data center administrator do?

A data center administrator is in charge of overseeing the daily operations of an organization's data center. Their job focuses on maintaining and updating data storage systems, managing hardware and software, implementing data protection and recovery plans, performing installations and repairs, and providing technical support to staff as needed. They also conduct research and analyses to establish the ideal practices and center layouts, escalating complex issues to the assigned department, maintaining records, and conducting assessments and evaluations to ensure procedures adhere to company standards and project timelines.

What does a data center technician do?

A data center technician is an information technology (IT) professional who ensures the optimal performance of data servers and network of a data center. Datacenter technicians are required to protect company data by preventing the overheating of data center components and replace failing parts promptly. They need to collaborate with software and network engineers to work on the organization's cybersecurity and network efficiency. Datacenter technicians must keep track of developing trends in data center technologies and provide advice about the procurement of new data center equipment.

Data center administrator vs data center technician salary

Data center administrators and data center technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Center Administrator	Data Center Technician
Average salary	$49,854	$46,560
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $89,000	Between $28,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Piscataway, NJ
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	NETSCOUT	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between data center administrator and data center technician education

There are a few differences between a data center administrator and a data center technician in terms of educational background:

	Data Center Administrator	Data Center Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	-

Data center administrator vs data center technician demographics

Here are the differences between data center administrators' and data center technicians' demographics:

	Data Center Administrator	Data Center Technician
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 13.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data center administrator and data center technician duties and responsibilities

Data center administrator example responsibilities.

Manage Cisco UCS systems that host the organization's VMware environment running critical clinical applications.
Work with USAMITC to manage DNS and with DISA tiger team to manage mail.mil email system.
Manage integrated network connectivity, reporting, and troubleshooting including switch, router, and firewall connectivity to increase system stability.
Work with SQL database developer to create the VMware view database and importing require tables.
Move content to new SQL server.
Use of EMC centera base file archival management system.

Data center technician example responsibilities.

Manage job schedules via Autosys, Tivoli, & Zeke.
Utilize remedy ticketing system to track and manage trouble tickets and changes.
Manage the daily operation of the NOC which includes provisioning servers, ticket handling and resolution and internal escalations.
Manage data center power, space and infrastructure planning for mainframe, distribute, storage and network equipment technologies.
Manage proactive network monitoring, repair, and maintenance for TDM, SS7, VoIP, and DWDM platforms.
Job responsibilities include monitoring network equipment and network performance in support of Net2Phones manage PacketCable VOIP solution.

Data center administrator vs data center technician skills

Common data center administrator skills

Customer Service, 7%
Linux, 6%
VMware, 5%
Vmware Esxi, 5%
Windows Server, 5%
HVAC, 4%

Common data center technician skills

Patients, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
CLIA, 9%
OSHA, 8%
Standard Operating Procedure, 8%
Center Management, 8%

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Data Center Administrator vs Data Center Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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