SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful
and affordable IT
management software, today released results of a survey of network
administrators, the second part of a comprehensive survey which last month
announced findings for systems administrators. The results show a striking
similarity between both groups in job satisfaction and optimism, experience and
loyalty, as well as how they like to spend their free time and even their
favorite video games and geek TV shows. The survey also uncovered several key
on-the-job differences between the groups, related to their job functions and
responsibilities, views towards the organizations they work for and
compensation levels.
These
results are part of a wide-ranging survey of
401 U.S.-based systems administrators, or sysadmins, and 400 U.S.-based network
administrators, or netadmins, conducted in October 2012 to understand the IT
professional in both their professional and personal lives. Despite 90 percent
of each group agreeing there are now more responsibilities and demands on their
time, the overarching results find IT workers to be model employees:
experienced, optimistic and confident in their companies, loyal and satisfied
in their job roles.
On
the job, the survey revealed sysadmins and netadmins felt similarly about the
following factors, even though there were some key differences between
groups:
- High
levels of overall job enjoyment:
Though both groups enjoy their jobs, netadmins demonstrate slightly higher
job satisfaction. More netadmins (79 percent) expressed enjoyment in their
jobs compared with sysadmins (68 percent). Similarly, more netadmins (66
percent) felt appreciated by the organization, higher than their sysadmin
counterparts (56 percent). The most enjoyable thing about their jobs?
Two-thirds of netadmins and sysadmins agree it's solving problems, the top
answer for both groups.
- New
Year's projections:
System and network admins overall believe their 2013 budgets will likely
remain flat. Thirty-eight percent of these IT pros expect no change from
2012; the overall prediction for netadmins is a 1.5 percent growth in
budget, versus an expected 1 percent decline for sysadmins. Nonetheless,
both groups remain optimistic for the New Year: 83 percent of netadmins
and 73 percent of sysadmins agree 2013 will be a better year for their companies.
- Loyalty
towards and confidence in their companies: Both netadmins and sysadmins are loyal to their
companies, with 52 percent of netadmins and 48 percent of sysadmins having
worked at their jobs for 10 years or more or never having changed jobs. Eighty-five
percent of netadmins expressed that they have some level of trust in the
senior/executive leadership of the company, compared with 77 percent of
sysadmins. The numbers were even higher for trust in IT leadership, with
92 percent of netadmins and 82 percent of sysadmins expressing some level
of trust.
- Feeling
supported: A key shared viewpoint among
both groups is that they feel supported and empowered to do their jobs in
various ways. A majority of both groups feel they have adequate tools and
software, support from the organization and ongoing training and skills
development. Netadmins, however, receive slightly more support, with 75
percent versus 63 percent of sysadmins saying they have adequate tools and
software; 72 percent versus 57 percent having adequate organizational
support; and 66 versus 58 percent having adequate ongoing skills training
and development. But universally, most IT pros - 70 percent of both groups
- feel their work is not well understood by others in the company.
Despite
overall similarities in their overarching positivity towards the job, there are
several key differences between netadmins and sysadmins:
- Responsibility
and compensation: As
may be expected, netadmins have a wider range of responsibilities compared
with their sysadmin counterparts. As a result, netadmins also spend more
free time working, with 52 percent indicating they spend a "significant"
amount of time completing tasks, compared with 43 percent of sysadmins.
Perhaps this accounts for the gap in pay, with netadmins making an average
of $87,000 per year compared to $78,000 on average for sysadmins.
- Split
frustrations: While the top frustrations for
sysadmins was too little pay followed by increasing workloads, the top
frustration for netadmins was not having enough budget followed by too
little pay.
- Ambitions:
In five years, 43 percent of
netadmins see themselves as IT department head and 17 percent see
themselves as CIO. Similarly, 39 percent of sysadmins see themselves as IT
department head, but a much smaller group - only five percent - see
themselves as CIO. Interestingly, there is some desire between the groups
to switch job roles: 19 percent of netadmins say they will cross over to
systems management, while 23 percent of sysadmins say they will be
netadmins in five years.
"Our
survey reveals that IT pros are a remarkable and resilient bunch," said Kevin
Thompson, President and CEO, SolarWinds. "They are unsung heroes in many
companies, but they are incredibly loyal and motivated despite the scope of
work they do and the demand of work on their time both on and off the job. It's
essential for companies to understand what drives netadmins and sysadmins to
perform and give them the support that helps make their jobs easier in order to
retain these valuable employees."
As
with their professional lives, network administrators and systems
administrators show some remarkable similarities in their personal lives and
preferences.
- Personality
traits: More than 60 percent of
both groups say they are hardworking, the top personality trait chosen,
followed by more than 50 percent of both groups indicating they are
friendly.
- Gadgets
of choice: Netadmins were split in their
preference over Android and iPhone, with 37 percent of respondents in each
category. This compares with a slight majority of sysadmins using Android
phones over iPhones. As with sysadmins, an overwhelming majority of
netadmins, 82 percent, are PC users.
- What they watch:
The top sci-fi TV show for both groups was "Star Trek," followed by "The
Big Bang Theory" and "The X-Files." But on the big screen, like their
sysadmin colleagues, netadmins prefer light sabers over phasers as "Star
Wars" narrowly beat out "Star Trek" for top sci-fi movie honors.
- What
they drink: If they aren't working
during their free time, netadmins and sysadmins can enjoy a brew together
after work. Forty percent of netadmins and 31 percent of sysadmins prefer
some kind of beer to drink in their off time. More sysadmins drink soda,
though, with 19 percent of sysadmins versus 10 percent of netadmins
preferring some pop when off duty.
- More
similarities: Both groups list Batman as
their favorite superhero; rock music as the genre of choice; and compact
cars as current vehicles. The top three answers for what they like to do
in their free time were the same between the two groups: 1) spending time
with family and friends; 2) unwinding at home; and 3) surfing the web.
Demographically,
two-thirds of both groups were male. Slightly more netadmins than sysadmins
have advanced degrees, with 77 percent of netadmins having at least a
bachelor's degree compared with 65 percent of sysadmins. Netadmins were also a
bit more experienced, with 68 percent indicating more than 8 years of
experience versus 62 percent of sysadmins.
The complete survey results can be found on
SlideShare,
and an infographic on the data can be found on SolarWinds'
Whiteboard blog.