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The differences between infrastructure support specialists and systems support specialists 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 support specialist and a systems support specialist. Additionally, an infrastructure support specialist has an average salary of $94,997, which is higher than the $61,744 average annual salary of a systems support specialist.
The top three skills for an infrastructure support specialist include infrastructure support, troubleshoot and cloud. The most important skills for a systems support specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Infrastructure Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $94,997 | $61,744 |
| Hourly rate | $45.67 | $29.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 135,837 | 159,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An infrastructure support specialist generally plays a support role in the IT world, with "support" here not referring to an auxiliary role. They also help with the management and usability of organizational data and information. Their primary responsibility is to make sure the business goals of the company or enterprise are met by ensuring all data centers are functional, including elements such as network systems, software, hardware, and data storage facilities. They may also have to carry out complex technical evaluations and suggest proposed physical architectures along with elaborate designs.
A systems support specialist is responsible for assisting end-users on system issues, including network configuration and improving network infrastructure. System support specialists implement network strategies alongside the whole technology team to boost the system's efficiency and optimal performance. They create resolution reports for reference and write recommendations to prevent system defects and inconsistencies. A systems support specialist also handles network installations and upgrades, requiring them to have excellent technical skills and knowledge of programming languages.
Infrastructure support specialists and systems support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $94,997 | $61,744 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $130,000 | Between $41,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Centreville, VA |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Barclays | Koch Industries |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure support specialist and a systems support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between infrastructure support specialists' and systems support specialists' demographics:
| Infrastructure Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 13.4% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |