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The differences between cyber security analysts and consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a cyber security analyst, becoming a consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a cyber security analyst has an average salary of $88,422, which is higher than the $78,912 average annual salary of a consultant.
The top three skills for a cyber security analyst include incident response, windows and SIEM. The most important skills for a consultant are customer service, strong analytical, and project management.
| Cyber Security Analyst | Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $88,422 | $78,912 |
| Hourly rate | $42.51 | $37.94 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 64,387 | 171,733 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
Cyber security analysts and consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Analyst | Consultant | |
| Average salary | $88,422 | $78,912 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $117,000 | Between $58,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Neighborly | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a cyber security analyst and a consultant in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Analyst | Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between cyber security analysts' and consultants' demographics:
| Cyber Security Analyst | Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 12% |