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The differences between security systems 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 a security systems administrator and a help desk administrator. Additionally, a security systems administrator has an average salary of $79,008, which is higher than the $49,798 average annual salary of a help desk administrator.
The top three skills for a security systems administrator include security systems, troubleshoot and linux. The most important skills for a help desk administrator are customer service, desk support, and troubleshoot.
| Security Systems Administrator | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $79,008 | $49,798 |
| Hourly rate | $37.98 | $23.94 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 173,690 | 130,180 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Security Systems Administrators are responsible for managing the security systems operations of an organization. Their duties include conducting penetration and vulnerability tests, establishing policies for network security, implementing protocols for disaster recovery, configuring security tools, carry out security audits, and monitor network traffic. Security Systems Administrators also advise executives on best practices and assist staff training programs in security procedures and awareness. They work on protecting the network against unauthorized access, destruction, or modification.
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.
Security systems administrators and help desk administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Systems Administrator | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Average salary | $79,008 | $49,798 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $103,000 | Between $34,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Raven Software | Houlihan Lokey |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a security systems administrator and a help desk administrator in terms of educational background:
| Security Systems Administrator | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between security systems administrators' and help desk administrators' demographics:
| Security Systems Administrator | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 9.1% 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% |