With cyberattacks an issue for organizations ranging from government agencies to small businesses, the demand for cybersecurity experts continues unabated. In Wisconsin, the number of jobs postings for cybersecurity analysts, auditors, architects, engineers, and administrators increased by 139% 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
The demand for cybersecurity experts exceeds supply as described in a UPI.com article on the “talent shortage” in this field. The high levels of demand drive up the salaries for these professionals, and Burning Glass Technologies reports that the average cybersecurity expert salary exceeds that of other types of IT professionals by 9%.
The federal government saw the promise for a heavyweight cybersecurity cluster in the Madison-Milwaukee corridor and provided $741,847 in grant money to bring this about in 2010. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the US Commerce Department provided the funding to the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium and University Research Park, Inc. as described in an EDA press release.
The money enabled the stakeholders to build and equip a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility), so that companies and researchers could pursue classified cybersecurity matters. Estimates suggested that the project would generate $8 million in private investment and create 325 jobs.
Providing these funds helped cybersecurity experts conduct “the classified research that will place Wisconsin at the forefront of security-related innovation” according to Jack Heinemann, the Director of the Consortium. Having the SCIF enables companies and researchers with a government clearance to compete for cybersecurity funding from the DOD, DHS, and other federal agencies.
Science magazine reported that Wisconsin plans on “ramping up its presence…in classified science” in a 2015 article. The Consortium owns the Wisconsin Information Security Center in Madison and aims to lure more high-tech cybersecurity funding into the state to help create a thriving research hub.
Salaries for Key Cybersecurity Experts in the Biggest Cities in Wisconsin
The Robert Half Technology 2016 Salary Guide provides the ranges of salaries that experts in cybersecurity can expect to earn in the major cities of Wisconsin. Cybersecurity experts with a master’s degree possess the skills to earn on the high end of these ranges:
Data Security Analysts:
- Appleton: $93,581 – $131,920
- Green Bay: $95,232 – $134,248
- Madison: $108,444 – $152,872
- Milwaukee: $111,196 – $156,752
- Waukesha: $108,994 – $153,648
Systems Security Administrators:
- Appleton: $89,675 – $127,075
- Green Bay: $91,258 – $129,318
- Madison: $103,918 – $147,258
- Milwaukee: $106,555 – $150.995
- Waukesha: $104,445 – $148,005
Network Security Administrators:
- Appleton: $87,763 – $124,950
- Green Bay: $89,311 – $127,155
- Madison: $101,701 – $144,795
- Milwaukee: $104,283 – $148,470
- Waukesha: $102,218 – $145,530
Salaries for Information Security Analysts in Wisconsin’s Major Cities
The demand for information security analysts is so high that the Computing Technology Industry Association trade group reported that the number of job postings for these analysts more than doubled between the first quarter of 2014 and that of 2015.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides the salaries for information security analysts in Wisconsin’s largest cities as of 2015. The BLS breaks the salary data down by percentile, with the 90th percentile being representative of what master’s prepared information security analysts can expect to earn: