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Information security consultant vs senior security analyst

The differences between information security consultants and senior security analysts 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 a senior security analyst. Additionally, a senior security analyst has an average salary of $103,571, which is higher than the $103,316 average annual salary of an information security consultant.

The top three skills for an information security consultant include risk assessments, risk management and SQL. The most important skills for a senior security analyst are NIST, incident response, and cloud security.

Information security consultant vs senior security analyst overview

Information Security ConsultantSenior Security Analyst
Yearly salary$103,316$103,571
Hourly rate$49.67$49.79
Growth rate32%32%
Number of jobs113,40961,108
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

What does an information security consultant do?

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.

What does a senior security analyst do?

A senior security analyst is a digital professional who creates and implements firewalls and software systems to protect data and prevent attacks on private data. Senior security analysts aim to identify weaknesses in a network's security system and prevent breaches from occurring. Within larger organizations, senior security analysts are required to work with professionals who specialize in networking, information technology (IT), and computer system. They must also design security protocols and systems to better protect their customers and user data.

Information security consultant vs senior security analyst salary

Information security consultants and senior security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

Information Security ConsultantSenior Security Analyst
Average salary$103,316$103,571
Salary rangeBetween $76,000 And $138,000Between $79,000 And $135,000
Highest paying CityCarson City, NVSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying statePennsylvaniaCalifornia
Best paying companyeBayCoinbase
Best paying industryFinanceGovernment

Differences between information security consultant and senior security analyst education

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

Information Security ConsultantSenior Security Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorComputer ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Information security consultant vs senior security analyst demographics

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

Information Security ConsultantSenior Security Analyst
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 71.0% Female, 29.0%Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between information security consultant and senior security analyst duties and responsibilities

Information security consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
  • Perform privacy and security assessments and HIPAA compliance analysis of cloud-base medical service; draft legal opinion letter regarding same.
  • Provide guidance to different teams for closing critical infrastructure, network and application security vulnerabilities report in 3rd party security audit.
  • Defined/Creat tables, process SQL backup restore via export/import.
  • Select and on-board audit firm to perform management SOX testing.
  • Perform ISO testing to ensure compliance with security framework controls.
  • Show more

Senior security analyst example responsibilities.

  • Supervise and manage information security assets associate with DISA STIGS and HBSS.
  • Utilize Unix utilities and management packages to analyze and manage traffic flow in the corporate backbone.
  • Manage GLBA security awareness and training program and annual information security awareness activities.
  • Introduce dashboards to identify preemptive attacks on corporate perimeter using intrusion detection and web application firewall technologies.
  • Evaluate DoD security tools; determine compatibility issues with existing network configuration/infrastructure, and present conclusions to management.
  • Contribute in defining time tables and SIEM project plans.
  • Show more

Information security consultant vs senior security analyst skills

Common information security consultant skills
  • Risk Assessments, 6%
  • Risk Management, 6%
  • SQL, 6%
  • NIST, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 6%
  • Subject Matter Expertise, 6%
Common senior security analyst skills
  • NIST, 7%
  • Incident Response, 5%
  • Cloud Security, 4%
  • Encryption, 4%
  • Firewall, 4%
  • Switches, 4%

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