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The differences between cyber security specialists and information assurance engineers 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 specialist and an information assurance engineer. Additionally, a cyber security specialist has an average salary of $93,395, which is higher than the $89,291 average annual salary of an information assurance engineer.
The top three skills for a cyber security specialist include cyber security, incident response and NIST. The most important skills for an information assurance engineer are RMF, DOD, and IAM.
| Cyber Security Specialist | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,395 | $89,291 |
| Hourly rate | $44.90 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 65,235 | 104,421 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Cybersecurity Specialists are information technology (IT) professionals who safeguard and protect the company's networks. They ensure that the network infrastructure is secure at all times. They do routine checks to see whether the infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity Specialists monitor and respond to security concerns. They launch programs or software to mitigate any attacks that the company's infrastructure may receive. They also look for ways to minimize the network infrastructure's vulnerability to risks, threats, and attacks.
Information assurance engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's data. They act as a team of security specialists that use their skill in securely operating and keeping data to protect the organization's most essential asset. Their main role is to guarantee the quality, security, and retrievability of the organization's information. Also, they outline security systems that make certain the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of data. Additionally, they secure IT infrastructure, maintain hardware and software updated, establish security standards, and monitor threats like breaches.
Cyber security specialists and information assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Specialist | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,395 | $89,291 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $67,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Oregon |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a cyber security specialist and an information assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Specialist | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Information Technology |
| Most common college | North Carolina State University | - |
Here are the differences between cyber security specialists' and information assurance engineers' demographics:
| Cyber Security Specialist | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4% |
| 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% |