Administrator

The administrator is a central figure when it comes to managing systems. His task is to operate a network with ideal performance, best efficiency and security. Besides the administration of the servers, the organization of the workstations, the storage systems of the computer network and the telecommunication systems are important tasks of the administrator. He monitors the information technology infrastructure of a company. The administrator also has the task of providing rapid assistance in the event of problems, such as data loss. He usually takes over the server administration of managed servern.

How do I become an administrator?

There is currently no direct vocational training for the profession of administrator. Normally, administrators have a Bachelor's degree in computer science. It is also possible to complete an apprenticeship as an IT specialist at a Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Afterwards it means primarily to gain experience in an organization or a company. This is probably the most important part of the individual training, because this is where the admin learns, this is how the profession is usually shortened, which diverse problems and tasks can arise in everyday life. On top of that, one must be prepared to invest many hours, often at unusual times of the day. If a problem occurs, it must be solved as quickly as possible so that the company's processes can run normally again. This means that even in the evening or on weekends, suddenly high workloads may be required.

What are the administrator's tasks?

Basically the admin is responsible for the planning, expansion and maintenance of a network. Then, of course, the functional efficiency must also be constantly monitored. He manages the user rights and adds new workstations with their configuration when a new employee is hired. He takes care of the system components, plans the upgrade of the existing hardware and keeps the software up to date. Always with the aim of creating a fault-free, well-functioning system. In particular, he has to secure the system. Accordingly, he takes measures to prevent infestation with worms and viruses, Malware. It must also counteract phishing attacks. The admin maintains the servers and workstations and endeavours to restore data if a loss has occurred by any means. Finally, he trains the employees and explains the functioning of the existing systems to ensure smooth operation. The administrator has extended user rights and thus access to all essential system areas. With a web presence he often has full access to the domain. In small or medium-sized companies, there is usually only one system administrator, while large companies can afford a team of administrators to be able to react even better to difficulties.

What qualities and skills does an administrator need?

You need a sense of responsibility, independence and initiative. The admin must be able to withstand stress, as he works on several construction sites simultaneously and often under time pressure. Since new problems arise all the time, he has to constantly train himself to be able to acquire the latest knowledge. A pronounced willingness to deal with problems is a basic requirement. He should be familiar with various operating systems and have a good command of general IT procedures. The admin must know the crucial tools for Systemoptminierung and must be familiar with scripting languages such as PHP and Perl. Relational databases are becoming increasingly important and MySQL is also needed expertise. He needs the big package of IT knowledge and always strives to ensure that all employees can do their job. A mistake in the system can quickly cost the company a lot of money.