A Network Administrator is a professional in charge of the maintenance of the computer hardware and software systems that make up a computer network. This includes activities such as the deployment, configuration, maintenance and monitoring of active network equipment.

The Network Administrator is typically a mid to senior level of technical/network staff in an organization and is not typically involved with direct user support. The Network Administrator will concentrate on the overall health of the network, server deployment, security, ensuring network connectivity throughout and company's LAN/WAN infrastructure, and all other technical considerations at the network level of an organizations technical hierarchy. Network Administrators are considered Tier 3 support personnel that only work on break/fix issues that could not be resolved at the Tier1 (helpdesk) or Tier 2 (desktop/network technician) levels.

In some companies, the Network Administrator may also design and deploy networks. Usually, though, these tasks would be assigned to a Network Engineer if the company is large enough.

A Bachelor's degree in information technology (IT) is generally sufficient education for solid Network Administrator placement, but Master's education will lead to greater advancement opportunities and improved flexibility in consulting.

The actual role of the Network Administrator will vary from company to company, but usually includes tasks such as:

Networks address assignment.

Assignment of routing protocols and routing table configuration as well as configuration of authentication and authorization – directory services.

Maintenance of network facilities in individual machines, such as drivers and settings of personal computers as well as printers.

Maintenance of certain network servers: file servers, VPN gateways, intrusion detection systems, etc.

Salaries for Network Administrators can range between $40k - $75+.

**Annual earnings are determined by a variety of factors including field, title, place of employment, level of education, experience and geography.**

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