WHAT DOES AN IT INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEER DO?

Published: Sep 22, 2025 - The IT Infrastructure Engineer builds and extends automation for enterprise applications across private and public cloud environments, ensuring consistent configuration, security, and vulnerability protection. This role involves designing, maintaining, and monitoring virtualization and Unix/Windows systems, while collaborating with application teams to address requests, troubleshoot issues, and optimize performance. The Engineer also implements process improvements, manages global services, and follows ITIL-based change, incident, and problem management practices to enhance system reliability and team efficiency.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for IT Infrastructure Engineer

1. IT Infrastructure Engineer Key Accountabilities

  • Infrastructure Management: Participate in daily operations and support to maintain the reliability and availability of infrastructure.
  • Solution Ownership: Take responsibility for one or more infrastructure solutions or products.
  • Documentation and Training: Create technical documentation and deliver training to team members.
  • Cloud Design: Design infrastructure solutions in cloud environments to enable application migration and long-term deployment.
  • Vendor Coordination: Coordinate with suppliers to ensure consistent delivery of IT services.
  • Network and Virtualization: Maintain networking devices and virtualization infrastructure to support ongoing operations.
  • Troubleshooting Support: Provide troubleshooting and support for hardware and software issues across LAN, WAN, VPN, Wi-Fi, and servers, including Windows, Linux, and SQL.
  • Proactive Analysis: Conduct proactive infrastructure analysis and recommend improvements.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with the IT team to enhance overall skills and experience.

2. IT Infrastructure Engineer General Responsibilities

  • IT Operations: Apply IT operations best practices to deliver reliable and highly available systems.
  • Solution Design: Design and deploy technology solutions using a unified framework to achieve uptime goals.
  • Capacity Management: Maintain a compute resource inventory to forecast capacity for growth and new services.
  • Deployment Frameworks: Create frameworks for consistent design and deployment across legacy and new hosting environments.
  • Patch Management: Establish structured methods for patching and updating operating systems, software, and hardware.
  • System Security: Safeguard business systems to ensure secure and uninterrupted operations.
  • Technical Expertise: Act as subject matter expert for assigned technologies in projects and deployments.
  • Compliance Management: Ensure all solutions align with PCI compliance standards for security and access control.
  • Cloud Migration: Contribute to projects migrating workloads from physical data centers to public cloud platforms.
  • Senior Support: Provide senior-level technical support across virtualization, cloud, Windows, and Linux environments.

3. IT Infrastructure Engineer Role Purpose

  • OS Administration: Support and administer Windows 10, macOS, Linux, and the Office 365 suite.
  • Cloud Management: Manage Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft O365 platform services.
  • Server Administration: Implement and maintain Windows Server technologies, including Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware.
  • Storage Management: Configure and manage iSCSI and file storage technologies with availability clustering and failover management.
  • Networking Expertise: Apply advanced knowledge of networking, connectivity, VPN technologies, and firewalls.
  • Hardware Maintenance: Perform installation, modification, maintenance, and repair of IT hardware and software.
  • MDM Administration: Administer Microsoft Intune or other MDM tools.
  • Scripting and Automation: Develop and execute scripts using Windows PowerShell or other scripting languages.
  • Backup Management: Manage MS DPM, Azure backups, and other backup solutions.
  • Ticketing Support: Utilize JIRA Service Desk or other ticketing solutions as an escalation point for incident resolution.

4. IT Infrastructure Engineer Essential Functions

  • Global Support: Be part of the Follow-the-Sun support structure within an international IT team.
  • Infrastructure Management: Manage IT infrastructure across multiple locations.
  • Cloud Infrastructure: Work with cloud technologies to manage infrastructure.
  • Agile Operations: Operate within an Agile team to enable shorter decision-making cycles and faster results.
  • Technical Support: Provide technical support for Engineering and R&D teams with emphasis on IT infrastructure components, including cloud platforms, VDI environments, and networking.
  • Virtualization Implementation: Collaborate on the implementation of virtualization technologies.
  • Infrastructure Design: Participate in requirements analysis and creation of IT infrastructure architecture concepts.
  • ITSM Integration: Ensure integration of IT service management for global IT operations.
  • Incident Management: Create incidents and change tickets based on ongoing issues.
  • Directory Services: Manage Active Directory services.
  • Vendor Communication: Communicate effectively with local IT teams and third-party vendors globally.

5. IT Infrastructure Engineer Additional Details

  • Solution Design: Design and implement solutions based on end-user information needs and views.
  • High Availability: Build systems with high availability and quality.
  • Outage Prevention: Ensure minimal infrastructure outages.
  • Support Services: Provide proactive and reactive support, including on-call duties.
  • Policy Management: Determine, enforce, and document IT policies, procedures, and standards.
  • Data Security: Perform regular tests and evaluations to ensure data security, privacy, and integrity.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitor infrastructure availability and performance, implement changes, and apply new patches and versions.
  • Cybersecurity Support: Support cybersecurity activities.
  • Project Collaboration: Collaborate on projects involving infrastructure capabilities.
  • Project Management: Manage IT infrastructure projects.
  • Backup and Recovery: Maintain, test, and improve backup and disaster recovery procedures.

6. IT Infrastructure Engineer Roles

  • Desktop Support: Perform desktop support and basic scripting to improve routine work processes.
  • Incident Management: Identify, isolate, resolve, escalate, and close incident or problem tickets according to the ITSM incident and problem management process.
  • Task Ownership: Take ownership of and manage regular support tasks to meet end-user SLAs.
  • Issue Escalation: Escalate and resolve major issues to management and HQ teams promptly.
  • System Administration: Administer storage, Active Directory, GPO, virtualized environments, servers, network devices, firewalls, and productivity tools.
  • Change Testing: Test all changes to networks, hardware, software, and hosted applications.
  • After-Hours Support: Support IT maintenance outside office hours.
  • Resource Provisioning: Provision computing resources, conduct capacity planning for IT infrastructure, and assist in IT procurement.
  • Inventory Management: Maintain IT inventory of hardware and software, and ensure services are renewed within the required timeframe.
  • Reporting: Provide accurate reports during regular reporting cycles.

7. IT Infrastructure Engineer Tasks

  • System Monitoring: Manage and monitor all installed computer systems, servers, storage, network, and telephone infrastructure on premises and in cloud environments.
  • Availability Management: Proactively ensure the highest levels of system and infrastructure availability.
  • Performance Testing: Monitor and test application performance for potential bottlenecks, identify solutions, and work with vendors and IT team members to implement fixes.
  • System Installation: Install, configure, test, and maintain network operating systems, application software, system management tools, and system integrations.
  • Vendor Collaboration: Collaborate with vendors and IT team members for project development and problem resolution.
  • User Environment Management: Manage user environments, including desktops, laptops, profile management, and software delivery.
  • User Support: Respond to IT user needs and questions regarding access to network resources and operation of software programs.
  • Tier-3 Support: Provide third-level IT user support.
  • Scripting and Automation: Develop and maintain custom scripts to increase associate and system efficiency.
  • Technology Research: Research and evaluate new IT industry technology trends and assess the applicability of software and hardware solutions.
  • Hardware and Software Recommendations: Make recommendations on hardware and software acquisitions.
  • Change Implementation: Implement IT system landscape changes in accordance with the change management policy.

8. IT Infrastructure Engineer Details and Accountabilities

  • Technology Deployment: Develop and deploy technologies and platforms to support the enterprise compute environment.
  • Cloud Strategy: Work with peers and architects to execute the strategic plan for a cloud-first strategy.
  • Policy Management: Establish and support technical policies and procedures to ensure seamless system functionality across the environment.
  • Level 3 Support: Maintain Level 3 support for virtual and physical infrastructure hardware, operating systems, and virtual machines on servers supporting business requirements.
  • Software Solutions: Analyze, recommend upgrades, design, implement, and maintain software solutions.
  • Capacity Planning: Engage in capacity planning and performance management to ensure adequate system resources.
  • Change Management: Participate in the change control process for all planned application and technical activities.
  • Project Coordination: Coordinate cross-functional projects and enterprise-wide programs to ensure compliance with shared infrastructure strategies.
  • Team Mentoring: Support cross-training, collaboration, and mentoring of less-experienced team members, particularly in automation and cloud directions.
  • Project Communication: Communicate and collaborate with project management teams, architecture, and infrastructure coordinators on project progress, issues, and solutions.

9. IT Infrastructure Engineer Overview

  • Storage and Virtualization: Implement, configure, and maintain storage and virtualization infrastructures.
  • Policy Enforcement: Define and enforce standards, policies, and procedures to safeguard system integrity.
  • System Administration: Administer and support hardware and software technologies, including Windows Server, VMware, SAN solutions, SQL Server, MS Exchange, Active Directory, and performance monitoring.
  • IT Service Delivery: Deliver services across implementation, presales, and multi-level IT support.
  • Enterprise Administration: Install, administer, and maintain enterprise IT environments.
  • Cybersecurity Support: Contribute to cybersecurity operations by supporting and maintaining SOC infrastructure.
  • SOC Support: Provide client and infrastructure support within the SOC.
  • Monitoring Solutions: Design and manage monitoring solutions for cloud and on-premise technology stacks.
  • Technical Documentation: Produce and maintain high-quality technical documentation while tracking industry developments.
  • Operations Collaboration: Collaborate with Operations to optimize monitoring of critical systems.

10. IT Infrastructure Engineer Job Description

  • Infrastructure Design: Design, deploy, and manage applications, servers, databases, and network infrastructure technologies.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Provide proactive monitoring and management of the corporate infrastructure environment with continuous improvements in performance and cost optimization.
  • Production Support: Support production issues to ensure continuity of business operations.
  • Windows Server Management: Manage on-premise and cloud-based Windows Server infrastructure, including Active Directory, Group Policies, patching, security, compliance, and backups.
  • DevOps Support: Partner with the DevOps organization to provide support for development and testing environments.
  • DevOps Collaboration: Collaborate with the DevOps organization to continuously improve the DevOps pipeline toward continuous build, test, and deployment of change.
  • Infrastructure Tools: Develop and manage infrastructure tools and methods to enable proactive, high-quality, and cost-effective management of the corporate infrastructure environment.
  • Security Policy: Work with the InfoSec team to develop, implement, and continuously enhance security policies.
  • Compliance Management: Proactively manage the corporate infrastructure environment to ensure security and compliance with external audits.
  • Independent Work: Work independently on task- and project-based assignments, identifying and resolving issues.
  • Continuous Improvement: Recognize opportunities for improvement, take ownership, and collaborate with development teams to drive product enhancements.

11. Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer Functions

  • Software Licensing: Manage software licensing in alignment with enterprise agreements and support contracts.
  • Cloud Administration: Provide support on the administration console for cloud productivity platforms, including subscription use.
  • Subscription Management: Own the processes supporting subscription administration and license allocation across markets.
  • Upgrade Coordination: Evaluate and coordinate upgrades, environment changes, and maintenance work with global IT administrators.
  • Wi-Fi Management: Manage corporate Wi-Fi services and related network equipment to ensure consistent and reliable connectivity for users.
  • Supplier Coordination: Manage, troubleshoot, and coordinate with external support suppliers.
  • Directory Services: Oversee corporate Active Directory, file share, and print services.
  • Preventive Maintenance: Conduct systems health checks and perform proactive maintenance activities to ensure availability and reliability.
  • Network Uptime: Ensure maximum uptime for all network services and servers.
  • Infrastructure Planning: Enhance, plan capacity, and design infrastructure engineering projects.
  • Security Compliance: Ensure system security compliance as guided by the security team.

12. IT Infrastructure Engineer Accountabilities

  • Global Support: Provide 24x7 Level 2-3 global support for Air Products computing platforms, infrastructure hardware and software, services, processes, and IT-supported offerings.
  • Vendor Engagement: Engage support providers such as Microsoft and Poly, along with other third-party vendors, to ensure the continuous availability of business processes, connectivity, communications, and services.
  • Infrastructure Collaboration: Collaborate with Infrastructure Engineering on the design, integration, testing, and deployment of new and enhanced information systems, services, and offerings.
  • ITIL Compliance: Adhere to and execute ITIL practices for change, incident, problem, and release management.
  • Technical Expertise: Provide technical subject matter expertise.
  • Documentation Management: Author, review, and maintain up-to-date documentation for knowledge transfer and training to support new solutions within the organization.
  • Project Participation: Participate in and execute project tasks, including dependencies.
  • Status Reporting: Document status, risks, and scope statements for use in the team’s decision-making process.
  • SME Support: Act as a technical subject matter expert for various project teams.
  • Solution Implementation: Implement technical solutions that address operational improvement needs.

13. IT Infrastructure Engineer Job Summary

  • Network Operations: Perform operations, services, and activities of a network technician.
  • Network Design: Apply principles, practices, methods, and techniques in local and wide area network design, implementation, operations, services, and administration.
  • Protocol Configuration: Configure and manage network protocols, routing equipment, and wiring systems.
  • Data Communication: Implement and support data communication standards, protocols, hardware, software, and network management practices.
  • Hardware Maintenance: Maintain desktop and server computer hardware and software components.
  • Virtualization Management: Manage virtualization of servers, computers, and networks.
  • Customer Service: Deliver excellent customer service following established principles and practices.
  • Compliance: Comply with applicable codes, laws, and regulations.
  • Productivity Software: Utilize productivity software, including word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation tools.
  • Relationship Management: Establish and maintain productive working relationships with colleagues, vendors, support staff, and stakeholders.

14. IT Infrastructure Engineer Responsibilities

  • Technical Communication: Communicate effectively in both oral and written forms, explaining technical concepts in non-technical terms to individuals and groups.
  • Network Support: Support computer networks and telecommunication systems.
  • Network Administration: Administer local and wide area networks.
  • System Evaluation: Evaluate, test, implement, and support network and telecommunication systems.
  • Infrastructure Assistance: Assist in infrastructure design and implementation activities.
  • Network Monitoring: Monitor and maintain networks.
  • Hardware Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot computer hardware and software equipment problems.
  • User Support: Respond to and identify user needs and determine effective solutions.
  • Vendor Collaboration: Collaborate with outside agencies and vendors to implement shared networks that provide connectivity.
  • Team Mentoring: Mentor other team members.
  • Clear Communication: Communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing.

15. IT Infrastructure Engineer Roles and Details

  • Infrastructure Automation: Build and extend infrastructure automations for enterprise and business applications in private and public cloud environments.
  • Configuration Management: Use automation tools to ensure configuration state is consistent across multiple systems and can be tracked, changed, and updated for security and vulnerability protection.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with application engineering teams to understand requests and issues, establish clear expectations, and provide effective communication.
  • Automation Solutions: Design and build automation solutions to reduce manual effort and increase team efficiency.
  • Virtualization Management: Design and maintain virtualization environments and perform capacity analysis.
  • Group Policy Management: Maintain group policies for the Windows environment.
  • Global Operations: Plan, build, and run services in a global team setup comprised of employees and consultants, providing administration, advanced support, and operational management of Unix and Linux systems across internal private and cloud platforms.
  • Solution Design: Design solutions for Unix- and Windows-based applications.
  • Technical Troubleshooting: Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve technical issues related to virtualization, Unix, and Windows systems.
  • System Monitoring: Ensure system availability and performance by proactively monitoring usage and implementing effective alerts and probes.
  • Change and Incident Management: Follow change management, incident management, and problem management processes.
  • Problem Management: Implement effective problem management to identify and proactively remediate incident trends.
Relevant Information
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