Systems Administrator (Solarwinds)

Overview: We are seeking a skilled System Administrator to join our IT operations team. As a SysAdmin, you will be responsible for the design, implementation, configuration, and maintenance of our SolarWinds monitoring and management platform as well as general infrastructure administration. You will ensure the effective monitoring, alerting, and reporting of our IT infrastructure, including networks, servers, applications, and virtual environments. The ideal candidate will have strong technical expertise in SolarWinds products and a proactive approach to monitoring and managing IT systems.

Responsibilities:

SolarWinds Deployment and Configuration: Design, deploy, configure, and maintain SolarWinds Orion platform and related modules to monitor and manage our IT infrastructure effectively.

Network Monitoring: Configure SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) to monitor network devices, interfaces, and traffic for performance and availability. Implement SNMP polling, traps, and syslog monitoring.

Server and Application Monitoring: Configure SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) to monitor servers, applications, and services for performance, availability, and health. Create custom monitors and templates as needed.

Virtual Environment Monitoring: Configure SolarWinds Virtualization Manager (VMAN) to monitor virtual environments, including VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V, for performance, capacity, and health.

Alerting and Notification: Configure SolarWinds alerts and notifications to proactively identify and address IT infrastructure issues. Define alert thresholds, escalation procedures, and notification methods.

Reporting and Analysis: Create custom reports and dashboards in SolarWinds to provide visibility into IT infrastructure performance, capacity, and trends. Analyze monitoring data to identify opportunities for optimization and improvement.

Integration and Automation: Integrate SolarWinds with other IT management systems, such as ticketing systems and configuration management databases (CMDBs). Implement automation tasks using SolarWinds scripting and APIs.

Patch Management: Keep SolarWinds software and modules up to date with the latest patches and updates. Test patches in a development environment before deploying to production.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Maintain detailed documentation of SolarWinds configurations, processes, and procedures. Share knowledge and best practices with other team members.

Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.

Proven experience as a SolarWinds System Administrator or similar role.

Strong technical expertise in SolarWinds Orion platform, including NPM, SAM, and VMAN.

Proficiency in configuring SolarWinds monitoring, alerting, and reporting features.

Experience with network monitoring protocols and technologies, such as SNMP, WMI, and NetFlow.

Familiarity with server and application monitoring concepts and best practices.

Knowledge of virtualization technologies, such as VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V.

Experience with scripting languages, such as PowerShell or Python, for automation tasks.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

SolarWinds Certified Professional (SCP) or SolarWinds Certified Associate (SCA) certification.

Experience with other IT monitoring and management tools, such as Nagios, Zabbix, or PRTG.

Knowledge of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework and best practices.

Experience with cloud-based IT environments, such as AWS or Azure.