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The differences between information security consultants 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 consultant and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security consultant has an average salary of $103,316, which is higher than the $97,288 average annual salary of an information security engineer.
The top three skills for an information security consultant include risk assessments, risk management and SQL. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.
| Information Security Consultant | Information Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $103,316 | $97,288 |
| Hourly rate | $49.67 | $46.77 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 113,409 | 120,257 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Information Security Consultants are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for assessing computer and network systems to implement security solutions for the IT needs of an organization. These consultants must prevent unauthorized access to financial and personal information of the organization by assessing its existing infrastructures and systems for weaknesses. They must provide advice and recommendations on the best method to ensure security for their IT system. Information Security Consultants must also perform penetration testing and malware analysis to identify any network weaknesses.
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 consultants and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Security Consultant | Information Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $103,316 | $97,288 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $138,000 | Between $73,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Carson City, NV | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | California |
| Best paying company | eBay | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an information security consultant and an information security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Information Security Consultant | Information Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between information security consultants' and information security engineers' demographics:
| Information Security Consultant | Information Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% | 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% |