Data center administrator vs senior system administrator

The differences between data center administrators and senior 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 data center administrator and a senior system administrator. Additionally, a senior system administrator has an average salary of $98,146, 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 a senior system administrator are linux, windows server, and troubleshoot.

Data center administrator vs senior system administrator overview

	Data Center Administrator	Senior System Administrator
Yearly salary	$49,854	$98,146
Hourly rate	$23.97	$47.19
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	172,212	100,873
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
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 senior system administrator do?

A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Data center administrator vs senior system administrator salary

Data center administrators and senior system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Center Administrator	Senior System Administrator
Average salary	$49,854	$98,146
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $89,000	Between $75,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	NETSCOUT	Cambridge Associates
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between data center administrator and senior system administrator education

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

	Data Center Administrator	Senior System Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Data center administrator vs senior system administrator demographics

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

	Data Center Administrator	Senior System Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data center administrator and senior system 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.

Senior system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and optimize the design and delivery of project associate with AIX arena.
Manage all installs and setup of new servers, and server upgrades to server 2008 R2.
Implement IIS servers for both the internal and external web servers and managing security on all web servers.
Design, implement, and manage a network and domain extension in a remote location via a secure VPN link.
Manage Cisco network equipment including firewalls and switches.
Administer and manage daily backups via Symantec NetBackup.

Data center administrator vs senior system administrator skills

Common data center administrator skills

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

Common senior system administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
System Administration, 4%
PowerShell, 4%
SAN, 4%

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Data Center Administrator vs Senior System Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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