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The differences between defense analysts 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 defense analyst and an information assurance engineer. Additionally, an information assurance engineer has an average salary of $89,291, which is higher than the $86,453 average annual salary of a defense analyst.
The top three skills for a defense analyst include incident response, DOD and windows. The most important skills for an information assurance engineer are RMF, DOD, and IAM.
| Defense Analyst | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,453 | $89,291 |
| Hourly rate | $41.56 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 24,879 | 104,421 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A defense analyst specializes in developing programs and policies about national security and safety. They usually work for the military, government agencies, private firms, and even the Department of Defense. Their responsibilities focus on conducting extensive research, analyzing military procedures and operations, assessing threats, identifying potential risks, and studying the current laws and policies, recommending solutions to optimize processes, solve issues, or prevent problems. Moreover, through their research, a defense analyst develops conclusions that will help offices in making decisions.
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.
Defense analysts and information assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Defense Analyst | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,453 | $89,291 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $114,000 | Between $67,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Oregon |
| Best paying company | - | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a defense analyst and an information assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Defense Analyst | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Information Technology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between defense analysts' and information assurance engineers' demographics:
| Defense Analyst | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8% | 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% |