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The differences between information assurance engineers and information security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an information assurance engineer and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, which is higher than the $89,291 average annual salary of an information assurance engineer.
The top three skills for an information assurance engineer include RMF, DOD and IAM. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.
| Information Assurance Engineer | Information Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,291 | $97,288 |
| Hourly rate | $42.93 | $46.77 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 104,421 | 120,257 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Information assurance engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's data. They act as a team of security specialists that use their skill in securely operating and keeping data to protect the organization's most essential asset. Their main role is to guarantee the quality, security, and retrievability of the organization's information. Also, they outline security systems that make certain the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of data. Additionally, they secure IT infrastructure, maintain hardware and software updated, establish security standards, and monitor threats like breaches.
An information security engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to protect company and customer data from hackers or any cyber attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to identify their needs, assess existing programs to identify any areas needing improvement, monitor network and system for any problems, and implement preventive measures for protection. Should there be any breaches, it is essential to resolve them right away and conduct an investigation to prevent it from happening again. Furthermore, it is necessary to assist employees in utilizing security systems to ensure smooth workflow.
Information assurance engineers and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Assurance Engineer | Information Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,291 | $97,288 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $117,000 | Between $73,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Parsons | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between an information assurance engineer and an information security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Information Assurance Engineer | Information Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Information Technology | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between information assurance engineers' and information security engineers' demographics:
| Information Assurance Engineer | Information Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4% | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% |
| 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% |