IT Network Engineer/Administrator

IT Network Engineer/System Admin:

The role of the IT Network Engineer or System Admin can be very crucial in terms of the day to day running of  the computers and servers of an organisation and it varies significantly depending on an organization’s size, location, and socio-economic considerations. Some organizations work on a user-to-technical support ratio,  whilst others implement many other strategies.

Generally, in terms of reactive situations i.e. unexpected disruptions to service, or service improvements, IT Support Incidents are raised through call logging system at helpdesk.  Typically, issues work their way through a Helpdesk and then flow through to the relevant technology area for resolution. In the case of a network related issue, an issue will be directed towards a network administrator. If a network administrator is unable to resolve an issue, a ticket will be escalated to a more senior network engineer for a restoration of service or a more appropriate skill group.

Network administrators are often involved in proactive work. This type of work will often include:

  • Network monitoring and administration.
  • Servers monitoring.
  • Make sure required updates are installed on routine basis.
  • Installing and implementing security programs
  • Making sure E-mail and Internet files gets filtered.
  • Evaluating implementing network.

Network administrators are responsible for making sure that computer hardware and Network infrastructure related to an organization’s data severs effectively maintained. In smaller organizations, they are typically involved in the procurement of new hardware, the rollout of new software, maintaining disk images for new computer installs, making sure that licenses are paid for and up to date for software that needs it, maintaining the standards for server installations and applications, monitoring the performance of the network, checking for security breaches, and poor data management practices. A common question for the small-medium business (SMB) network administrator is, how much bandwidth do I need to run my business. Typically, within a larger organization, these roles are split into multiple roles or functions across various divisions and are not actioned by the one individual. In other organizations, some of these roles mentioned are carried out by System administrators.

As with many technical roles, network administrator positions require a breadth of technical knowledge and the ability to learn the intricacies of new networking and server software packages quickly. Within smaller organizations, the more senior role of network engineer is sometimes attached to the responsibilities of the network administrator. It is common for smaller organizations to outsource this function.