What Do IT Professionals Do? Your Questions, Answered

The median salary for IT professionals is $88,240, more than double what the average American earns each year.

What do IT professionals do to command such high salaries? It turns out that they perform critical roles because so much depends on technology. Your work and entertainment depend on an internet connection.

Read on to learn what IT pros do and how they can help your business.

Types of IT Roles

It helps to think of IT professionals like doctors. Doctors can be generalists, or they can specialize in a specific area of health. It’s the same with IT professionals.

There are IT generalists, who help companies keep their systems up to date. They may upgrade servers and software when necessary, and provide systems support to staff members when something breaks down.

There are countless of specific IT roles that are filled each day. These are some of the most common ones.

Cybersecurity Expert

This is one of the most important roles in the field of IT today. More than $17,000 is lost every minute because of phishing attacks.

A cybersecurity expert trains staff on preventing attacks, updates software, installs security patches, and audits the infrastructure for security issues.

Web Developer

Web developers have a unique role in an organization. They’re responsible for turning a designer’s vision of a website into 1s and 0s. They build the code to make sure the website performs well and is easy to use.

Network Engineer

Do you have a large network of computers in your office? A network engineer is responsible for that entire network.

They set up the network, maintain it, and schedule system upgrades. They also have the responsibility to keep the network secure and make sure that data is backed up on a regular basis.

Data Scientist

Companies are using more data than ever before. Yet, they have no idea what to do with it. A data scientist can solve that problem by creating a data infrastructure.

They work with algorithms and machine learning to create reports out of massive amounts of data. Company executives can use those reports to make decisions about the direction of the company.  

Hiring IT Professionals

Do you have a need to hire an IT professional for your business? You may find that you can’t afford the high salary and benefits package that an IT professional would want.

You can outsource your IT needs and hire an expert that understands your industry to do the same work without having to hire a full-time employee.

You do need to be clear as to what your IT needs are. Make a list of what you need from an IT professional and prioritize those needs.

What Do IT Professionals Do?

What do IT professionals do? IT professionals can handle a wide variety of work, from preventing the next cyberattack to providing support when the copier breaks down in your office.

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