Information technology security manager vs information technology director

The differences between information technology security managers and information technology directors 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 technology security manager, becoming an information technology director takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an information technology director has an average salary of $138,906, which is higher than the $124,792 average annual salary of an information technology security manager.

The top three skills for an information technology security manager include NIST, risk management and project management. The most important skills for an information technology director are customer service, project management, and cloud.

Information technology security manager vs information technology director overview

	Information Technology Security Manager	Information Technology Director
Yearly salary	$124,792	$138,906
Hourly rate	$60.00	$66.78
Growth rate	32%	16%
Number of jobs	120,463	87,765
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	6	8

What does an information technology security manager do?

An information technology security manager is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the organization's network systems to prevent unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of information from the database. Information technology security managers resolve technical issues, configure network updates, and upgrade system infrastructures to enhance optimal performance and navigation. They also install applications, inspect security breaches, and fix faulty servers to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. An information technology security manager must have excellent technical and communication skills, especially in writing reports for system findings and design networks according to business requirements.

What does an information technology director do?

An information technology (IT) Director is an individual responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors. Aside from managing workers, an IT director should possess problem-solving skills and an aptitude for organizational thinking. An IT director must also identify new market opportunities and should lead an effort to improve the organization's IT process.

Information technology security manager vs information technology director salary

Information technology security managers and information technology directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Information Technology Security Manager	Information Technology Director
Average salary	$124,792	$138,906
Salary range	Between $91,000 And $170,000	Between $97,000 And $197,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	PayPal	The Tipping Point
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Technology

Differences between information technology security manager and information technology director education

There are a few differences between an information technology security manager and an information technology director in terms of educational background:

	Information Technology Security Manager	Information Technology Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Carnegie Mellon University

Information technology security manager vs information technology director demographics

Here are the differences between information technology security managers' and information technology directors' demographics:

	Information Technology Security Manager	Information Technology Director
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	11%

Differences between information technology security manager and information technology director duties and responsibilities

Information technology security manager example responsibilities.

Manage and represent RMFMC when dealing with patients and employees regarding matters of breach of privacy and / or HIPAA violations.
Manage CoBIT compliance and control self-assessment program to identify control deficiencies.
Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
Create and implement security controls (encryption, inventory management), policies and procedures to ensure HIPAA compliance.
Maintain the operation in conformity with ITIL standards and practices.
Assist NASA in its compliance with relevant security standards, including NIST and FISMA.

Information technology director example responsibilities.

Lead the implementation of the ServiceNow ITSM solution.
Work with customers and internal management to create and manage acceptable SLA standards and measurements.
Manage the migration of email system for 400 plus users from Novell GroupWise to Google Gmail.
Manage the QA department and oversee the support of all storage for the company and its outsource customers.
Perform resource planning for a portfolio of projects via prioritizing the demand queue and successfully managing business relationships.
Lead the prototyping of a Microsoft SharePoint implementation that customize the look & feel to support the organizational requirements.

Information technology security manager vs information technology director skills

Common information technology security manager skills

NIST, 7%
Risk Management, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Risk Assessments, 4%
Incident Response, 4%
ISO, 4%

Common information technology director skills

Customer Service, 10%
Project Management, 7%
Cloud, 6%
Network Infrastructure, 6%
Disaster Recovery, 3%
Windows Server, 3%

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Information Technology Security Manager vs Information Technology Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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