Data center technician vs information technology specialist

The differences between data center technicians and information technology specialists 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 technician and an information technology specialist. Additionally, an information technology specialist has an average salary of $81,241, which is higher than the $46,560 average annual salary of a data center technician.

The top three skills for a data center technician include patients, customer service and CLIA. The most important skills for an information technology specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.

Data center technician vs information technology specialist overview

	Data Center Technician	Information Technology Specialist
Yearly salary	$46,560	$81,241
Hourly rate	$22.38	$39.06
Growth rate	5%	10%
Number of jobs	139,177	122,519
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	43	42
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does an information technology specialist do?

An Information Technology Specialist, also known as a Computer Professional or IT Specialist, is responsible for the computer support of an establishment or individual. Most of the duties require extensive and proactive knowledge of Information Technology, such as in the aspects of network and systems administration, security and information, hardware and software management, troubleshooting, and more. The tasks of an IT Specialist are diverse. It is not limited to installation or activation, as it also involves monitoring, management, and analyzation.

Data center technician vs information technology specialist salary

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

	Data Center Technician	Information Technology Specialist
Average salary	$46,560	$81,241
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $74,000	Between $58,000 And $113,000
Highest paying City	Piscataway, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Google
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between data center technician and information technology specialist education

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

	Data Center Technician	Information Technology Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Data center technician vs information technology specialist demographics

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

	Data Center Technician	Information Technology Specialist
Average age	43	42
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	11%

Differences between data center technician and information technology specialist duties and responsibilities

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.

Information technology specialist example responsibilities.

Manage VmWare servers across the network to include patches, upgrades, move and cloning.
Manage devices by configuring network topology and making DNS records updates/creation.
Manage the configuration and performance management of all PC systems and telecommunications.
Perform second tier help desk support for U.S. Treasury web-base financial management system.
Learned Linux troubleshooting as well as basic HTML, CSS as well as learning the very base of SQL and PHP.
Assist with data cabling, setting up router, switches, WAP systems on LAN.

Data center technician vs information technology specialist skills

Common data center technician skills

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

Common information technology specialist skills

Customer Service, 24%
Troubleshoot, 10%
Computer System, 7%
Database, 5%
DOD, 5%
System Software, 4%

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Data Center Technician vs Information Technology Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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