The number of jobs listed for cybersecurity architects, auditors, engineers, analysts, and administrators in Vermont increased by 168% between 2010 and 2014 according to the workforce research firm Burning Glass Technologies.
- Grand Canyon University - B.S. and M.S. in Cyber Security
- SNHU - B.S and M.S. in Cybersecurity
- Purdue Global - Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
- Arizona State University - Online Master of Arts in Global Security
- ECPI University - Cyber and Network Security - Bachelor's
Companies, state and federal agencies, and think tanks seek highly trained cybersecurity experts in great numbers. Forbes reported how more than 209,000 cybersecurity jobs remained unfilled in the US as of 2015. Since scarcity fuels higher salaries, professionals in the cybersecurity field earn an average of 9% more than other types of IT personnel according to Burning Glass Technologies.
Vermont Business Magazine published a sobering article on the effect of cyber breaches on individuals in the state by highlighting an AARP Vermont study from 2015. At least one third of adults in Vermont surveyed received notification of a security breach at an organization they had done business with in the year preceding the survey. Fewer than half changed their online password with the company while 19% did nothing.
Major stakeholders in Vermont are doing their best to prevent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. For instance, RE Magazine described how the Vermont Electric Cooperative initiated in impressive security program despite their small size. The co-op’s IT manager, Jacek Szamrey, stated that the Vermont Electric Cooperative puts “a lot of effort into cyber security” and that they think it “is something that should be a priority.”
Government Computer News reported that Vermont’s major disaster prep exercise of 2016 contained a cyber component for the first time. The Vigilant Guard exercise included a cyber exercise range provided by the Vermont National Guard. The range simulated an intrusion within a power distribution network. The simulation created a virtualized network to replicate a power company’s SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems and its operations network.
With the communication and interoperability of personnel, systems and agencies ranging from military to the government and the private sector, such drills represent imperative disaster prevention. A key aspect of these drills is putting various stakeholders in touch with each other before an incident occurs.
Salaries for Cybersecurity Professionals in Burlington
The employment site Indeed.com provides the average salary for various types of cybersecurity positions over the course of the previous year. This company does this by aggregating the salaries posted over the past year to produce an average salary for each type of position. Shown below is the average salary for cybersecurity positions in Burlington as of July 11, 2016. Applicants with a master’s degree are likely to earn salaries higher than average:
- Chief Information Officer: $147,000
- Chief Information Security Officer: $119,000
- Deputy Chief Information Security Officer: $118,000
- Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst: $111,000
- Senior Cyber Security Analyst: $105,000
- Info Systems Security Officer: $101,000
- Security Operations Analyst: $84,000
Salaries for Information Security Analysts in Burlington and Rural Northern Vermont
The nonmetropolitan area of northern Vermont employs a large number of information security analysts. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that this rural area of Vermont had the 2nd highest concentration of jobs for information security analysts of any area in the country as of 2015.
The BLS provides a salary analysis for information security analysts in Burlington and the nonmetropolitan area of northern Vermont. Analysts who have earned a master’s degree have the expertise to earn salaries within the 90th percentile: