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Service desk analyst vs desk support technician

The differences between service desk analysts and desk support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a service desk analyst has an average salary of $45,397, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.

The top three skills for a service desk analyst include service desk, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.

Service desk analyst vs desk support technician overview

Service Desk AnalystDesk Support Technician
Yearly salary$45,397$40,715
Hourly rate$21.83$19.57
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs55,828130,485
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age3742
Years of experience-2

What does a service desk analyst do?

Service Desk Analysts are information technology (IT) employees who usually oversee the helpdesk hotline of the IT department. They address the technical concerns of other employees or even clients of the company. They also help in installing, repairing, and maintaining the different IT systems in the company. Service Desk Analysts resolve issues related to software, hardware, and other related systems. They also manage information related to these concerns and analyze these concerns. They identify trends or patterns and anticipate concerns that might come in the future. Service Desk Analysts may recommend steps to ensure that these concerns will not come up again.

What does a desk support technician do?

A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.

Service desk analyst vs desk support technician salary

Service desk analysts and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Service Desk AnalystDesk Support Technician
Average salary$45,397$40,715
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $67,000Between $26,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSouth San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyThe CitadelBNY Mellon
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between service desk analyst and desk support technician education

There are a few differences between a service desk analyst and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:

Service Desk AnalystDesk Support Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorInformation TechnologyBusiness
Most common college-Stanford University

Service desk analyst vs desk support technician demographics

Here are the differences between service desk analysts' and desk support technicians' demographics:

Service Desk AnalystDesk Support Technician
Average age3742
Gender ratioMale, 74.4% Female, 25.6%Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 12.3% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage13%11%

Differences between service desk analyst and desk support technician duties and responsibilities

Service desk analyst example responsibilities.

  • Used SharePoint to manage and enter in help desk ticket information for health information exchange and electronic health record vendor issues.
  • Design and manage company wide imaging infrastructure.
  • Best-Inform administrator managing application from UNIX server.
  • Manage OS re-imaging and data recovery for rent equipment.
  • Manage security, reliability, and configurations for data backup and recovery for client workstations.
  • Diagnose, investigate and report operational systems errors using Citrix and ITSM.
  • Show more

Desk support technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
  • Use multiple monitor setup display and remote desktop applications via VPN to access associate computers.
  • Utilize desktop deployment tools in order to deploy and maintain inventory for PCs, monitors, and printers.
  • Assist with network connectivity with PCs, laptops, and mobile phones including TCP/IP settings and internet connections.
  • Provide administrative support and troubleshooting for VPN users.
  • Maintain company networks security systems and infrastructure hardware including firewalls and switches and install software security and firmware patches or upgrades.
  • Show more

Service desk analyst vs desk support technician skills

Common service desk analyst skills
  • Service Desk, 15%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Troubleshoot, 6%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 3%
  • ITIL, 3%
Common desk support technician skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Troubleshoot, 7%
  • Phone Calls, 5%
  • Desk Side Support, 5%
  • Remote Troubleshooting, 4%

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