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Network operations manager vs network consultant

The differences between network operations managers and network consultants 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 operations manager and a network consultant. Additionally, a network operations manager has an average salary of $98,658, which is higher than the $89,303 average annual salary of a network consultant.

The top three skills for a network operations manager include network operations, project management and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a network consultant are appeals, firewall, and windows server.

Network operations manager vs network consultant overview

Network Operations ManagerNetwork Consultant
Yearly salary$98,658$89,303
Hourly rate$47.43$42.93
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs86,38158,194
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

What does a network operations manager do?

Network operations managers are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for managing the operation and stability of an organization's network. These managers usually work with local area networks (LAN) or sometimes with wide area networks (WAN), where information can be shared in a building or between different locations. They serve as the middlemen between the IT department and the company's management team to provide an understanding of their IT needs. Network operations managers must also assist the human resource team in recruiting new employees and providing training related to the field of information technology.

What does a network consultant do?

Network consultants are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing, setting up, and maintaining computer networks for an organization or at a client location. These consultants are required to meet with the manager of an organization and network engineers to discuss their networking requirements. By supervising a team of IT professionals, these consultants must administer technical issues and fix infrastructure issues onsite. Network consultants must also maintain documentation for IT infrastructure as well as coordinate network documentation with account managers.

Network operations manager vs network consultant salary

Network operations managers and network consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Network Operations ManagerNetwork Consultant
Average salary$98,658$89,303
Salary rangeBetween $71,000 And $136,000Between $60,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAMountain View, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaDell
Best paying industryHospitalityManufacturing

Differences between network operations manager and network consultant education

There are a few differences between a network operations manager and a network consultant in terms of educational background:

Network Operations ManagerNetwork Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Network operations manager vs network consultant demographics

Here are the differences between network operations managers' and network consultants' demographics:

Network Operations ManagerNetwork Consultant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 84.7% Female, 15.3%Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 11.3% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between network operations manager and network consultant duties and responsibilities

Network operations manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage replacement of outdate phone system with state of the art PBX system, implement voicemail and ACD functionality.
  • Manage all voice and data contracts as well as configuration, maintenance, and support of VPN connectivity to remote sites.
  • Generate RFP s, accept bids, negotiate contracts, manage contractors, and scrutinize invoices with the authority to approve.
  • Develop windows batch scripts to automate system administration tasks.
  • Lead vendor negotiations for worldwide computer network, and telecommunication contracts.
  • Manage large-scale SharePoint installation which manage SOX audit documentation for global organization.
  • Show more

Network consultant example responsibilities.

  • Support and manage Linux base firewalls for client.
  • Manage FTP servers, AD/DNS, wireless access points and load balancers.
  • Manage and configure VoIP devices which include gateway and gatekeeper.
  • Lead architecture and design sessions with customers; initiate technical meetings with customer engineers to further engage and identify additional opportunities.
  • Create an optimize network to separate voice and data with QOS, MPLS BGP OSPF.
  • Configure route redistribution to between OSPF and EIGRP.
  • Show more

Network operations manager vs network consultant skills

Common network operations manager skills
  • Network Operations, 17%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Network Infrastructure, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Switches, 4%
  • NOC, 4%
Common network consultant skills
  • Appeals, 10%
  • Firewall, 5%
  • Windows Server, 5%
  • Switches, 4%
  • Network Infrastructure, 4%
  • Network Hardware, 4%

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