Information Assurance Analysts

Edward Snowden’s 2013 leaks of highly-sensitive classified information from the National Security Agency, the 2015 hacking of the Democratic National Committee allegedly by Russian security services, the WikiLeaks controversy in the late 2010s, and ongoing cyberattacks against corporations and government agencies suggest that there will be strong demand for information assurance analysts by government agencies, government contractors, and the U.S. military during the next decade. Job opportunities should also be good in the private sector; businesses worldwide lose an estimated $600 billion each year to cybercrime.

Job opportunities for the related occupation of information security analyst (ISA) are expected to grow much faster than the average for all careers through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL reports that “banks and financial institutions, as well as other types of corporations, will need to increase their information security capabilities in the face of growing cybersecurity threats. In addition, as the healthcare industry expands its use of electronic medical records, ensuring patients’ privacy and protecting personal data are becoming more important. More information security analysts are likely to be needed to create the safeguards that will satisfy patients’ concerns.” Since information security and information assurance are closely related, it seems reasonable that the employment outlook for information assurance analysts will be just as strong.