Defense analyst vs information security analyst

The differences between defense analysts and information security analysts 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 security analyst. Additionally, an information security analyst has an average salary of $98,144, 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 security analyst are incident response, risk assessments, and windows.

Defense analyst vs information security analyst overview

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$86,453	$98,144
Hourly rate	$41.56	$47.18
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	24,879	112,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a defense analyst do?

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.

What does an information security analyst do?

An information security analyst is an individual who is responsible for carrying out security measures to protect the computer network and systems of an organization. Information security analysts erect firewalls and encrypt data transmissions to protect the organization's data from being inappropriately accessed or used. They must be aware of reports on computer viruses and should share this information with the management or customer. Information security analysts are also required to conduct training for all the organization's employees regarding computer security and information safeguarding.

Defense analyst vs information security analyst salary

Defense analysts and information security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Analyst
Average salary	$86,453	$98,144
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $114,000	Between $71,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	The Walt Disney Company
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between defense analyst and information security analyst education

There are a few differences between a defense analyst and an information security analyst in terms of educational background:

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Defense analyst vs information security analyst demographics

Here are the differences between defense analysts' and information security analysts' demographics:

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Analyst
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%
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 defense analyst and information security analyst duties and responsibilities

Defense analyst example responsibilities.

Program and troubleshoot system micro controllers, card readers, alarm inputs/outputs, and manage device IP communication.
Utilize Wireshark to perform in depth intrusion analysis from packet capture (PCAP) files.
Conduct INFOCON assessments and collaborate with clients to provide recommendations regarding network security operations on DoD systems.
Review SourceFire events and perform analysis on events.
Use Wireshark, a network protocol analyzer to conduct deep TCP and UDP packet analysis of all network events.
Conduct firewall research and intrusion detection and determine false positives.

Information security analyst example responsibilities.

Manage IA personnel in the performance of IAVM tasks.
Lead maritime IP intrusion detection analysis special project providing models to identify Cyber terrorist's capabilities, methods, and strategies.
Manage and configure perimeter Cisco routers and switches.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Perform vulnerability assessment and remediation of systems to ensure compliance to policies, regulations and controls (HIPAA & NIST).
Monitor and analyze SIEM events to identify security issues for remediation.

Defense analyst vs information security analyst skills

Common defense analyst skills

Incident Response, 14%
DOD, 9%
Windows, 6%
Tcp Ip, 5%
Network Security, 5%
Network Traffic, 4%

Common information security analyst skills

Incident Response, 7%
Risk Assessments, 5%
Windows, 5%
SIEM, 4%
Data Loss Prevention, 4%
Network Security, 3%

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Defense Analyst vs Information Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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