Senior security architect vs information security analyst

The differences between senior security architects and information 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 senior security architect and an information security analyst. Additionally, a senior security architect has an average salary of $129,456, which is higher than the $98,144 average annual salary of an information security analyst.

The top three skills for a senior security architect include cloud security, cloud and risk assessments. The most important skills for an information security analyst are incident response, risk assessments, and windows.

Senior security architect vs information security analyst overview

	Senior Security Architect	Information Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$129,456	$98,144
Hourly rate	$62.24	$47.18
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	123,555	112,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior security architect do?

Senior security architects deal with developing solutions to accomplish goals and providing ideas about structure, growth, and solutions. Their job revolves around a quick moving environment, constant communication, and working with partners to identify business opportunities. Having this position requires leadership and mentoring skills to help junior team members succeed in this field. They should have technical skills to design and develop solutions to improve an already existing technology. Also, they will be responsible for developing, planning, and executing security systems and strategies.

What does an information security analyst do?

An information security analyst is an individual who is responsible for carrying out security measures to protect the computer network and systems of an organization. Information security analysts erect firewalls and encrypt data transmissions to protect the organization's data from being inappropriately accessed or used. They must be aware of reports on computer viruses and should share this information with the management or customer. Information security analysts are also required to conduct training for all the organization's employees regarding computer security and information safeguarding.

Senior security architect vs information security analyst salary

Senior security architects and information security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Security Architect	Information Security Analyst
Average salary	$129,456	$98,144
Salary range	Between $96,000 And $173,000	Between $71,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Apple	The Walt Disney Company
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between senior security architect and information security analyst education

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

	Senior Security Architect	Information Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Senior security architect vs information security analyst demographics

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

	Senior Security Architect	Information Security Analyst
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%
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%

Differences between senior security architect and information security analyst duties and responsibilities

Senior security architect example responsibilities.

Achieve full compliance for industry specification standards (UL, NEMA, NIST).
Manage logistics of moving necessary equipment for test across country to newly designed/built NSA certify test facility.
Provide governance and direction for proper use of data.
Implement logging, Nessus, write policies and develop encryption from framework for PCI/SOX compliance.
Ensure encryption solutions are in compliance with company policies, regulatory directives, and best practices.
Develop enterprise security policy, standards, controls and guidelines base on PCI, SOX, HIPPA, and NIST standards.

Information security analyst example responsibilities.

Manage IA personnel in the performance of IAVM tasks.
Lead maritime IP intrusion detection analysis special project providing models to identify Cyber terrorist's capabilities, methods, and strategies.
Manage and configure perimeter Cisco routers and switches.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Perform vulnerability assessment and remediation of systems to ensure compliance to policies, regulations and controls (HIPAA & NIST).
Monitor and analyze SIEM events to identify security issues for remediation.

Senior security architect vs information security analyst skills

Common senior security architect skills

Cloud Security, 8%
Cloud, 8%
Risk Assessments, 5%
Encryption, 5%
Firewall, 5%
Windows, 4%

Common information security analyst skills

Incident Response, 7%
Risk Assessments, 5%
Windows, 5%
SIEM, 4%
Data Loss Prevention, 4%
Network Security, 3%

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Senior Security Architect vs Information Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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