Salary Spike For Network Managers

Money talked and hard work paid off for many IT managers this year.

The average network and security administrator earned a base salary of $60,991, and raises were 11.9 percent, according to the 1998 System Administration, Networking and Security (SANS) salary survey conducted this fall by the SANS Institute. SANS is a cooperative research and education organization with more than 60,000 members.

Experienced network administrators living in hot technology regions, those boasting a master's degree and managers with in-demand specialized skills were especially well compensated. On average, they made more money than ever in 1998.

Network security administrators also fared well, bringing home even fatter paychecks this year--12.5 percent more than their network administration colleagues.

More than 7,100 networking professionals participated in the fifth annual SANS survey.

A growing reliance on computing networks, staff-intensive Year 2000 remediation projects and hot technologies such as e-commerce, combined with the nagging shortage of various IT staffers, fueled the increasing salaries, according to the institute.

Nevertheless, although this year's numbers outpaced those in any other IT job category, they may indicate an overall softening of the economy; last year's raises averaged a whopping 14 percent.

"This year's raise average does reflect a big drop, but the 14 percent figure was an extraordinarily high number. It reflected the intersection of the explosive growth of the Internet and the business enterprise's desire to secure its interests," SANS director of research Alan Paller explains.

"With more and more companies doing business on the Internet, security concerns and network responsibilities are growing. They need the staff and expertise to make sure everything's secure," he adds.

But although some network and security staff are reaping financial benefits courtesy of Internet technologies, life isn't as fruitful for everyone in IT, recruiters say.

Many smaller and midsize companies--specifically those affected by the failing Asian economy--have put Internet-related initiatives on the back burner.

"Life really hasn't changed much for the small-to-midsize companies, especially for those away from the hotbed areas," says recruiter Violet Bliss, a senior account manager at Management Recruiters Inc.

Though Bliss sees increases in IT salaries in her region, it's nothing out of the ordinary, and IT employees are still working long hours for those dollars, she says.

"There's also a real distinction between a network administrator and the network engineer who designs networks for companies like GE. On that level, the negotiating power is amazing," she says.

According to SANS, other factors kick in as well, including:

• Experience. Employees with fewer than six years of experience make $10,000 less than the average salary, and those boasting 20 years on the job get $10,000 more than average.

• Education, job diversity and specialization all play a role, too. Having a master's degree can add $5,000 to the salary.

• Network environments. Administrators overseeing a mixed computing environment earn more than those managing a homogeneous network. Sun Solaris administrators report a particular spike in salaries--$5,000 above average--while Windows NT managers average $2,000 more.

• Geography. As in real estate, location is a big factor. Employees in northern New Jersey garner $81,849, with San Francisco ($79,940) and New York City ($77,906) close behind. In Omaha, Neb., the salary average drops to the low $50,000 range.

  When it comes to raises, Phoenix is tops with 15.4 percent; Atlanta and Minneapolis report 15.2 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively. At the lower end, those in Albuquerque, N.M., report only a 9.16 percent raise.

  In Virginia and other places where high-profile technology companies have relocated, the salary picture is a bit rosier, says Kerriann Vogel, vice president and director of research at SEEK Consulting Inc.

  "Network administrators are hard to find. People are in demand and have the run of the market, so they can choose where they work and negotiate salary as well as incentives like stock options, flex time and a virtual office. Five years ago, those benefits were unusual, and now they're commonplace," says Vogel. She concurs with the SANS report that knowledge of cutting-edge technology also is a contributing factor.

  Judith N. Mottl is a freelance journalist based in Bayport, N.Y. She can be reached at judyhpc@aol.com.