Cybersecurity roles are rarely one-dimensional. In fact, most professionals are responsibilities across multiple fields. According to the IANS and Artico Search “2025 Cyber Security Personnel Compensation Benchmark Summary Report”, 61% of security professionals routinely perform multiple functions regardless of their position. These findings are based on a survey of 528 cyber professionals conducted in the United States and Canada between June 2024 and December 2024.
Take the professionals in Secure Operations (SECOPS) as an example: 22% apply for safe performance of duties, 27% in the construction and engineering field, 33% in identity and access management, 41% in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) and 49% in product security. This convergence of responsibility throughout the field is typical, suggesting that job titles do not often reflect the full scope of contributions of network professionals.
Still, positions are often a strong indicator of salary expectations. According to IANS and Artico Search, the following characters are the top of the list of the highest paid cybersecurity today.
Security Architect
Each compensation category led by safety architects: They receive the highest average base salary ($179,000), the highest annual average cash salary ($206,000), and the highest interest rate for annual stock grants (34%).
More than half of security architects report that their IT background is crucial to taking on their current role. Common foundation roles include system administrators and network administrators, while more security-centric feeder positions include security analysts, security consultants, and security administrators.
Due to the nature of the role, professionals in the field of cybersecurity architecture and engineering (including security architects) assume various responsibilities. About 23% of responsibilities include identity and access management, 26% contribute to application security efforts, and 48% participate in product security. These areas are part of its broader empowerment, which focuses on designing and maintaining secure enterprise architectures across networks, systems and applications.
ISC2’s Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is one of the most respected certifications for aspiring security architects. It covers eight key areas including security architecture and engineering, security and risk management, communications and network security, identity and access management, and software development security. CISSP specializes in placing security architects as part of its target audience and can help position professionals as roles such as security managers, security managers, and even CISOs.
For those specializing in cloud environments, it is highly recommended to use certifications such as AWS certified security for ISC2 or vendor-neutral certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP).
Related certificates
- See “Top 12 Cloud Security Certification”
- See “CISSP Certification: Requirements, Training, Exams and Costs”
- See “CCSP Certification: Exams, Costs, Requirements, Training, Salary”
Safety Engineer
After the Safety Architect, the Safety Engineer will receive the second highest annual cash compensation ($191,000) with a base salary of $168,000. Nearly one-third (31%) of the safety engineers surveyed also received annual equity grants.
Like their architect counterparts, security engineers strongly value their IT foundations – 70% of people have prior experience in system management, networking or infrastructure engineering, or are critical to their current role. Others come from security-specific paths, usually starting with security analysts or SECOPS.
Security engineers are responsible for building, implementing and maintaining technical defenses that protect the organization’s IT systems. Their work includes identifying vulnerabilities, testing and deploying security tools, responding to events, and managing protections such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems. They play a central role in their daily defense and long-term cybersecurity strategies.
Since safety engineering is a wide area, certification varies by focus. Comptia Security+ is ideal for entry-level professionals. Engineers with network focus can pursue Cisco certified Cyber Professional (CCNP) security, while those engaged in offensive security often pursue certified ethical hackers (C | EH) to develop penetration testing expertise.
Career development of a security engineer may involve deeper specialization, such as in application or network security, or as a leadership role such as a security engineering manager or security engineering director.
Related certificates
- See “Safety Engineer Job Requirements, Certifications and Salary”
- See “Comptia Security+: Prerequisites, Targets and Costs”
- See “Certified Ethical Hackers (C | EH): Certification Cost, Training and Value”
Risk/GRC Expert
Risk/GRC experts direct a strong compensation package with an average base salary of $146,000 and a total annual cash compensation of $173,000. In addition, 26% of people receive annual equity allocations.
This specialization provides a well-defined avenue for career growth, often starting with entry-level roles such as risk analysts. According to the 2024 ISC2 survey of IT security managers, 27% of hiring managers identified risk assessment, analysis and management as one of the most important skills in the field.
One of the most valuable certifications for aspiring risk analysts is ISACA’s Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification. Crisc provides training in four key areas of risk management: corporate IT governance, IT risk assessment, risk response and reporting, and IT security. More than 30,000 professionals hold CRISC certification and average annual salary of $151,000, which is consistent with the average base salary data for IAN and Artico Search.
After gaining basic experience as a risk analyst, professionals can be promoted to a wider GRC role. These positions are highly valued: 24% of hiring managers report that GRC skills are required because of the broad responsibilities that these professionals assume. GRC experts often lead the development of enterprise IT policies (such as incident response programs) while managing risks, adapting to emerging technologies such as AI, and ensuring compliance with regional or industry-specific regulatory frameworks.
ISC2’s Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC) is certified by highly respected GRC Professionals. CGRC is designed for GRC analysts, managers, architects and directors and covers important areas such as security and privacy governance, risk management, compliance planning, control and evaluation control, and ongoing compliance maintenance.
GRC experts often extend their responsibilities beyond the tasks of the core GRC. According to the report, 16% are involved in application security, 18% help with security architecture and engineering, 34% manage identity and access management, and 40% play a role in product security.
Related certificates
- See “Top 10 Governance, Risk and Compliance Certification”
Security Analyst
The average annual salary for a security analyst is $124,000, and the average annual cash compensation is $133,000. Only 20% annual equity grant.
Although security engineers have some overlap in functionality, the role of security analysts is often more tactical than strategy, with a focus on threat detection and analysis. A common subset of this role is the SOC Analyst – a cybersecurity professional who is part of the Security Operations Center team to monitor threats, assess vulnerability systems and suggest improvements.
This tactical focus promotes a nearly 35% difference in average base salary between security analysts and security engineers who earn $168,000.
One of the best certifications for aspiring security analysts is Comptia Cysa+, which covers core skills such as security operations, vulnerability management, incident response and reporting. The certification is directly aligned with roles such as cybersecurity analyst, vulnerability analyst, application security analyst, and threat intelligence analyst.
With experience, security analysts can be promoted to security engineers and ultimately the role of security architects, providing clear and profitable avenues for long-term career growth in cybersecurity.
Related certificates
- See “12 Best Introductory Cybersecurity Certifications”
