Security architect vs cyber security analyst

The differences between security architects and cyber security analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a security architect and a cyber security analyst. Additionally, a security architect has an average salary of $128,636, which is higher than the $88,422 average annual salary of a cyber security analyst.

The top three skills for a security architect include cloud security, architecture and cloud. The most important skills for a cyber security analyst are incident response, windows, and SIEM.

Security architect vs cyber security analyst overview

	Security Architect	Cyber Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$128,636	$88,422
Hourly rate	$61.84	$42.51
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	127,619	64,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a security architect do?

A security architect specializes in designing and establishing security systems and measures to protect a company and its clients from hackers or cyber-attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around reviewing existing security systems to determine areas needing improvement, implementing upgrades, and devising strategies to identify a company's information technology needs. A security architect may also provide instructional materials to employees on utilizing the security systems, respond to inquiries and concerns, and perform maintenance tests as needed. Furthermore, should there be any incidents of breaches, it is essential to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent it from happening again.

What does a cyber security analyst do?

A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.

Security architect vs cyber security analyst salary

Security architects and cyber security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Security Architect	Cyber Security Analyst
Average salary	$128,636	$88,422
Salary range	Between $92,000 And $179,000	Between $66,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Oregon
Best paying company	The Knot	Neighborly
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between security architect and cyber security analyst education

There are a few differences between a security architect and a cyber security analyst in terms of educational background:

	Security Architect	Cyber Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Information Systems
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	California State University - Bakersfield

Security architect vs cyber security analyst demographics

Here are the differences between security architects' and cyber security analysts' demographics:

	Security Architect	Cyber Security Analyst
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5%	Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5%
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 security architect and cyber security analyst duties and responsibilities

Security architect example 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.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Develop criteria, assess, and validate security architectures models according to NIST 800-123 , 800-53 and ISO regulations and standards.

Cyber security analyst example responsibilities.

Ensure all requirements are met to successfully achieve an ATO before release.
Leverage this same site-to-site VPN technology to automate and secure transactions between FMC and its business partners.
Lead technical implementation through multiple projects to reduce the cardholder data environment and ultimately reduce the scope of PCI relate environments.
Log analysis & managing the accuracy of DLP identification to lowering/avoiding false positives and negatives.
Review and manage the security and information assurance capabilities of database applications, database structure and architecture.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.

Security architect vs cyber security analyst skills

Common security architect skills

Cloud Security, 12%
Architecture, 8%
Cloud, 7%
Infrastructure, 6%
Java, 5%
NIST, 4%

Common cyber security analyst skills

Incident Response, 8%
Windows, 6%
SIEM, 5%
DOD, 5%
Linux, 4%
Security Events, 4%

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Security Architect
Security Architect vs Cyber Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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