Physical security engineer vs information security engineer

The differences between physical security engineers 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 physical security engineer and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, which is higher than the $84,784 average annual salary of a physical security engineer.

The top three skills for a physical security engineer include CCTV, security design and video surveillance systems. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Physical security engineer vs information security engineer overview

	Physical Security Engineer	Information Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$84,784	$97,288
Hourly rate	$40.76	$46.77
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	118,927	120,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Physical security engineer vs information security engineer salary

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

	Physical Security Engineer	Information Security Engineer
Average salary	$84,784	$97,288
Salary range	Between $60,000 And $118,000	Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	The Citadel
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between physical security engineer and information security engineer education

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

	Physical Security Engineer	Information Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Computer Science
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Physical security engineer vs information security engineer demographics

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

	Physical Security Engineer	Information Security Engineer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%	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 physical security engineer and information security engineer duties and responsibilities

Physical security engineer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and manage the installations of security systems with the USAO, GSA, and security installer.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Implement PKI procedures for entire division.
Create ETL processes for importing access data into SQL databases via SSIS and SQL store procedures.
Create access risk metrics and reports using SQL server reporting that goes up to a management committee.
Participate in project meetings and conference calls with facilities groups, USAO personnel, GSA, general contractors and subcontractors.

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.

Physical security engineer vs information security engineer skills

Common physical security engineer skills

CCTV, 36%
Security Design, 25%
Video Surveillance Systems, 23%
Scheme, 5%
Control Systems, 5%
Card Readers, 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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Physical Security Engineer vs Information Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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