Network security analyst vs senior security consultant

The differences between network security analysts and senior 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 a network security analyst and a senior security consultant. Additionally, a senior security consultant has an average salary of $120,769, which is higher than the $81,623 average annual salary of a network security analyst.

The top three skills for a network security analyst include network security, windows and incident response. The most important skills for a senior security consultant are cloud security, infrastructure, and governance.

Network security analyst vs senior security consultant overview

	Network Security Analyst	Senior Security Consultant
Yearly salary	$81,623	$120,769
Hourly rate	$39.24	$58.06
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	82,954	66,226
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a network security analyst do?

Network security analysts are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing and implementing security measures to prevent suspicious or hostile activities on the computer and network systems for an organization. These analysts must install firewalls while working with the IT team to protect their systems against malicious attacks. They are required to perform forensic analysis on those malicious activities so that they can determine the source of the threats. Network security analysts must also communicate the state of information security to the stakeholders as well as suggesting ways to improve system security.

What does a senior security consultant do?

A senior security consultant is an information technology (IT) expert specializing in establishing security protocols and systems to protect a company's data and network. Their responsibilities revolve around performing internal research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current IT security systems, recommending solutions to problem areas, and suggesting new tools and techniques to improve data security. Furthermore, as a senior security consultant, it is essential to monitor the company's systems and networks and promptly respond to any breaches, conducting corrective and preventive measures to prevent it from ever happening again.

Network security analyst vs senior security consultant salary

Network security analysts and senior security consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Security Analyst	Senior Security Consultant
Average salary	$81,623	$120,769
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $108,000	Between $91,000 And $159,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	California	Nevada
Best paying company	Bunge	Amazon
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between network security analyst and senior security consultant education

There are a few differences between a network security analyst and a senior security consultant in terms of educational background:

	Network Security Analyst	Senior Security Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Network security analyst vs senior security consultant demographics

Here are the differences between network security analysts' and senior security consultants' demographics:

	Network Security Analyst	Senior Security Consultant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1%	Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9%
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, 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%

Differences between network security analyst and senior security consultant duties and responsibilities

Network security analyst example responsibilities.

Manage endpoint encryption, antivirus/anti-malware host IPS, process documentation, incident management.
Design and manage information systems security policy, implementation, and management for a globally distribute MPLS infrastructure.
Install and provide upkeep for Linux scanning, storage and group-relate web and network management servers.
Create shell scripts to generate list of all files directories ownership companywide on all UNIX and Linux systems.
Assist with NIST 800-171 compliance initiative.
Utilize ArcSight SIEM to create rules, filters and channels.

Senior security consultant example responsibilities.

Manage GLBA security awareness and training program and annual information security awareness activities.
Work alongside the QA department to ensure all documents are concise and well written in order to meet ISO's standards.
Monitor company s internal logs and traffic via Splunk to proactively investigate suspicious traffic and determine if the anomalies are malicious.
Perform email and file encryption transition for global financial/insurance company.
Assist organizations with creation of their management systems and registration to international (ISO) security and service management standards.
Provide technical leadership, task management, and engineering support to customers in the development of cryptography and key management solutions.

Network security analyst vs senior security consultant skills

Common network security analyst skills

Network Security, 11%
Windows, 5%
Incident Response, 4%
Switches, 3%
Linux, 3%
Tcp Ip, 3%

Common senior security consultant skills

Cloud Security, 9%
Infrastructure, 7%
Governance, 5%
Java, 5%
Risk Management, 5%
Access Management, 4%

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Network Security Analyst vs Senior Security Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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