A wide-ranging survey of Australia systems administrators that captures the rapidly evolving nature of the sysadmin role and their thoughts on life inside and outside of the workplace in October 2013.

1. Sysadmin Revealed
A look at the attitudes and preferences of Australian
systems administrators
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2. Study overview: Who are systems administrators?
» SolarWinds set out to measure the rapidly evolving
nature of the systems administrators in Australia
» We captured their thoughts on life inside and
outside of the workplace to understand who they
are and what drives them
» 410 Australian Sysadmins took part in the survey
conducted by RedShift Research in October 2012
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3. PROFESSIONAL LIFE
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4. How the job is changing...
There is more responsibility and demands on my time 24% 62%
There is more pressure 23% 57%
I am spending more time on the job 22% 55%
There is more complexity in the systems I manage 19% 65%
I am doing more with less 19% 61%
The software used to manage IT systems is more expensive 18% 64%
The software used to manage IT systems is more complex 17% 62%
There are more career paths to pursue /more specialization 16% 60%
I have been adequately trained in the latest technology skills to do… 14% 57%
I feel more satisfied in my career 12% 59%
There is more incentive to perform my best 11% 48%
There are more resources to do my job 10% 53%
Strongly agree Somewhat agree
Most people agree that there is more pressure and that they are taking on more
responsibility and facing greater demands on their time. 71% are more satisfied in
their careers now.
Q15: How much do you agree or disagree with each
statement in terms of how the system/network admin
career has changed over the last 2-3 years?. (Asked;
strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat
disagree, strongly disagree. Mean scores shown. The
higher the number the greater the agreement with the 4

5. Key Job Frustrations
Too little pay 20%
Too much to do 15%
Not enough budget 13%
Increasing workload/responsibilities 12%
Job is not challenging enough 11%
Lack of appreciation from users/company 10%
Little control over what I work on 7%
Not enough autonomy 4%
Don't Know 6%
Inadequate pay, too much to do and budget constraints represent key points of
frustration.
Q7: Please rank your top three most frustrating challenges in order of
level of frustration - 1ST MOST FRUSTRATING
5

6. What Sysadmins enjoy most about their work...
Solving problems 72%
Helping users 58%
Thinking on my feet 49%
Making a contribution to the organization 44%
Getting to work with new technologies 41%
Having a unique set of skills/capabilities few or no 32%
others have in the organization
Completing daily systems tasks 26%
Designing or planning new solutions 24%
Driving innovation in the company 23%
Evaluating software solutions 22%
Other 3%
Solving problems, helping users and having to think on your feet are the most
enjoyable aspects of the profession
Q12: Please select all of the items that you enjoy a lot
about being a systems /network administrator.
6

7. The single most enjoyable thing about the profession...
Solving problems 23%
Helping users 15%
Making a contribution to the organization 10%
Thinking on my feet 9%
Getting to work with new technologies 9%
Designing or planning new solutions 9%
Having a unique set of skills/capabilities few or no 7%
others have in the organization
Completing daily systems tasks 7%
Driving innovation in the company 6%
Evaluating software solutions 3%
Other aspect not listed above: 2%
The challenge of problem solving is most likely to be identified as the most
enjoyable aspect of the job, although a significant minority would also identify with
helping users.
Q13: Which of these do you enjoy most about being a systems administrator?
(One response only)
7

8. Job satisfaction & recognition
48%
40%
34% 37%
13% 13%
10%
4%
Not enjoyable Somewhat Enjoyable Highly Not Somewhat Appreciated Highly
at all enjoyable enjoyable appreciated at appreciated appreciated
all
Most people find their jobs enjoyable to at least some extent and most feel they
are at least somewhat appreciated. Although, only one in eight describes their
job as highly enjoyable & feel highly appreciated.
Q9: All things considered, how enjoyable is your job?
Q10: Do you feel appreciated for the job that you do by the company in general?
8

9. How Sysadmins feel about their employers...
Our systems are more reliable and efficient than in 61% 18%
the past
I trust the leadership of the IT department at my 61% 18%
company
Our IT department is in a better position than the 59% 12%
past year
I trust the senior/executive leadership of the 56% 18%
company
Most of the company doesn’t understand what I 56% 15%
do/the value I bring
I feel 2013 will be a growth year for my company 56% 14%
Somewhat agree Strongly agree
Most people feel fairly positive about their workplace. However, 71% worry that
the technical nature of their work is not easily understood by most people in their
business.
Q18:Please rate the following sentences based on how much you agree or
disagree (the higher the number, the more people agree with the statement) .
9

10. How often do Sysadmins change jobs?
27%
25%
24%
12%
11%
Every 1-2 years Every 3-5 years Every 5-10 years More than 10 years Never changed jobs
39% rarely or never change jobs, having worked in the same place for 10 years or
more
Q37: How often do you change jobs?
10

11. Why they change jobs...
20% 20%
17%
13%
11%
8%
7%
5%
more challenging role of careerFor a pay raise more satisfying role laid off For a promotion company is unstable
Change For a I was Current Lack of overall support in curre
The main reason for changing is for more money or a more challenging role or a
career change
Q38: What was the last reason that made you change your
job?
11

12. 2013 Budget Predictions
37%
18%
12% 11%
8% 8%
4% 3%
More than 5-10% less 1-4% less Same as 2012 1-4% more 5-10% more More than I don’t
10% less 10% more know/Im not
involved in
budgeting
Net change = -2.4% average budget decrease
(current Australian inflation rate = 2.0% as at Q3 2012)
Q8: Do you anticipate your department will have
more, less, or the same budget in 2013? (Please select one
response)
12

13. Do they have the right resources to do the job...
Adequate tools/software and hardware 45% 13%
Adequate support from organization 39% 12%
Skilled staff/people resources 34% 13%
Adequate ongoing training and skills development 33% 14%
Adequate budget/money resources 30% 10%
Usually have access to adequate resource Always have access to adequate resource
Budgets and money are most likely to be identified as the scarcest resource (60% say that this
is not usually adequate at their organization).
However, as many as 42% are not convinced they have access to adequate
tools/software/hardware to perform effectively.
Q14: Do you feel you have the following resources you need to
adequately perform your job on a daily basis? (Asked;
always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never. Mean scores shown.
The higher the number, the higher the frequency) 13

14. Where Sysadmins go for help...
21%
18%
12%
7% 7%
6% 6%
5%
4%
3% 3% 3%
2% 2% 2%
1%
General internet searches and the advice of colleagues represent the main
sources of help for Systems Administrators
Q17: When faced with a challenging task on the job, please rank the
top three sources of information you turn to in order of importance?
Chosen 1st (top 10 shown)
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15. Out of hours working
37%
30%
16%
10%
8%
A significant and A significant but A small and A small but No amount of
unreasonable manageable reasonable unreasonable extra time, I
amount of extra amount of extra amount of extra amount of extra complete all my
time time time time tasks during
work hours
40% of people need to devote a significant amount of their free time to completing
assignments. Only 16% are able to complete all their task within normal office
hours.
Q11: Outside of your normal working hours, how much of your
free time do you use to continue working to complete your
assignments?
15

16. The average working week...
38%
34%
15%
6%
5%
2%
Under 40 40-45 45-50 50-55 55-60 More than 60
hours hours
Average working week = 43 ½ hours.
Q19:On average, how many hours do you usually work per week?
16

17. What do Sysadmins do?
Maintaining and/or operating a computer system and/or network 42%
Supervising or training computer operators 23%
Project management for systems-related projects 23%
Light programming 20%
Installing, supporting, maintaining servers or other computer… 20%
Making sure licenses for software are paid 18%
Planning for and responding to service outages or other problems 17%
Monitoring performance of the network 17%
Ensuring security for Internet connectivity 16%
Procurement of new hardware, rolling out new software installs 15%
Checking for security breaches and poor data management… 10%
Maintaining standards for server installations and applications 9%
Maintaining the disk images for new computer installs 8%
Designing and/or Installing networks 6%
Primary responsibility include the maintenance/operation of systems, supervising
or training operators and PM for systems projects along with a wide range of other
tasks
Q3: Which of the following categories describes your role in the IT
department? Please check as many as apply based on your primary
responsibilities 17

18. How much sway do Sysadmins have?
I make the final decisions for all IT matters 9%
I make the final decisions for at least some IT 3%
matters
I have a strong influence in at least some IT 11%
decisions
I have some influence in at least some IT 52%
matters
I have very little influence in the decision 19%
making process for any IT matters
I have no involvement at all in the decision 7%
making process for any IT matters
Systems Administrators may have some influence over IT decisions but more rarely
hold decision making authority.
Q4: Which of the following best describes your overall role in the IT
decision making process? (Please select only one response)
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19. SOCIAL LIFE
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20. How they spend their free time...
77%
68%
60%
49% 49% 48%
40%
32%
28%
24% 24%
21% 20% 19% 17% 16% 14% 13%
Even away from work, 60% like to spend time surfing the web, 24% play video games and 13%
even program for fun. However, 49% also love the great outdoors & 21% like to participate in
competitive sports.
Q23: Let’s say you’ve had a hard week at work, and you want to “blow
off some steam.” How often do you participate in each of the following
fun activities in this type of situation? (those done very often/usually) 20

21. Mobile gadget of choice
43%
33%
13%
7%
4%
Android iPhone Blackberry Other Windows mobile
43% have iPhones vs. 33% with Androids
Q24:For my personal Smartphone, I use a (n) 21

22. Are you a PC or a Mac?
80%
13%
5%
2%
PC Mac Open source Other
PCs dominate
Q25: I’m a…
22

23. What’s the all-time best gaming platform?
I’m not a gamer 33%
PlayStation 16%
Xbox 12%
Wii 12%
My PC 10%
Nintendo 10%
PlayStation beats Xbox and Wii.
But, surprisingly, as many as one in three are not gamers!
Q26: What is the best video game platform of all time?
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24. What’s the all-time best game?
Super Mario Bros. 25%
Other 24%
Call of Duty 20%
Tetris 19%
Space Invaders 16%
Wii 14%
The Sims 11%
PacMan/Ms. PacMan 11%
Grand Theft Auto 10%
World of Warcraft 10%
Streetfighter 8%
Lord of the Rings Online 8%
Pokemon 8%
Italian Plumbers top the list
Q27: Please select your top 3 favorite games of all time. (Those above
10% are shown)
24

25. Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie?
Lord of the Rings 24%
Star Wars 16%
The Terminator 14%
Matrix 11%
None of the above 11%
Star Trek 10%
Alien 10%
Other 3%
Gandalf Triumphs over Yoda!
Q29: What is your favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie franchise?
25

26. Favourite all-time geek/Sci-Fi show
The Big Bang Theory 26%
None of the above 15%
The X-Files 12%
Star Trek 12%
The Simpsons 8%
Family Guy 8%
Lost in Space 6%
Battlestar Galactica 4%
Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes
scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it
always has, rock crushes scissors .... But The Big Bang Theory wins overall ....
Q31: What is your favorite all-time geek or Sci-Fi TV show?
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27. The most Badass Superhero?
Don’t Know 18%
Wolverine 15%
Batman 13%
Superman 13%
The Hulk 8%
Wonder Woman 6%
None of the above 6%
Spiderman 5%
Iron Man 4%
Black Widow 3%
The Australian Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) edges ahead of Batman and Superman
Q28: Who is the most ‘badass’ superhero of all time? (top 10 answers
shown) 27

28. Favourite Beverage
Coffee 21%
Wine 19%
Beer (Craft) 11%
Beer (Macro like Bud/Bud 9%
Light, Coors, Corona, etc.)
Water 7%
Straight spirits 7%
(Vodka, rum, scotch, whiskey, Tequila, etc.)
Champagne 7%
Soda 6%
Mixed drink 5%
Coffee is the preferred beverage, just ahead of wine
Q30: What is your usual beverage of choice when you’re relaxing?
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29. How do they like to spend their holidays?
Spending time with family 19%
Cruising 16%
Hitting the beach 11%
Cultural destination 10%
Spa/Spa Resort 10%
Hiking/camping destination 8%
City vacation 5%
Other 4%
Retreating to my man/woman cave 3%
Adrenaline sports 3%
Staycation 3%
Spending time with the family and cruising top the list
Q32: What is your ideal vacation? (top 10 shown)
29

30. Favourite Tunes...
17%
15%
10% 10% 10%
9% 9%
8%
6%
4%
3%
2%
1% 1%
Pop is top! Rock comes a close second.
But New Age, Techno and Funk fall on deaf ears.
Q33: What is your favorite type of music?
30

31. What wheels are they driving?
Compact car 27%
Classic car 19%
SUV 18%
Sports car 9%
I don't own a vehicle 7%
Other 6%
Minivan or station wagon 4%
Batmobile 4%
Bicycle 2%
Motorcycle 2%
USS Enterprise I 1%
Truck 1%
Compact Cars are the most popular choice. But more people ride a Batmobile than
a motorcycle!
Q34: What class of vehicle do you most drive on a regular basis?
31

32. What kind of person are you?
55%
49%
44%
38%
34% 33%
31% 31%
27%
25%
Hard-working Friendly Compassionate Fun-loving Intellectual Homebody Funny Smart Meticulous Leader
Systems Admin people see themselves as friendly, hardworking and compassionate
but are less likely to see themselves as leaders
Q39 Please rate each of the following personality traits in terms of
how well each describes you (“describes me completely”)
32

33. DEMOGRAPHICS OF SURVEY
RESPONDNTS
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34. Gender
53%
47%
Male Female
Are you...?
34

35. Age
16%
14% 14%
13%
12% 12%
11%
7%
2%
22-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65 and older
The profession contains an even mix of experience and youth from 22 to 59
What is your age?
35

36. Marital status
58%
16%
13%
10%
3%
Married Divorced Widowed Single/never married Living with a
significant other
Which of the following best describes your current marital
status?
36

37. Years in the technology field
40%
20%
15%
12%
10%
4%
Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years Over 3 years to 5 Over 5 years to 8 Over 8 years to 10 Over 10 years
years years years
Half the profession has more than 8 years experience in technology
How many years have you been in the technology field?
37

38. Highest level of education achieved
35%
14% 14%
11% 11%
8%
6%
2%
Post graduate Post graduate A bachelor’s An associate’s A vocational Some college Completed Some high
study with a studies degree degree or certificate high school school or less
degree without a program after
(PHD, etc) degree high school
60% are educated to full degree level or beyond
Which of the following categories best represents the highest
level of education that you achieved?
38

39. Years as a Sysadmin
33%
22%
15%
13%
10%
7%
Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years Over 3 years to 5 Over 5 years to 8 Over 8 years to 10 Over 10 years
years years years
Nearly half have been Systems Administrators for less than 3 years
How many years have you been a Systems Administrator?
39

40. Annual income before taxes
Refused 10%
Over 200,000 1%
151,000 to 200,000 4%
121,000 to 150,000 7%
111,000 to 120,000 5%
96,000 to 110,000 11%
86,000 to 95,000 8%
76,000 to 85,000 10%
66,000 to 75,000 11%
56,000 to 65,000 7%
46,000 to 55,000 9%
36,000 to 45,000 8%
25,000 to 35,000 4%
Under 25,000 4%
Average Income = 80,400
Which of the following categories best describes your annual income before
taxes?
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41. Visit www.solarwinds.com for
more information
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