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Computer Network Architects

Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures. May also design network and computer security measures. May research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software.
Related: Computer Network Support Specialists  Computer Systems Engineers/Architects  Information Security Engineers  Network & Computer Systems Administrators  Software Developers 
Industries: Professional, Science, & Technical  Media & Communication  Finance & Insurance 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Evaluate network designs to determine whether customer requirements are met efficiently and effectively.
    • Prepare detailed network specifications, including diagrams, charts, equipment configurations, or recommended technologies.
    • Develop or maintain project reporting systems.
    • Develop or maintain project reporting systems.
    • Communicate with vendors to gather information about products, alert them to future needs, resolve problems, or address system maintenance issues.
    • Develop procedures to track, project, or report network availability, reliability, capacity, or utilization.
    • Participate in network technology upgrade or expansion projects, including installation of hardware and software and integration testing.
    • Communicate with vendors to gather information about products, alert them to future needs, resolve problems, or address system maintenance issues.
    • Develop or recommend network security measures, such as firewalls, network security audits, or automated security probes.
    • Communicate with system users to ensure accounts are set up properly or to diagnose and solve operational problems.
    • Develop conceptual, logical, or physical network designs.
    • Communicate with customers, sales staff, or marketing staff to determine customer needs.
    • Maintain or coordinate the maintenance of network peripherals, such as printers.
    • Develop and write procedures for installation, use, or troubleshooting of communications hardware or software.
    • Estimate time and materials needed to complete projects.
    • Develop plans or budgets for network equipment replacement.
    • Determine specific network hardware or software requirements, such as platforms, interfaces, bandwidths, or routine schemas.
    • Design, organize, and deliver product awareness, skills transfer, or product education sessions for staff or suppliers.
    • Supervise engineers or other staff in the design or implementation of network solutions.
    • Develop and implement solutions for network problems.
    • Coordinate installation of new equipment.
    • Develop disaster recovery plans.
    • Adjust network sizes to meet volume or capacity demands.
    • Prepare or monitor project schedules, budgets, or cost control systems.
    • Participate in network technology upgrade or expansion projects, including installation of hardware and software and integration testing.
    • Maintain networks by performing activities such as file addition, deletion, or backup.
    • Monitor and analyze network performance and reports on data input or output to detect problems, identify inefficient use of computer resources, or perform capacity planning.
    • Develop or recommend network security measures, such as firewalls, network security audits, or automated security probes.
    • Coordinate network or design activities with designers of associated networks.
    • Prepare or monitor project schedules, budgets, or cost control systems.
    • Monitor and analyze network performance and reports on data input or output to detect problems, identify inefficient use of computer resources, or perform capacity planning.
    • Visit vendors, attend conferences or training sessions, or study technical journals to keep up with changes in technology.
    • Develop procedures to track, project, or report network availability, reliability, capacity, or utilization.
    • Design, build, or operate equipment configuration prototypes, including network hardware, software, servers, or server operation systems.
    • Participate in network technology upgrade or expansion projects, including installation of hardware and software and integration testing.
    • Design, build, or operate equipment configuration prototypes, including network hardware, software, servers, or server operation systems.
    • Research and test new or modified hardware or software products to determine performance and interoperability.
    • Coordinate network operations, maintenance, repairs, or upgrades.
    • Research and test new or modified hardware or software products to determine performance and interoperability.
    • Develop network-related documentation.
    • Explain design specifications to integration or test engineers.
    • Use network computer-aided design (CAD) software packages to optimize network designs.
    • Prepare design presentations and proposals for staff or customers.

    Skills

    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    Abilities

    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    5 years or more work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    155890/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    74.95/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    5,690
    Yearly Projected Openings
    380

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Dependability
    • Initiative
    • Integrity
    • Persistence

    Tools

    • Access servers
    • Broadband aggregators
    • Computer servers
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital telephones
    • Digital testers
    • Firewall network security equipment
    • Frequency analyzers
    • Hard disk arrays
    • High end computer servers
    • Integrated services digital network ISDN testers
    • Interferometers
    • Mainframe computers
    • Multimeters
    • Network analyzers
    • Network cable management panel assembly
    • Network channel or data service units
    • Network management or monitoring device
    • Network routers
    • Network service concentrators or hubs
    • Network switches
    • Network traffic controller
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
    • Power meters
    • Protocol analyzers
    • Radio frequency data communication equipment
    • Reflectometers
    • Server load balancer
    • Storage area network SAN switch
    • Tablet computers
    • Videoconferencing systems
    • Voice data video cable tester
    • WLAN wireless access network equipment and components

    Technology

    • Access software
    • Administration software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Application server software
    • Authentication server software
    • Backup or archival software
    • Bridge software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Cloud-based management software
    • Cloud-based protection or security software
    • Clustering software
    • Communications server software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer based training software
    • Configuration management software
    • Content workflow software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base reporting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Desktop communications software
    • Development environment software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Enterprise system management software
    • Expert system software
    • File versioning software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Helpdesk or call center software
    • Human resources software
    • Industrial control software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Internet directory services software
    • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
    • LAN software
    • Metadata management software
    • Network monitoring software
    • Network operating system enhancement software
    • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software
    • Network security or virtual private network VPN management software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Object oriented data base management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Optical network management software
    • Pattern design software
    • Portal server software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Program testing software
    • Project management software
    • Requirements analysis and system architecture software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Storage networking software
    • Switch or router software
    • Time accounting software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Transaction server software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • WAN switching software and firmware
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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