Data center technician vs systems administrator

The differences between data center technicians and systems 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 technician and a systems administrator. Additionally, a systems administrator has an average salary of $77,156, 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 a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.

Data center technician vs systems administrator overview

	Data Center Technician	Systems Administrator
Yearly salary	$46,560	$77,156
Hourly rate	$22.38	$37.09
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	139,177	134,500
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	43	43
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 a systems administrator do?

Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.

Data center technician vs systems administrator salary

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

	Data Center Technician	Systems Administrator
Average salary	$46,560	$77,156
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $74,000	Between $59,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	Piscataway, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Meta
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between data center technician and systems administrator education

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

	Data Center Technician	Systems Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	-	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Data center technician vs systems administrator demographics

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

	Data Center Technician	Systems Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data center technician and systems administrator 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.

Systems administrator example responsibilities.

Used Jenkins to automate most of the build relate tasks.
Manage windows file servers, messaging, and SQL databases.
Lead the project which integrate internal DNS into the corporate LDAP infrastructure for end user host management prior to deployment.
Lead business-critical information security initiatives involving encryption of customer data.
Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
Configure & manage all switches and servers responsible for providing WLAN connectivity and authentication services.

Data center technician vs systems administrator skills

Common data center technician skills

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

Common systems administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Database, 5%
Technical Support, 4%
PowerShell, 3%

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Data Center Technician vs Systems Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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