Windows System Administrator - Options and Requirements

Windows system administrators need a lot of formal education. Learn more about education, job assignments and certification options to see if this career is right for you.

The Windows system administrator manages computers and servers running on the Windows operating system. These professionals can work in positions such as support engineers, support specialists, technical advisors or consultants. Network and IT system administrators have medium job growth prospects.

Requirements for the Windows system admin

education

Employers generally require administrators to have a 4-year bachelor's degree in relevant relevant computer science, although certification only establishes experience and is not an educational prerequisite. University degree courses suitable for future system administrators may include computer programming, computer science, computer engineering, database management and computer language courses.

Students enrolled in a degree program can get an internship, which gets work experience. Traineeships can lead to full-time employment. The Master in IT system administration is available for people who wish to advance to managerial and executive positions.

The certification

Certifications can help Windows system administrators find work. Microsoft offers a certification exam - Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) exam - for future Windows system administrators. Applicants need at least 1-12 months of work experience in the area. This multiple choice and written certification exam is based on Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

Although the credentials of the Microsoft certification system administrator are still available, Microsoft no longer supports Windows Server 2003. People interested in applying for certification can consider MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) or MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist). Both of these certifications verify the knowledge and skills associated with Windows Server 2008. MCITP has two paths, the server administrator and the company administrator.

System Administrator Tasks

The function of the system administrator is very broad and varies greatly from one organization to another. System administrators are generally responsible for installing, supporting, and maintaining servers or other IT systems, planning and responding to service outages and other problems. Other functions may include scripts or lightweight programming, project management related to system related projects.

The system administrator is responsible for the following:

User administration (account management and settings)

Maintenance system

Make sure the device is functioning properly

Quickly arrange hardware repairs in case of hardware failure

Monitor system performance

Create a file system

Install software

Backup and restore policy

Monitor network communication

Update the system as soon as a new version of the operating system and application software is released

Implement policies for the use of IT systems and networks

Configure security policies for users. The system administrator must have a strong understanding of computer security (eg Firewalls and intrusion detection systems)

Documentation in the form of an internal wiki

Password and identity management

Cloud computing and system administrator

Cloud computing is nothing more than a large number of computers connected via the Internet / Wan. Cloud computing is now part of technology and system administrators must rely on:

Automation software such as dolls, cooks, etc.

Cloud infrastructure such as AWS, Openstack etc.

Network services in the cloud such as content distribution networks (Akamai, CloudFront etc.) and DNS servers.

Source control

Design best practices for backup and entire infrastructure.

Read More: system admin jobs

Help Desk importance

Helpdesk is a multidimensional resource designed to reduce IT services and reduce functionality and allow it to run for the longest time. It is specifically designed for end-user functionality and is therefore responsible for the immediate resolution of immediate needs, incidents and technical issues.

Each vital function assistance function should provide technical support for returning one end user to mode. As a best practice, help desk regularly uses special software to capture, monitor, and manage problems encountered. In addition, the Library of Technology Infrastructure (ITIL) methodological guidelines are used for the worst.

Some of the features of an effective help desk are:

• Ability to keep track of all future events
• Serves as a point of communication (SPOC) for IT support
• It offers basic problem management, includes problem solving and support beyond dedicated high incident teams.
• Keep track of incidents and end-user issues
• Collaborative and easy to use
• Maintains a database of all reported incidents and actions taken
• Ability to produce monthly, semi-annual and annual problem reports, response times, time needed to resolve issues, and compliance with the terms of the Service Agreement (SLA)

Also read : it help desk services

What is IT Service Management?

What is ITSM?

IT service management - often called ITSM - is simply how IT teams manage the delivery of end-to-end IT services to customers. This includes all of the IT service design, creation, delivery and support processes and activities. The central concept of ITSM is the belief that IT must be provided as a service.

Because of their daily interactions with computers, people often interpret ITSM as basic computer support. Rather, ITSM teams oversee all kinds of workplace technologies, from laptops to servers to critical software applications.

ITSM generally consists of different basic processes, as defined by ITIL - the most accepted framework or approach for ITSM. Here are some of these processes:

• Service request management
• Knowledge management
• IT asset management
• Problem handling
• Problem management
• Change management

You will find that some of these processes - such as IT asset management, problem management and change management - do not fall under standard IT support. Indeed, the ITSM includes all the activities involved in the supply of IT to the company. Although the scope of the ITSM is broad, the helpdesks and helpdesks are defined much more precisely and represent only small parts of the ITSM.

Also read : it help desk outsourcing

Skills of a Help Desk Supporter

The use of help desk technicians and IT support specialists is expected to increase by 10% from 2018 to 2028, faster than the 5% average for all professions in the United States. The demand for helpdesk technicians will increase as organizations continue to install and update the latest IT systems to reduce costs and gain a competitive advantage. To improve your job prospects in this field, focus your help desk skills in the IT systems design sector, as the job market for help desk professionals in this sector is expected to grow twice as fast (24%) compared to the same 10- period of the year. Medical care is another area with an accelerated need for IT support specialists.

As the helpdesk agent has a direct role for customers, it is essential to be able to connect with people, understand their problems, questions or concerns, and be able to provide clear solutions.

It builds a certain mix of technical skills, character and values ​​to create an excellent career in the helpdesk and / or support.

Key skills of technical support specialists include: 

• Excellent communication skills

• Troubleshooting and troubleshooting

• The ability to clearly explain technical information.

• Ability to prioritize and perform multiple activities effectively

• Information regarding local call requests.

• a collaborative team spirit

• An analytical and process-oriented approach

• Learn new software and hardware capability.

• Have regard to organizational data and skills.

• Ability to perform diagnostic tests.

• Create case notes and error logs.

• Good improvements in the recognition process.

Also read : what is help desk support

What are the advantages of the Service Desk software?

The companies that build the service desk software today understand that most companies are looking for something that goes beyond the help desk: they want to create an IT department that guides the company strategically, not a reactive that simply maintains business afloat without contributing anything new. Applications such as Cherwell Service Management are increasingly interesting for companies that want to take advantage of:

• the ability to simplify and automate the provision of IT services
• ITIL process support: Cherwell has obtained PinkVERIFY certification for eleven IT infrastructure library processes
• An intuitive platform for ticket management and incident monitoring.
• A powerful catalog of IT services with reliable functionality, including customized portals for different levels of customers
• Integrated management of IT resources, which allows them to save money and limit risks by accurately planning and projecting the need for IT investments and resource recovery

While basic help desk software whose feature set primarily includes incident management and monitoring may be suitable for companies with smaller IT needs, organizations of many sizes can benefit from implementing service software. desktop that automates aspects of IT service delivery and facilitates IT resource management while managing incident management and traditional help desk processes.

The bottom line

IT departments are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, and while a small team focused on incident management and outage repair activities can be properly called a help desk, the name becomes less appropriate as the team works to expand its capabilities. and build systems that offer better services. Value for an organization.

In the end, what matters is not the name of an IT organization: it is the underlying processes and systems that make the difference to the organization.

Read Also: service desk outsourcing

What Is an IT Help Desk? Help Desk vs. Service Desk

What Is an IT Help Desk?

A help desk, in simple terms, is a tool helping to organize customer questions and requests and direct those questions to the right person in your organization, so they can be handled quickly and efficiently. Chances are, you may have even used this term interchangeably with service desk, and in some contexts, using help desk and service desk to get at the same general context is perfectly fine. However, a help desk isn’t exactly the same thing as a service desk, and there’s a history behind the distinction to merit understanding (at least a little bit).

Help Desk vs. Service Desk

In 1989, the concept of the service desk began. Working alongside the government of the United Kingdom, the computer industry in the UK first published ITIL, or Information Technology Infrastructure Library. This library contained the concept later known as the service desk. According to ITIL best practices, the service desk is an intrinsic part of both an organization’s IT department and overall business operations.

Whereas help desks traditionally work with users one issue at a time as a customer service tool, service desks are designed to do more to drive both the impact and efficiency of IT departments and the users and organizations they served. The role of the service desk is to continually evolve alongside advancing technology, becoming more integrated in the operations of its organization. A service desk solution does this by acting as a point of contact for service requests and user issues (as the help desk did before it), but also serve as a centralized solution for IT problem management and any and all configuration changes impacting the entire organization.

The service desk strives to enable business processes by providing integrated support, adapting the support to the evolving needs of the business, the industry, and the user base it serves. Its primary function is still to restore the productivity of the end user by meeting the user where they are (technologically speaking) and helping them to resolve the issues they’re facing. However, it does so within a larger context of function driving the overall Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) success of the organization.

Read also : what is help desk support