A professional career of a computer usually has its beginning in the support area, this usually represents the gateway to a long corridor of opportunities, it is biased that support analysts want to make the "bypass"Of this phase in search of renowned titles and a better professional position. Although it is a job of constant challenges at the beginning, with time it becomes routine, the problems become the same and with that the challenge becomes a routine task. When asked about the next step in their careers, support analysts have a strong inclination for system administration, but who is the system administrator, what are the requirements to take on this role?
Briefly, the system administrator, is the professional responsible for the management of computational environments focused on ensuring the availability and operation of these services. In the past, the system administrator was an individual who needed to have mastery of various topics in the sector, namely: operating system, network management and configuration, programming logic, electronics, hardware, etc., ie a person with polyvalence and that it should be able to solve any problem that would interfere with the proper functioning of the systems and other associated resources.
Roles and Responsibilities
Nowadays, the role of system administrator that will be dealt with by [AS] has been disseminated in larger teams, with more precise functions and responsibilities, which seek to guarantee the best performance of the professional in their area of activity, that is, the work which was formerly performed by an [AS], is now run by a team of at least 3 administrators with different specialties, for example an operating system expert, a storage specialist, and a virtualization specialist.
Among [AS] 's responsibilities are [Wikipedia]:
- Analysis of system logs and identification of potential problems / risks
- Introduction and integration of new technologies
- Conduct periodic audits / validations of systems and software
- Perform and verify backups
- Applying Updates, Patches, or Configuration Changes to Operating Systems
- Installation and configuration of new hardware and software
- Managing User Account Information and Passwords
- Response to technical problems in systems
- Responsibility for safety
- Responsibility for documentation of system configuration
- Solve any problems reported in systems
- Adjustments to improve system performance
- Ensure that the network infrastructure is available and operational
- Etc
With the trend of dissemination of responsibilities, the different aspects of system administrators began to appear: database administrator, network administrator, storage administrator, security administrator, server administrator (hardware), web administrator, etc.
Given the wide range of options available on the market, it is up to the professional to identify the areas of interest and specialize accordingly, it is certainly possible for a professional to specialize in more than one area, that is, he can be a manager of database and at the same time Unix system administrator, for example.
Profile
Often the [AS] is connoted with a rather formal image and more "geek", a person who is not very sociable and quite dependent on the technology to live, this image is not at all wrong, it still reflects the physical profile of many [AS's] who care little about physical appearance because they have their focus on the virtual world.
The [AS] is generally little known within the users of the systems it manages, since much of its work is done remotely in the background and outside of normal business hours, without the need to physically interact with users, is an individual who sometimes spends sleepless nights to ensure the availability of services. Following is a list of the main attributes that should be part of the profile of an [AS]: patience, high sense of responsibility, organization, versatility, ability to manage work under stress, ease of teamwork, diversified knowledge of technology.
Few are the top companies and managers who really understand the work and importance of an [AS], some companies that have already realized the importance of this professional, usually present as a motivating element besides a good salary, benefits packages, since this one has under its control all the systems of the company, has access to privileged information and can compromise the success of the company or its projects, especially if they are dependent on systems managed by [AS].
Career path
There is no proper higher education qualification that is a system administrator, [AS's] usually Computer Science, Computer Science, Systems Analysis or Computer Networking. During the academic course, these are prepared for professional polyvalence, but few times they arrive already calibrated to assume the role of [AS's], for this it is necessary to invest in the investigation and availability of time for the long hours of study and experiments. The most regular way to reach the position of system administrator is through the technical support function, because at this level the specialist is already exposed to a group of activities that are complementary to the work of [AS], ie the support technician is better prepared to receive the workload of this new function and will be able to identify the problems with greater ease, because it brings with it some luggage from the support terrain.
As for life after the [AS] function, this is an unknown, because it depends a lot on the career plans of each individual, however, there are at least two main routes to follow:
- Technical Specialist: The individual immerses himself in the immensity of the world of technology and becomes a systems guru with a high analytical capacity of technology systems, he is always in search of new challenges in this field until he reaches the most prestigious certifications of the sector. Individuals who fit into this profile tend to have a less active social life, since they invest more in virtual socialization;
- IT management: The individual understands that the technical part requires a lot of time and dedication, so it goes back to a more strategic framework under IT management, this does not mean that it will not have the same requirements in this field, but initially it requires less time than the specialist. By following the career of IT manager, the professional is closer to the positions of management, that is, at a level more strategic than operational (specialist technician). However, it is recommended that an IT manager have some life experience as a technician, it is not a requirement, but it is recommended, since the experience in the area facilitates the flow of information and definition of successful strategies;
Pay
The salary of an [AS] revolves around the $ 5.000,00 USD, although this value varies according to the company / industry, but is within the market wage margin in Angola. Depending on the qualifications of the professional, companies feel forced to define policies to retain and motivate the employee, since the market is not yet ready to offer a skilled workforce in this segment. Professionals with a few years of experience and mastery of emerging technologies can easily surpass this salary range, as an example for Unix / Linux system administrators who are currently active in the Angolan market with a predominance of Banking, Oil and Gas and large industries.
Market in Angola
Some research points to potential decline in search for system administrators around the world, with the advent of cloud computing, companies should shift the responsibility of managing their resources to companies specialized in the field and because the cost-benefit ratio tends to be better than having in a company a team composed of 20 people in the department to perform functions that can be contracted "on demand", That is, according to necessity. Despite this trend, the reality in Angola is still far from it, companies are committed to recruiting national experts who are able to meet the demands of the market in competition with the rest of the world.
It is important that the academic sector understand the demands of the global market so that Angola is in a position to train staff with a competitive profile, otherwise, hiring “know-how ” import statistics, which does not reflect a fair reality.
In order to value and better enable specialists in the area, there are in the market certifications that guarantee the professional a prestigious recognition and an accelerated return on investment., ie in addition to higher education, the market still prioritizes those who have in their CV a set of professional certifications, since these expose the professional to a more demanding level of the sector and tend to ensure that the professional is better prepared for the challenges , so those who are certified will be one step above those who have only a higher education diploma.
To conclude, the role of systems administrator as a career, is not an easy task, requires discipline and commitment to technology and its constant updating, to reach the position of senior the professional needs on average 5 at least years, but are 5 years of much effort, dedication and challenges. A professional with proven experience in this area can easily work in a professional setting outside the borders of Angola.
