Systems administration analyst vs senior system administrator

The differences between systems administration analysts and senior system 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 systems administration analyst and a senior system administrator. Additionally, a senior system administrator has an average salary of $98,146, which is higher than the $67,604 average annual salary of a systems administration analyst.

The top three skills for a systems administration analyst include customer service, database and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior system administrator are linux, windows server, and troubleshoot.

Systems administration analyst vs senior system administrator overview

	Systems Administration Analyst	Senior System Administrator
Yearly salary	$67,604	$98,146
Hourly rate	$32.50	$47.19
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	118,673	100,873
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a systems administration analyst do?

Systems administration analysts are executives who set up and maintain the networks related to a computer system. The administrator analysts take responsibility for maintaining, configuring, and operating computer systems. They determine any possible problems in the system, repair systems, and anticipate probable issues through hardware and software configuration. It is their job to manage and maintain file servers. Among the necessary skills for this job include technical thinking, good communication, attention to detail, and enthusiasm.

What does a senior system administrator do?

A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Systems administration analyst vs senior system administrator salary

Systems administration analysts and senior system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Systems Administration Analyst	Senior System Administrator
Average salary	$67,604	$98,146
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $83,000	Between $75,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Portland General Electric	Cambridge Associates
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between systems administration analyst and senior system administrator education

There are a few differences between a systems administration analyst and a senior system administrator in terms of educational background:

	Systems Administration Analyst	Senior System Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Systems administration analyst vs senior system administrator demographics

Here are the differences between systems administration analysts' and senior system administrators' demographics:

	Systems Administration Analyst	Senior System Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.0% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between systems administration analyst and senior system administrator duties and responsibilities

Systems administration analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain SCCM and WSUS environment with multiple remote replication sites.
Utilize VMware, VPN, and VNC to manage company's virtual servers.
Manage WSUS and DHCP tools from a virtual server locate in a vSphere cluster.
Manage VMware infrastructure including server deployments, creation of server and desktop templates, performance load balancing.
Manage UNIX base servers in a large corporate data center along with remotely locate servers throughout the U.S.
Manage network and system security, network permissions, PC software and hardware tracking, troubleshooting and relocation of office equipment.

Senior system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and optimize the design and delivery of project associate with AIX arena.
Manage all installs and setup of new servers, and server upgrades to server 2008 R2.
Implement IIS servers for both the internal and external web servers and managing security on all web servers.
Design, implement, and manage a network and domain extension in a remote location via a secure VPN link.
Manage Cisco network equipment including firewalls and switches.
Administer and manage daily backups via Symantec NetBackup.

Systems administration analyst vs senior system administrator skills

Common systems administration analyst skills

Customer Service, 9%
Database, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
System Administration, 5%
Linux, 4%
Technical Support, 4%

Common senior system administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
System Administration, 4%
PowerShell, 4%
SAN, 4%

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Systems Administration Analyst vs Senior System Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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