There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a network security architect. For example, did you know that they make an average of $59.54 an hour? That's $123,842 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 32% and produce 35,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Network Security Architect Do

There are certain skills that many network security architects have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, analytical skills and problem-solving skills.

Learn more about what a Network Security Architect does

How To Become a Network Security Architect

If you're interested in becoming a network security architect, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 65.4% of network security architects have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 18.5% of network security architects have master's degrees. Even though most network security architects have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Network Security Architect

Average Salary for a Network Security Architect

Network Security Architects in America make an average salary of $123,842 per year or $60 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $168,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $90,000 per year.
Average Network Security Architect Salary
$123,842 Yearly
$59.54 hourly

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Roles and Types of Network Security Architect

The role of a network security architect includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general network security architect responsibilities:

  • Lead design, development, and deployment of technical
  • Engineer, architect and support global enterprise voice
  • Development of network security design plans

There are several types of network security architect, including:

Network Engineer

Role:

Network engineers design, develop, and maintain computer networks. They support clients and staff using the network babies, which may function internally within an organization or link to separate ones.

Network engineers are sometimes employed by companies as a member of their permanent staff on the IT team or might work for an IT consultancy firm.

As unfair as it sounds, network engineers usually do not get away with speaking only the computer language. They have to have great interpersonal communication skills as well, because a big part of their job is troubleshooting for digital dummies.

  • Average Salary: $83,557
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Architect

Role:

From designing to planning, architects have a hand in houses, factories, office buildings and other structures. Working from an office, architects spend their days developing plans for such structures and meet with clients to ensure their dream is being carried out.

While it all sounds like fun and games, you do need a good amount of education and experience to be able to become an architect. A bachelor's degree is step one. Then you need experience through a paid internship. Before accepting a job offer, you even need to pass the Architect Registration Examination.

  • Average Salary: $86,635
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Network Manager

Role:

A network manager is in charge of the computer system for an organization. The main duty of a network manager is to maintain a computer network with software, provide technical support, and train employees. Other duties include installing new hardware and software on workstations, monitoring systems to prevent lapses in service, and evaluating the current network to identify the areas that need to be enhanced or upgraded. The network manager also has to ensure that systems are working at all times and plan the budget and other financial aspects of the department.

For a network manager, you need to possess leadership skills and strong IT skills. You also need in-depth knowledge of all networks. Interpersonal skills, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and project management skills are vital to the role of a network manager. The minimum educational qualification is a degree in computer science, information technology, computer engineering, or other relevant fields. The median annual salary of a network manager is $106,254.

  • Average Salary: $97,578
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Network Security Architect Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active network security architect jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where network security architects earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Network Security Architect Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas4,713$113,289
2Florida3,707$98,366
3New York2,819$137,125
4California2,742$158,584
5Illinois2,679$112,721
6Pennsylvania2,479$138,103
7Massachusetts2,392$127,748
8Georgia2,187$111,714
9North Carolina2,008$117,736
10Maryland1,982$116,496
11New Jersey1,878$116,340
12Washington1,831$148,847
13Ohio1,808$98,421
14Virginia1,505$119,742
15Arizona1,491$136,210
16Minnesota1,285$98,980
17Michigan1,197$112,085
18Colorado1,122$110,648
19Missouri1,072$95,858
20Wisconsin1,048$119,513
21Indiana1,007$106,127
22Alabama950$107,609
23Connecticut895$121,675
24Tennessee823$106,197
25Utah672$142,513
26South Carolina666$108,964
27Oregon603$136,263
28Kentucky565$109,978
29Iowa554$106,347
30Arkansas465$108,151
31Nevada463$134,354
32Oklahoma451$106,614
33Louisiana440$109,635
34Kansas440$105,098
35Nebraska406$106,405
36Mississippi378$107,571
37New Hampshire354$106,097
38Rhode Island351$120,489
39New Mexico342$120,315
40Delaware317$113,747
41Idaho294$120,892
42Hawaii264$114,944
43Alaska258$113,104
44West Virginia256$113,173
45Montana220$112,553
46Vermont217$115,595
47Maine211$112,025
48North Dakota206$104,572
49South Dakota168$103,987
50Wyoming135$112,068

Network Security Architect Education

Network Security Architect Majors

10.7 %

Network Security Architect Degrees

Bachelors

65.4 %

Masters

18.5 %

Associate

12.3 %

Top Colleges for Network Security Architects

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Top Skills For a Network Security Architect

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 13.2% of network security architects listed network security on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and analytical skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Network Security Architect Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Network Security Architect templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Network Security Architect resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Network Security Architect diversity

Network Security Architect Gender Distribution

Male
Male
95%
Female
Female
5%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among network security architects, 4.7% of them are women, while 95.3% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among network security architects is White, which makes up 65.7% of all network security architects.

  • The most common foreign language among network security architects is German at 20.0%.

Online Courses For Network Security Architect That You May Like

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1. Introduction to Cybersecurity

udacity

Explore the fundamental building blocks of cybersecurity. Learn how networks handle routing, DNS, load-balancing, and more. Learn the Linux operating system, and review programming and APIs. Start building cloud infrastructure...

2. Network Security

coursera

Welcome to course 4 of 5 of this Specialization, Network Security. In this course, we will look at computer networking and securing the network. In today’s world, the internet connects nearly everyone and everything, and this is accomplished through networking. While most see computer networking as a positive, criminals routinely use the internet, and the networking protocols themselves, as weapons and tools to exploit vulnerabilities and for this reason we must do our best to secure the...

3. Network Security & Database Vulnerabilities

coursera

This course gives you the background needed to understand basic network security. You will learn the about Local Area Networks, TCP/IP, the OSI Framework and routing basics. You will learn how networking affects security systems within an organization. You will learn the network components that guard an organization from cybersecurity attacks. In addition to networking, you will learn about database vulnerabilities and the tools/knowledge needed to research a database vulnerability for a...

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Best States For a Network Security Architect

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a network security architect. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, Utah, and Pennsylvania. Network security architects make the most in California with an average salary of $158,584. Whereas in Washington and Utah, they would average $148,847 and $142,513, respectively. While network security architects would only make an average of $138,103 in Pennsylvania, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Washington

Total Network Security Architect Jobs: 1,831
Highest 10% Earn:
$211,000
Location Quotient:
1.28

2. Arizona

Total Network Security Architect Jobs: 1,491
Highest 10% Earn:
$192,000
Location Quotient:
1.31

3. Utah

Total Network Security Architect Jobs: 672
Highest 10% Earn:
$202,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Full List Of Best States For Network Security Architects

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Top Network Security Architect Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ network security architects and discovered their number of network security architect opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that U.S. Bank was the best, especially with an average salary of $113,299. Salesforce follows up with an average salary of $127,762, and then comes Bank of America with an average of $117,276. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a network security architect. The employers include Publix, Verizon Communications, and Verizon Services Corp.

Most Common Employers For Network Security Architect

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Microsoft$163,641$78.672
2Palo Alto Networks$163,593$78.654
3Costco Wholesale$141,123$67.852
4Rackspace$138,201$66.445
5The Home Depot$134,759$64.792
6Motion Recruitment$132,738$63.822
7Unisys$132,053$63.494
8AT&T$129,317$62.172
9Salesforce$127,762$61.429
10Trianz$126,897$61.012