A wide-ranging survey of UK network and systems administrators that captures the rapidly evolving nature of these IT Pros’ roles and their thoughts on life inside and outside of the workplace

1. System and Network admins Revealed!
A look at the attitudes and preferences of UK-based systems and network
administrators
UK DATA 1

2. Study overview: Who are systems/network
administrators?
» SolarWinds set out to measure the rapidly evolving
nature of systems and network administrators in the UK
» We captured their thoughts on life inside and outside of
the workplace to understand who they are and what
drives them
» 800 UK-based sysadmins (400) and netadmins (400)
took part in the survey conducted by RedShift Research
in October 2012
2

3. Systems vs. Network Admins Findings
Professional Life
» NA’s have more resources, training and career opportunities.
» NA’s are happier with their IT department, systems and the
leadership at the company.
» NA’s believe they have insufficient budgets.
» Both groups are equally pessimistic about budgets for 2013.
» SA’s are more concerned about adequate pay.
» NA’s earn more on average.
3

4. Systems vs. Network Admins Findings
Social Life
» NA’s are more active and have more interests in general. They are more
engaged in movies, cooking, watching or participating in sports, playing video
games, having alternative tech. interests, programming and collecting.
» NA’s prefer city vacations.
» SA’s perceive themselves differently than NA’s in terms of:
 Being compassionate (very strong difference)
 Fun-loving
 Sarcastic
 Upbeat
 Frugal
 Average Joe/Jane and a bit more boring.
» SA’s prefer the X-Files, while NA’s prefer Star Trek.
» SA’s prefer rock music, although this is the top choice among both groups.
4

5. PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Please note that statistical significance between Sysadmins and Netadmins has been noted at the 95% level o f confidence and
denoted using when the proportion is higher for the Netadmins, and when the proportion is higher for the Sysadmins.
5

6. How Systems and Network Admins’ roles are changing
% Strongly Agree
There is more pressure 30% 28%
I am doing more with less 26% 24%
There is more responsibility and demands on my time 25% 26%
There is more complexity in the systems I manage 22% 21%
I am spending more time on the job 22% 20%
The software used to manage IT systems is more complex 22% 22%
The software used to manage IT systems is more expensive 21% 21%
I feel more satisfied in my career 17% 16%
There are more career paths to pursue /more specialisation 16% 18%
There are more resources to do my job 16% 14%
I have been adequately trained in new tech skills 15% 20%
There is more incentive to perform my best 14% 16%
Strongly Agree (SA) Strongly Agree (NA)
• About three in ten strongly agree feeling more pressure in performing their job.
• About one-quarter of respondents also strongly agree that their job is more complex and requires them to do more with less.
Q15: How much do you agree or disagree with each statement, in terms of how
the system/network admin career has changed over the last 2-3 years?. (Asked:
Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree.) 6

7. How the sysadmin and netadmin roles are changing
% Strongly/Somewhat Agree
There is more responsibility and demands on my time 84% 89%
There is more pressure 83% 84%
There is more complexity in the systems I manage 81% 82%
The software used to manage IT systems is more expensive 81% 80%
I am spending more time on the job 79% 81%
The software used to manage IT systems is more complex 79% 78%
I am doing more with less 78% 80%
I have been adequately trained in new tech skills 69% 74%
I feel more satisfied in my career 65% 71%
There are more career paths to pursue /more specialization 64% 67%
There is more incentive to perform my best 57% 65%
There are more resources to do my job 57% 64%
Strongly/Somewhat Agree (SA) Strongly/Somewhat Agree (NA)
• In terms of complete agreement, the same general pattern exists as that seen in the previous chart where respondents “strongly
agree.” In addition, we see that Network admins have more demands on their time; however, they feel there is more incentive for
them to perform their best.
• Although the statement “there are more resources to do my job” was agreed to by a relatively lower proportion, Network admins
were more likely to have this opinion.
Q15: How much do you agree or disagree with each statement, in terms of how
the system/network admin career has changed over the last 2-3 years?. (Asked:
Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree.) 7

8. Ranking of Key job frustrations
% Ranked 1st: Most Frustrating
Too little pay 27% 21%
Increasing workload/responsibilities 13% 13%
Too much to do 12% 15%
Job is not challenging or rewarding enough 11% 11%
Not enough budget 9% 19% SA NA
Lack of appreciation from users/company 9% 11%
Little control over what I work on 8% 6%
Not enough autonomy 4% 2%
• SA’s are more frustrated about inadequate pay, while NA’s are more concerned with budget constraints.
Q7: Please rank your top three most frustrating challenges in order of level
of frustration.
8

9. Ranking of Key job frustrations
% Ranked 1st to 3rd : Most Frustrating
Too little pay 55% 44%
Too much to do 40% 43%
Job is not challenging or rewarding enough 39% 41%
Increasing workload/responsibilities 37% 42%
SA NA
Lack of appreciation from users/company 33% 35%
Not enough budget 31% 43%
Little control over what I work on 29% 24%
Not enough autonomy 18% 19%
• The top three ranking scores indicate a similar profile as that seen for the top ranked job frustration.
Q7: Please rank your top three most frustrating challenges in order of level
of frustration.
9

10. Job Challenges
% Saying Very/Somewhat Frustrating
Not enough budget 71% 73%
Too little pay 71% 68%
Too much to do 66% 64%
Lack of appreciation from users/company 65% 62%
Increasing workload/responsibilities 64% 64% SA NA
Little control over what I work on 52% 48%
Not enough autonomy 52% 48%
Job is not challenging or rewarding enough 46% 42%
• When asked to rate each attribute on an individual level, most of the responses fall in the “somewhat frustrating”
category, and have a similar pattern as that seen in the previous charts.
• Both groups seem relatively less frustrated about the degree of autonomy given to them and being challenged or rewarded.
Q6: Please rate the following work challenges using the scale below: Very
frustrating, Somewhat frustrating, Not frustrating at all, not applicable to
my position 10

11. What Systems and Network admins enjoy most about
their work (All selections)
Solving problems 73% 71%
Helping users 55% 59%
Thinking on my feet 49% 52%
Making a contribution to the organization 40% 43%
Getting to work with new technologies 38% 48%
Having a unique set of skills/capabilities 35% 43%
Designing or planning new solutions 26% 32% SA NA
Evaluating software solutions 22% 31%
Driving innovation in the company 22% 32%
Completing daily systems tasks 21% 25%
• Solving problems, helping users and thinking on their feet are the most enjoyable aspects of their profession.
• NA’s, in general, have a broader range of responsibilities; this is most notable in terms of such things as working with new
technologies, having a unique set of skills, evaluating software solutions and driving innovation in the company.
• The SA’s role is more narrowly focused in terms of problem solving and helping users.
Q12: Please select all of the items that you enjoy a lot about being a
systems/network administrator. 11

12. The single most enjoyable thing about the profession
Solving problems 31% 28%
Helping users 16% 13%
Thinking on my feet 12% 11%
Getting to work with new technologies 9% 10%
Making a contribution to the organization 7% 7%
Designing or planning new solutions 6% 9%
Driving innovation in the company 6% 6%
SA NA
Having a unique set of skills 5% 7%
Evaluating software solutions 4% 5%
Completing daily systems tasks 4% 3%
Other 2% 2%
• The challenge of problem solving is the most enjoyable aspect of the profession for both functions.
Q13: Which of these do you enjoy most about being a systems/network
administrator? (One response only.)
12

13. Job satisfaction & recognition
53%
48%
SA NA
41%
38%
35% 35%
27%
23%
19% 19%
15% 14%
12%
10%
6% 6%
Not Somewhat Appreciated Highly
Not enjoyableSomewhat enjoyable
at all Enjoyable Highly enjoyable
appreciated at appreciated appreciated
all
• Most people enjoy their jobs and feel appreciated.
Q9: All things considered, how enjoyable is your job?
Q10: Do you feel appreciated for the job that you do by the
company in general? 13

14. How system/network admins feel about their employers
% Strongly Agree
Our systems are more reliable and efficient than in the past 25% 24%
I trust the senior/executive leadership of the company 22% 23%
Most of the company doesn’t understand what I do/the value 22% 22%
I bring
I trust the leadership of the IT department at my company 20% 24%
Our IT department is in a better position than the past year 20% 17%
I feel 2013 will be a growth year for my company 18% 18%
Strongly agree (SA) Strongly agree (NA)
• Despite the fact that they enjoy their jobs and feel appreciated, only about one-quarter have strong positive opinions about
their employers.
Q18: Please rate the following sentences based on how much you agree or disagree.
(Asked: Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree.) 14

15. How system/network admins feel about their employers
% Strongly/Somewhat Agree
Our systems are more reliable and efficient than in the past 81% 85%
I trust the leadership of the IT department at my company 74% 81%
Our IT department is in a better position than the past year 69% 75%
I trust the senior/executive leadership of the company 71% 77%
I feel 2013 will be a growth year for my company 65% 69%
Most of the company doesn’t understand what I do/the 69% 72%
value I bring
SA's NA's
• In terms of total agreement, the majority in both groups feel mostly “somewhat positive” about their workplace.
However, about 70% worry that their work is not easily understood by others in their company.
• NA’s are more likely to trust the company leadership and have a more optimistic outlook about the IT department in general, as
compared to last year.
Q18: Please rate the following sentences based on how much you agree or
disagree. (Asked: Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly
disagree.) 15

16. How often do system/network admins change jobs?
SA NA 30% 30%
28%
26%
24%
22%
13%
10%
9%
8%
Every 1-2 years Every 3-5 years Every 5-10 years More than 10 years Never changed jobs
• About half rarely or never change jobs, having worked in the same company for 10 years or longer.
Q37: How often do you change jobs?
16

17. Future career perceptions
IT department head or lead 30% 37%
As a Systems administrator 22% 19%
Retired 14% 10%
Something non-technical and unrelated to 13% 13%
current field SA NA
As a Network administrator 12% 12%
Other 5% 4%
CIO 4% 7%
• In the future, both groups primarily see themselves as IT department heads or leads, although this is a stronger belief among
Net admins.
Q16. Where do you see yourself in five years in your career?
17

18. Why they switch jobs
20%
19%
SA NA
18% 18%
17%
15%
14%
13% 13% 13%
12%
11%
5% 5% 5%
4%
For a more For a more For a pay raise For a I was laid off Change of Current Lack of overall
challenging satisfying role promotion career company is support in
role unstable current role
• System/network admins are likely to jump ship for or a more challenging/satisfying role or for more money, than for other reasons.
Q38: What was the last reason that made you change your job?
18

19. 2013 IT budget predictions
SA NA
Total Less: 40%
38% Total More:
SA: 37%
SA: 17%
NA: 38%
NA: 17%
19%
15%
12% 12%
10% 9% 9%
7% 7% 6%
4% 4% 4% 5%
More than 10% 5-10% less 1-4% less Same as 2012 1-4% more 5-10% more More than 10% I don’t know/I'm
less more not involved in
budgeting
• Nearly four in ten believe budgets are likely to remain fairly flat in 2013.
• About the same number in both groups; however, feel the budgets will be lower.
• Overall there is a pessimistic feeling about next year in terms of department budgets.
Q8: Do you anticipate your department will have more, less or the same budget
in 2013? (Please select one response.) 19

20. Do they have the resources to do the job right?
% Always
Adequate tools/software and hardware 16% 18%
Adequate support from organization 14% 16%
Skilled staff/people resources 13% 17%
Adequate ongoing training and skills development 13% 15%
Adequate budget/money resources 13% 13%
Always (SA) Always (NA)
• Less than 20% of all respondents feel they always have all the adequate resources to do their jobs properly.
Q14: Do you feel you have the following resources you need to adequately perform
your job on a daily basis? (Asked: Always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.) 20

21. Do they have the resources to do the job right?
% Always/Usually
Adequate tools/software and hardware 62% 67%
Skilled staff/people resources 57% 55%
Adequate support from organization 56% 61%
Adequate ongoing training and skills development 50% 57%
Adequate budget/money resources 47% 47%
Always/Usually (SA) Always/Usually (NA)
• In total, the most readily available resource appears to be tools such as hardware and software.
• Net admins are more positive about having adequate ongoing training.
• Having a sufficient budget seems to be a relatively scarcer resource for both groups.
Q14: Do you feel you have the following resources you need to
adequately perform your job on a daily basis? (Asked:
Always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.)
21

22. Amount of free time spent on work assignments
37% 36% 37% SA NA
34%
14%
12%
10% 9%
7%
5%
A significant but A small and reasonable No amount of extra time, I A significant and A small but unreasonable
manageable amount of amount of extra time complete all my tasks unreasonable amount of amount of extra time
extra time during work hours extra time
• Both groups spend at least part of their free time on work assignments. Most of this time is seen as manageable or reasonable
for their jobs.
Q11: Outside of your normal working hours, how much of your free time do you
use to continue working to complete your assignments? 22

23. Where sysadmins/netadmins turn to for help
20% SA NA
19%
16%
14%
12%
10% 10%
9%
7% 7%
6% 6%
5% 5% 5%
4%
3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3%
eneral search Current colleagues Online forums and communities sessions web sitesT seminarscollege, technicaltrainingetc
engine Personal networks Company training Vendor University,
I Vendor school sessions publications
Media/trade Books
• The top source of information when faced with a challenge varies widely, with searching the internet and asking
colleagues being among the most popular, but no single source is dominant. Both job functions are very similar in terms
of the sources they rely upon, although SA’s are a little more likely to value the opinions of their colleagues.
Q17: When faced with a challenging task on the job, please rank the top three sources of
information you turn to in order of importance? 23

24. The average hourly working week
40%
34%
30%
32% SA NA
20% 20%
7%
4% 3% 4% 4% 3%
Under 40 40-45 45-50 50-55 55-60 More than 60
• On average about one-third of both groups work under 40 hours per week. The vast majority work up to 45 hours.
Q19:On average, how many hours do you usually work per week? 24

25. What Sysadmins do on the job
Maintaining and/or operating a computer system and/or network 36%
Project management for systems-related projects 33%
Installing, supporting, maintaining servers or other computer systems 26%
Supervising or training computer operators 25%
Light programming 22%
Planning for and responding to service outages or other problems 18%
Procurement of new hardware, rolling out new software installs 13%
Monitoring performance of the network 10%
Ensuring security for Internet connectivity 10%
Checking for security breaches and poor data management practices 9%
Making sure licenses for software are paid 9%
Designing and/or Installing networks 8%
Maintaining the disk images for new computer installs 7%
Maintaining standards for server installations and applications 6%
• About one-third of Sysadmins are primarily responsible for maintaining and/or operating a computer system and/or network. A
similar proportion also engage in project management for systems-related projects.
• Other tasks (mentioned by about one-quarter) include installation/support/maintenance of servers, supervising or training
computer operators and light programming.
Q3: Which of the following categories describes your role in the IT
department? Please check as many as apply based on your primary
responsibilities. 25

26. What Netadmins do on the job
Maintaining and/or operating a computer system and/or network 57%
Procurement of new hardware, rolling out new software installs 53%
Installing, supporting, maintaining servers or other computer systems 50%
Ensuring security for Internet connectivity 50%
Monitoring performance of the network 48%
Making sure licenses for software are paid 46%
Project management for systems-related projects 45%
Maintaining standards for server installations and applications 41%
Planning for and responding to service outages or other problems 41%
Supervising or training computer operators 37%
Checking for security breaches and poor data management practices 34%
Maintaining the disk images for new computer installs 30%
Designing and/or Installing networks 29%
Light programming 28%
• Netadmins have a wider range of responsibilities than do Sysadmins and are widely engaged with a greater variety of
different tasks beyond simple maintenance, installation and operations.
Q3: Which of the following categories describes your role in the IT
department? Please check as many as apply based on your primary
responsibilities. 26

27. Comparison of Sysadmins and Netadmins Job Responsibilities
Maintaining and/or operating a computer system and/or… 36% 57%
Project management for systems-related projects 33% 45%
Installing, supporting, maintaining servers or other computer… 26% 50%
Supervising or training computer operators 25% 37%
Light programming 22% 28%
Planning for and responding to service outages or other… 18% 41%
Procurement of new hardware, rolling out new software installs 13% 53%
Monitoring performance of the network 10% 48%
Ensuring security for Internet connectivity 10% 50%
Checking for security breaches and poor data management… 9% 34%
Making sure licenses for software are paid 9% 46%
Designing and/or Installing networks 8% 29%
Maintaining the disk images for new computer installs 7% 30% SA NA
Maintaining standards for server installations and applications 6% 41%
Q3: Which of the following categories describes your role in the IT department?
Please check as many as apply based on your primary responsibilities.
27

28. Number of hours spent on various tasks:
System Admins
More than 3% 4% 5% 3% 4% 5% 6% 5% 5%
20 hours 6% 8% 8% 11% 11% 10% 11%
13% 12%
11 to 20 32%
hours 35% 39% 42% 44% 44% 41% 47%
50%
2 to 10 hours
Less than 1 59% 54% 48% 44% 41% 41% 41%
hour 38% 33%
• Sysadmins spend up to 10 hours on all of the tasks that were evaluated.
• The tasks that seem to take the least amount of time are back-ups/restores and patching systems and software.
• Those that appear to take the longest time are: designing or planning new solutions, troubleshooting system problems (this is the most time
consuming) and monitoring applications and systems (the second most time consuming task).
Q5: For each of the following tasks, please estimate the number of hours you
spend per week using the following categories: Less than 1 hour, 2-10
hours, 11-20 hours, More than 20 hours) 28

29. Number of hours spent on various tasks:
Network Admins (Page 1 of 2)
More than
20 hours
3% 3% 3% 4% 3%
9% 8% 8% 12%
11 to 20 12%
hours
21%
42% 45%
2 to 10 44%
hours
48%
Less than 1
hour 68%
47% 44% 41%
37%
Device management: Upgrading/maintaining hardware and network securityindividual machinesand software on the network authentication, etc)
Provisioning, e.g. IP address configuration/management upgrading/deploying hardware (drivers,intrusion detection, (installing routers, switches, firewalls, etc)
Network security: monitoring/maintaining software within (log analysis/management, personal patching, housekeeping, troubleshooting, etc.)
Network deployment: Network administration:
computers, printers, Smartphones, etc)
• Net admins usually spend less than 1 hour on many tasks., although most tasks do take between 2 and 10 hours. The one that takes the
least amount of time is provisioning.
• The tasks that seem to take relatively less time to perform are noted on this chart.
• Those taking a relatively longer time to perform are noted on the next chart.
Q5: For each of the following tasks, please estimate the number of hours you spend
per week using the following categories: Less than 1 hour, 2-10 hours, 11-20
hours, More than 20 hours) 29

30. Number of hours spent on various tasks:
Network Admins (Page 2 of 2)
More than
20 hours 3% 5% 4% 3% 4%
13% 13% 14% 12%
14%
11 to 20
hours
49% 48% 49% 54%
2 to 10 54%
hours
Less than 1 35% 35% 34% 31%
hour 28%
Dealing withmanagement: evaluating software and hardware solutions,Network operations: monitoring/maintainingsoftware licenses and fees bandwidth, availability, Qo
Vendor unplanned issues (outages, bandwidth issues, user problems, security breaches, etc) and planning the network (connectivity,
taking sales calls fromdesign
Network vendors, maintaining Backups/restores
• The tasks that seem to take Network Admins somewhat longer to perform are: network operations, backups /restores, network
operations, network design /planning and vendor management.
Q5: For each of the following tasks, please estimate the number of hours you spend
per week using the following categories: Less than 1 hour, 2-10 hours, 11-20
hours, More than 20 hours) 30

31. How much sway do sysadmins have?
I have a strong influence in at least some IT decisions 28%
I have some influence in at least some IT matters 22%
I have very little influence in the decision making process 21%
for any IT matters
I have no involvement at all in the decision making 15%
process for any IT matters Make at Least Some Decisions: 85%
Make No Decisions: 15%
I make the final decisions for all IT matters 9%
I make the final decisions for at least some IT matters 4%
• Despite their limited role descriptions, the vast majority of Sysadmins have at least some influence in making IT decisions.
Q4: Which of the following best describes your overall role in the IT decision
making process? (Please select only one response.) 31

32. How much sway do Netadmins have?
I make the final decisions for all IT matters 54%
I make the final decisions for at least some IT 29%
matters
I have a strong influence in at least some IT 18%
decisions
• The vast majority of Netadmins make at least some, if not all the final IT decisions.
Q4: Which of the following best describes your overall role in the IT decision
making process? (Please select only one response.)
32

33. SOCIAL LIFE
33

34. How they spend free time
73% 77% Go out to a bar 36% 38%
Unwind at home
Do something athletic 33% 35%
Spending time with 73% 75%
family/friends
Play video games 32% 39%
Surf the Web 70% 73%
Alternative tech. interests 29% 38%
Reading 56% 57% 25% 31%
Team sports/competitive …
Watch a movie 54% 62% Charity/volunteer work 21% 24%
Enjoy the great Programming 20% 26%
51% 51%
outdoors
Dancing 20% 22%
Cooking 43% 53%
Collecting 18% 24%
Watch a sporting 38% 46% SA NA 17% 19%
event Yoga
• Unwinding at home, spending time with family or friends, surfing the web, reading , watching movies and enjoying the great
outdoors are the most popular ways for both Systems and Network Admins to spend their free time.
• Netadmins are more active and have more interests in general. They are more engaged in movies, cooking, watching or
participating in sports, playing video games, having alternative tech. interests, programming and collecting.
Q23. Let’s say you’ve had a hard week at work, and you want to “blow off
some steam”. How often do you participate in each of the following fun
activities in this type of situation? 34

35. Mobile gadget of choice
39%
36%
33%
31% SA NA
19%
15%
10%
8%
6%
3%
Android iPhone Blackberry Other Windows mobile
• Androids and iPhones dominate, with little difference seen between the choices made by NA’s and SA’s.
Q24: For my personal Smartphone, I use a(n):
35

36. Are you a PC or a Mac?
81% 83%
SA NA
13% 11%
4% 5%
2% 1%
PC Mac Open source Other
• PCs dominate across the profession
Q25: I’m a…
36

37. What’s the all-time best gaming platform?
Xbox 21% 25%
I’m not a gamer 21% 19%
PlayStation 17% 20%
Wii 14% 10%
My PC 12% 13% SA NA
Nintendo 8% 8%
• Xbox beats PlayStation and Wii. But surprisingly, as many as two in ten are not gamers! NA’s and SA’s are not significantly
different from each other in their choice of platforms.
Q26: What is the best video game platform of all time? 37

38. What video game rules over all?
Call of Duty 29% 29%
Other 23% 21%
Super Mario Bros. 20% 21%
Tetris 19% 16%
Grand Theft Auto 18% 20%
Wii 14% 10%
Space Invaders 14% 14%
Guitar Hero 11% 11%
World of Warcraft 10% 7%
SA NA
The Sims 10% 12%
PacMan/Ms. PacMan 9% 10%
Legend of Zelda 7% 6%
• Call of Duty tops the list of the most favored video games.
• Jarheads beat Italian plumbers, puzzles and gangsters.
• The groups are very similar in their preferences.
Q27: Please select your top 3 favorite games of all time. (Those above 10% shown.)
38

39. Best sci-fi/fantasy movie?
Lord of the Rings 20% 19%
Star Wars 19% 20%
Star Trek 14% 11%
The Terminator 14% 10%
Matrix 12% 16%
Alien 11% 12%
SA NA
None of the above 9% 10%
Other 2% 2%
• The epic Lord of the Rings shares the top spot with Star Wars as the best sci-fi/fantasy film.
• NA’s and SA’s have similar preferences.
Q29: What is your favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie franchise? 39

40. Favorite geek/sci-fi TV show
The X-Files 17% 12%
Star Trek 16% 21%
The Simpsons 14% 14%
The Big Bang Theory 13% 12%
None of the above 12% 9%
Family Guy 8% 12%
Battlestar Galactica 7% 6%
Lost in Space 6% 7% SA NA
Other 6% 6%
ALF 2%1%
• Extra-terrestrial monsters/mystery are preferred by SA’s, while NA’s favor Star Trek.
Q31: What is your favorite all-time geek or sci-fi TV show?
40

41. The most badass superhero?
Batman 20% 19%
Don’t know 16% 13%
Wolverine 12% 13%
Superman 7% 8%
Iron Man 7% 9%
The Hulk 7% 5%
Spiderman 5% 5%
Captain America 4% 3% SA NA
Wonder Woman 2% 3%
None of the above 2% 6%
• Batman is the “baddest” badass. No significant difference exists between SA’s and NA’s.
Q28: Who is the most ‘badass’ superhero of all time? (Top 10 answers
shown.) 41

42. What’s in their cup when off duty?
Beer, Craft Beer or Beer with a Chaser Beer (any type) 33% 34%
Wine 19% 16%
Coffee 16% 18%
Soda 5% 6%
Water 5%3%
SA NA
Straight spirits 5% 4%
(Vodka, rum, scotch, whiskey, Tequila, etc.)
Mixed drink 2%5%
• The top drink of choice for both System and Network Admins is beer of some type when relaxing.
• Wine trails in second place.
Q30: What is your usual beverage of choice when you’re relaxing? 42

43. How they spend their vacations...
Spending time with family 19% 14%
Hitting the beach 17% 15%
Cultural destination 11% 10%
City vacation 10% 17%
Cruising 8% 8%
Hiking/camping destination 6% 7%
Spa/spa resort 5% 5%
Geek convention/gathering 4% 3% SA NA
Other 4% 6%
Staycation 2% 2%
• Spending time with the family, hitting the beach, and cultural trips are the ways in which both Sys and Net admins take their
holidays.
• A city destination is preferred by Netadmins.
Q32: What is your ideal vacation? (Top 10 shown.)
43

44. What wheels they’re driving
Compact car 39% 34%
Classic car 12% 14%
Sports car 9% 9%
Minivan or station wagon 7% 5%
SUV 6% 9%
Bicycle 6% 9%
SA NA
Motorcycle 3% 2%
1%
1%
Truck
• Most System and Network admins cruise around in compact or classic cars.
Q36: What class of vehicle you most drive on a regular basis? (3% or more)
44

45. Top tunes
22%
19%
16%
15%
SA NA
10% 10%
9%
8%
7% 7% 7% 7%
6% 6%
5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5%
4% 4%
3% 3% 3%
2% 2% 2%
• Rock rocks, especially among SA’s! But house, new age, funk and techno fall on deaf ears. For the most part, NA’s and SA’s
like the same types of music.
Q33: What is your favorite type of music? 45

46. What kind of person are you? (Page 1 of 3)
53% 52% 51% SA NA
51%
47%
41% 40% 39% 38%
34% 35% 34% 34%
31% 30% 30% 29%
27% 28% 27%
Friendly Hard-working Compassionate Fun-loving Funny Intellectual Homebody Smart Adventurous Leader
• Sysadmins and Netadmins see themselves as friendly and hardworking.
• SA’s perceive themselves differently than NA’s on many traits:
• Being compassionate (very strong difference)
• Fun-loving
• Sarcastic
• Upbeat
• Frugal
• Average Joe/Jane and a bit more boring.
(Please see following two charts for supporting data).
Q39. Please rate each of the following personality traits in terms of how well each
describes you. (Results based on “Describes me completely.”) 46

47. What kind of person are you? (Page 2 of 3)
SA NA
30%
28%28%
26%
25%25%
24% 24%24% 24%
23% 23%
19%
18% 18% 18%
17% 17% 17%
16%
14%
13%
Q39: Please rate each of the following personality traits in terms of how well each
describes you. (Results based on “Describes me completely.”)
47

48. What kind of person are you? (Page 3 of 3)
SA NA
29%
28%
21%
20%
19%
18%
17%
16%
15% 15%
14% 14% 14%
13% 13%
12%
11%
10%
8% 8%
Cyncial Quirky Feminine Life of the Dark Tough/Rugged Off center Metro Sexual Boring Snobbish
party
Q39 Please rate each of the following personality traits in terms of how well each
describes you. (Results based on “Describes me completely.”)
48

49. DEMOGRAPHICS OF
SURVEY RESPONDANTS
49

50. Gender
68%
62%
SA NA
38%
32%
Male Female
• No gender difference exists between the two job functions but the profession as a whole is two-thirds male.
50

51. Number of employees
36% SA NA
28%
21%
16%
13% 13% 13% 13%
10%
9%
7% 7% 7% 7%
Less than 100 Between 100 and 200 Over 200 up to 400 Over 400 up to 600 Over 600 up to 1000 1,000 up to 4,000 More than 4,000
employees
• A good mix of company size in terms of number of employees was obtained.
• Nevertheless, Systems administrators are more likely to work in larger companies.
• Network administrators are more likely to work for smaller companies.
51

52. Company revenue
SA NA 27%
21%
17%
15% 15%
14%
10% 10% 10% 10%
9% 9%
7%
6% 6%
4%
Under 1 million Between 1 million Over 5 million to Over 10 million to Over 50 million to Over 100 million Over 500 million Don’t know
and 5 million 10 million 50 million 100 million to 500 million
•A good mix of company size in terms of revenue was obtained. Systems administrators are more likely to be unsure about how
much revenue their company earns.
52

53. Age
37%
35%
SA NA
30% 30%
24%
22%
15%
10%
18-34 35-44 45-54 55+
• Although the profession contains a wide spread of ages, SA’s are more likely to be 55 and older.
53

54. Marital status
57% 57%
SA NA
19% 19%
17%
13%
7%
5%
2% 2%
Married Divorced Widowed Single/never married Living with a
significant other
• No difference exists between the two job functions – the largest proportion of people are married.
54

55. Years in technology field
SA NA 47%
49%
30% 31%
23%
20%
Up to 5 years Between 5 and 10 years Over 10 years
• Nearly one-half have over 10 years of experience.
• NAs are more experienced.
55

56. Highest level of education
SA NA
54%
52%
28%
24% 25%
17%
Some college or less College graduate Post graduate studies (with or without
degree)
• The majority are college graduates. Net admins are more likely to be a bit more educated.
56

57. Years as a sysadmin/netadmin
SA NA
26%
25%
22% 22%
21%
19%
18%
12%
11% 11%
7%
6%
Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years Over 3-5 years Over 5-8 years Over 8-10 years Over 10 years
• In general Net admins have been in their role longer than System Admins.
57

58. Annual income
41%
38% SA NA
35%
30%
26%
22%
Up to 35,000 Pounds 36,000 to 55,000 Pounds 56,000 Pounds or more
• Average Income: System admins: 47.4 K Pounds ($ 77.7K) Network admins: 50.3K Pounds ($82.5K)
58

59. Visit www.solarwinds.com for
more information
59

60. Additional analysis
60

61. One activity liked most in free time:
Spontaneous responses
• SA’s and NA’s have a wide variety of interests. On a spontaneous basis, both provided fairly similar responses: reading, spending
time with family and friends, watching or participating in sports (especially football [soccer]), taking walks and socializing in general.
Q22: Total: What is the one activity that you most like to do in your free time
for fun? (Open end) 61

62. Website visited most frequently for job-related issues
Spontaneous responses
• About 30% of both groups use Google to seek information for work-related issues. However, we have excluded it from this
wordle in order for other popular websites to be viewed.
Q34. Website visit most for job
62

63. Website visited most frequently in free time
Spontaneous responses
• SA’s and NA’s consistently visit a handful of websites in their free time. The most popular ones are:
Facebook,, Google, BBC, Amazon, EBay, Yahoo and YouTube.
Q35. Website visited most in free time
63

64. Most prized possession
Spontaneous responses
• SA’s and NA’s feel that their most prized possessions are their families (children, wife, grandchildren), pets, their homes, cars
and their computers/laptops, along with their iPads and iPhones.
Q40. Most prized possession
64

65. Job title
Spontaneous responses
• Spontaneously, titles were consistent to the descriptions for the survey qualification criteria. System Administrator and Network
Administrator were frequently mentioned as specific titles. IT Manager was mentioned quite often.
• Other titles mentioned with some degree of frequency were: IT Engineer, IT Consultant, Director, Manager and Analyst.
Q45. Job title
65