What does an information security director do?
An information security director is an executive professional who is responsible for implementing, designing, managing, and allocating all the security measures using technology in an organization. Information security directors are required to observe security vulnerabilities and threats as well as develop strategies to handle security incidents. They must participate in the deployment of security technologies and implement security policies and procedures. Information security directors must also implement education programs on user awareness and security compliance.
Information security director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real information security director resumes:
- Design and lead implementation of extensive business-wide customer data encryption effort.
- Lead projects to include standards and policy development, business strategy formulation, infrastructure implementation and process re-engineering.
- Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
- Complete regular network scans and submit the results to the ISO.
- Second step are to compile the data against the HIPAA guidelines and assess areas of success and improvements.
- Develop a certification program for information security management system in accordance with the ISO 27000 and HITRUST CSF security standards frameworks.
- Deploy, configure, and monitor IDS/IPS and SIEM systems for unauthorize activity, detecting anomalies and stopping all attempt attacks.
- Key organizational point for HIPAA security/compliance.
- Provide guidance and recommendations regarding prioritization of system security infrastructure investments that mitigate risks, strengthen defenses and reduce vulnerabilities.
- Lead of GraVoc's information security consulting practice that deliver information security governance solutions to clients in the financial services community.
- Utilize various Linux commands to determine open ports.
- Develop test plans, and serve as security SME for customer evaluations.
- Advance security assessments networks, devices, systems, applications, and cryptography controls.
- Used commercial scanning tools such as AppScan and Nessus to analyze systems for vulnerabilities.
- Post review, analyze operational inefficiencies and identify an opportunity in the firewall log analysis process.
Information security director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 6% of Information Security Directors are proficient in Cloud Security, Risk Management, and Incident Response. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Ingenuity, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Information Security Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cloud Security, 6%
Establish cloud security architecture for Hedgeserv DR, development and production environment leveraging Azure ASC and AWS CloudWatch/Trail.
- Risk Management, 6%
Develop and implemented various federal agencies Risk Management Programs targeting both Operational Risk and Information Technology Risk.
- Incident Response, 5%
Performed primary incident response and facilitated information exchange with both the Secret Service and FBI during information security incidents.
- NIST, 5%
Reduced attack surface by implementing controls, included in both NIST and SANS Top 20 security control frameworks.
- Risk Assessments, 4%
Provide security design reviews, process performance improvements, risk assessments and compliance transformation, controls monitoring and optimization.
- Infrastructure, 4%
Initiated program to rebuild Enterprise IAM capability and new tool selection integrating SSO and automated provisioning into applications and infrastructure.
Most information security directors use their skills in "cloud security," "risk management," and "incident response" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential information security director responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. One of the key soft skills for an information security director to have is detail oriented. You can see how this relates to what information security directors do because "because cyberattacks can be difficult to detect, information security analysts must pay careful attention to computer systems and watch for minor changes in performance." Additionally, an information security director resume shows how information security directors use detail oriented: "drafted detailed requirements and vendor selection en-route to creating a log management solution for information security, operations and regulatory compliance. "
Ingenuity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling information security director duties is ingenuity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "information security analysts must anticipate information security risks and implement new ways to protect their organizations’ computer systems and networks." According to an information security director resume, here's how information security directors can utilize ingenuity in their job responsibilities: "provide expertise and ingenuity to the risk and information security management tasks. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of information security directors is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday information security director duties, as "information security analysts must respond to security alerts and uncover and fix flaws in computer systems and networks." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "lead of gravoc's information security consulting practice that delivered information security governance solutions to clients in the financial services community. "
Analytical skills. information security director responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "information security analysts must carefully study computer systems and networks and assess risks to determine how security policies and protocols can be improved." This resume example shows what information security directors do with analytical skills on a typical day: "designed and led implementation of extensive business-wide customer data encryption effort. "
The three companies that hire the most information security directors are:
- American Express51 information security directors jobs
- Bank of America6 information security directors jobs
- ServiceNow3 information security directors jobs
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Compare different information security directors
Information security director vs. Securities consultant
A securities consultant is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the company's premises, including enforcing protection for all the employees and company assets. Securities consultants also handle the confidentiality and stability of data network systems to prevent potential breaches and unauthorized access to information. They coordinate with the system analysts to design programs and databases as part of technical solutions to maximize productivity and increase efficiency. A securities consultant writes incident reports, recommend strategic techniques, and research threat risks that may put the company in jeopardy.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an information security director are more likely to require skills like "risk management," "governance," "cloud," and "vulnerability management." On the other hand, a job as a securities consultant requires skills like "java," "security management," "customer service," and "architecture." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Securities consultants tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $99,249. In contrast, information security directors make the biggest average salary, $142,131, in the real estate industry.On average, securities consultants reach lower levels of education than information security directors. Securities consultants are 8.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Information security director vs. Securities analyst
Securities analysts, also known as financial analysts, are responsible for collecting and interpreting data on securities, economies, corporate strategies, and financial markets. They provide clients with recommendations on investments based on in-depth research. This role has various duties and responsibilities that include putting out a buy, sell or hold recommendation in the financial markets, assessing the value and financial stability of companies, and meeting with company representatives to better understand their business practices. Securities analysts are also responsible for devising financial models.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, information security director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cloud security," "risk management," "infrastructure," and "governance." Meanwhile, a securities analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "security policies," "security systems," "database," and "linux." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, securities analysts earn a lower salary than information security directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, securities analysts earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $95,246. Whereas information security directors have higher pay in the real estate industry, with an average salary of $142,131.securities analysts earn lower levels of education than information security directors in general. They're 6.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Information security director vs. Sap security consultant
An SAP security consultant is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of network and applications within the database management systems. SAP security consultants analyze the stability and efficiency of the user interface, authorize data access, and perform audits and quality checks. They also identify resolution for system issues and determine network solutions to increase optimization. An SAP security consultant must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in assisting end-users with the server navigations.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, information security directors are more likely to have skills like "cloud security," "risk management," "incident response," and "nist." But a sap security consultant is more likely to have skills like "bi," "crm," "eam," and "sap ecc."
Sap security consultants make a very good living in the pharmaceutical industry with an average annual salary of $120,464. On the other hand, information security directors are paid the highest salary in the real estate industry, with average annual pay of $142,131.sap security consultants typically earn similar educational levels compared to information security directors. Specifically, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Information security director vs. Cyber security analyst
A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.
Types of information security director
Updated January 8, 2025
