Network administrators are tasked with the on-going administration and management of networking equipment, including mission-critical infrastructure. If they don’t do preventive maintenance, they risk affecting network performance for all users of its shared resources. In addition, network administrators are responsible for protecting enterprise data from a number of security threats.

If this sounds overwhelming–it is–but it’s easy to be a successful network administrator with the right habits in place.

This free PDF download from TechRepublic presents 20 habits that will help network admins successfully do their job, and prevent them from committing a terrible mistake. The PDF also lists 10 bad habits they must avoid to be most effective in their role.