A network administrator is a person designated in an organization whose responsibility includes maintaining computer infrastructures with emphasis on

local area network A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, campus, or building, and has its network equipment and interconnects locally managed. LANs facilitate the distribution of da ...

s (LANs) up to

wide area network A wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographic area. Wide area networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits. Businesses, as well as schools and government entities, use ...

s (WANs). Responsibilities may vary between organizations, but installing new hardware, on-site servers, enforcing licensing agreements, software-network interactions as well as network integrity and resilience are some of the key areas of focus.

Duties

The role of the network administrator can vary significantly depending on an organization's size, location, and socioeconomic considerations. Some organizations work on a user-to-technical support ratio,Video: by Justine Nguyen: 9:16pm, 27 July 2006
/ref> Network administrators are often involved in proactive work. This type of work will often include: * Designing network infrastructure * Implementing and configuring network hardware and software * Network monitoring and maintaining the network * Testing network for vulnerability & weakness * Providing technical support * Managing network resources * Managing network documentation * Managing vendor relationships * Staying up to date with new technologies and best practices * Providing training and guidance to other team members Network administrators are responsible for making sure that computer hardware and network infrastructure related to an organization's data network are 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 administrator An IT administrator, system administrator, sysadmin, or admin is a person who is responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems, especially multi-user computers, such as Server (computing), servers. The ...

s. 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.Wisegeek.com - What is a Network Administrator? - by Malcolm Tatum edited by Bronwyn Harris: Retrieved December 22, 201

/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Network Administrator * Computer occupations Management by type

Duties

See also

References