Defense analyst vs senior security analyst

The differences between defense analysts and senior 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 a senior security analyst. Additionally, a senior security analyst has an average salary of $103,571, 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 a senior security analyst are NIST, incident response, and cloud security.

Defense analyst vs senior security analyst overview

	Defense Analyst	Senior Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$86,453	$103,571
Hourly rate	$41.56	$49.79
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	24,879	61,108
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
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 a senior security analyst do?

A senior security analyst is a digital professional who creates and implements firewalls and software systems to protect data and prevent attacks on private data. Senior security analysts aim to identify weaknesses in a network's security system and prevent breaches from occurring. Within larger organizations, senior security analysts are required to work with professionals who specialize in networking, information technology (IT), and computer system. They must also design security protocols and systems to better protect their customers and user data.

Defense analyst vs senior security analyst salary

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

	Defense Analyst	Senior Security Analyst
Average salary	$86,453	$103,571
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $114,000	Between $79,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Coinbase
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between defense analyst and senior security analyst education

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

	Defense Analyst	Senior Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Defense analyst vs senior security analyst demographics

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

	Defense Analyst	Senior Security Analyst
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%	Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5%
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 senior 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.

Senior security analyst example responsibilities.

Supervise and manage information security assets associate with DISA STIGS and HBSS.
Utilize Unix utilities and management packages to analyze and manage traffic flow in the corporate backbone.
Manage GLBA security awareness and training program and annual information security awareness activities.
Introduce dashboards to identify preemptive attacks on corporate perimeter using intrusion detection and web application firewall technologies.
Evaluate DoD security tools; determine compatibility issues with existing network configuration/infrastructure, and present conclusions to management.
Contribute in defining time tables and SIEM project plans.

Defense analyst vs senior security analyst skills

Common defense analyst skills

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

Common senior security analyst skills

NIST, 7%
Incident Response, 5%
Cloud Security, 4%
Encryption, 4%
Firewall, 4%
Switches, 4%

Defense Analyst vs. similar jobs

Defense Analyst related careers

Defense Analyst related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Computer and Mathematical Industry
Defense Analyst
Defense Analyst vs Senior Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs