Network management, security, and maintenance

After examining how networks are structured and how devices communicate with one another, we can introduce a very important professional role: the network administrator.

A network administrator is responsible for designing, configuring, monitoring, and maintaining a computer network (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).
Their main responsibility is to ensure that computers, servers, printers, access points, switches, routers, and other devices can communicate correctly with one another and, when necessary, with the Internet (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).

In a school, company, or office, the network administrator is primarily responsible for the structure of the local network. 
For example, they decide how to connect the various devices, where to place switches, how to configure Wi-Fi access points, and how to organize the different areas of the network.

One of the network administrator’s main tasks is configuring network equipment U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). 
This equipment may include routers, switches, firewalls, access points, and servers. 
Each device must be configured correctly to perform its function:

The network administrator is also responsible for network addressing.
Every connected device must have the information required to communicate (Droms, 1997).

Another important task is managing users and permissions.
In a school or company network, not everyone should have access to the same resources.
For example, students might have access to the Internet and certain shared folders, while teachers or administrative staff might have access to different services. The network administrator must therefore configure accounts, groups, permissions, and access policies (Joint Task Force, 2020).

Security is a fundamental part of the job.
The administrator must protect the network from unauthorized access, malware, incorrect configurations, and risky behavior (Pascoe et al., 2024).
For this purpose, they may configure firewalls, strong passwords, secure Wi-Fi networks, system updates, backups, antivirus software, monitoring systems, and rules that restrict access to specific services (Joint Task Force, 2020; Scarfone & Hoffman, 2009; Souppaya & Scarfone, 2022).

A network administrator must also monitor the operation of the network (Dempsey et al., 2011).
This means checking whether devices are reachable, whether the Internet connection is working, whether there are slowdowns, whether a server is unresponsive, or whether an access point has too many connected devices.
Monitoring helps identify problems before they become serious and allows the administrator to respond quickly when something stops working (Dempsey et al., 2011).

When a problem occurs, the network administrator performs troubleshooting, which involves diagnosing and resolving faults (Nelson et al., 2025).
For example, if a computer cannot access the Internet, the administrator must determine whether the problem involves the computer, cable, switch, Wi-Fi connection, router, firewall, ISP connection, or something else.
Solving a network problem therefore requires following a logical procedure and checking one component at a time.

The network administrator is also responsible for maintenance.
This includes updating software and firmware, replacing faulty equipment, documenting configurations, checking backups, evaluating performance, and planning possible network expansions (Souppaya & Scarfone, 2022).
A network is not something that is configured only once: it must be monitored and updated over time (Pascoe et al., 2024).

In some organizations, the network administrator is also responsible for dividing the network into separate areas.
For example, in a school it may be useful to separate the students’ network from the teachers’ network, the administrative offices’ network from the guest network, or the laboratory network from the server network.
This separation improves organization, security, and traffic control (Joint Task Force, 2020; Scarfone & Hoffman, 2009).

The work of a network administrator therefore requires both technical expertise and organizational skills (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).
Knowing how to connect cables or configure a router is not enough: the administrator must also document decisions, prevent problems, communicate with users, and find solutions suited to the specific context (Pascoe et al., 2024; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).