Network administrator vs cyber security analyst

The differences between network administrators and cyber security analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a network administrator, becoming a cyber security analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cyber security analyst has an average salary of $88,422, which is higher than the $71,357 average annual salary of a network administrator.

The top three skills for a network administrator include switches, windows server and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a cyber security analyst are incident response, windows, and SIEM.

Network administrator vs cyber security analyst overview

	Network Administrator	Cyber Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$71,357	$88,422
Hourly rate	$34.31	$42.51
Growth rate	5%	32%
Number of jobs	106,886	64,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	43	42
Years of experience	2	6

What does a network administrator do?

A network administrator is responsible for managing an organization's computer systems, ensuring its smooth operations and highest efficiency. Network administrators' duties include inspecting network malfunctions, troubleshooting unresponsive programs, improving system processes, analyzing client's specifications, upgrading existing applications, coordinating with the technology department, and creating a report of network issues resolutions. A network administrator should display a strong command of programming languages. Extensive knowledge in the technology industry and analytical and problem-solving skills to manage network problems immediately is also necessary.

What does a cyber security analyst do?

A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.

Network administrator vs cyber security analyst salary

Network administrators and cyber security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Administrator	Cyber Security Analyst
Average salary	$71,357	$88,422
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $90,000	Between $66,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Oregon
Best paying company	Google	Neighborly
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between network administrator and cyber security analyst education

There are a few differences between a network administrator and a cyber security analyst in terms of educational background:

	Network Administrator	Cyber Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Information Systems
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	California State University - Bakersfield

Network administrator vs cyber security analyst demographics

Here are the differences between network administrators' and cyber security analysts' demographics:

	Network Administrator	Cyber Security Analyst
Average age	43	42
Gender ratio	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%	Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network administrator and cyber security analyst duties and responsibilities

Network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead and manage desktop standards project.
Manage backups using EMC Networker and Avamar.
Manage Solarwinds to monitor servers and networks for all locations.
Manage all provisioning and technical issues for new customer IP blocks.
Deploy and manage storage (windows file servers and NetApp NAS).
Manage all technology: Novell, Microsoft, Cisco, email, library, labs, dorms, programs

Cyber security analyst example responsibilities.

Ensure all requirements are met to successfully achieve an ATO before release.
Leverage this same site-to-site VPN technology to automate and secure transactions between FMC and its business partners.
Lead technical implementation through multiple projects to reduce the cardholder data environment and ultimately reduce the scope of PCI relate environments.
Log analysis & managing the accuracy of DLP identification to lowering/avoiding false positives and negatives.
Review and manage the security and information assurance capabilities of database applications, database structure and architecture.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.

Network administrator vs cyber security analyst skills

Common network administrator skills

Switches, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Network Hardware, 5%
Routers, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

Common cyber security analyst skills

Incident Response, 8%
Windows, 6%
SIEM, 5%
DOD, 5%
Linux, 4%
Security Events, 4%

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Network Administrator vs Cyber Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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