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The differences between information security officers and information security consultants 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 security consultant. Additionally, an information security officer has an average salary of $135,040, which is higher than the $103,316 average annual salary of an information security consultant.
The top three skills for an information security officer include risk management, risk assessments and incident response. The most important skills for an information security consultant are risk assessments, risk management, and SQL.
| Information Security Officer | Information Security Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $135,040 | $103,316 |
| Hourly rate | $64.92 | $49.67 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 145,907 | 113,409 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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 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.
Information security officers and information security consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Security Officer | Information Security Consultant | |
| Average salary | $135,040 | $103,316 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $190,000 | Between $76,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Carson City, NV |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Twilio | eBay |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between an information security officer and an information security consultant in terms of educational background:
| Information Security Officer | Information Security Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between information security officers' and information security consultants' demographics:
| Information Security Officer | Information Security Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| 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% |