The role of the IT administrator is undergoing a transformation that is redefining the profession. In the past, this job was primarily associated with physically tending to servers and reactive firefighting in response to failures. Today, that model is becoming a thing of the past. We are entering the XOps reality, where the administrator ceases to be merely a maintenance operator. They are becoming an architect and engineer responsible for designing and automating the entire IT environment. This shift forces a completely new approach to daily duties, where manual management gives way to advanced engineering processes.
What exactly is XOps?
XOps is a concept that bridges areas that traditionally functioned within companies as separate silos. The term integrates software development within DevOps, security in SecOps, and cost management in FinOps. Analytics and automation supported by algorithms AIOps are also becoming increasingly important.
This is not about multiplying entities or creating new departments, but rather forcing strict collaboration. Teams stop working side-by-side and begin making decisions based on shared data. The goal is to eliminate communication barriers and replace them with a coherent task automation strategy.
From Administrator to Platform Engineer
In practice, this new approach means a drastic reduction in manual work in favor of writing code. Administrators are less frequently found “clicking” through configuration panels and are increasingly stepping into the roles of Platform Engineers or SRE (Site Reliability Engineering) specialists.
Their main task is to ensure the stability, scalability, and efficiency of systems. This requires an engineering approach to problems, where instead of applying ad-hoc fixes to glitches, processes are designed to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Methodologies such as Infrastructure as Code and GitOps have become the foundation of modern administration. In this model, the entire infrastructure—including servers, network configuration, and permissions—is described in code. Configuration files are stored in repositories following the same principles as application source code.
This solution guarantees full environment predictability and enables precise tracking of change history. Consequently, system modifications are easy to automate, eliminating the risk of human error that accompanies manual deployments.
A New Competency Profile
The future of IT administration requires going beyond traditional knowledge of operating systems. Specific programming skills are becoming essential, allowing for the creation of scripts and automation tools.
Understanding the business context is becoming equally important. The modern engineer must be able to analyze costs and ensure the economic efficiency of solutions, making them as much an analyst as a technician.