How To Become A Security Architect: What It Is and Career Path

What is a security architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Professor David Sanford

Security Architects anticipate potential threats and prevent them by planning, implementing, and supervising computer and network security systems within an organization's IT network. They identify areas of weakness and respond swiftly to possible security breaches. Security Architects earn an average salary of $119,000 annually or $57 per hour.

Security Architects review current system security measures and recommend ways to improve on them. They oversee the security team, ensuring that a sense of security awareness is cultivated through continuous education. They develop project timelines for ongoing system upgrades and prepare cost estimates. They usually stay up-to-date with the recent security news, standards, and products.

Security Architects mostly hold a bachelor's or associate's degree in IT, computer science, or a related field. Advanced IT security certifications may prove useful in the long run with some years of experience in information security and IT risk management. A great Security Architect possesses exceptional teaching, problem-solving, and communication skills.

What general advice would you give to a security architect?

Professor David Sanford

Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB), Northwood University

Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like

Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.

In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.

ScoreSecurity ArchitectUS Average

Salary

8.3

Avg. Salary $128,636

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate 32%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 9.64%

Black or African American 9.15%

Hispanic or Latino 8.99%

Unknown 6.09%

White 65.70%

Gender

female 9.50%

male 90.50%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a security architect

Explore security architect education requirements

Most common security architect degrees

Bachelor's

62.0 %

Master's

25.4 %

Associate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific security architect skills

Skills	Percentages
Cloud Security	11.53%
Architecture	8.19%
Cloud	6.71%
Infrastructure	5.66%
Java	4.59%

Complete relevant security architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New security architects learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a security architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real security architect resumes.

Gain additional security architect certifications

Security architect certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific security architect certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for security architects include Certified Information Systems Security Professional - Architecture (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

More About Certifications

Research security architect duties and responsibilities

Manage 4.1MM growth budget and 20MM operating budget in order to facilitate execution of priorities across the IAM landscape.
Manage annual penetration testing exercise and PCI compliance validation scanning program.
Lead multiple identity management projects integrating provisioning and roll management tools.
Manage GLBA security awareness and training program and annual information security awareness activities.

Get security architect experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a security architect. The most common roles before becoming a security architect include sap security consultant, security engineer team lead and consultant.

Prepare your security architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your security architect resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a security architect resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable security architect resume templates

Build a professional security architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your security architect resume.