System analyst: who he is, how to become one and how much he earns

The IT systems engineer (more often just called a systems engineer) is the professional who is responsible for designing, installing, configuring, and updating a company’s computer system.

Sometimes confused with the programmer, his is actually a different role: the programmer specializes in programming and managing software, while the systems engineer is responsible for installing hardware and maintaining it.

What does the computer systems engineer do

The systems engineer is called upon to design a company’s network system, and to keep it functioning and secure so as to limit work interruptions. This includes system maintenance and configuration, installation and troubleshooting of hardware and software, and evaluation of new technologies that can be applied in the company.

However, the job responsibilities of the IT systems engineer vary greatly depending on the context in which he or she works. In larger companies, it is possible to find data center systems analysts, server systems analysts, database systems analysts, and computer network systems analysts; in smaller companies, however, there is usually a single systems analyst who fills all the roles.

The duties of the systems engineer may include:

• The design of the enterprise information system;
• management of Windows, Linux or Mac systems;
• The updating, installation, and configuration of application software and computer hardware;
• troubleshooting and technical support to workers;
• The creation and management of system permissions and user accounts;
• The execution of security tests;
• maintenance of networks;
• data backups;
• The design of data recovery mechanisms in case of failure or hacker attacks.

Some companies use the system administrator (systems engineer) and network administrator interchangeably because of the many overlapping responsibilities. However, technically there is a difference:system administration focuses on servers and computer systems, while network administrators work more specifically with network-related tasks and equipment, such as setting up routing, IP addresses, and maintaining LANs. Many job ads target professionals who can fill both roles.

How to become a computer systems engineer

To become a computer systems engineer, it is advisable to obtain a diploma in computer science, preferably followed by a degree in computer engineering, computer science, or electrical engineering.

However, many professionals, even without a specific degree, learn the trade through courses organized by Cisco, Linux and Microsoft.

What makes the difference when working as an IT systems engineer isexperience andtraining. Indeed, the IT world is changing rapidly, and the system administrator needs to know in detail its evolutions and revolutions. A knowledge, this, that he can only come to through a willingness to get involved and learn.

The other skills and abilities that a systems engineer must possess are:

• Thorough knowledge of operating systems;
• familiarity with the hardware world: the operation of physical devices, such as servers or printers, is an important part of the systems engineer’s job;
• Cloud computing skills (Office 365, Google Cloud Platform, AWS);
• knowledge of networks: the systems engineer is often called upon to configure and maintain local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), firewalls, and security systems;
• Communication and interpersonal skills, essential for working in teams and providing support to workers.

A systems engineer’s salary in Italy is about €24,000 a year. As experience increases, however, it is possible to exceed 35,000 €.

System analyst, the future of the profession

The profession of the systems engineer is increasingly oriented toward so-called “System Integration.”

The System Integrator is a systems engineer who determines which network resources to build the computer system with, intervening in its design and in the implementation of the internal architecture of the network. And with the goal of an always-performing network, he takes care of routine network maintenance and troubleshooting problems that may arise, coordinating the entire work team.

In addition, the System Integrator is expected to design and manage intranets, integrating them with the Internet, so he or she must have a thorough knowledge of the most widely used databases, TCP/IP protocol, Web services, monitoring systems, firewalls, and procedures for configuring client-server architectures.

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