IT Infrastructure Manager

One of the top Global Financial Group

■IT Infrastructure Manager Duties and Responsibilities

In order to ensure that their company's IT infrastructure is always functioning as effectively as possible and is never sluggish or outdated, IT Infrastructure Managers perform a variety of tasks. We analyzed several online job postings to identify the following IT Infrastructure Manager duties and responsibilities.

■Oversee IT Department

IT Infrastructure Managers play a large role in the management of their company's IT department as a whole. Almost every task that IT department personnel engage in, from performing routine system updates to installing entirely new elements, will need to be monitored and guided by the IT Infrastructure Manager.

■Record Data

Part of an IT Infrastructure Manager's job is making sure that all relevant data is properly collected and stored. This can include performance metrics, service levels, server status and both planned and unplanned system outages. Depending on their company's protocol, the IT Infrastructure Manager will need to deliver the data they've collected to higher-level employees on a regular daily, weekly or monthly basis.

■Implement Processes and Procedures

It's one thing to think of a way to improve a system, but it's another thing entirely to actually make that idea a reality. That's exactly what IT Infrastructure Managers have to do whenever a new process or procedure is approved by higher-level employees.

■Develop Strategies

The scope of an IT Infrastructure Manager's work is not limited to the inner workings of the IT department. Instead, they must evaluate the IT department as a component of the company as a whole. Then, they will be expected to collaborate with colleagues and department heads in order to develop strategies which will help the IT department better align itself with the company's overall financial and corporate strategy.

IT Infrastructure Managers are tireless leaders, creative thinkers and technical whizzes. They are able to effortlessly switch between the role of Manager and the role of Engineer, and they'd rather work overtime than allow a detail to go overlooked. In addition to these general personality traits and skills, employers are looking for IT Infrastructure Managers with the following skills:

■Attention to Detail
When the security and functionality of an entire IT infrastructure is on the line, you can't afford to ignore the little things. Thus, IT Infrastructure Managers need to have a highly focused attention to detail.
Extensive Technical Knowledge - IT Infrastructure Managers need to be intimately familiar with technologies such as Microsoft, Cisco and VMware. They will also need to have experience with storage area networks, WAN acceleration, virtualization, firewalls, routers and more.

■Management Skills
Unlike many other IT professionals, it's essential for IT Infrastructure Managers to have excellent people skills in order to effectively manage their company's IT department.
Certification - While some employers don't explicitly require it, many give preference to IT Infrastructure Managers who are a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert or Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer or have related certifications.

■Communication Skills
Stellar communication skills are necessary for an IT Infrastructure Manager to strategize, plan and collaborate with both higher- and lower-level colleagues.