Information security analyst vs information security engineer

The differences between information security analysts 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 analyst and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security analyst has an average salary of $98,144, which is higher than the $97,288 average annual salary of an information security engineer.

The top three skills for an information security analyst include incident response, risk assessments and windows. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Information security analyst vs information security engineer overview

	Information Security Analyst	Information Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$98,144	$97,288
Hourly rate	$47.18	$46.77
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	112,818	120,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does an information security analyst do?

An information security analyst is an individual who is responsible for carrying out security measures to protect the computer network and systems of an organization. Information security analysts erect firewalls and encrypt data transmissions to protect the organization's data from being inappropriately accessed or used. They must be aware of reports on computer viruses and should share this information with the management or customer. Information security analysts are also required to conduct training for all the organization's employees regarding computer security and information safeguarding.

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 analyst vs information security engineer salary

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

	Information Security Analyst	Information Security Engineer
Average salary	$98,144	$97,288
Salary range	Between $71,000 And $135,000	Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	The Walt Disney Company	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between information security analyst and information security engineer education

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

	Information Security Analyst	Information Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Information security analyst vs information security engineer demographics

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

	Information Security Analyst	Information Security Engineer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%	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 analyst and information security engineer duties and responsibilities

Information security analyst example responsibilities.

Manage IA personnel in the performance of IAVM tasks.
Lead maritime IP intrusion detection analysis special project providing models to identify Cyber terrorist's capabilities, methods, and strategies.
Manage and configure perimeter Cisco routers and switches.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Perform vulnerability assessment and remediation of systems to ensure compliance to policies, regulations and controls (HIPAA & NIST).
Monitor and analyze SIEM events to identify security issues for remediation.

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 analyst vs information security engineer skills

Common information security analyst skills

Incident Response, 7%
Risk Assessments, 5%
Windows, 5%
SIEM, 4%
Data Loss Prevention, 4%
Network Security, 3%

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 Analyst vs Information Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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