The Salary Survey 2019/2020

It’s here! The definitive cyber security salary survey for 2020.

Acumin Consulting’s annual salary survey is the only salary index you need if you work in the cyber security sector. We provide a range of salary bandings for job titles in End User, Security Intelligence and Consultancies, Public Sector and Vendor organisations, alongside career path information and requirements for entry level roles.

Here’s a snippet outlining sector changes and salary trends for both cyber and sales disciplines:

Security and Risk Management

The salaries for Security and Risk Management roles have seen a steady increase over the past 12 months, in line with the continued growth of the cyber security sector and shortage of experienced talent. Experience is key for employees in this field in order to earn the best available salaries. Entry level Security Analysts, for example, may have the technical know-how but lack the business acumen and context to act as part of a wider team and engage with internal stakeholders.

 

Pen Testing / Intelligence

Penetration Testing and Intelligence has seen an increase in demand as the sector becomes more mature. There are more and more tech driven businesses looking to protect their assets as well as less tech-driven firms wanting to ensure that their internal systems and data warehouses are fully up to speed. Many businesses rely on applications, not just on mobile but online and built into their internal infrastructure, this has increased demand alongside cloud testing on platforms such as AWS.

There is still a skill shortage and scarcity in this field, alongside more accreditations, which can be seen to be driving up the salaries at the top end as the role becomes embedded in more businesses.

 

Sales Engineering / Product Management

One of the largest net increases in this years’ Salary Survey is in Sales Engineering and Product Management. This aligns with continued growth in large funding rounds from venture capitalists, Private Equity and buy-out firms like KKR & Thoma Bravo, and bigger IPOs. There are, in fact, fewer new start-ups however the investment rounds in the start-ups that are out there are bigger than ever before. Vendors are keen to get their new innovations to market as swiftly as possible and are therefore paying top dollar for the best and brightest product managers and product directors. Security Evangelists have also seen a major increase in salary earnings; as trusted advisors within the space, large vendors are recruiting global teams of Security Evangelists in order to build brand awareness and help develop their go-to-market strategies. In summary, we are seeing the majority of vendors investing heavily in in more technically savvy staff with a broader understanding of technology, especially around cloud, big data and AI as solutions become more and more complex.

It’s not just salary information and data, the Acumin Salary Survey 2019/2020 also contains a summary of the key challenges and topics that have affected the industry over the past 12-months, providing our unique take on how the market has changed; from recruitment trends to the latest certifications and cyber security threats.

So what are you waiting for? Dive in to read about the industry and see what salary changes are affecting you!

You can download a copy of this year’s salary survey here