How to become a Computer Network Support Specialist 2024

Computer Network Support Specialist Analyze, test, troubleshoot, and evaluate existing network systems, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), cloud networks, servers, and other data communications networks. Perform network maintenance to ensure networks operate correctly with minimal interruption.

Computer Network Support Specialist is Also Know as

In different settings, Computer Network Support Specialist is titled as

Computer Network Specialist
IT Consultant (Information Technology Consultant)
Network Specialist
Network Support Specialist
Network Technical Analyst
Network Technician
Personal Computer Network Analyst
Systems Specialist

Education and Training of Computer Network Support Specialist

Computer Network Support Specialist is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Computer Network Support Specialist

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Education Required for Computer Network Support Specialist

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Degrees Related to Computer Network Support Specialist

Training Required for Computer Network Support Specialist

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Computer Network Support Specialist in different industries are

What Do Computer Network Support Specialist do?

Analyze network data to determine network usage, disk space availability, or server function.
Configure and define parameters for installation or testing of local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), hubs, routers, switches, controllers, multiplexers, or related networking equipment.
Configure security settings or access permissions for groups or individuals.
Configure wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN) routers or related equipment.
Document network support activities.
Evaluate local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) performance data to ensure sufficient availability or speed, to identify network problems, or for disaster recovery purposes.
Identify the causes of networking problems, using diagnostic testing software and equipment.
Install and configure wireless networking equipment.
Install network software, including security or firewall software.
Install new hardware or software systems or components, ensuring integration with existing network systems.
Install or repair network cables, including fiber optic cables.
Perform routine maintenance or standard repairs to networking components or equipment.
Test computer software or hardware, using standard diagnostic testing equipment and procedures.
Troubleshoot network or connectivity problems for users or user groups.
Analyze and report computer network security breaches or attempted breaches.
Back up network data.
Create or revise user instructions, procedures, or manuals.
Create or update technical documentation for network installations or changes to existing installations.
Document help desk requests and resolutions.
Maintain logs of network activity.
Monitor industry Web sites or publications for information about patches, releases, viruses, or potential problem identification.
Provide telephone support related to networking or connectivity issues.
Research hardware or software products to meet technical networking or security needs.
Run monthly network reports.
Test repaired items to ensure proper operation.
Train users in procedures related to network applications software or related systems.

Qualities of Good Computer Network Support Specialist

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.

Tools Used by Computer Network Support Specialist

Asynchronous transfer mode ATM analyzers
Cable testers
Caching engines
Cisco Systems Cisco Application Visibility and Management AVM Traffic Collector
Communications analyzers
Continuity testers
Copy machines
Fabric analyzers
Fibre channel protocol analyzers
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Load balancers
Mainframe computers
Network address translation NAT appliances
Personal computers
Port analyzer adapters
Powerline monitors
Redundant array of independent disks RAID systems
Remote access servers
Screwdrivers
Synchronous optical network SONET analyzers
T-Birds
Test lights
Throughput testers

Technology Skills required for Computer Network Support Specialist

Adobe Acrobat
Anti-spyware software
Antivirus software
Apache Tomcat
Apple macOS
Application management software
Arping
Automated installation software
B&W Port Scanner
Bash
Bentley Systems ProjectWise
BitWizard B.V. mtr
BlackBerry Enterprise Server
BMC Software Control-M
BMC Software Remedy IT Service Management Suite
Cisco Systems Cisco NetFlow Collection Engine
Cisco Systems Cisco Traffic Analyzer
Cisco Systems CiscoWorks
Cisco Systems CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution
Citrix cloud computing software
Clarified Networks Clarified Analyzer
Colasoft Capsa Enterprise
Colasoft Capsa Free
Compuware ClientVantage Agentless Monitoring
Congruity Technologies Inspector
Connectivity software
Customer information control system CICS
Customer relationship management CRM software
Dartware InterMapper
Database management software
Dig
EMC Ionix Network Configuration Manager
EMC NetWorker
EMC Symmetrix DMX
Encryption software
Ethereal
Ettercap NG
File server software
Firewall software
Fluke Networks Enterprise LANMeter
Help desk software
Hewlett Packard HP-UX
Hewlett-Packard HP Network Node Manager
IBM AIX
IBM Domino
IBM Notes
IBM Power Systems software
IBM Security Network Intrusion Prevention System
IBM Tivoli NetView Distribution Manager
IBM WebSphere
ifconfig
Intrusion prevention system IPS
ipconfig
Job control language JCL
KornShell
LAMP Stack
Linux
Load testing software
LogMatrix NerveCenter
McAfee
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Directory
Microsoft Azure software
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Hyper-V Server
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
Microsoft Network Monitor
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerShell
Microsoft Project
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft Visual Basic
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows PowerShell
Microsoft Windows Server
Microsoft Windows Sysprep
Microsoft Word
MySQL
Nagios
nbtstat
NetScout Sniffer Global Analyzer
NetScout Sniffer Portable Professional Analyzer
netstat
Network and system vulnerability assessment software
Network design software
Network Instruments Observer Standard
Network intrusion detection software
Network monitoring software
ngrep
NIKSUN NetDetector
Norton AntiVirus
NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
NovaStor NovaBACKUP
Novell eDirectory
Nslookup
Operating system software
OPNET SP Sentinel
Oracle Java
Oracle Solaris
Packet analyzers
Packet filter software
Patch and update management software
Perl
Ping Identity
Port scanners
Project planning software
Python
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Remote control software
Root kit detection software
Route
Roxio Retrospect
Ruby
Security incident management software
Shell script
SolarWinds
Sonicwall SonicOS Enhanced
Splunk Enterprise
Storage area network SAN software
Structured query language SQL
Symantec pcAnywhere
Symantec Veritas NetBackup
Tape backup system software
Tcpdump
Teradata Database
Traceroute
Traffic shapers
Ubuntu
UNIX
UNIX Shell
Veritas NetBackup
Virtual private networking VPN software
VMware
Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
WildPackets OmniPeek Network Analyzer
Wireshark
Zabbix

US Universities

How to become Computer Network Support Specialist in 2024