Cyber security engineer vs information technology security manager

The differences between cyber security engineers and information technology security managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cyber security engineer and an information technology security manager. Additionally, an information technology security manager has an average salary of $124,792, which is higher than the $99,492 average annual salary of a cyber security engineer.

The top three skills for a cyber security engineer include cyber security, python and linux. The most important skills for an information technology security manager are NIST, risk management, and project management.

Cyber security engineer vs information technology security manager overview

	Cyber Security Engineer	Information Technology Security Manager
Yearly salary	$99,492	$124,792
Hourly rate	$47.83	$60.00
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	73,419	120,463
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a cyber security engineer do?

A cyber security engineer specializes in designing and establishing security measures to protect a company's network and data from hackers or cyber attacks. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around planning and implementing cyber security systems, responding to any problems or concerns, handling security breaches and emergencies, and troubleshooting to identify any issues or vulnerabilities. Moreover, a cyber security engineer may perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and documentation, creating instructional materials for systems, managing schedules, and coordinating with department managers, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

What does an information technology security manager do?

An information technology security manager is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the organization's network systems to prevent unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of information from the database. Information technology security managers resolve technical issues, configure network updates, and upgrade system infrastructures to enhance optimal performance and navigation. They also install applications, inspect security breaches, and fix faulty servers to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. An information technology security manager must have excellent technical and communication skills, especially in writing reports for system findings and design networks according to business requirements.

Cyber security engineer vs information technology security manager salary

Cyber security engineers and information technology security managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cyber Security Engineer	Information Technology Security Manager
Average salary	$99,492	$124,792
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $131,000	Between $91,000 And $170,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Dotdash	PayPal
Best paying industry	Technology	Hospitality

Differences between cyber security engineer and information technology security manager education

There are a few differences between a cyber security engineer and an information technology security manager in terms of educational background:

	Cyber Security Engineer	Information Technology Security Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Stanford University

Cyber security engineer vs information technology security manager demographics

Here are the differences between cyber security engineers' and information technology security managers' demographics:

	Cyber Security Engineer	Information Technology Security Manager
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
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, 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	9%	9%

Differences between cyber security engineer and information technology security manager duties and responsibilities

Cyber security engineer example responsibilities.

Facilitate and manage weekly meetings between CyberCom, DISA and all OSD components.
Manage security patching life cycle and approve change control requests, firewall rules and DLP policies.
Manage, configure, and maintain all servers within the environments, including Cisco network routers, switches, and firewalls.
Lead security authorization efforts to obtain and maintain an authorization to operate (ATO) for customers' core financial system.
Manage efforts to consolidate customer VPN infrastructure.
Lead numerous DLP upgrades and process improvements and successfully implement application security program.

Information technology security manager example responsibilities.

Manage and represent RMFMC when dealing with patients and employees regarding matters of breach of privacy and / or HIPAA violations.
Manage CoBIT compliance and control self-assessment program to identify control deficiencies.
Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
Create and implement security controls (encryption, inventory management), policies and procedures to ensure HIPAA compliance.
Maintain the operation in conformity with ITIL standards and practices.
Assist NASA in its compliance with relevant security standards, including NIST and FISMA.

Cyber security engineer vs information technology security manager skills

Common cyber security engineer skills

Cyber Security, 17%
Python, 5%
Linux, 4%
Architecture, 4%
NIST, 4%
Incident Response, 4%

Common information technology security manager skills

NIST, 7%
Risk Management, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Risk Assessments, 4%
Incident Response, 4%
ISO, 4%

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Cyber Security Engineer vs Information Technology Security Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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