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The differences between infrastructure analysts and desktop engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an infrastructure analyst and a desktop engineer. Additionally, a desktop engineer has an average salary of $102,893, which is higher than the $70,283 average annual salary of an infrastructure analyst.
The top three skills for an infrastructure analyst include customer service, troubleshoot and azure. The most important skills for a desktop engineer are customer service, SCCM, and troubleshoot.
| Infrastructure Analyst | Desktop Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,283 | $102,893 |
| Hourly rate | $33.79 | $49.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 78,728 | 87,458 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An infrastructure analyst utilizes their computer systems expertise to identify issues and determine immediate corrective measures over a company's private network. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify vulnerabilities or areas needing improvements, monitoring the company's network, coordinating with different departments to gather data, responding to complaints and issues, troubleshooting, and implementing solutions in the system. Furthermore, as an infrastructure analyst, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
A desktop engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and performance of computer systems across the organization to deliver high-performance on business operations and client specifications. Desktop engineers resolve computer desktop issues, including navigation and security complications that create delays in the operational process. They conduct regular maintenance with the computer systems, upgrade network infrastructure, and perform configuration to ensure smooth functionality and resolutions. A desktop engineer should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, recommending system solutions to avoid the reoccurrence of network issues and glitches.
Infrastructure analysts and desktop engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Analyst | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average salary | $70,283 | $102,893 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $99,000 | Between $77,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure analyst and a desktop engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Analyst | Desktop Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between infrastructure analysts' and desktop engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Analyst | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 13.6% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |