IT Support of Network Administration

All companies face the serious challenge of maintaining, updating, and basically looking after their computer systems and network. All too often these companies have neither the in-house knowledge and know-how or the financial means necessary for the task to be handled professionally, and as such many suffer serious problems as a result. Computers and networks can be hit by problems at any time for any given reason. The simple act of overloading a system can cause major setbacks, and system and network administration is, for some, a huge challenge.

But there are ways in which network administration and support can be obtained affordably and reliably, with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of effect. There will usually be at least one person within an IT department who can be trained to be a network administrator. While it will cost money to train an individual, money will ultimately be saved, as any network problems will be able to be resolved in-house or avoided completely because of trained in-house staff. Most companies, even small ones that use computers will have an IT budget, and the cost of training can be offset through that.

A trained network administrator will be able to oversee security and any issues arising, server deployment, network connectivity, ensure the health status of the overall network and any and all other technical aspects of a companies information technology department. Network administration and administrators typically cover any issues that cannot be resolved by helpdesk or network technician levels. If a company is not large enough to have a network engineer, a network administrator could also be able to design and deploy networks.

The actual physical role of a network administration department typically varies from business to business, but it can usually include tasks specific to routing protocols and table configuration, network address assignments and configuration, authorization and authentication of directory services. The drivers and settings of printers, personal computers and fax machines etc, can also be maintained, as well as maintenance of VPN gateways, file servers and intrusion detection systems. The responsibilities of a network administrator can also include, but are not limited to, expanding and integrating networks, running extensive tests to ensure that computers, networks and software are all working efficiently and carrying out any repairs, updates or modifications as and when required. Testing vulnerabilities on systems and networks and anticipating future problems or issues within the technology department, is also one of the main jobs of an administrator.

One of the most important and valuable skills that a network administrator should have is the ability to be a problem solver, and the ability to do so under sometimes extremely stressful situations and circumstances. The head of the network administration department will typically be on call when a computer system crashes or malfunctions, and as such the need to be able to rapidly and correctly diagnose and resolve a problem can be crucial. Understanding the behavior of software being used in order to troubleshoot any likely problems is also important.