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The differences between security systems specialists 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 systems specialist and a cyber security analyst. Additionally, a cyber security analyst has an average salary of $88,422, which is higher than the $81,852 average annual salary of a security systems specialist.
The top three skills for a security systems specialist include DOD, technical support and project management. The most important skills for a cyber security analyst are incident response, windows, and SIEM.
| Security Systems Specialist | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $81,852 | $88,422 |
| Hourly rate | $39.35 | $42.51 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 117,676 | 64,387 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Security systems specialists lead consultant and in-house teams in large-scale Linux server upgrades for multinational consulting firms to enhance system performance. These specialists develop excellent customer service through self-motivation and a team effort to improve customer retention and company reputation. They also update inventory asset databases with accurate records to enable better production decision making, analyze and resolve security faults, and perform periodic disaster recovery tests. Security systems specialists should have traits like communication skills, analytical skills, and ingenuity.
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 systems specialists and cyber security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Systems Specialist | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Average salary | $81,852 | $88,422 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $120,000 | Between $66,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | Neighborly |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a security systems specialist and a cyber security analyst in terms of educational background:
| Security Systems Specialist | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between security systems specialists' and cyber security analysts' demographics:
| Security Systems Specialist | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | 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% |