London, UK - Acumin Consulting, has today announced the results of its quarterly Information Security Recruitment Index based on registered jobs and actual placements with the information security recruitment specialists over the past three months. The survey shows a salary increase by up to £10,000 for direct sales positions selling stand alone, large security solutions and product suites in mid-corporate and enterprise organisations. The average annual salary now ranges from £45,000 – £80,000, compared to £45,000 – £70,000 in August this year; suggesting that the security industry is preparing for an upturn early next year.
“Security vendors are tending to demand direct sales staff, rather than channel sales staff. This means new business, direct and enterprise sales staff are in demand,” commented Chris Batten, MD at Acumin Consulting.
“The indication is that these companies are pro-actively pursuing large deals themselves, perhaps relying on the channel for delivery fulfilment, rather than sales and delivery fulfilment. The increase in demand for these skills has caused an increase in base salaries and they are now almost back to pre-2009 levels,” he added.
Also within the service provider category, a shortage of CLAS (CESG Listed Adviser Scheme) Consultants has led to the salary band for this post rising to £55,000 – £70,000 from £45,000 – £65,000 per annum.
However, whether salary range remains as high over the coming months is questionable, explains Batten: “In October this year there was a large increase in the number of CLAS certifications issued so we expect the shortage of CLAS consultants to only be temporary. When supply meets, or even outstrips demand we may see salary levels return to that inline with August 2009.”
Elsewhere in the security sector, salaries remain fairly static both within consultancy and end user functions. CISOs (£115-180,000)
Notable exceptions include the base rate salary for Information Security and Risk Managers working in large organisations, which has risen by £5,000 to £50,000, and by £2,000 for those working within SME organisations (£47,000). Network Security Engineers can expect to earn more than three months previously too, attracting up to £3,000 more a year.
Acumin Consulting, a specialist recruitment firm for the Information Risk Management sector, analysed roles within consultancy, end-user and service provider functions in the UK.
About Acumin Consulting
Acumin is the leading provider of Information Risk Management staff in Europe, specialising in the key areas of risk management: Information Security, Business Continuity, Storage and Data Protection. Established in 1998, Acumin supply both permanent and contract staff at all levels to industries spanning all sectors from first tier banks to global consultancies.
For more information visit www.acumin.co.uk
