What does a Security Architect do?
Security architects design security structures and systems to protect and defend against malware and other intrusions to a computer system. Once structures and systems are in place, security architects run an audit of the entire system to test it for any weaknesses or vulnerabilities. They meet with upper management to understand the company's technology and information systems and new and pressing needs. They plan, research, and design security architecture for the company and perform vulnerability testing and security assessments of the new software and systems. They will sometimes hire an ethical hacker to consult on system weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Security architects provide technical supervision to security teams and oversee company security awareness programs. They also respond immediately to service-related incidents and develop requirements for a company’s local, wide, and virtual private networks and requirements for routers, firewalls, and related network devices. They review and approve the installation of firewalls, VPNs, routers, and servers and update security systems as needed. Security architects need a bachelor's degree in computer science and experience in software engineering.
- Develop and enhance security policies and standards, based on sound security architecture practices.
- Consult, advise or oversee the secure design of key IT system and infrastructure projects to ensure alignment with enterprise security architecture.
- Identify and deliver appropriate metrics to drive security architecture compliance.
- Coordinate, review, and implement directives to maintain compliance with regulatory and security industry standards.
- Partner, coach and functionally lead IT, engineering, development and business teams.
- Educate internal customers on security risk and best practices.
- Lead, manage, and mentor a team of security architects.
- Support the creation of reliable automated end-to-end security tests.
- This team is responsible for defining and implementing our cloud and infrastructure security program.
- Assist in the security incident response process as assigned.
- Analyze needs and requirements of existing and proposed systems.
- Provide detailed reports to management regarding task and revenue activity.
- Evaluate product business cases including functional and detailed design specs to ensure security standards are met.
- Design, plan and execute strategic and tactical operational security objectives.
- Report underlying security issues and propose enhanced security protections and/or mitigation controls.
- Research new and emerging threats to ensure assessment methodology keeps pace with security trends.
- Perform analysis to validate established security requirements and to recommend additional security requirements and safeguards.
- Bachelor's or Graduate's Degree in computer science, engineering, information systems or mathematics or equivalent experience.
- Experience with software and systems such as GCIA and SIEM.
- Experience with computing and Python as well as Cloud software and systems.
- Fluent in enterprise resource planning operating systems, and incident response.
- Demonstrated leadership and problem solving skills.
- Comfortable running writing protocols and scripting.
- Skilled in threat detection and network architecture.
- Prior consulting experience.
Security Architect Salaries
Average Base Pay
Security Architect Career Path
Learn how to become a Security Architect, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Security Architect Insights
Tata Consultancy Services“Good learning opportunity and good On”
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority“Good good good good good”
PwC“Good work and life balance”
Logica-IT“The salary was exactly what I expected and above”
TxDOT“Salary was light but not as contractor.”
Vivint“Good work life balance and ever changing daily schedule.”
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[24]7.ai“Employee's career goals are considered and opportunities are given.”
Motional“Opportunities to learn and grow.”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of a Security Architect
- Information Security Engineer
- Security Consultant
- Information Security Specialist
- Information Security Analyst