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The differences between information security officers and information assurance 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 officer and an information assurance engineer. Additionally, an information security officer has an average salary of $135,040, which is higher than the $89,291 average annual salary of an information assurance engineer.
The top three skills for an information security officer include risk management, risk assessments and incident response. The most important skills for an information assurance engineer are RMF, DOD, and IAM.
| Information Security Officer | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $135,040 | $89,291 |
| Hourly rate | $64.92 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 145,907 | 104,421 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Information security officers are responsible for planning and implementing policies to safeguard an organization's computer network and data from different types of security breaches. Their duties typically include identifying computer network vulnerabilities, developing and executing a plan to secure and protect the network, and tracking computer network usage to ensure adherence to security policies. In addition, information security officers are also expected to conduct penetration tests to look for flaws and work closely with the IT and management departments to improve security.
Information assurance engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's data. They act as a team of security specialists that use their skill in securely operating and keeping data to protect the organization's most essential asset. Their main role is to guarantee the quality, security, and retrievability of the organization's information. Also, they outline security systems that make certain the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of data. Additionally, they secure IT infrastructure, maintain hardware and software updated, establish security standards, and monitor threats like breaches.
Information security officers and information assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Security Officer | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $135,040 | $89,291 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $190,000 | Between $67,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Twilio | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between an information security officer and an information assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Information Security Officer | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Information Technology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between information security officers' and information assurance engineers' demographics:
| Information Security Officer | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4% |
| 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% |