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Senior security engineer vs information security engineer

The differences between senior security engineers 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 senior security engineer and an information security engineer. Additionally, a senior security engineer has an average salary of $122,480, which is higher than the $97,288 average annual salary of an information security engineer.

The top three skills for a senior security engineer include cloud security, java and linux. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Senior security engineer vs information security engineer overview

Senior Security EngineerInformation Security Engineer
Yearly salary$122,480$97,288
Hourly rate$58.88$46.77
Growth rate32%32%
Number of jobs69,850120,257
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

What does a senior security engineer do?

A senior security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the organization's systems and network database to prevent unauthorized access and avoid data breaches. Senior security engineers inspect the efficiency of networks, perform system configuration, and increase the optimal performance of complex systems. They also implement policies and procedures for compliance with the proper utilization of information directories. They also conduct regular maintenance of networks, create update reports, and resolve glitches and security threats.

What does an information security engineer do?

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.

Senior security engineer vs information security engineer salary

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

Senior Security EngineerInformation Security Engineer
Average salary$122,480$97,288
Salary rangeBetween $90,000 And $164,000Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyRokuThe Citadel
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between senior security engineer and information security engineer education

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

Senior Security EngineerInformation Security Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorComputer ScienceComputer Science
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Senior security engineer vs information security engineer demographics

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

Senior Security EngineerInformation Security Engineer
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 91.2% Female, 8.8%Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between senior security engineer and information security engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior security engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage logistics of moving necessary equipment for test across country to newly designed/built NSA certify test facility.
  • Assess cloud providers and products to meet NIST 800-53 for accreditation of applications operating in the cloud.
  • Involve in migrating JBOSS /Fat java applications to RHEL6 upgrade.
  • Conduct vulnerability scans using NESSUS to scan the CMS QIO network infrastructure.
  • Install and maintain security infrastructure, including IPS/IDS, log management, and SIEM systems.
  • Design and implement a plan to upgrade the ACAS infrastructure to include MDA's remote sites.
  • Show more

Information security engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the certification and accreditation efforts by implementing NIST 800-53 security controls in order to obtain FISMA compliance.
  • Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
  • Ensure that security policies are properly implement using NIST guidelines and perform auditing of logs.
  • Conduct Java algorithm design reviews and resolve any design issues.
  • Automate manual queries and integration using WhiteHat API's with PERL and Java.
  • Update ACAS plugins weekly or when updates become available on the DISA provide website.
  • Show more

Senior security engineer vs information security engineer skills

Common senior security engineer skills
  • Cloud Security, 8%
  • Java, 8%
  • Linux, 5%
  • Windows, 5%
  • Incident Response, 4%
  • Security Engineering, 4%
Common information security engineer skills
  • Infrastructure, 7%
  • Incident Response, 6%
  • Security Tools, 5%
  • Network Security, 4%
  • SIEM, 4%
  • NIST, 4%

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