Parker Davis

Business 1010

Term Project Paper

I selected a Network Administrator as my job to research. I chose this career because I

know a few different people in the field that seem to really love what they do and are well

compensated for it. There is a very bright future in the industry as technology becomes an

increasingly large part of today’s companies. We are seeing more and more integration of

advanced technology into every day procedures and with that comes the need for someone to

manage the way that technology communicates and is used with the company network.

Job Description

Network Administration has ties to many different components of the IT department.

They are responsible for the overall performance and security of a company’s network and

databases. I chose to focus on a position at a construction firm and the challenges faced in the

industry. I will list some of their responsibilities and expound on them below:

• One common responsibility of network admins is resolving technical problems that

cannot be handled by a tier 1 or tier 2 tech support employee. These can range from

hardware malfunctions to system failures that can impede job performance.

Configuring firewalls to provide a high quality of service as well as security on a job site.

In this case this requires working with the internet service provider to supply a secure

connection for all employees on the job site. The complications that arose were that any

and all subcontractors used were going to be using the same connection on site, which
 could slow down production if the subs used too much bandwidth. The firewall was

designed to provide a way to throttle back connection speed for anyone not directly

employed by the construction firm. This means that you have to configure the IP

address on the WAN (wide access network) interface, (Microsoft, "Configure the remote

access Server Configuration Option", 2018) of the company to allow remote alterations.

Then you will need to three separate LAN (local access network) interfaces with

separate subnets to ensure network segmentation to implement security between the

separate networks. Taking these steps will allow you to stop any unwanted interaction

between these networks to prevent breaches in your network.

• Creating user account credentials for new employees. This means figuring out what

permission and access they need in order to perform their job. If they have too much

access to information they could potentially be a threat to the company. Credentials

also must be job specific so that they provide adequate security for the level of sensitive

information that job has access to. For example; and HR representative must have a

more difficult password to protect employees' information as opposed to a receptionist

who only has to protect company related emails or appointments.

• Removing employee network access upon termination of an employee. This could

potentially be a very dangerous situation for a company if a disgruntled ex-employee

were to use sensitive company information to undermine business or even to cause

damage to company assets. Not only does access have to be revoked, but the

information regarding the employee needs to be removed from databases on a certain

 date to ensure there is no confusion among employees that were not involved with the

termination.

Replication of folders. Users in the offices use network folders to access company

information and are able to coordinate through the network. On job sites, there is still a

need for accurate, up to date information. This is achieved through an onsite server

(Microsoft, "Configure the remote access Server Configuration Option", 2018)

with a copy of files that are updated nightly. This means that any changes made on an

onsite server will be updated to the network in the offices to allow a seamless transition

of information.

• In the case of litigation, emails will need to be recovered going back to a certain date.

These emails have to be copied and can sometimes be an enormous amount. This

process takes time as there are often limitations to how much a server can process

within a given time period.

• Security and Malware need to be updated and installed regularly to prevent a loss of

company assets. An example would be the current surfacing of ‘ransomware’ which is a

virus that can tie up company data or funds that can only be unlocked by paying a

predetermined amount of money. These types of losses can be prevented with the right

precautions and security measures.

Updating security equipment such as cameras, badges, scanners and more. One

example is updating from a DVR system to an IP based camera system to allow real time

streaming of surveillance footage. (Cullen, "The Key Advantages of IP-based CCTV

Surveillance System", 2013)

 • Integrate a common scheduling system to help coordinate meetings and trainings

throughout the company. This often requires scheduling of rooms, equipment, and

technology dedicated to that time frame.

General Career Path / Education Requirements

• Major in a computer related degree such as computer science, network administration,

or information systems.

• After Bachelor’s degree there is normally 4-5 years of experience needed for job.

• A good starting point is desktop support or IT manager to help you move forward and

become a tier 1 and tier 2 support technician.

• Network admin depends on availability. Increasing demand to have admins to provide

support for new technologies.

• 40-50 separate and possible certifications available.

• Most common would be CompTIA A+, Security +, Network +, CCNA (cisco certified

network administration), and Microsoft certified security expert MCSE being the most

common.

Average Salary

The average Salary for a Network Engineer in Utah is about $70,000 a year. This number

fluctuates based on the company’s needs, amount of experience, and also level of education.

Every state varies and there are some that pay a lot more than others, but one thing is certain,

with more experience comes more compensation. This career has a positive trend in pay raise

in relation to experience which means the longer you are in the field, the better your paycheck

will look. I couldn’t find an author for this site, but here is a link to a great website with some
information on trends in this career. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2018, from

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Network_Engineer/Salary

Career Outlook

This career is one that hasn’t been as important in the past, but due to the increase in

technology being used in corporate America today it will be seeing a lot of growth. This field has

a lot of potential growth and technology continues to advance and improve. I think this will be a

great fit for me as I love to continue learning, especially about hands on things like this.

Something wear I have control over how something is running and the solution to problems. It

seems that with the education tools available, the sky is the limit with this field.

Bio of Quint Spencer

I don’t want to give too much detail into his life as he is a close friend of mine who

wishes to have his privacy. He has permitted me to share his story on becoming the sole

network engineer for his construction firm. Quint started out as an 18-year-old intern for the

company and was just kind of doing the grunt work day in and day out. What he found while

doing all of this work was that he was learning a lot and really quickly. He kept his ear to the

ground and realized he could make more money just by getting a few certifications. Quint

found that CompTIA was his ticket to a better life and started cranking away on the books to

learn his trade. Once he received his A+ certification he was quickly moved up the chain to a

tier 1 technician. After gaining some experience for a few years he then got his Network+

certification and moved to Phoenix Arizona to start his real career. He was slowly moved up to

a Network architect and continued to show ambition for more. Quint then decided he would

get his Security+ certification which qualified him for his most recent promotion to Network
Administrator. He has found that the pay he receives and the amount work he does allows him

to live the lifestyle he wants while still continuing to grow. I have removed some of the more

personal information and experiences to help keep him and his company protected from any

backfire. What I can say is that this career came a lot faster for him than for most, but it was not

without his fair share of hardship and struggle to achieve his goals.

Pros and Cons

Pros of this career are the enormous possibilities and advancements to come. There are

flexible hours and different forms of telecommuting that allow for a unique work/life balance.

This career can potentially offer a large salary if you are qualified and bring different skills to

your company. Cons of this career are that there isn’t a lot of physical activity so staying in

shape is a problem for most people. It can be a very high stress job at times. There is a lot of

room for error and it can be stressful knowing that down the road you could potentially cost

your company a lot of money. If there is a network breach, you could work extremely long

hours trying to find the breach and solve the problem.

My Fit

My fit in this field is a little different. I chose this field because of the ability you have to

advance your situation with education. It isn’t a time framed degree program, but rather a test

to confirm you know what you’re doing. I like that there is an independent aspect to your

success and that you are constantly pushing yourself. I have been a fixer and a problem solver

my whole life, so I think that getting paid to do that would be something I could really enjoy. I

do worry about the possibility of long hours and potential breaches, but I think that as long as I

am able to take my time and put y stamp of approval on my work I will be happy. The career
seems like it will allow me the freedom to move around if needed so that I am able to find the

right fit and not just be locked in to one role which is important to me. (Savage, "The Changing

Role Of The Network Engineer", 2016) I like to constantly improve, and I need some form of

progression at all times.

 Sources

1. CompTIA A. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2018, from

https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/a

2. Cullen, J. (2013, December 16). The Key Advantages of IP-based CCTV Surveillance

System. Retrieved April 24, 2018, from https://advanced-television.com/2013/12/16/the-

key-advantages-of-ip-based-cctv-surveillance-system/

3. M. (2018). Configuring a WAN Connection. Retrieved April 24, 2018, from

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd252824.aspx

4. M. (2018). Configure the remote access Server Configuration Option. Retrieved April 24,

2018, from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/configure-

windows/configure-the-remote-access-server-configuration-option?view=sql-server-2017

5. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2018, from

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Network_Engineer/Salary

6. Savage, M. (2016, May 06). The Changing Role Of The Network Engineer. Retrieved

April 24, 2018, from https://www.networkcomputing.com/careers/changing-role-

network-engineer/867618789

7. Quint Spencer: Interview conducted on April 13th, 2018.