IT work spans systems administration, network management, operational oversight, and strategic planning. One person may cover several roles, or a business may share them with an external provider. This guide explains the tasks at each level so you can identify what to outsource and confirm the agreed scope. The examples below are capabilities, not automatic inclusions in every package.
Sysadmin-Level: Keeping Your Systems Running
The day-to-day engine room, servers, devices, backups, and the applications your staff use every day.
Servers & Infrastructure
- Install, configure, and maintain Windows and Linux servers
- Manage virtual machines and hypervisors
- Patch management and OS updates
- Monitor server performance - CPU, RAM, disk, uptime
- Capacity planning and hardware lifecycle management
User & Access Management
- Create and disable accounts in Active Directory / Entra ID
- Manage permissions and group policies
- Handle password resets and account lockouts
- Enforce role-based access control
Backup & Disaster Recovery
- Configure and monitor backup jobs
- Maintain and test disaster recovery plans
- Perform periodic restore tests, not just backup checks
- Manage offsite and cloud backup replication
Applications & Business Systems
- Install and maintain business applications
- Manage software licensing and inventory
- Configure and troubleshoot email servers and mail relays
- Basic database administration
Device & Server Security
- Apply security patches as they're released
- Deploy and manage antivirus/EDR across devices
- Configure host and server-level firewalls
- Review logs for suspicious activity
- Enforce password and MFA policies
Automation & Scripting
- Write PowerShell, Bash, and Python scripts for repetitive tasks
- Automate provisioning, reporting, and monitoring
- Use configuration management tooling to keep systems consistent
Documentation & Support
- Maintain system documentation and runbooks
- Provide tier 2/3 helpdesk support
- Manage the ticketing system end to end
Network Admin-Level: Keeping Everything Connected
Routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless, the infrastructure that most ad-hoc IT support never actually touches.
Network Infrastructure
- Configure and maintain routers, switches, and firewalls
- Design and implement LAN/WAN architecture
- Manage VLANs and subnetting
- Configure site-to-site and remote access VPNs
Monitoring & Performance
- Monitor bandwidth usage and network traffic
- Troubleshoot latency, packet loss, and downtime
- Ongoing network performance tuning
Network Security
- Configure firewall rules and access control lists
- Manage intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS)
- Implement network segmentation
- Run vulnerability scans on network devices
- Manage network access control (NAC)
Wireless Management
- Configure and secure Wi-Fi networks (WPA3, RADIUS)
- Manage wireless access points and controllers
- Site surveys for coverage optimisation
IP & DNS Management
- Manage DHCP scopes and reservations
- Configure and maintain DNS records
- Handle IP address allocation and subnet planning
Connectivity & ISP Management
- Coordinate with ISPs for uplinks and outages
- Manage load balancing and failover configurations
- Configure QoS for VoIP and video traffic
Documentation & Compliance
- Maintain network diagrams and IP scheme documentation
- Keep a change log as your environment evolves
- Align network security with standards like ISO 27001 and the Essential Eight
Beyond the day-to-day, both layers above also cover incident response, change management, coordinating with ISPs and hardware vendors, after-hours on-call cover for critical outages, and ongoing capacity and budget planning, work that doesn't fit neatly into a single category but has to happen anyway.
IT Manager-Level: Oversight You Don't Have to Hire For
Normally this is a dedicated salary and a full-time hire. With us, it's part of the service, no recruiting, training, or managing an internal IT team required.
Project Management
- Plan and execute IT projects - upgrades, migrations, rollouts
- Manage project timelines, budgets, and resources
- Coordinate cross-departmental IT initiatives
- Track deliverables and report status to leadership
Vendor & Contract Management
- Negotiate with vendors and service providers on your behalf
- Manage service level agreements (SLAs)
- Evaluate and select new tools, software, and hardware
- Handle procurement and purchase approvals
Budget & Resource Planning
- Prepare and manage IT budget lines
- Forecast hardware and software costs
- Track spending against approved budget
- Justify ROI for new technology investments
Policy & Compliance
- Develop and enforce IT policies - acceptable use, security, BYOD
- Support compliance with relevant regulations
- Help maintain audit readiness
- Oversee data governance practices
Incident & Risk Management
- Act as the escalation point for major incidents
- Run root cause analysis and post-incident reviews
- Maintain business continuity and DR plans
- Carry out periodic risk assessments
Communication & Reporting
- Report IT performance in plain business language, not jargon
- Manage stakeholder expectations during projects and incidents
- Present roadmap and strategy updates
Director of IT / vCIO-Level: Strategy That Usually Costs an Executive Salary
The top layer, aligning technology with where your business is actually going, not just keeping the lights on.
Strategic Planning
- Define a technology roadmap aligned with your business goals
- Set a 1-3 year direction for IT investment
- Identify emerging technology relevant to your business
Executive-Level Reporting
- Represent IT in leadership and board-level conversations
- Translate technical issues into business impact and risk
- Align technology initiatives with overall company strategy
Budget Planning & Guidance
- Forecast and guide capital and operational IT spend
- Help prioritise major investments against business need
- Support cost optimisation across your technology stack
Governance & Risk Oversight
- Apply governance frameworks appropriate to your business
- Align security posture with standards like the Essential Eight and NIST CSF
- Oversee enterprise-wide security and regulatory risk
Vendor & Partnership Strategy
- Manage relationships across your software and hardware vendors
- Review major contracts and licensing deals before you sign
Innovation & Business Alignment
- Identify where technology can create a real advantage
- Guide adoption of AI, automation, and cloud tools
- Make sure tech decisions serve the business, not the other way round
Crisis & Continuity Leadership
- Own your disaster recovery and business continuity strategy
- Lead the response if a major incident or breach happens
- Build resilience against outages and cyber threats
Confirm the Scope for Each Role
These role descriptions illustrate work that can be outsourced; they are not a list of inclusions in every package. Your quote identifies covered systems, routine tasks, support hours, backup allowances, project work, and any separate vCIO arrangement. Your business retains budget approval, data ownership, and final decisions.
If you are deciding what to retain internally, start with our IT outsourcing decision guide. Use the role breakdown here to check for responsibility gaps in the proposed scope.
A growing business may need a portion of several IT roles rather than a full-time hire for each. Compare the skills and coverage you need with the responsibilities retained by internal staff. Discuss operational scope through Managed IT Services for operational support, and a Virtual CIO (vCIO) arrangement for separately scoped strategic planning and oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you replace an in-house IT Manager or IT Director?
Operational support and strategic leadership are different responsibilities. Managed IT covers the agreed day-to-day scope; vCIO and planning work may be separately scoped. If you have internal IT staff, we can define shared responsibilities rather than replacing their role.
Do you only do helpdesk, or do you handle network administration too?
We can provide helpdesk and network administration. Your quote identifies the devices, sites, routine tasks, changes, and projects covered. Network setup, upgrades, and specialist work should not be assumed to be included in a per-user support fee.
Can you fully replace our internal IT team, or only support it?
Both models work. Some clients outsource everything on this page to us. Others keep one internal IT contact for on-the-ground tasks and use us for monitoring, security, network management, and strategic oversight, a co-managed setup. We'll tell you honestly which fits your situation during a free consultation.
Do we get one point of contact across all of this, or different people for each area?
You get a consistent team who knows your environment, backed by specialists for network, security, and strategy work as needed. You're not re-explaining your setup to a different technician every time you call.
We cover the full scope above for Perth businesses, from sysadmin to IT director-level strategy.
Managed IT Services →Not sure which layers you actually need?
Our Perth team will map your current setup against this list and tell you honestly what's missing.
For related reading, see our guides to IT Support vs Managed IT Services and What Is a Virtual CIO (vCIO)?.