2012-04-01
Abstract
Survey shows rise in salary and overall job satisfaction for IT security workers.
Copyright © 2012 Virus Bulletin
InformationWeek had some good news for IT security professionals last month when it revealed the results of its 2012 Salary Survey. According to the survey (conducted between November 2011 and January 2012), the median base salary for IT security workers in the US has risen by $7,000 this year, with managers also seeing an increase. Overall job satisfaction (taking into account compensation, benefits, and other employment aspects) also saw an increase for both staff and management.
It will come as little surprise to anybody who has worked in the industry for any length of time (or ever attended a VB conference) that women are still in the minority in IT security. A whopping 88% of the IT security workers and 91% of the managers surveyed were male. As seen in other industries, salaries for the female security professionals were below those of their male counterparts, but the results of the survey suggest that the gap may be closing: female workers drew a median base salary of $95,000 (compared with $87,000 last year) while male workers earned $97,000 (compared with $90,000 last year). At management level there was a $5,000 difference between the median salaries for men and women.
The survey also showed that it pays to have certifications. The median base salary for employees with security certifications (such as CISSP, CISA and CISM) was $99,000, compared with $93,000 for those without the letters after their name. At management level, certified managers were shown to be earning a median base salary of $119,000, while their uncertified colleagues took home an average of $14,000 less.
