Data center administrator vs information technology administrator

The differences between data center administrators and information technology 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 data center administrator and an information technology administrator. Additionally, an information technology administrator has an average salary of $73,195, which is higher than the $49,854 average annual salary of a data center administrator.

The top three skills for a data center administrator include customer service, linux and vmware. The most important skills for an information technology administrator are customer service, troubleshoot, and linux.

Data center administrator vs information technology administrator overview

	Data Center Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Yearly salary	$49,854	$73,195
Hourly rate	$23.97	$35.19
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	172,212	159,499
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
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 an information technology administrator do?

An Information Technology (IT) administrator is an individual responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of an organization's IT systems and ensuring that the systems are running effectively. IT administrators must conduct consistent analyses of the computer system and install updates when needed. They are required to assess the organization's security programs and run the system for viruses and spyware. IT administrators also extend support to the organization's end-users and train them on desktop applications.

Data center administrator vs information technology administrator salary

Data center administrators and information technology administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Center Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Average salary	$49,854	$73,195
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $89,000	Between $50,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	NETSCOUT	Databricks
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between data center administrator and information technology administrator education

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

	Data Center Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Data center administrator vs information technology administrator demographics

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

	Data Center Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
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, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data center administrator and information technology administrator 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.

Information technology administrator example responsibilities.

Define, document and project manage the implementation and configuration changes to HRIS applications.
Manage the migration from ADP to Lawson software; adapt HRIS to fit organizational needs.
Manage PC trainers and develop high quality internal instructor-le courses.
Manage host peripheral hardware including disk files and space utilization.
Manage and maintain corporate telecommunications and LAN; recommend repairs as needed.
Manage administration for SharePoint websites including account creation or modifying existing user accounts and site settings.

Data center administrator vs information technology administrator skills

Common data center administrator skills

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

Common information technology administrator skills

Customer Service, 10%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
Database, 4%
VMware, 4%
Windows Server, 4%

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Data Center Administrator vs Information Technology Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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