A Windows System Administrator is a professional who is responsible for the installation, configuration, and maintenance of Windows-based computer systems. They play a vital role in managing the day-to-day operations of Windows servers and ensuring their optimal performance and security. In this blog post, we will describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Windows System Administrators.

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Main Responsibilities of a Windows System Administrator

The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Windows System Administrator:

Administer

Administer user accounts, permissions, and access rights.

Advise

Advise on potential software improvements during the design and pre-release process.

Analyze

• Analyze current requirements and make suggestions for improvements.

• Analyze system logs and events to identify and resolve issues.

Answer

Answer complex technical questions escalated from other IT groups.

Anticipate

Anticipate and reduce complexity for others.

Apply

Apply patches and upgrades on a regular basis, and upgrade administrative tools and utilities.

Assess

Assess the stability, security and scalability of installed Windows systems.

Assist in

• Assist customers with Tier 2 incident resolution for Linux and windows applications.

• Assist in image creation and definition, testing and distribution.

• Assist with enforcement and maintenance of security policies and procedures.

• Assist with server network troubleshooting.

Automate

Automate system administration tasks using scripting or automation tools.

Build

• Build and configure new servers.

• Build, deploy, configure, administer, and maintain the VMWare vSphere 5.x and 6.x farms.

Collaborate with

Collaborate with other IT teams to resolve system-related issues.

Communicate

• Communicate effectively (in oral and written form) with a variety of individuals.

• Communicate with employees, immediate manager, and other department managers.

Complete

Complete assigned projects in a timely manner and produce documentation as required.

Conduct

Conduct system performance tuning and optimization.

Configure

• Configure / add new services as necessary.

• Configure and maintain High Availability on the vSphere clusters.

• Configure and manage group policies and security settings.

Contribute to

• Contribute to client projects as required.

• Contribute to Disaster Recovery planning and IT Infrastructure Documentation.

• Contribute to overall proactive support initiatives.

Coordinate

• Coordinate critical client issues as well as new product and / or system implementations.

• Coordinate with junior level administrators and peers.

• Coordinate with vendors and service providers for technical support.

Create

• Create and document procedures as needed.

• Create and maintain client documentation.

• Create and maintain server documentation.

• Create PowerShell scripts to automate tasks.

Deploy

Deploy servers in lab environment and test new systems for reliability before pushing to production.

Develop

• Develop and maintain system documentation and standard operating procedures.

• Develop a strong relationships and provide a very high level of service to our growing client base.

• Develop scripts for automation of complex and simple systems tasks.

Document

Document technical and usage procedures for other members of the team or for other users.

Draft

Draft systems policies and standards to achieve company goals.

Drive

Drive Global remote access deployment projects.

Enforce

Enforce process for moving server / application into production.

Ensure

• Ensure proper backup processes are in place to allow for full recovery of sites and documents.

• Ensure system and data integrity, including data backup and recovery.

Evaluate

• Evaluate and implement security best practices and compliance requirements.

• Evaluate and recommend hardware and software solutions.

• Evaluate tools and applications relevant to the sites.

Execute

Execute Strategic direction on all Windows platforms.

Gather

Gather requirements and documents these requirements for use within the project life cycle.

Help

• Help drive standardization throughout Data Center Organization.

• Help support virtualization environments including VMware products and storage components.

Identify

Identify, develop and conduct training needs for other analysts and clients as appropriate.

Implement

• Implement and enforce security policies and procedures.

• Implement and maintain system backups and disaster recovery plans.

• Implement and maintain system monitoring tools and alerts.

• Implement deployments for bank applications, in support of DevOps initiatives.

Initiate

Initiate process improvements for internal and external clients.

Install

• Install and configure Windows servers and workstations.

• Install, configure, and update software applications.

• Install new high-availability servers.

Integrate

Integrate new services into applications.

Interact with

Interact with clients in person or by telephone.

Interpret

Interpret internal and external business issues and recommend best practices.

Investigate

Investigate user performance and work with external teams to improve user experience.

Lead

Lead internal projects, assigning work and bringing in necessary resources.

Maintain

• Maintain and monitor the VMware ESX host environments.

• Maintain backup infrastructure.

• Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction, both external and internal customers.

• Maintain knowledge of industry trends and emerging technologies.

• Maintain proper Change Control and Configuration Management processes.

• Maintain security across all farms.

• Maintain server operating system, configuration standards and patch levels.

• Maintain Servers and storage hardware in datacenter.

Make

Make recommendations on the lifecycle of infrastructure technologies.

Manage

• Manage and document problem resolution within ticketing system.

• Manage and maintain Active Directory services.

• Manage and optimize system resources, including CPU, memory, and disk space.

• Manage IT system infrastructure and any processes related to these systems.

Monitor

• Monitor, analyze and troubleshoot server performance / capacity issues.

• Monitor and maintain network connectivity and security.

• Monitor and manage virtualized environments, such as Hyper-V or VMware.

• Monitor and respond to security threats and vulnerabilities.

• Monitor sites daily, respond to alerts, and provide on-call support.

• Monitor system performance and troubleshoot issues.

• Monitor the health of the entire virtual infrastructure.

Optimize

Optimize and automate day to day operations of the IT Team.

Participate in

• Participate in IT projects and initiatives related to system infrastructure.

• Participate in the delivery of client projects.

• Participate in the On Call support rotation and after hours maintenance duties as required.

• Participate in the project of migration of local infrastructure to Google Workspace.

Perform

• Perform back-ups, software installations, and monitoring of system health.

• Perform system maintenance tasks, such as patch management and software updates.

• Perform troubleshooting for complex hardware, software and network problems.

• Perform vulnerability patching.

Plan

• Plan and execute system upgrades and migrations.

• Plan, coordinate and implement changes by following the IT change process.

Produce

• Produce and revise the documentation of the systems under his control.

• Produce necessary documentation, reports and explanations.

Profile

Profile management utilizing the VMware User Experience Management (UEM) toolset.

Protect

Protect your hard-earned revenue through merchant-issuer collaboration.

Provide

• Provide 1st & 2nd level support to end users.

• Provide 24 / 7 on-call support for Unix / Linux Server environment.

• Provide 2nd level technical consulting.

• Provide 3rd Level support to Data Center Windows team.

• Provide 3rd line escalation / support for desktop systems.

• Provide alerts and situation status information to both client and Unisys management.

• Provide daily support for a multi domain Windows on VMware in an enterprise environment.

• Provide daily, weekly, and monthly windows system checklist with historical trending reports.

• Provide for new server on-boarding in the Windows environment.

• Provide L3 support when needed.

• Provide monthly KPI metrics and trending reports.

• Provide planned off-hour support for the supported systems and services.

• Provide Quality Assurance guidelines for operating system installation and configuration.

• Provide remote and on-site support.

• Provide remote end user desktop support.

• Provide support for Active Directory services in a multi-domain environment.

• Provide support to Owlstone Medical staff, with a user base circa 200 based both in the UK and US.

• Provide technical support and assistance to end-users.

• Provide training and knowledge sharing to other team members.

• Provide your issuer customers with a better way to reduce fraud and chargeback costs.

Rack

Rack the equipment, configure remote console, replace hardware.

Report

Report software bugs to product groups.

Research

• Research and delivery of upcoming project work.

• Research, evaluates and recommend software and hardware products.

• Research, review and recommend hardware and software improvements.

Respond to

• Respond to escalated service desk / team requests.

• Respond to monitoring alerts to quickly identify trouble source and implement resolution.

Solve

Solve complex problems and takes a broad perspective to identify innovative solutions.

Stay updated with

Stay updated with Microsoft product releases, updates, and new features.

Support

• Support a 24 / 7 environment with pager rotation.

• Support and maintain Anti-virus solution(s).

• Support core Windows infrastructure (Active Directory, DHCP, DNS).

• Support the team in driving DevOps initiatives within Deployment Services.

• Support Web access and electronic messaging services and maintain a secure systems environment.

Switch

Switch and router support.

Troubleshoot

• Troubleshoot and resolve issues, escalating more advanced issues to the senior engineers and vendor.

• Troubleshoot hardware and software problems.

Understand

• Understand and can explain to others the core processes involved in their area of support.

• Understand complete Software Development Life Cycle.

• Understand system metrics / performance reports and maintain system capacity and performance.

Upgrade

• Upgrade host servers' hardware or add more hosts when required.

• Upgrade / install Windows OS and Server software.

Verify

Verify that regular maintenance activities (patches, service packs, upgrades) are carried out.

Work with

• Work on multiple projects as a project team member, occasionally as a project leader.

• Work service requests and help desk tickets on a daily basis.

• Work well within a team environment and able to contribute to the growth of the team.

• Work well within small and large team environments.

• Work with a team of professionals and share knowledge.

• Work with best-of-breed technologies.

• Work with diverse technologies, projects, clients and sectors.

• Work with endpoint security team on various initiatives around the globe.

• Work within a high security environment, such as PCI-DSS Level 1.

Write

Write and maintain relevant guides and documentation.

Most In-demand Hard Skills

The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Windows System Administrator:

1. Proficiency in Windows server administration and configuration.

2. Knowledge of Active Directory and group policy management.

3. Understanding of TCP/IP networking and DNS services.

4. Competence in virtualization technologies, such as Hyper-V or VMware.

5. Skill in scripting languages like PowerShell or VBScript.

6. Proficiency in system backup and recovery solutions.

7. Knowledge of security protocols, such as SSL/TLS and IPsec.

8. Understanding of network protocols and services, including DHCP and SNMP.

9. Competence in server hardware installation and maintenance.

10. Knowledge of Microsoft Exchange Server administration.

11. Skill in managing and configuring Windows services, such as IIS and DNS.

12. Proficiency in configuring and managing remote access technologies (e.g., VPN).

13. Understanding of cloud computing concepts and technologies.

14. Knowledge of server virtualization and containerization.

15. Competence in network monitoring and troubleshooting tools.

16. Understanding of storage management technologies, such as RAID and SAN.

17. Proficiency in implementing and managing data backup and recovery strategies.

18. Knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server administration.

19. Competence in Windows performance tuning and optimization.

20. Understanding of Windows security frameworks and protocols.

Most In-demand Soft Skills

The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Windows System Administrator:

1. Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.

2. Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

3. Effective teamwork and collaboration.

4. Adaptability and flexibility in a fast-paced IT environment.

5. Time management and organizational skills.

6. Attention to detail and accuracy in system administration tasks.

7. Ability to work independently and take ownership of tasks.

8. Customer service orientation and a focus on end-user satisfaction.

9. Continuous learning mindset and willingness to update skills.

10. Professionalism and integrity in handling sensitive information and systems

Conclusion

In conclusion, a Windows System Administrator is responsible for managing and maintaining Windows-based computer systems. Their main responsibilities include system installation, configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Alongside technical skills in Windows server administration, networking, and security, soft skills such as problem-solving, communication, and adaptability are essential for success in this role.