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The differences between security systems specialists and information security officers 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 officer. Additionally, an information security officer has an average salary of $135,040, 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 officer are risk management, risk assessments, and incident response.
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,852 | $135,040 |
| Hourly rate | $39.35 | $64.92 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 117,676 | 145,907 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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.
Information security officers are responsible for planning and implementing policies to safeguard an organization's computer network and data from different types of security breaches. Their duties typically include identifying computer network vulnerabilities, developing and executing a plan to secure and protect the network, and tracking computer network usage to ensure adherence to security policies. In addition, information security officers are also expected to conduct penetration tests to look for flaws and work closely with the IT and management departments to improve security.
Security systems specialists and information security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Officer | |
| Average salary | $81,852 | $135,040 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $120,000 | Between $95,000 And $190,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | Twilio |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Professional |
There are a few differences between a security systems specialist and an information security officer in terms of educational background:
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between security systems specialists' and information security officers' demographics:
| Security Systems Specialist | Information Security Officer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| 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% |