◆ Information Technology

What a network administrator
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
314,340in the US (2025)
$99,130median pay / year
6systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Make upgrades and repairs to networks
Schedule a hardware refresh window with procurement and the service de…3 sources agree

The shape of the day

tap a movement to see its tasks

Which one is you, right now?

Pick the moment · no score, no sign-up
Which moment is you right now?
Whichever you pick, the task behind it opens below.

The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work15
Make upgrades and repairs to networks+
Schedule a hardware refresh window with procurement and the service desk, stage replacement switches and patch leads in the lab, then perform the upgrades overnight and verify port mappings and throughput before 6am.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Troubleshoot network issues+
Triage the reported outage with the on-call team, isolate the fault to the distribution switch, replace the failed module, reroute traffic through the standby path, and update the incident ticket with root cause and recovery steps.
jdwiki2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Manage user access and permissions+
Audit group memberships for the finance and HR VLANs, remove stale accounts, apply least-privilege role changes, and produce a signed change log for compliance by Friday lunchtime.
jdwiki2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Perform system backups and disaster recovery+
Verify yesterday's full server snapshot integrity, restore the Active Directory and one critical file share to the isolated recovery network, document restore time and any missing data, then schedule the next weekly backup with retention policy updated.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Ensure network security protocols are implemented+
Verify that the firewall rules, VLAN segmentation, patch levels, and authentication policies we've documented are applied across the core switches and edge routers, then produce a one-page risk summary for James and schedule remediation this Friday if any gaps remain.
jdwiki2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Load computer tapes and disks, and install software and printer paper or forms.+
Load the backup tape sets into the tape library, mount the latest system image, install the OS update and the printer driver package, and restock the printer tray with preprinted invoice forms so the accounting floor can print Monday morning.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Coordinate with vendors and with company personnel to facilitate purchases.+
Contact Acme Telecom and Global Hardware procurement, confirm lead times, compare the quoted three-year support terms against our purchase orders, then draft a purchase recommendation for Lisa and request budget approval by Wednesday.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Implement and provide technical support for voice services and equipment, such as private branch exchange, voice mail system, and telecom system.+
Install and test the PBX gateway configuration, verify voicemail routing and handset provisioning for the sales and support floors, log any call-quality issues, and give Sam the cutover window for next Tuesday afternoon.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grow the practice2
Watch and assess1
Work with people1
Keep the record1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
12 tasksAnsibleautomate device configuration deployment and verification during the upgrade
6 tasksAmazon Web Services AWScoordinate and track staged images and configuration templates for network device replacements
1 taskAmazon DynamoDBstores and serves the parts inventory with serial numbers and threshold checks for automated reorder alerts
1 taskAmazon Redshiftaggregates telemetry and cost data to model ROI and validate pilot assumptions for the proposed technology
1 taskAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2provisions and scales compute instances needed to add nodes and adjust capacity for the cluster
1 taskApache Kafkacentralises and streams logs for real-time analysis and aggregation across systems
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a network administrator actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $99,130 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $62,640; the top tenth near $155,050
  • 314,340 people employed in this occupation

India

the occupation GROUP, not this job · PLFS via ILOSTAT 2025
  • ₹38,298 a month — the median for Professionals, the group this work sits in
  • India publishes pay by broad occupation group, so this covers many jobs besides this one. It is a shape, not a salary.
read this carefullyThese two numbers are not comparable and must not be converted into each other. One is a yearly figure for this job alone; the other is a monthly figure for a whole family of jobs. What travels between them is the pattern, not the amount: experience lifts pay almost everywhere.

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job9 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register3 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild10 of these tasks WikipediaHow the world describes this work7 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS TECIS610301Assisting with monitoring network and systems activity for anomalous bnational standard UK NOS SFJZI10Test and repair technical support systems and equipmentnational standard

Close to this work

7 nearby
Information TechnologyDevops Engineer20 evidenced tasks Information TechnologySystems Engineer20 evidenced tasks Information TechnologyDatabase Administrator20 evidenced tasks Information TechnologyNetwork Engineer20 evidenced tasks Information TechnologyIt Support Specialist20 evidenced tasks Information TechnologyHelpdesk Technician20 evidenced tasks Information TechnologySolutions Architect20 evidenced tasks

Questions people actually ask

You start by checking monitoring dashboards and system logs for overnight alerts from routers, switches, firewalls, and servers. That reveals issues to fix: slow links, failed backups, or devices needing patches.

The rest of the day mixes hands-on tasks (replacing a failed switch, installing printer paper, loading tapes or running backups) with meetings: coordinating purchases with vendors, planning a network upgrade, and documenting configurations and procedures.

Expect enterprise tools: network hardware (Cisco/Juniper switches and routers), monitoring systems that show performance, and automation like Ansible to push configs. Cloud services named in job ads include AWS—EC2 for servers, DynamoDB and Redshift for data, and Kafka for messaging.

You’ll also configure email apps, antivirus, and voice systems (PBX, voicemail). Keep an inventory of spare parts and use ticketing systems to track requests and changes.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 314,340 people worked as network and computer systems administrators; median pay was $99,130 per year, the lowest tenth earned $62,640, and the top tenth earned $155,050. Those are U.S. national numbers.

Local pay varies by city, employer, and skills (cloud, automation, security). Use BLS for baseline numbers and check local job listings for current rates.

Yes, but carefully: use AI to draft commands, checklist steps, or explain error messages. Always review and test suggested configurations in a lab before applying them to production; an incorrect command can drop network links or break security.

Keep logs and change records, and follow approval processes. Use AI as a helper for learning and documentation, not as an automated change agent without human review.

Learn to read and act on system and application logs quickly. Good log-reading helps you spot failing backups, authentication failures, or hardware errors before users notice.

Combine that with basic automation skills (Ansible) and a working knowledge of AWS services used by your employer (EC2 for servers, DynamoDB/Redshift if they host data). Those three skills speed troubleshooting and reduce repetitive work.