Defense analyst vs information security manager

The differences between defense analysts and information 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 defense analyst and an information security manager. Additionally, an information security manager has an average salary of $126,447, 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 manager are risk management, NIST, and infrastructure.

Defense analyst vs information security manager overview

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Manager
Yearly salary	$86,453	$126,447
Hourly rate	$41.56	$60.79
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	24,879	115,414
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 manager do?

An information security manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the security systems established to protect a company's data from hackers or cyber-attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around monitoring networks for any security breaches, designing and developing new security systems, and improving existing ones when necessary. They may also perform research and analysis to determine company needs, provide instructional materials, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, as an information security manager, it is essential to provide technical support to employees, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Defense analyst vs information security manager salary

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

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Manager
Average salary	$86,453	$126,447
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $114,000	Between $91,000 And $175,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	eBay
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between defense analyst and information security manager education

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

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Manager
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 manager demographics

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

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Manager
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%	Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2%
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 manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Develop goals and strategies to achieve company goals while improving upon current ITIL processes and procedures.
Provide direct leadership with managing corporate HIPAA Privacy/Security compliance initiatives.
Manage the administration of various encryption, authentication and public/private key management technologies and certificate/digital authority.
Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
Conduct risk assessments and collaborate with leadership to provide recommendations regarding critical infrastructure and network security operations enhancements.
Coordinate penetration testing, address vulnerabilities, and analyze NIST 800-82 and ISO 27001 standards/gap analysis for SCADA and business networks.

Defense analyst vs information security manager skills

Common defense analyst skills

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

Common information security manager skills

Risk Management, 7%
NIST, 7%
Infrastructure, 5%
Governance, 5%
Incident Response, 5%
Risk Assessments, 5%

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Defense Analyst vs Information Security Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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