NOC Technician
Network Operations Center (NOC) technicians oversee complex network components and are responsible for network management. They perform troubleshooting on a daily basis. The work of a NOC technician entails maintaining network, servers, and telecom equipment in an organization.
To be specific, a NOC is a central location from which IT support technicians administer, monitor, fix, and maintain client networks. NOCs use software to assist in managing the networks.
Known also as network management centers, NOCs are set up by organizations to evaluate problems, fix issues, and interact with field technicians and observe problems closely until their resolutions.
Network and servers constitute the basic part of an IT infrastructure. Businesses hire NOC technicians for creating a centralized location comprising both servers and network elements, which they house in the same place to simplify both security and maintenance.
NOC technicians also check performances of CPU and how networks are performing. NOC technicians may have to put in flexible hours when the need arises.
Technicians deploy, maintain, and resolve IP switching, remote access protocols, routing, and firewalls. It is the specialists’ job to maintain reports on usage of bandwidth, utilization of the server, uptime, and other crucial elements.
Specialists must possess exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills. They need to have excellent communication skills (verbal and written).
NOC Technician Job Description
NOC technicians are responsible for carrying out monitoring operations, servicing servers, network and telecommunication equipment in data centers and other organizations. They monitor data center infrastructure, servers, and computer networks for issues from a centralized location.
When a system encounters any snag, the NOC technicians have to troubleshoot by sorting out issues and making it function properly. Based on the level of complexity, organizations hire them at different levels so that technicians perform the respective tasks on time. NOC operations should be able to provide excellent customer service by resolving issues promptly.
Specialists keep learning and continuously update the internal knowledge base with new solutions for support. They comply with an organization’s conventional guidelines, policies, and processes.
Technicians need to monitor breaches of service level agreements (SLAs). They update the clients, vendors or third-party providers on events progress.
Specialists need to routinely inspect support systems, including air conditioning and UPS systems. They make use of Command Line Interface (CLI) and TCP/IP protocols to confirm, uncover, and assess problems.
NOC technicians aid team members and clients by applying technical knowledge of operations and systems using server, PCs, telephones, and emails.
Apart from the above responsibilities, they also perform the following duties:
Diagnose Issues
When the system malfunctions, they identify the problem and troubleshoot it. This might require them to coordinate with IT teams and clients.
Disclose Incidents
After an incident occurs, how it should be solved is in the hand of a NOC technician. If the problem can be resolved, then escalating the same to higher officials or the management is not necessary. It is only when the issue is complex, they escalate it to their superiors.
Solve All Issues
They should document all the recognized issues in a structured format, as this will be helpful in the future when they face a similar situation.
Supervise the systems: They continuously monitor systems through various tools. They are very observant and so can recognize alarm signals quickly.
Prospects
Employment avenues for network and computer systems administrators are expected to increase 6% during the period 2016-2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Demand for them should continue to grow as organizations acquire emerging technologies and mobile networks.
Educational Qualifications and Other Requirements
Candidates should have at least an associate degree, if not a bachelor’s, in computer science, information technology, or any other related discipline.
If they have certifications, such as Network + from CompTIA or Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), it will help them to advance their careers.
NOC technicians need to be able to work calmly under trying situations. It will help if they have knowledge of IT security.
Network monitoring technicians should be conversant with networking protocols, have scripting experience in Python, Bash, and Perl, and must have worked in cloud infrastructure.
They should be well-versed with the functioning of networking equipment, such as switches, routers, and firewalls, among others.
Candidates may have to undergo and pass a background investigation and procure a security clearance in certain cases.
NOC Technician Salary
The average NOC Technician salary is $46,120 per year in the United States. However, the average hourly freelance NOC technician salary is $19.37.
According to payscale and ZipRecruiter, a NOC technician salary can be around $53,157 per year. Moreover, NOC technicians should keep updating their knowledge of different network components to stay competitive.
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