Information systems director vs systems analyst

The differences between information systems directors and systems analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an information systems director, becoming a systems analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an information systems director has an average salary of $130,822, which is higher than the $75,383 average annual salary of a systems analyst.

The top three skills for an information systems director include customer service, project management and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a systems analyst are customer service, project management, and troubleshoot.

Information systems director vs systems analyst overview

	Information Systems Director	Systems Analyst
Yearly salary	$130,822	$75,383
Hourly rate	$62.90	$36.24
Growth rate	16%	9%
Number of jobs	128,575	141,289
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	8	6

What does an information systems director do?

An Information Systems Director spearheads and oversees a business establishment's information systems, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They set goals and guidelines, establish protocols and timelines, liaise with external business partners such as vendors and suppliers, manage staff, and develop strategies to optimize operations. As an Information Systems Director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach performance and service goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a systems analyst do?

A systems analyst is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of technology systems and analyzing its efficiency for business operations and clients' needs. Systems analysts create specific modifications to operating systems and help design solutions and processes. Other tasks include managing the system's workflow, diagnosing and detecting malfunctions, performing troubleshooting, and assisting clients' with their concerns. A systems analyst must have excellent command with programming languages and the knowledge with the technology industry to understand systems' complexities and processes.

Information systems director vs systems analyst salary

Information systems directors and systems analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Information Systems Director	Systems Analyst
Average salary	$130,822	$75,383
Salary range	Between $86,000 And $198,000	Between $58,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Outbrain	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between information systems director and systems analyst education

There are a few differences between an information systems director and a systems analyst in terms of educational background:

	Information Systems Director	Systems Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Stanford University

Information systems director vs systems analyst demographics

Here are the differences between information systems directors' and systems analysts' demographics:

	Information Systems Director	Systems Analyst
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.3% Female, 18.7%	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	8%

Differences between information systems director and systems analyst duties and responsibilities

Information systems director example responsibilities.

Lead a technology expansion to deliver an internal portal using Microsoft .NET and SharePoint platforms.
Manage SDLC of custom application and relate web and data services, consultants and support contracts.
Establish team of security /compliance experts to effectively manage PCI and SOX compliance and formal change control processes.
Manage multiple large scale projects including infrastructure installations of wire and wireless networks and replace PBX system creating efficiencies and savings.
Lead the implementation of several SharePoint initiatives.
Implement custom build ERP system which manage inventory, laboratory testing and patient demographics.

Systems analyst example responsibilities.

Manage AS400 operations teams and provide training / end-user support as scheduled.
Lead a team of two developers who create various GUI report parameter screens and associate reports.
Write scripts (shell, Perl, AutoIt) to automate administrative tasks, troubleshooting, and disaster recovery operations.
Manage ticket resolution of 250/300 per month, within SLA and root cause analysis and defects tie back to development.
Design and build radiology information systems, as well as led multiple conversions and create documentation to support technology and workflow.
Manage and implement VMware infrastructure.

Information systems director vs systems analyst skills

Common information systems director skills

Customer Service, 8%
Project Management, 8%
Network Infrastructure, 7%
Windows Server, 4%
SQL Server, 4%
Data Warehouse, 4%

Common systems analyst skills

Customer Service, 8%
Project Management, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Java, 4%
C++, 4%
C #, 4%

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Information Systems Director
Information Systems Director vs Systems Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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