Network administrator

A network administrator is a person designated in an organization whose responsibility includes maintaining computer infrastructures with emphasis on local area networks (LANs) up to wide area networks (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.

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,^[1][2][3]

Network administrators are often involved in proactive work. This type of work will often include:^{[citation needed]}

• 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

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.[5]

• Network analyzer (disambiguation)
• Network architecture
• Network management system
• System administrator
• Technical support