Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between security systems specialists 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 security systems specialist and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, 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 an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,852 | $97,288 |
| Hourly rate | $39.35 | $46.77 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 117,676 | 120,257 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
An information security engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to protect company and customer data from hackers or any cyber attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to identify their needs, assess existing programs to identify any areas needing improvement, monitor network and system for any problems, and implement preventive measures for protection. Should there be any breaches, it is essential to resolve them right away and conduct an investigation to prevent it from happening again. Furthermore, it is necessary to assist employees in utilizing security systems to ensure smooth workflow.
Security systems specialists and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,852 | $97,288 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $120,000 | Between $73,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a security systems specialist and an information security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between security systems specialists' and information security engineers' demographics:
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | 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% |