Network security consultant vs information security engineer

The differences between network security consultants and information security engineers 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 consultant and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, which is higher than the $92,993 average annual salary of a network security consultant.

The top three skills for a network security consultant include network infrastructure, switches and routers. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Network security consultant vs information security engineer overview

	Network Security Consultant	Information Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$92,993	$97,288
Hourly rate	$44.71	$46.77
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	79,888	120,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Network security consultant vs information security engineer salary

Network security consultants and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Security Consultant	Information Security Engineer
Average salary	$92,993	$97,288
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $126,000	Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Palo Alto Networks	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between network security consultant and information security engineer education

There are a few differences between a network security consultant and an information security engineer in terms of educational background:

	Network Security Consultant	Information Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Network security consultant vs information security engineer demographics

Here are the differences between network security consultants' and information security engineers' demographics:

	Network Security Consultant	Information Security Engineer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
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 consultant and information security engineer duties and responsibilities

Network security consultant example responsibilities.

Manage multiple network suppliers in a global environment in determining a proper choice for the SIEM.
Design and manage information systems security policy, implementation, and management for a globally distribute MPLS infrastructure.
Work on documenting and finding UNIX security holes within Harris' network.
Act as liaison between network team and Protiviti for their ongoing PCI compliance certification process
Act as an escalation point for alerts generate by a SIEM and other relate tools.
Complete system maintenance and upgrades during establish off-hour maintenance windows, and in the event emergency repairs or network upgrades.

Information security engineer example responsibilities.

Lead the certification and accreditation efforts by implementing NIST 800-53 security controls in order to obtain FISMA compliance.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Ensure that security policies are properly implement using NIST guidelines and perform auditing of logs.
Conduct Java algorithm design reviews and resolve any design issues.
Automate manual queries and integration using WhiteHat API's with PERL and Java.
Update ACAS plugins weekly or when updates become available on the DISA provide website.

Network security consultant vs information security engineer skills

Common network security consultant skills

Network Infrastructure, 9%
Switches, 9%
Routers, 7%
Windows, 6%
NMAP, 5%
Linux, 4%

Common information security engineer skills

Infrastructure, 7%
Incident Response, 6%
Security Tools, 5%
Network Security, 4%
SIEM, 4%
NIST, 4%

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Network Security Consultant vs Information Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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