Skills and achievements are associated with higher pay grades, says a new cybersecurity salary report from Cynet.

The 2020 Cybersecurity Salary Survey was developed for the purpose of gaining insight into a wide range of employee attributes related to cybersecurity compensation. The data received backs detailed salary profiles for five popular security positions: Security Analyst, Threat Intelligence Specialist, Security\Cloud Security Architect, Penetration Tester and Security Director\Manager. The data includes both the range and composition/salaries for these positions, as well as the relative impacts of the organization (geolocation, industry, etc.) and individual (gender, experience, certification) factors.

According to the report:

  • Geolocation matters: Security analysts in North America get significantly higher salary than in EMEA and APAC, with more than 80% earning between US $71K and $110K. In contrast, less than 35% in EMEA and 21% in APAC earn equivalent salaries.
  • A degree does not guarantee higher compensation: All analyzed positions feature similar salary range distribution for both employees with or without a degree in computer science or a related engineering field.
  • Banking and finance provide the highest salaries in the industry: This holds true for both strategic management and tactical positions.
  • Quality beats experience: Individuals were analyzed across all positions and those quality professionals with little experience were at the top of the payment curve, while seasoned veterans were at the bottom.
  • Pivoting pays: Individuals that pivoted from an IT occupation to a cybersecurity position earned more than their peers that started out in cybersecurity.
  • Bonuses are common practice: With the exception of security analysts, all other positions included periodic bonuses with annual rates ranging between one and ten percent.
  • Women are hard to find: There is a significant shortage of women in security positions. The highest percentage is in the 20-29 age group with 6% in overall positions.
  • Women in management: Within the five analyzed positions, the highest percentage of women were found in the security director/manager position at a rate of 10%.

Using the survey results, any individual can go to the section relevant for his or her role and learn how their salary benchmarks against the respective range of factors, which includes skill level, years of experience and more.

“Whether under the title of CISO, Director of Security, or even CIO, one cannot protect their organization single-handedly. At the end of the day, a cybersecurity professional is part of a team which makes recruiting and retaining talent an imperative,” said Eyal Gruner, Founder & CEO of Cynet. “The survey provides insights which can be useful for both cybersecurity professionals and employers and we expect those individuals leveraging this report to benefit from the intelligence.”