Systems administrator vs systems support administrator

The differences between systems administrators and systems support 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 systems support administrator. Additionally, a systems support administrator has an average salary of $86,448, 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 systems support administrator are troubleshoot, linux, and SQL.

Systems administrator vs systems support administrator overview

	Systems Administrator	Systems Support Administrator
Yearly salary	$77,156	$86,448
Hourly rate	$37.09	$41.56
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	134,500	192,994
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
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 systems support administrator do?

A system administrator acquires, installs, or upgrades computer software and components. System administrators perform routine automation of the computer system. They maintain the security policies of organizations or institutions. It is their job to supervise or train their staff or provide support for different projects. They also determine the problems found in the system, analyze the issues, and do repairs whenever necessary. The skills they need include scripting languages, security and monitoring, and account access management.

Systems administrator vs systems support administrator salary

Systems administrators and systems support administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Systems Administrator	Systems Support Administrator
Average salary	$77,156	$86,448
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $100,000	Between $67,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Deft
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between systems administrator and systems support administrator education

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

	Systems Administrator	Systems Support Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Systems administrator vs systems support administrator demographics

Here are the differences between systems administrators' and systems support administrators' demographics:

	Systems Administrator	Systems Support Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%	Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 10.1% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between systems administrator and systems support 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.

Systems support administrator example responsibilities.

Manage projects such as server migrations and mass client OS migrations.
Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
Maintain Unix mail, news, web, and directory servers and DNS records.
Monitor SharePoint timer jobs, search crawls, and ensure all services are properly running.
Work with OS team in realizing the DR environment and test the periodic working of the DR environment.
Support the implementation of VMware hardware and operating systems solutions to provide hosting services to multiple data centers.

Systems administrator vs systems support administrator skills

Common systems administrator skills

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

Common systems support administrator skills

Troubleshoot, 7%
Linux, 6%
SQL, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Database, 5%
OS, 4%

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Systems Administrator vs Systems Support Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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