The scale of a Leidos system administrator’s impact
Leidos operates mission-critical networks for customers including the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the United States Navy and Marine Corps, NASA, and the Social Security Administration.
In observance of System Administrator’s Appreciation Day, we chatted with system administrators (SysAdmins) from several Leidos-operated networks to understand their day-to-day roles and the impact they have on network end users across the globe. They talked about what the job means to them, how they came to it, what keeps them up at night, and what they’re most proud of.
Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
What does a systems administrator do?
Matt L: A SysAdmin will install, monitor, and correct software or hardware on a system while maintaining resource utilizations for memory, CPU, and disk space. If there is a system problem, they will address it, whether it be a bad disk drive, a user unable to log in to an application, or the installation of security patches.
John M: We’re enablers – keeping everything in the background running smoothly so that other people can do their jobs. And they find out who we are really quickly if things don’t work.
Ivaylo K: We try to keep the phones quiet and the email inbox empty. To achieve this, we proactively monitor all the systems — ensuring things are going smoothly and predictably — rather than reactively jumping to the fire. We try to be ahead of the game and prevent the fire from even starting.
What has been your path to get to your role as a SysAdmin?
Mike L: My career started in Tier I help desk support. Then I moved to a data analyst position and cross-trained with SysAdmins until I was given an opportunity to prove myself as an admin.
Ivaylo K: I came to the United States when I was 25 years old, from Bulgaria, with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. The first job I found was at Subway, wrapping sandwiches. I borrowed $700, bought my first computer, became a Microsoft Certified Professional, and found my first desktop support job. Ever since then, I’ve been constantly learning.
Shannon M: I’ve been mentored on my path to this job. I don’t have a degree in computer science. I have a master’s in English literature. That’s the path I was on. I was working as a business analyst — really just something to do as I completed my master’s. It turns out that I enjoyed it. And I gravitated toward system engineering. The reason that I’ve been able to continue in this and make it a career choice is that I’ve learned from great people around me.
What credentials are important for the role of a SysAdmin?
Matt L: A four-year degree in computers is still important to any organization looking for a SysAdmin, but certificates such as MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) or MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solution Associate) for a Windows environment or LPIC-1 (Certified Linux Administration) for a Linux environment are helpful. The trifecta of CompTIA certificates (A+, Network+, and Security+) is very useful, with CompTIA’s Security+ being a requirement for certain security levels of government work.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Matt L: As the first item of my day, I check emails and calendar notifications to plan what actions to take. I pay particular attention to any system emails that may require my immediate attention. I then log into each system under my supervision to ensure it is operational and within normal parameters. I may do this twice a day to ensure functionality as well as continuously monitor the system via programs and processes that will alert if issues arise. And I attend meetings with customers and coworkers and troubleshoot issues they may be experiencing.
How do you support enterprise IT programs at a global scale?
Shannon M: We have between 45,000 and 50,000 Windows devices, so the user community is a big part of support. It’s a balance between giving the users freedom and access to do their job and maintaining security.
One of the things I’m responsible for is patching those devices, and we’ve developed, in partnership with our customer, a process so that the end user always knows what to expect.
John M: My team supports a global program with more than three million end users. We maintain the systems and tools that enablement operations for one of the most diverse and complex networks in the world, encompassing terrestrial and satellite links. I don’t think some people have an appreciation for the effort that it takes to maintain systems on both the newest cloud environments and legacy hardware. One of the things we do is have awareness day during our task order’s all hands meetings, where we bring people in and talk about what we do and how we support their missions.
What security concerns are at the top of your mind today?
Ivaylo K: A lot of things can keep us awake, but in general, end users can be the weakest point in the chain — neglecting notifications, not paying attention to phishing, all kinds of things. People tend to make mistakes. They underestimate the risks. And sometimes it’s Friday, and they rush. We always start with the users, working with them and encouraging them to be diligent.
Matt L: Security processes, like implementing zero trust and multi-factor authentication within that architecture, are a fact of life for SysAdmins. It’s also important to communicate with the customer about issues and resolutions alike.
How do you use AI today? Will that change in the future?
John M: We’re using AI to help sift through the chatter from the network devices. Previously, humans would sift through it all to make sense of it. You’ve got critical events that come in — an interface down, a link down, a circuit down — and they would have to sort through that and figure out the cause of that particular event. In the future, we’re looking for AI to do predictive analysis. Ten things might happen prior to an event, and AI can tell you, “I’ve seen these ten things happen, so this is probably going to fail.” For humans, that’s not always easy to see because the ten things could span ten months.
How else will the role of SysAdmin evolve?
Matt L: The SysAdmin’s role is ever-changing. When I first began, I was working with the HP 9000 model of server, which was first introduced in 1991. Architecture, function, speed, price – all things about the modern server have changed and will continue to change, and the modern SysAdmin must continue to evolve to keep up. Familiarity with new products and new operating systems, as well as a continued balance of security practices, must be maintained.
What misconceptions about Sys Admins would you like to dispel?
Matt L: We are not trolls living in a basement and drinking from a Big Gulp, pressing buttons and surfing the internet all day. A good SysAdmin must be highly organized and a competent problem solver. They must continue to research, refine their skills, and be extremely professional and communicative with their customers and coworkers.
John M: I think people underestimate the amount of work that actually goes into keeping the systems functioning. You’ve got, obviously, the patching piece of it, but there’s a constant monitoring of what various systems are doing and whether they’re working and deciding what to do if they’re not.
What are you most proud of in your work?
Mike L: Supporting military members that put their lives on the line. I’m proud of the small part I play in supporting their global network.
Shannon M: Finding elegant solutions to problems. And that can be on an individual device, an individual server, or on a much larger system. Or it can be an implementation decision. When I feel that puzzle piece go into place and know it’s a good choice for the system, the end user, or the customer, that’s a good day. That makes me feel good about what I’m doing. I’m supporting a customer, and they have a mission. I don’t need to be front and center.
We appreciate our system administrators and their contribution to digital modernization.
To discover more about our approach, visit our digital modernization capability page.
