Operations system administrator vs help desk administrator

The differences between operations system administrators and help desk administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an operations system administrator and a help desk administrator. Additionally, an operations system administrator has an average salary of $76,891, which is higher than the $49,798 average annual salary of a help desk administrator.

The top three skills for an operations system administrator include technical support, linux and customer service. The most important skills for a help desk administrator are customer service, desk support, and troubleshoot.

Operations system administrator vs help desk administrator overview

	Operations System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Yearly salary	$76,891	$49,798
Hourly rate	$36.97	$23.94
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	173,494	130,180
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does an operations system administrator do?

In the information technology industry, an Operations System Administrator is responsible for overseeing and maintaining computer systems, including software, hardware, and applications. They are responsible for supervising staff, spearheading installations and repairs, troubleshooting problems, diagnosing and resolving technical issues and concerns, and ensuring data security and safety by implementing back-ups, firewalls, and other protocols. Moreover, as an operations system administrator, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing standards and regulations to maintain the smooth flow of operations.

What does a help desk administrator do?

Help desk administrator is responsible for handling activities related to system support for their company or organization. They are in charge of providing superb client experiences and working in resolving support issues in a professional and timely manner. One of their primary tasks includes providing login resets and passwords for end-users. In addition, they will also perform innovative systems and network repairs, as well as assist computer information responses as required. Moreover, they support complete equipment set-up, renewal, or termination of a user account, handle server, and domain account changes.

Operations system administrator vs help desk administrator salary

Operations system administrators and help desk administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operations System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Average salary	$76,891	$49,798
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $98,000	Between $34,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	PayPal	Houlihan Lokey
Best paying industry	Utilities	Finance

Differences between operations system administrator and help desk administrator education

There are a few differences between an operations system administrator and a help desk administrator in terms of educational background:

	Operations System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Operations system administrator vs help desk administrator demographics

Here are the differences between operations system administrators' and help desk administrators' demographics:

	Operations System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%	Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between operations system administrator and help desk administrator duties and responsibilities

Operations system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage VOIP Digium phones for clients.
Manage and update share drive and SharePoint.
Manage DNS, SMTP for Webservers contacting customers.
Manage LDAP accounts on across the enterprise system.
Manage machines and accounts in active directory and dhcp.
Lead a team of 5 engineers providing PC support to 1,000 customers and implement PC disaster recovery efforts for 400 customers.

Help desk administrator example responsibilities.

Create, deploy and manage VMWare virtual desktops as well as configured customize pools for specific operational needs.
Manage the PC refresh program transferring all user data remotely and installing require software applications.
Configure, establish and manage local area network (LAN) connectivity and remote access per customer configuration requirements.
Administer DNS / DHCP servers, work with network administer to make sure the tables are updating correctly.
Administer IP address allocation through DHCP management.
Assist in the deployment of new POS applications and hardware.

Operations system administrator vs help desk administrator skills

Common operations system administrator skills

Technical Support, 9%
Linux, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
VMware, 4%
SQL, 4%
Windows Server, 4%

Common help desk administrator skills

Customer Service, 11%
Desk Support, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Technical Support, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
Remote Desktop, 4%

Operations System Administrator vs. similar jobs

Operations System Administrator related careers

Operations System Administrator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Computer and Mathematical Industry
Operations System Administrator
Operations System Administrator vs Help Desk Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs