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The differences between information security engineers and analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an information security engineer, becoming an analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, which is higher than the $73,007 average annual salary of an analyst.
The top three skills for an information security engineer include infrastructure, incident response and security tools. The most important skills for an analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and data analysis.
| Information Security Engineer | Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $97,288 | $73,007 |
| Hourly rate | $46.77 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 120,257 | 253,138 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.
Information security engineers and analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Security Engineer | Analyst | |
| Average salary | $97,288 | $73,007 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $129,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an information security engineer and an analyst in terms of educational background:
| Information Security Engineer | Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between information security engineers' and analysts' demographics:
| Information Security Engineer | Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| 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, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 12% |