Data center administrator vs systems administrator lead

The differences between data center administrators and systems administrator leads 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 systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, 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 systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.

Data center administrator vs systems administrator lead overview

	Data Center Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Yearly salary	$49,854	$99,956
Hourly rate	$23.97	$48.06
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	172,212	132,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
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 systems administrator lead do?

A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.

Data center administrator vs systems administrator lead salary

Data center administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Center Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average salary	$49,854	$99,956
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $89,000	Between $77,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	NETSCOUT	Kabam
Best paying industry	Technology	Telecommunication

Differences between data center administrator and systems administrator lead education

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

	Data Center Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Data center administrator vs systems administrator lead demographics

Here are the differences between data center administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:

	Data Center Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data center administrator and systems administrator lead 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.

Systems administrator lead example responsibilities.

Manage all Citrix user connections and issues, print network, server environment and supplies.
Manage printers on the print servers and re-serve IP addresses for devices from the DHCP servers.
Manage software development group SharePoint portal.
Save company many hours of manual testing and developing by engineering Java applications to automate tedious tasks.
Manage development, manufacturing, test and delivery of custom broadband RF electronic test systems for military and aerospace customers.
Perform day-to-day management of system applications and services (NTP, DNS, LDAP, etc .).

Data center administrator vs systems administrator lead skills

Common data center administrator skills

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

Common systems administrator lead skills

Linux, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Windows Server, 5%
System Performance, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
Database, 5%

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Data Center Administrator vs Systems Administrator Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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