Systems administrator vs senior network administrator

The differences between systems administrators and senior network 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 administrator and a senior network administrator. Additionally, a senior network administrator has an average salary of $89,169, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.

The top three skills for a systems administrator include linux, troubleshoot and windows server. The most important skills for a senior network administrator are switches, routers, and troubleshoot.

Systems administrator vs senior network administrator overview

	Systems Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$77,156	$89,169
Hourly rate	$37.09	$42.87
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	134,500	110,027
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a systems administrator do?

Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.

What does a senior network administrator do?

Senior Network Administrators provide system and network solutions for their organizations. They supervise the functioning of networking equipment and follow strict maintenance standards.

Systems administrator vs senior network administrator salary

Systems administrators and senior network administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Systems Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Average salary	$77,156	$89,169
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $100,000	Between $68,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Tesoro
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between systems administrator and senior network administrator education

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

	Systems Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Systems administrator vs senior network administrator demographics

Here are the differences between systems administrators' and senior network administrators' demographics:

	Systems Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 10.1% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between systems administrator and senior network administrator duties and responsibilities

Systems administrator example responsibilities.

Used Jenkins to automate most of the build relate tasks.
Manage windows file servers, messaging, and SQL databases.
Lead the project which integrate internal DNS into the corporate LDAP infrastructure for end user host management prior to deployment.
Lead business-critical information security initiatives involving encryption of customer data.
Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
Configure & manage all switches and servers responsible for providing WLAN connectivity and authentication services.

Senior network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead IP management specialist and assist with management of DHCP scopes and reservations.
Establish and manage SharePoint base intranet for departmental and interdepartmental support.
Configure and manage SQL database archival requests for automate timely data submissions.
Configure and manage multiple data and application servers and maintain SQL relational databases.
Prioritize and manage servicing of customer trouble calls in locally develop tracking database.
Configure and manage company routers and switches in addition to VPN configuration and policy enforcement.

Systems administrator vs senior network administrator skills

Common systems administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Database, 5%
Technical Support, 4%
PowerShell, 3%

Common senior network administrator skills

Switches, 8%
Routers, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Windows Server, 4%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Systems Administrator vs Senior Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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