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The differences between security systems 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 security systems administrator and a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, which is higher than the $79,008 average annual salary of a security systems administrator.
The top three skills for a security systems administrator include security systems, troubleshoot and linux. The most important skills for a systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.
| Security Systems Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $79,008 | $99,956 |
| Hourly rate | $37.98 | $48.06 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 173,690 | 132,285 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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.
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.
Security systems administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Systems Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Average salary | $79,008 | $99,956 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $103,000 | Between $77,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Raven Software | Kabam |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a security systems administrator and a systems administrator lead in terms of educational background:
| Security Systems Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between security systems administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:
| Security Systems Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% |
| 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, 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% |