What does a system administrator consultant do?
System administrator consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real system administrator consultant resumes:
- Manage and consult clients on mail, backup and DNS hosting services.
- Manage all new install projects for servers, switches, and other network resources.
- Manage local Linux firewall configurations to harden server access.
- Manage firewall access and policies including VPN configuration and deployment.
- Establish data security policy and manage all firewalls in the enterprise.
- Lead enterprise-wide virtualization effort, overseeing and personally completing vendor/hardware qualifications, architecture/design, installation, configuration, migration and documentation.
- Install and configure local and network printers, troubleshoot network connections.
- Reconfigure LAN from NIS to NIS+.
- Deploy, maintain, and troubleshot infrastructure for multiple websites.
- Experience with LAN/WAN networking components (CISCO routers and switches).
- Implement and support all NFS mounts to support VMS to UNIX applications.
- Perform quarterly PC maintenance, software analysis and service pack updates as needed.
- Develop policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure the protection of Linux systems.
- Assist in installing, configuring, and tuning up and upgrading OS on existing server hardware.
- Present options to the client for the enhancement of DNS and inbound e-mail security and robustness.
System administrator consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of System Administrator Consultants are proficient in Troubleshoot, SharePoint, and Windows Server. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of System Administrator Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Troubleshoot, 10%
Maintain and troubleshoot equipment such as printers, desktops, laptops, Exchange servers, BlackBerry servers, virtual servers.
- SharePoint, 8%
Authored and edited documentation for the Distributed Systems Automation team, both on SharePoint and MediaWiki platforms.
- Windows Server, 8%
Performed system administration, performance tuning and management functions for Microsoft Windows Servers utilizing Windows 2003 & 2008 R1 & R2.
- SAN, 7%
Configured and managed company SAN consisting of EMC, Hitachi, NetApp, IBM F20 Shark & Brocade hardware.
- Cloud, 7%
Cloud computing and converged infrastructure.
- Server Administration, 5%
Provided server administration, network services, and customer support for growing advertising agency on as-needed basis.
"troubleshoot," "sharepoint," and "windows server" are among the most common skills that system administrator consultants use at work. You can find even more system administrator consultant responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a system administrator consultant to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "administrators need to evaluate networks and systems to make sure that they perform reliably and to anticipate new requirements as customers’ needs change." Additionally, a system administrator consultant resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "create & maintain data mapping tables, for data being migrated from previous erp. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform system administrator consultant duties is communication skills. System administrator consultants responsibilities require that "administrators must describe problems and their solutions to non-it workers." System administrator consultants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provide technical support of iseries communications to an ibm sp2 aix environment and zos systems. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of system administrator consultants is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday system administrator consultant duties, as "administrators must quickly resolve problems that arise with computer networks." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "document technical request, system, network problems, scanners, card readers, and printers as issues arise until resolved. "
The three companies that hire the most system administrator consultants are:
- Deloitte8 system administrator consultants jobs
- Kaiser Permanente3 system administrator consultants jobs
- Information Management Group2 system administrator consultants jobs
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System administrator consultant vs. Consultant database administrator
Consultant database administrators maintain and monitor the health and security of the database systems used in different applications utilized by international offices. They create database management procedures including, backup programs, server maintenance, and program updates. These administrators also provide technical support for programs and design a disaster recovery protocol in case of a security breach. They are also in charge of creating accounts and assigning the security level of access for all the users in their network.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a system administrator consultant are more likely to require skills like "troubleshoot," "san," "cloud," and "server administration." On the other hand, a job as a consultant database administrator requires skills like "project management," "database administration," "microsoft sql server," and "pl/sql." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Consultants database administrator tend to make the most money working in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $105,138. In contrast, system administrator consultants make the biggest average salary, $111,153, in the professional industry.On average, consultants database administrator reach higher levels of education than system administrator consultants. Consultants database administrator are 8.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.System administrator consultant vs. Network/server administrator
A Network Administrator ensures an organizations' network is operational and up to date. They solve problems that arise within computer networks, maintaining computer networks, interacting with clients, and consulting with them to determine their system requirements.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, system administrator consultant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cloud," "system administration," "vmware," and "database." Meanwhile, a network/server administrator has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "disaster recovery," "server hardware," and "switches." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Network/server administrators earn a lower average salary than system administrator consultants. But network/server administrators earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $84,609. Additionally, system administrator consultants earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $111,153 annually.network/server administrators earn similar levels of education than system administrator consultants in general. They're 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.System administrator consultant vs. Senior network administrator
Senior Network Administrators provide system and network solutions for their organizations. They supervise the functioning of networking equipment and follow strict maintenance standards.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a system administrator consultant is likely to be skilled in "cloud," "server administration," "vmware," and "database," while a typical senior network administrator is skilled in "switches," "routers," "lan wan," and "network hardware."
Senior network administrators make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $93,129. On the other hand, system administrator consultants are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $111,153.Most senior network administrators achieve a similar degree level compared to system administrator consultants. For example, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.System administrator consultant vs. Help desk administrator
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.
Types of system administrator consultant
Updated January 8, 2025











