Network Engineer Skills to Know

network engineer skills

1. Customer Relations

Depending on the nature of the company or organization you’re employed in, you may be expected to troubleshoot networks for clients or handle front-end network issues. This involves excellent communication skills, the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical individuals, and the ability to understand and build a relationship with the clients you work with. 

2. Analytics and Troubleshooting

Network engineers solve problems within the network before and after they arise. It’s crucial to have the analytical skills to understand where a problem is originating from, and have a dedicated troubleshooting process to effectively solve the issue and prevent it from happening again.

3. Firewalls and Security

Network security is crucial, especially if the network in question handles regulated data. While more organizations have a dedicated IT security officer, end-to-end security means that everyone on an IT team needs to be involved in keeping the network secure. As well, network engineers often deploy and maintain firewalls within the network. 

4. Networking

Networking and routing skills are integral to the job. Engineers need to be familiar with different types of networks and architectures (including WAN, LAN, SD-WAN, SD-branch, and so on) and how they can be integrated into an existing system. As new network types emerge, it’s crucial to stay educated on new developments.

5. Programming Languages

Engineers should know general-purpose scripting languages such as Python, Ruby, and Perl, which are the most popular for enterprise-grade networks. It’s useful to know automation-friendly languages such as Java, Terraform and Ansible, as more network functions become automated. As well, since more networks are using open-source networking resources, Bash for Linux is becoming a must.

6. Hardware and Infrastructure

Part of a network engineer’s duties includes making calls on what hardware the network and its function will reside on. It’s key to be aware of the major network hardware vendors and what products they offer; while you may not be making the purchase decisions directly, you will be expected to know the networks’ needs that form the basis for these purchase decisions. As well, you will be expected to work with and maintain the network infrastructure. 

7. DNS

Domain-name system (DNS) is the basis for the internet as we know it, and is crucial to the operation of an internet-connected network — which is the basis for most modern enterprise networks. If the DNS is down, then it takes the network with it, which makes knowing how to troubleshoot it critical in a connected environment.

8. IoT

IoT is predicted to make a huge impact on enterprise network traffic, infrastructure, and security, as more businesses come to rely on IoT devices. While generally associated with 4G and 5G networks, certain types of network architectures, such as SD-branch, will use WiFi or other non-mobile connections to support their IoT ecosystems. Security is an important tie-in to this, since IoT devices are notoriously breachable. 

9. Virtualization and Automation

Virtualization is the name of the game for today’s networks — namely SD-WAN. Engineers must be able to work with automated network functions so they can best allocate network and IT resources. You may have to help develop automated functions yourself, though usually an automation engineer will be in charge of this.

10. MPLS

While SD-WAN has been augmenting or replacing MPLS for enterprises, many still rely on MPLS to ensure reliability and security in the network, making MPLS a critical network engineer skill. Engineers should know how to work with an MPLS-exclusive network, and, more commonly, hybrid WAN networks.