Defense analyst vs information security officer

The differences between defense analysts and information security officers 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 officer. Additionally, an information security officer has an average salary of $135,040, 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 officer are risk management, risk assessments, and incident response.

Defense analyst vs information security officer overview

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Officer
Yearly salary	$86,453	$135,040
Hourly rate	$41.56	$64.92
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	24,879	145,907
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
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 officer do?

Information security officers are responsible for planning and implementing policies to safeguard an organization's computer network and data from different types of security breaches. Their duties typically include identifying computer network vulnerabilities, developing and executing a plan to secure and protect the network, and tracking computer network usage to ensure adherence to security policies. In addition, information security officers are also expected to conduct penetration tests to look for flaws and work closely with the IT and management departments to improve security.

Defense analyst vs information security officer salary

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

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Officer
Average salary	$86,453	$135,040
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $114,000	Between $95,000 And $190,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Twilio
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between defense analyst and information security officer education

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

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Defense analyst vs information security officer demographics

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

	Defense Analyst	Information Security Officer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
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 officer 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 officer example responsibilities.

Lead vulnerability scanning and penetration testing for PCI-DSS compliance.
Manage client relationships in conjunction with moving production environment to AWS.
Manage all printers, switches, routers, and data archiving.
Manage and ensure all AIS systems are operated in accordance with applicable DoD directives.
Avoid fines and penalties by achieving and maintaining PCI, HIPAA, and SOX compliance.
Engage to design and implement an enterprise-wide information security program to achieve SOX and HIPPA compliance.

Defense analyst vs information security officer skills

Common defense analyst skills

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

Common information security officer skills

Risk Management, 12%
Risk Assessments, 7%
Incident Response, 7%
Infrastructure, 6%
Governance, 5%
ISO, 5%

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Defense Analyst vs Information Security Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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