Hosting Jobs: What does a System Administrator do

With the rise of the New Economy since the turn of the millennium, the role of a system administrator has established itself as a key interface between a company and its technical infrastructure. Their main task lies in the continuous provision of a secure, functional, and reliable IT infrastructure that is essential for the productive operation of an activity or enables maximising efficiency. The challenges that a system administrator must face in their daily work and from a long-term perspective are correspondingly extensive. The work is among the most demanding, yet also versatile and flexible, within the jobs in the hosting industry. When we refer to a system administrator, we of course also mean a female system administrator.

What is the role of a professional system administrator?

Depending on their area of responsibility, the system administrator either manages individual systems or a specialised node within an IT infrastructure, or takes care of complex networks. Their responsibility begins with providing a stable and suitable environment for commercial and sensitive activities, includes optimisations for productive operations, and ends with long-term functionality, reliability, and security. This can involve individual workstations, virtualised servers, or complex networks required for operational activities.

The specific tasks vary significantly based on the company, its size, industry, and short-term projects. They may involve theoretical planning including hardware selection or practical tasks such as setting up services for web hosting, cloud applications, and internal platforms, or configuring operating systems and utility programs. In essence, the system administrator takes on the role of supporting management in developing a strategic concept for efficient information technology, implementing it in practice, and then providing long-term maintenance.

What does a system administrator do?

In practical everyday life, a system administrator must face various and diverse challenges. When it comes to specific and planned projects, these challenges are more about a theoretical design of feasibility and efficiency - for example, when it comes to building new capacities for a web hosting provider. Apart from this managerial role, the system administrator is also responsible for concrete and hands-on tasks such as setting up Microsoft Windows or Linux as operating systems, configuring individual services like web or mail servers, and providing daily support. Typically, the work of a system administrator includes addressing the following issues and objectives:

• Monitoring and monitoring of IT systems for performance, efficiency, and reliability
• Setting up operating systems such as Linux distributions or Microsoft Windows
• Installing and configuring software on the network and workstations
• Updating the operating system and applications through updates
• Monitoring running processes for issues or external attacks
• Planning efficient IT infrastructures based on predefined priorities
• Customer support and technical assistance
• Establishing, managing, and securing networks or individual computers

How much salary does a system administrator earn?

Although a basic knowledge and a general understanding of digital devices are essential, a system administrator is not a programmer. Despite various overlaps such as using commands and scripting languages in Linux, different qualifications are required, with a focus on long-term strategic planning. In terms of salary, a system administrator, whether starting as a junior or as a senior with decades of experience, earns more than other jobs in the hosting industry. On average, they receive a salary of around €3000 gross after completing their studies and can increase their salary depending on their role, responsibilities, and scope to well over €5000 during their career. However, as it is not an officially regulated profession, the salary is not subject to a fixed tariff obligation and primarily depends on one's negotiation skills. Nevertheless, the system administrator is considered an essential and highly sought-after role in the hosting industry, providing applicants and experienced professionals with a strong bargaining position.

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