Must-Have Skills:

- Network and ExtraNet (expert)

- DNS, TCP/IP, VPN

- Firewall and Proxy (expert)

- Checkpoint, NAT, VPN (site to site, remote access), Zscaler/Forcepoint

Operating Systems:

- Windows (expert)

- Core Windows Server Skills: installation, configuration, administration, upgrade, migration, and lifecycle management

- Windows Admin Center administration

- Remote server management, troubleshooting, performance monitoring, and tuning

- Capacity planning, resource management, backup, restore, and disaster recovery planning

- Patch management, OS maintenance, security hardening, compliance, and certificate management (SSL/TLS)

Active Directory & Identity Management:

- AD DS, OU design, user/group/computer account administration

- Group Policy (GPO) creation and troubleshooting

- DNS and DHCP administration

- Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) integration, authentication, and privileged access management

Networking Skills:

- TCP/IP fundamentals, DNS, DHCP, VPN configuration

- Firewall management, load balancing, network troubleshooting, packet analysis, and hybrid cloud networking

Virtualization & Cloud:

- Hyper-V and VMware administration

- Virtual machine provisioning, Microsoft Azure integration, Azure Arc management, and hybrid Windows Server environments

- Cloud migration planning

Storage & File Services:

- NTFS permissions, file and print services, Storage Spaces, SAN/NAS concepts, disk management, and DFS

Security Skills:

- Microsoft Defender management, vulnerability remediation, security baselines, hardening, audit/compliance controls, malware protection, and identity security

Monitoring & Troubleshooting:

- Event Viewer, Windows logs, Performance Monitor (PerfMon), service/process management

- Root cause analysis, incident/problem management, and monitoring tools (Splunk, Dynatrace, SCOM, etc.)

Good to have Advanced Skills:

- Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM/MECM), WSUS, IIS, failover clustering, SQL Server basics, Azure Monitor, PowerShell DSC, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Communication & Leadership:

- Stakeholder communication: business-friendly status updates, executive communications during outages, and clear documentation

- Customer service: professional support interactions, expectation management, and ownership/accountability