Guidelines and guidance about hiring competent system administrators who can keep your server environment secure.
Appendix VI: Hiring Criteria
System administration is a widely varied task. The best systems administrators are generalists, combining technical knowledge, problem-solving ability, and interpersonal skills to support the goals of the department or group. The specific mix of skills and experience is dependent of the technology, size, and complexity of the systems being managed. The general criteria listed below can serve as a starting point for developing a department-specific set of criteria.
- Knowledge and experience with the hardware platforms used in the department.
- Solid understanding of the server operating system, including installation and configuration, network access, file management, and basic security provisions.
- Comfortable with most aspects of system administration, for example creation and maintenance of accounts, installation of applications, setup of network printers, and use of basic system administration tools and processes.
- Familiarity of fundamental network concepts and protocols, particularly TCP/IP
- Basic understanding of the common security threats faced by any Internet-connected organization.
- Strong inter-personal and communication skills, capable of interacting positively with users, management, and other IT professionals and groups, such as ITC. Ability to prioritize tasks and engage in independent problem solving
- Knowledge of backup technologies and procedure.
- Ability to identify tasks that require automation and implement automated solutions.
For additional information on the role of system administrators, particularly in a Unix/Linux environment, see The System Administrators Guild site.