Network administrator vs windows system administrator

The differences between network administrators and windows system administrators 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 windows system administrator. Additionally, a windows system administrator has an average salary of $79,845, 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 windows system administrator are windows server, infrastructure, and powershell.

Network administrator vs windows system administrator overview

	Network Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Yearly salary	$71,357	$79,845
Hourly rate	$34.31	$38.39
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	106,886	94,648
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
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 windows system administrator do?

A Windows System Administrator maintains the systems and servers of a Windows operating system. They evaluate and modify the system's performance.

Network administrator vs windows system administrator salary

Network administrators and windows system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Average salary	$71,357	$79,845
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $90,000	Between $60,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Sunnyvale, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Google	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between network administrator and windows system administrator education

There are a few differences between a network administrator and a windows system administrator in terms of educational background:

	Network Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Network administrator vs windows system administrator demographics

Here are the differences between network administrators' and windows system administrators' demographics:

	Network Administrator	Windows System Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network administrator and windows system administrator 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

Windows system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and configure VPN connections for the users.
Deploy and manage Panasonic PBX and VOIP phone systems and network connectivity.
Manage exchange stores, mailbox provisioning, active sync and monitoring the mailboxes.
Manage data usage, space, security and archival over servers, workstations and NAS machines.
Manage issues with server hardware, networking, web services, database, DNS, clustering, and e-mail.
Manage all OU's under domain at multiple sites across the country through a constant VPN tunnel per client rules.

Network administrator vs windows system administrator skills

Common network administrator skills

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

Common windows system administrator skills

Windows Server, 9%
Infrastructure, 7%
PowerShell, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
SCCM, 4%

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Network Administrator vs Windows System Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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