Information security administrator vs information security engineer

The differences between information security administrators 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 security administrator and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, which is higher than the $81,604 average annual salary of an information security administrator.

The top three skills for an information security administrator include incident response, security systems and data loss prevention. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Information security administrator vs information security engineer overview

	Information Security Administrator	Information Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$81,604	$97,288
Hourly rate	$39.23	$46.77
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	157,160	120,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does an information security administrator do?

An Information Security Administrator focuses on the proper installation of surveillance systems in a building or residence. This person is responsible for ensuring the appropriate installment of CCTV cameras and other equipment necessary to protect a perimeter adequately. Their responsibilities include ensuring the protection of all surveillance equipment from tampering, theft, and damage and providing support for the owner to resolve problems with the system and provide troubleshooting.

What does an information security engineer do?

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 security administrator vs information security engineer salary

Information security administrators and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Information Security Administrator	Information Security Engineer
Average salary	$81,604	$97,288
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $116,000	Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	Roseville, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Nasdaq	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between information security administrator and information security engineer education

There are a few differences between an information security administrator and an information security engineer in terms of educational background:

	Information Security Administrator	Information Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Information security administrator vs information security engineer demographics

Here are the differences between information security administrators' and information security engineers' demographics:

	Information Security Administrator	Information Security Engineer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%	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%

Differences between information security administrator and information security engineer duties and responsibilities

Information security administrator example responsibilities.

Lead enterprise-wide virtualization effort, overseeing and completing vendor/hardware qualifications, architecture/design, installation, configuration, migration and documentation.
Work with auditors to gather the proper information for PCI and SOX audits and submit the information in timely require manner.
Create and conduct HIPAA training program for executive management and general staff.
Establish HIPAA policies and procedures and implement system measures to ensure compliance.
Interface with business managers, end-users and technical staff for provisioning of access.
Deploy new systems and network devices to include provisioning of access controls and monitoring.

Information security engineer example responsibilities.

Lead the certification and accreditation efforts by implementing NIST 800-53 security controls in order to obtain FISMA compliance.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Ensure that security policies are properly implement using NIST guidelines and perform auditing of logs.
Conduct Java algorithm design reviews and resolve any design issues.
Automate manual queries and integration using WhiteHat API's with PERL and Java.
Update ACAS plugins weekly or when updates become available on the DISA provide website.

Information security administrator vs information security engineer skills

Common information security administrator skills

Incident Response, 6%
Security Systems, 6%
Data Loss Prevention, 5%
Security Policies, 5%
Security Procedures, 4%
IDS, 4%

Common information security engineer skills

Infrastructure, 7%
Incident Response, 6%
Security Tools, 5%
Network Security, 4%
SIEM, 4%
NIST, 4%

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Information Security Administrator vs Information Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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