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The differences between heads of security and cyber security specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head of security has an average salary of $154,257, which is higher than the $93,395 average annual salary of a cyber security specialist.
The top three skills for a head of security include cloud security, security procedures and emergency situations. The most important skills for a cyber security specialist are cyber security, incident response, and NIST.
| Head Of Security | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $154,257 | $93,395 |
| Hourly rate | $74.16 | $44.90 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 92,369 | 65,235 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
The head of security performs overall company security responsibilities, obligations, and duties, such as maintenance responsibilities, performance responsibilities, strategic development responsibilities, and direction responsibilities. They create protocols and policies needed to secure and protect sensitive information. Besides developing and implementing security procedures and protocols, the head of security also makes logistics to secure and protect copyrights, intellectual property, and many other related risks. Moreover, the head of security hires and recruits a professional talent that can build up the security.
Cybersecurity Specialists are information technology (IT) professionals who safeguard and protect the company's networks. They ensure that the network infrastructure is secure at all times. They do routine checks to see whether the infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity Specialists monitor and respond to security concerns. They launch programs or software to mitigate any attacks that the company's infrastructure may receive. They also look for ways to minimize the network infrastructure's vulnerability to risks, threats, and attacks.
Heads of security and cyber security specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Of Security | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Average salary | $154,257 | $93,395 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $276,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | BitGo | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a head of security and a cyber security specialist in terms of educational background:
| Head Of Security | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | North Carolina State University |
Here are the differences between heads of security' and cyber security specialists' demographics:
| Head Of Security | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 6.1% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | 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 | 6% | 9% |