Unix systems administrator vs storage administrator

The differences between unix systems administrators and storage 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 unix systems administrator and a storage administrator. Additionally, a storage administrator has an average salary of $92,434, which is higher than the $87,936 average annual salary of a unix systems administrator.

The top three skills for a unix systems administrator include production servers, solaris and database. The most important skills for a storage administrator are linux, switches, and NAS.

Unix systems administrator vs storage administrator overview

	Unix Systems Administrator	Storage Administrator
Yearly salary	$87,936	$92,434
Hourly rate	$42.28	$44.44
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	110,185	71,753
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a unix systems administrator do?

UNIX system administrators install, configure, and maintain the UNIX systems of organizations. The administrators are in charge of the troubleshooting of server errors. They install new system hardware for their respective organizations and respond to the issues raised by the users. It is part of their job to monitor the network's performance. Usually, they are working in an office using UNIX multiuser operating system. They supervise the execution of data conversion projects such as database hardware replacements.

What does a storage administrator do?

A storage administrator is typically in charge of managing and storing company data, ensuring its safety and accuracy. Their responsibilities typically revolve around devising strategies for data storage, developing and installing storage systems and back-ups, identifying errors and inconsistencies, troubleshooting, and performing regular maintenance checks to ensure the efficiency and security of storage systems. Furthermore, as a storage administrator, it is essential to produce progress reports and maintain records of all transactions, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Unix systems administrator vs storage administrator salary

Unix systems administrators and storage administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Unix Systems Administrator	Storage Administrator
Average salary	$87,936	$92,434
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $119,000	Between $65,000 And $130,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	PayPal	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between unix systems administrator and storage administrator education

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

	Unix Systems Administrator	Storage Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	-

Unix systems administrator vs storage administrator demographics

Here are the differences between unix systems administrators' and storage administrators' demographics:

	Unix Systems Administrator	Storage Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%	Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 14.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between unix systems administrator and storage administrator duties and responsibilities

Unix systems administrator example responsibilities.

Manage LUN assignments from Shark/Hitachi SAN through the fiber switches.
Manage system kernel settings to boost performance base on root cause analysis for performance issues.
Manage and maintain local area network (TCP/IP), consisting of 2 NCR 3430 servers and 130+ client workstations.
Help automate server and storage provisioning.
Manage resources for zones using Solaris 10container technology.
Manage AWS services and provide redundancy for internal corporate systems.

Storage administrator example responsibilities.

Accomplish using mediums such as: FICON, SNA, ESCON, IP, FC, & ISCSI.
Manage, and deploy LUNS from EMC storage frames to multiple servers using the UNISHERE for VNX and VMAX.
Support teams which manage CentOS.
Manage and support SRDF replications between DR data centers.
Create CIFS, setting up permissions as per customer requirements and manage DFS.
Manage users and groups on a large scale in NIS and LDAP environments.

Unix systems administrator vs storage administrator skills

Common unix systems administrator skills

Production Servers, 8%
Solaris, 5%
Database, 4%
SAN, 4%
System Administration, 4%
Troubleshoot, 4%

Common storage administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Switches, 6%
NAS, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Isilon, 4%
VNX, 4%

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Unix Systems Administrator
Unix Systems Administrator vs Storage Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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