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The differences between infrastructure technicians and data center technicians 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 technician and a data center technician. Additionally, an infrastructure technician has an average salary of $96,543, which is higher than the $46,560 average annual salary of a data center technician.
The top three skills for an infrastructure technician include troubleshoot, structured cabling and technical support. The most important skills for a data center technician are patients, customer service, and CLIA.
In the information technology (IT) industry, an infrastructure technician is an IT expert responsible for the maintenance and installation of computer systems and networks. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting problems, performing adjustments and modifications, developing test structures, eliminating bugs, and maintaining documentation. There are also instances where they participate in designing and developing network software and hardware, liaising with clients, and overseeing IT operations. Moreover, an infrastructure technician must provide technical support and guidance to staff, all while enforcing the security and quality standards of the company.
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.
Infrastructure technicians and data center technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Technician | Data Center Technician | |
| Average salary | $96,543 | $46,560 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $148,000 | Between $28,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Piscataway, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Yelp | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure technician and a data center technician in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Technician | Data Center Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between infrastructure technicians' and data center technicians' demographics:
| Infrastructure Technician | Data Center Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 10.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |