Definition: system administrator

A person who manages the computer systems in an organization. The responsibilities of a system administrator and network administrator often overlap. However, the system administrator is more geared to the computer hardware and less on the network, although in small companies, system and network administrators are one and the same.

A system administrator is involved with OS and hardware installations and configurations and may be involved with application installations and upgrades. A system administrator may also perform systems programmer activities. See network administrator, systems programmer, software technician, system development life cycle, job descriptions and salary survey.