An Overview Of Computer Systems Analyst

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Prepared for

Client

Prepared by

Steve Le

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Dear Client,

Enclosed is a copy of the report "Recommendations on Career Options". This report presents information about the two employment opportunities discussed by our client and makes recommendation about the field best suited to the client’s profile. The information presented in this report has been gathered from credible sources, ensuring that accurate information is presented to the client. The information sources also help support the recommendations we have made and will help the client to review these recommendations and take a decision based on information presented in this report. For any queries, please contact me at the address or phone number mentioned above. Thank you for reviewing this report.

Sincerely,

Steve Le

Abstract

This report analyses two career options for the client: Network Administrator and Computer Systems Analyst.

This report presents the job description, educational qualifications, skills required, remuneration and the scope of growth for each job role. The report also makes a recommendation for the Network Administrator job as best suited to the client, based on the client’s background and skills.

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Purpose, Scope, and Limitations 5

Sources and Methods 5

Report Organization 5

Network Administrator – An Overview 7

Job Description 7

Educational Qualifications 8

Skills Required 9

Remuneration 9

Scope of Growth 10

Computer Systems Analyst – An Overview 12

Job Description 12

Educational Qualifications 13

Skills Required 13

Remuneration 14

Scope of Growth 15

Conclusion and Recommendation 16

References 17

Introduction

This report presents two career options for the client and recommends one option based on the client’s profile and analysis of the options.

Purpose, Scope, and Limitations

The purpose of this report is to enable the client to make an informed choice about the career options available, based on the information presented in this report.

For each career option, the report includes information about the responsibilities, qualifications required, remuneration and scope for growth in the field.

This report only presents the career options. The final choice to pursue a career lies with the client.

Sources and Methods

The information presented in this report has been collected through online research of widely recognized and acceptable sources, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Labor Department), O Net, Robert Half Technology, IEEE, ACM and US News . The data collected covers a period of two years – from 2010 to 2012.

Report Organization

The report contains two main sections: one for the Network Administrator option and the other for the Computer Systems Analyst option. Each main section includes the following sub-sections:

Job Description

Educational Qualifications

Skills Required

Remuneration

Scope of Growth

The report also includes a conclusion and a recommendation for the option most appropriate for the client, based on the information about each career option and the client’s profile.

Network Administrator – An Overview

Network Administrators are responsible for the operation of an organization’s computer networks. They organize, install, and support an organization’s computer systems and networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), network segments, intranets, and other data communication systems ("Occupational outlook handbook," 2012-13, US Department of Labor).

Network Administrators also manage an organization’s servers to ensure that emails and data storage networks are working efficiently. They are also responsible for the functioning of the employee desktops. It is their job to see that all desktops are connected to the central computer network and have the required security policies applied.

Job Description

Responsibilities of a Network Administrator include:

Determining an organization’s network needs

Designing and planning the network model to meet the organization’s needs

Communicating the networking requirements to network architects

Determining the hardware and software required to meet the organization’s networking needs

Installing and configuring network hardware and software

Setting up network access and usage policies as per the organization’s requirements

Testing network and associated hardware and software

Troubleshooting networking issues

Monitoring the network and providing maintenance to ensure its availability to all users

Monitoring the organization’s websites to ensure they stay online and are accessible

Repairing or upgrading networking and equipment as required

Implementing and maintaining network security measures, such as virus protection

Creating disaster recovery plans and data back-ups

Performing data recovery after disasters

Collecting data to evaluate network performance and determining ways to improve it

Training users on network usage and policies

Educational Qualifications

Most organizations require a bachelor's degree in a computer or information science related field. Depending on the role, some organizations might require an associate’s degree or professional certification along with relevant work experience. Still others might accept candidates with a degree in computer engineering or electrical engineering, which includes courses in computer programming, networking, or systems design. The following are desirable or required, depending on the job description:

Certifications in specific products such as Microsoft and CISCO

Electronics

Computers application and programming

Business administration and management

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society (acm.org). ACM provides information, training and other resources such as publications and career news to aspiring or existing computer systems analysts.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society is another widely recognized society offering certifications, trainings and other resources to Network Administrators.

Skills Required

A Network Administrator should also possess the following soft-skills, apart from the required educational qualifications:

Analytical mindset: Network Administrators are required to analyze an organization’s requirements as well as troubleshoot network issues and therefore need analytical skills to determine solutions.

Problem-solving: Network Administrators have to provide resolution to issues. To help determine the cause of a problem quickly, they must have good problem-solving skills.

Communication: Network Administrators deal with most of the employees of an organization, as their work involves receiving and responding to network related issues. Therefore, they need good speaking as well as listening skills to be able to understand the issue and communicate the resolution

Multi-tasking: Since network is a key area for the efficient functioning of an organization, Network Administrators are often hard pressed for time and might have to work on multiple issues at one time. The ability to accomplish several tasks at the same time is therefore valuable.

Remuneration

Network Administrators mostly have to work full time and on site due to the critical nature of their work and might also be called upon to work overtime to resolve urgent issues. The compensation is offered accordingly.

As per the U.S. Labor Department, Network Administrators earned between $108,090 and $42,400 per annum in 2010, with a median annual wage of $69,160.

According to Robert Half Technology 2010 - 2012 IT Salary Guides, the annual wages have increased by 8.4% from 2010 to 2012.

The computer systems design and related services industries paid the highest wages. Locations where high-paying jobs are located include CT, Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, MA NECTA, Taunton-Norton-Raynham, Division, and MI, Ann Arbor. (aboutsalary.net)

Scope of Growth

Network Administrators can become team leaders for network teams and can advance to become project managers. They can also rise with experience to become directors for the IT departments of their organizations or become chief technology officers.

Currently, a majority (14%) of Network Administrators are employed with organizations that offer computer systems design and related services. Other industries, such as banking and finance, information and telecommunication, education, science and technology, manufacturing and government as well as private sector also offer employment opportunities. More industries, such as healthcare are generating employment for Network Administrators.

In 2010, there were 347,200 jobs. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (US Labor Department), jobs for Network Administrators are expected to grow 28 percent from 2010 to 2020, with 96,600 additional jobs becoming available. This is faster than the average growth rate of all other occupations.

These jobs will continue to grow as the need to have better, faster network technology grows and organizations move towards the latest technology, such as mobile networks. The growth will also be driven by rising concerns about information security and organization require more effective measures to counter security threats.

Based on salary, growth expected and job satisfaction, job ranking sites such as CNN have ranked this job among the top 25 best jobs in the U.S.

Computer Systems Analyst – An Overview

Computer Systems Analysts study an organization's existing computer systems and make recommendations to management to help the organization operate more efficiently. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both. ("Occupational outlook handbook," 2012-13, US Department of Labor)

Computer Systems Analysts also configure systems with appropriate hardware, software and network components to meet the IT-related needs of an organization.

Job Description

Responsibilities of a Computer Systems Analyst include:

Consulting with an organization’s management to determine the IT requirements that systems are expected to fulfill

Designing computer systems to meet the organization’s IT requirements

Communicating system requirements to software developers and system engineers to create systems according to the required design

Selecting the appropriate hardware, software, and network components and configuring systems with these

Adapting the existing IT set up to meet new requirements

Researching new technologies to determine whether adopting them will make the organization more efficient

Preparing cost-benefit analysis for implementation of new technologies or system upgrades

Planning the implementation of new systems

Testing existing or new systems

Troubleshooting existing or new systems

Training staff on working with or troubleshooting computer systems

Educational Qualifications

Most organizations require a bachelor's degree in a computer or information science related field. Depending on the role, some organizations might require a master’s degree in computer science. Still others might accept candidates from a liberal arts background, if the candidate has programming knowledge or experience. The following are desirable or required, depending on the job description:

Business systems analysis or masters in business administration (MBA)

Management information systems

Data modeling techniques

Information engineering

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society (acm.org). ACM provides information, training and other resources such as publications and career news to aspiring or existing computer systems analysts.

Skills Required

A Computer Systems Analyst should also possess the following soft-skills, apart from the required educational qualifications:

Analytical mindset: Since analysts are required to interpret information to carry out their tasks, such as design systems (interpret the organization’s requirements, the systems requirements) or troubleshoot (interpret the problem and solution required), they must be capable of analyzing the information to take the correct course of action.

Communication: Analysts must understand the requirements of the management and get them translated into a tangible solution in terms a computer system that functions as required. They need to be good communicators to represent the management’s requirements to software developers and engineers and to present any challenges faced by them to the management.

Innovation: Analysts need to adapt existing systems to meet new requirements or find solutions to IT problems or get funds for implementation of new technologies that will make the organization more efficient. All this requires them to be creative and provide "out of the box" options.

Collaboration: Analysts work with different departments – management, IT, finance and as well as with teams in their own department. To be able to accomplish their projects successfully, they need to have good team skills and work collaboratively.

Remuneration

Computer Systems Analysts can work as permanent employees of an organization or as consultants. Most work regular hours, often more than 40 hours a week. The compensation offered varies accordingly.

As per the U.S. Labor Department, computer systems analysts earned between $119,070 and $48,360 per annum in 2010, with a median annual wage of $77,740.

According to Robert Half Technology 2012 IT Salary Guide, the annual wages have increased by 4.6% from 2011 to 2012.

The mining and oil and gas extraction industries paid the highest wages. Locations where high-paying jobs are located include Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., metro area, Las Cruces, N.M., and Jacksonville, N.C (U.S. News).

Scope of Growth

Computer Systems Analysts can become team leaders for analyst teams and can advance to project managers. They can also rise with experience to become directors for the IT departments of their organizations or become chief technology officers.

Currently, a majority (25%) of Computer Systems Analysts are employed with organizations that offer computer systems design and related services. Other industries, such as banking and finance, information, education, science and technology, healthcare, manufacturing and government sector also offer employment opportunities. Computer Systems Analysts are also employed in the management of enterprises across the industries.

In 2010, there were 544,400 jobs. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (US Labor Department), jobs for Computer Systems Analysts are expected to grow 22 percent from 2010 to 2020, with 120, 400 additional jobs becoming available. This is faster than the average growth rate of all other occupations.

Based on salary, growth expected and job satisfaction, job ranking sites such as U.S. News, CareerCast and CNN have ranked this job among the top10 best jobs in the U.S.

Organizations offering the most number of jobs include:

General Dynamics (568 jobs)

Northrop Grumman (455 jobs)

SAIC (449 jobs)

CACI (372 jobs)

Lockheed Martin (358 jobs)

(U.S. News)

Conclusion and Recommendation

Based on the information presented in this report and the client’s profile, the Network Administrator option is found to be the most suitable for the client. The client’s educational background and work experience meets the criteria required to work as a Network Administrator.

Apart from the client’s skill set, the projected growth opportunities for this career option are good, as both the salary and the number of jobs in the future are projected to grow at a healthy rate.

Jobs for Network Administrators are projected to grow by 28% over the next 10 years, as compared to jobs for Computer Systems Analysts, which are expected to grow by 22%. The salaries for Network Administrators have also increased by 8.4% in two years since 2010. The growth is driven by increasing requirement for the services of trained Network Administrators, with industries such as healthcare generating more jobs in this field. Also, industry demands for better, faster, more secure technology have created more jobs and Network Administrators are attracting better salaries than others in IT related jobs. The salary trend and scope of growth in this field will provide the client significant monetary benefits and will minimize the risk of unemployment in the future due to economic downturn. Therefore, this report recommends the role of Network Administrator for the client.