A Database Administrator, also known as a database analyst or database developer, is an IT professional who manages information that is typically critical to the success of an organization. This data oversight includes knowing which data to store, how to organize that data, how to secure and preserve that data, and how to provide that data in such a way as to answer pressing business questions.
Duties of a database administrator include the installation, performance and maintenance of a database management system, proficiency with SQL (Structured Query Language), planning the structure and design of a database through tools such as an entity relationship diagram, the creation of databases and database objects such as tables and views, database security, and the creation of interfaces and reports to input and view the data respectively. Database administration is a highly technical role. A good understanding of operating systems and networking is a big asset, as well as the ability to program. However, strong interpersonal skills are also important, especially when it comes time to understand and then translate the business needs of an organization into a database system. In addition, a strong business sense is critical; namely, the ability to map the work flow and related information flow of an organization to a database. A person who has a knack with this task has a long and promising career ahead.
A person may consider entering this field after attaining a Computer Science or Computer Engineering university degree or a one or two year computer diploma from a local technical institute. However, some database administrators are quite proficient without this recommended educational background or with, instead, a business-related educational background. Either way, at least some dedicated training and certification in a leading relational database is recommended. A high level of attention to detail, and the ability to translate business concepts into the data realm are key success factors for a database administrator.
A database administrator, as he or she gains experience, generally has an increasing number of work opportunities, both within the same organization and from other organizations. In time, many database administrators move into more critical and higher paying roles such as a data warehouse specialist and data-mining expert, while others will choose a path leading towards IT management.
Salary information is so dependent on an IT professional's particular skill set, experience and geographic location. However, talented application developers can attain salaries approaching $70,000 USD or much higher.
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Information Security Specialist
An Information Security Specialist, also known as an information security engineer, or security administrator, is an IT professional who designs and manages an organization's security infrastructure. This includes choosing the network hardware and network operating systems, locking down those systems, and staying focused on possible weaknesses in those systems and hardening them as appropriate. Duties of an information security specialist include the analysis of an organization's security risks and requirements, rating the importance of a company's products and services, and the related design, implementation and maintenance of the security infrastructure to protect the business from security breaches. This role has overlap with that of a network engineer but is higher level in that it is a more specialized role. A very good understanding of networking, both hardware and operating systems, and the web is critical. As the old saying goes, bank tellers don't spend as much time learning about counterfeits as they do with knowing the real thing, the same applies to security specialists: they must have an intimate knowledge of their systems in order to best know their weaknesses and how to overcome those weaknesses. As well, strong interpersonal skills are also important, as security specialist must be able to convey to management the security risks, as well as be able to keep close tabs of newly discovered holes in their systems. They likely work in a team with other more and less qualified security staff and so must be able to communicate both up and down the chain of command. A person may consider entering this field after attaining a Computer Science or Computer Engineering university degree or a one or two year computer diploma from a local technical institute. However, some information security specialists may also have a technically related MBA degree. Either way, a lot of dedicated training and related certification in one or more leading network operating systems is highly recommended as is training and certification on network equipment and protocols. Optimally, security specific certification should be pursued. As well, this person should be proactive when it comes to applying security patches and the like but should also be prudent by being in the habit of ensuring that patches are first tried out in a test environment and by ensuring that data backup and disaster recovery plans are in place and followed as required. Candidates for this job role should also be exceptional troubleshooters in order to help them discern between security breaches and more innocent technical bugs. An information security specialist often starts out as a network engineer and may move on to more specialized roles within the security or educational realm, such as information security architect, or else move towards IT management. Whichever path they take, these professionals tend to be at the high end of the IT pay scale. Salary information is so dependent on an IT professional's particular skill set, experience and geographic location. However, experienced information security specialists can attain salaries of $70,000 or $80,000 USD or higher. |