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The differences between chief information officers and information security officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a chief information officer, becoming an information security officer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a chief information officer has an average salary of $146,907, which is higher than the $135,040 average annual salary of an information security officer.
The top three skills for a chief information officer include CIO, project management and network infrastructure. The most important skills for an information security officer are risk management, risk assessments, and incident response.
| Chief Information Officer | Information Security Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $146,907 | $135,040 |
| Hourly rate | $70.63 | $64.92 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 124,678 | 145,907 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 52 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A chief information officer, also known as CIO, is responsible for the technological development within the company or organization. Primarily overseeing all information technology-related operations, a chief information officer takes the lead in setting the department's budget, developing strategies that will improve computer systems, and implementing policies to attain significant growth in profit and client base. Furthermore, a chief information officer is in charge of managing the workforce behind computer systems, ensuring their efficiency in accomplishing tasks and projects.
Information security officers are responsible for planning and implementing policies to safeguard an organization's computer network and data from different types of security breaches. Their duties typically include identifying computer network vulnerabilities, developing and executing a plan to secure and protect the network, and tracking computer network usage to ensure adherence to security policies. In addition, information security officers are also expected to conduct penetration tests to look for flaws and work closely with the IT and management departments to improve security.
Chief information officers and information security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Information Officer | Information Security Officer | |
| Average salary | $146,907 | $135,040 |
| Salary range | Between $98,000 And $219,000 | Between $95,000 And $190,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Mayer Brown | Twilio |
| Best paying industry | Agriculture | Professional |
There are a few differences between a chief information officer and an information security officer in terms of educational background:
| Chief Information Officer | Information Security Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between chief information officers' and information security officers' demographics:
| Chief Information Officer | Information Security Officer | |
| Average age | 52 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 9% |