Network administrator vs systems administrator lead

The differences between network administrators and systems administrator leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a network administrator and a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, 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 systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.

Network administrator vs systems administrator lead overview

	Network Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Yearly salary	$71,357	$99,956
Hourly rate	$34.31	$48.06
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	106,886	132,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

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 systems administrator lead do?

A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.

Network administrator vs systems administrator lead salary

Network administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average salary	$71,357	$99,956
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $90,000	Between $77,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Google	Kabam
Best paying industry	Finance	Telecommunication

Differences between network administrator and systems administrator lead education

There are a few differences between a network administrator and a systems administrator lead in terms of educational background:

	Network Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Network administrator vs systems administrator lead demographics

Here are the differences between network administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:

	Network Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network administrator and systems administrator lead 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

Systems administrator lead example responsibilities.

Manage all Citrix user connections and issues, print network, server environment and supplies.
Manage printers on the print servers and re-serve IP addresses for devices from the DHCP servers.
Manage software development group SharePoint portal.
Save company many hours of manual testing and developing by engineering Java applications to automate tedious tasks.
Manage development, manufacturing, test and delivery of custom broadband RF electronic test systems for military and aerospace customers.
Perform day-to-day management of system applications and services (NTP, DNS, LDAP, etc .).

Network administrator vs systems administrator lead skills

Common network administrator skills

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

Common systems administrator lead skills

Linux, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Windows Server, 5%
System Performance, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
Database, 5%

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Network Administrator vs Systems Administrator Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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