Internet Security Manager

Security managers run their organizations’ information security-related operations. They supervise information security analysts and administrators and assume responsibility for the big-picture elements of cybersecurity. Because their work proves so important to their companies’ success, security managers often earn handsome salaries. PayScale reports that information security managers earn a median annual income of over $113,000 per year.

This page covers how to become a security manager, outlining the necessary steps to enter this lucrative, exciting career. Read on to learn about the educational, experience, and certification requirements for companies hiring security managers. This page also details the hard and soft skills employers look for in security managers. Read to the end of this guide for a sense of security manager salary expectations and job growth.

What Does a Security Manager Do?
Security managers’ daily duties depend on where they work, their industry, and the size of their company. Those at large investment banks, for example, may oversee teams of security analysts and other technology personnel. Security managers working for small businesses may manage just a few people. In big companies, these professionals often focus on managerial responsibilities, while managers in smaller companies may take on more hands-on roles.

Security managers deal with high-level IT security issues, supervising employees who implement and configure security measures. Their duties include hiring new employees, preparing and overseeing budgets, and evaluating and ordering new security tools and technologies. They also develop wide-ranging policies, regulations, and strategies to enhance the security of their organizations’ computer networks and systems.

Security managers prove crucial to their firms’ success, since they oversee operations that defend against unwanted cyber intrusions. Through their work, security managers ensure their organizations’ data, financial assets, and customer information stay safe.

Steps to Become a Security Manager
Prospective security managers should understand the basic steps they need to undertake. No degree guarantees entry into a particular career, but this section explores potential academic paths for security managers. It also details the professional experience IT professionals must complete before assuming roles as security managers.

When it comes to education, employers generally require information security workers to hold a bachelor’s degree. They usually prefer applicants with degrees in information security-related disciplines, such as information technology, information assurance, or cybersecurity. Many universities offer information security as a concentration within a computer science bachelor’s program.

Top Online Programs
Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level.

Senior-level security manager jobs often require a master’s degree in a field like cybersecurity or information systems. Since security managers need excellent managerial skills, degrees in IT management or business administration may prove beneficial for finding a job. By earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree in an IT-related field, graduates can show potential employers that they possess the technical skills and conceptual knowledge necessary to protect information systems from attack.

Aspiring security managers can demonstrate mastery in the field through professional experience. Security managers supervise lower-level security employees, so they need strong managerial skills, as well as a robust command of information security procedures and technologies. These professionals generally need at least five years’ experience in the information security field, and they can work their way up to a management role through jobs such as information security analyst, security administrator, or network administrator.

Along the way, security professionals can further develop their security and management abilities through cybersecurity certifications.

Learn about earning a bachelor’s in cybersecurity degree online
Top Required Skills for a Security Manager
As with any job, employers seek some specific abilities when hiring new security managers. These include soft skills which apply to most jobs, such as communication, listening, writing, and collaboration. Information technology careers, such as security management, also require certain hard skills. Many companies test job applicants on their technical abilities through skills exams.

Prospective security managers enjoy several options for building their hard and soft skills. Security managers often develop foundational IT skills through bachelor’s degrees in computer science, cybersecurity, and information systems. These programs teach students the basics of hardware, software, networks, and security. Students gain additional skills through master’s degrees in the field.

Outside the classroom, information technology employees can build their skill sets on the job by learning from more experienced colleagues and supervisors. Certifications represent another way to sharpen skills and demonstrate expertise to employers.

In terms of hard skills, security managers need a strong command of information security measures, IT security architecture, and network architecture. On a basic level, they must know their way around various operating systems, including Linux and Windows. They must also be familiar with firewalls, intrusion detection protocols, and intrusion prevention measures. The aforementioned skills apply to many entry-level and intermediate cybersecurity jobs, such as information security analyst and security administrator.

In addition, security managers need strong communication, leadership, and strategic decision-making skills, since they need to manage employees and make important, timely decisions.

Security Manager Salary
Information technology occupations generally pay well, which proves especially true of senior-level positions in the field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), computer and IT professionals earn a median annual salary of $86,320 — more than double the median salary for all occupations ($38,640).

BLS data indicates that computer and information systems managers take home a median pay of $142,530 per year. The top 25% of information systems management earners make at least $180,190 per year. Even the bottom 10% of information systems managers take home up to $85,000 per year.

This salary range is due in part to differences between various industries and locations. For instance, the top-paying industries for IT managers include financial services and electronic component manufacturing. In New York, California, and New Jersey, IT managers earn more than their counterparts in other states.

The career is experiencing rapid growth, as well. The BLS projects employment for computer and information systems managers to jump by 11% from 2018-2028, creating almost 50,000 new jobs.

Looking for More Cyber Degree Programs?
Best Online Master’s in Cyber Security
Best Online Bachelor’s in Computer Forensics
Cyber Secutiry Certification Guide
NOTE: Take a look at our Guide to Cybersecurity Certifications for more information and advice.

SCHOOL RANKINGS
Top Schools
Top 18 Online Cybersecurity Bachelors Degrees
Top 20 Online Bachelors in IT Degrees
Top 30 Online Certificate Programs
Top 17 Online Computer Forensics Programs
Top 25 Online Masters Degrees
USEFUL RESOURCES
Moving From General IT Jobs Into Cyber
Free Online Cyber Security Courses (MOOCs)
A Quick Guide to Security Clearances
A Guide to Cyber Security Certifications
Government Cyber Security Careers
Internet Safety for College Students
The Big List of Cyber Security Resources

A security manager is an IT professional who has likely seen and done it all. They have been through scores of technical and systems audits, have amassed higher education and skills, and are able to delegate resources and authority to other employees as it best suits their company’s needs.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Manager-Icon
As a security manager, your job will be more managerial than technical. You will need to organize a team of professionals who can get the job done efficiently and correctly. You will work with them to create strategies for security protocols and audits. They will carry out your policies and procedures for corporate computer security to ensure that the company does not fall victim to corporate crime.

If a security breach does occur, you will need to head up a forensic investigation and then perform a thorough audit to assess the weaknesses in your systems. Then, it will be imperative to direct your team towards solutions that will ensure that future breaches do not occur. Another of your responsibilities will be to stay current with trends in cyber security. You may also want to consult with law enforcement professionals who specialize in cyber crime. The more you know about how the bad guys are creating and using malware or other tactics, the safer your databases will be.

Your days will be spent conducting tests and performing other assessments of new security software that you will be responsible for selecting and installing. You will need to know how to best manage a given budget for these items while maintaining a diligent watch over other budgetary concerns such as departmental payroll, hardware costs and expenses and incidentals that occur during a budget cycle.

Since you are a manager, you will be asked to do the hiring and firing for your security team. You will also need to be adept at working with employees who are having a difficult time, as well as being supportive when employees have a breakthrough moment in their lives—such as graduation from a master’s degree program. The best managers are good communicators and their style will often be carried down through the department as an example of effective leadership.

If you work in a governmental agency or if you are a government contractor, you will need to make sure that your staff receives the appropriate security clearances for the work you are doing. You and your department may need to meet the same level of scrutiny as those in the military or Homeland Security.

SECURITY MANAGER VS. CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER (CISO)
If you are in a large company or agency, you might work as a security manager and have a CISO above you. Often this will be the case if there is more than one security department, or if there is one large department with multiple divisions, such as in a multi-national (or even multi-state) corporation.

In these types of situations the security manager might oversee a single department of between five and 25 IT professionals. Each manager would then answer to the CISO, whose responsibility would extend to oversee the entire security complex.

Security-Manager-vs-CISO
As such, the CISO would likely have risen through the IT ranks through a mid-level managerial position and finally arrive at the top of the security pyramid. The CISO’s duties would mirror that of the manager he or she oversees, but on a larger scale. They would need to manage large budgets and hire other management-level employees. The CISO will set the tone for the entire department, and will need to maintain morale for everyone down to the entry-level network administrators.

EXAMPLE OF A CAREER PATH
There is no clear-cut path to being a security manager, but there are tiers of responsibility that apply to nearly every IT department. Starting from an entry level position, you will need to make sure that you are working in a security department, or that your job duties entail security protocols.

SIMILAR JOBS
In the field of information technology, there are many jobs with virtually the same duties and descriptions but different names. When you have earned enough experience and garnered the skills to rise to a mid-level management position, start looking for jobs with these or similar titles:

Systems Security Director
Information Security Manager
Information Systems Manager
IT Security Director
Systems/Applications Security Manager
SALARIES
graphic supporting cyber security salaries
ANNUAL MEDIAN SALARY OF

$151,150

Information Security Manager

Experts in the field of computer security are in great demand and in these periods of high demand, professionals can also command high salaries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual salary for an information security manager is $151,150. The job outlook for the field is quite positive too, with projections showing a 11% growth through 2030—a figure the BLS states is much faster than average.

Job Growth

11%

JOB REQUIREMENTS
To become a security manager, you need to have approximately 10 years of experience in computer security. You will need to meet a minimum education requirement of a bachelor’s degree with additional certificates. If you want to progress past a security manager position, you will likely need an MBA that focuses in IT security. This will help you get noticed for senior and CISO roles in your company or agency.