Role Comparison Tool
Compare Cybersecurity Roles Side by Side
Not sure whether to go into SOC, GRC, or Cloud Security? Compare up to 3 roles across responsibilities, skills, tools, certifications, salary, and more.
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GRC Analyst
High DemandSOC Analyst
Very High DemandOverview
Governance, Risk & Compliance — the business side of security. GRC analysts ensure the organisation meets regulatory requirements and manages risk systematically. High demand in banking and finance.
The first line of defence — monitors, detects, and responds to cyber threats in real time. Great entry point with a clear progression path. Shift-based in enterprise environments.
Responsibilities
- •Develop and maintain information security policies and procedures
- •Conduct risk assessments and manage the risk register
- •Lead internal and external security audits
- •Ensure compliance with PDPA, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, etc.
- •Manage third-party vendor risk assessments
- •Report risk posture to senior management and board
- •Monitor security alerts from SIEM, EDR, and network tools
- •Triage and investigate alerts using defined playbooks
- •Escalate confirmed incidents to Tier 2/3 or IR team
- •Document all incident investigation activities
- •Participate in threat hunting activities
- •Maintain and update SOC playbooks and runbooks
Key Skills
- •Risk assessment methodologies
- •Regulatory and compliance frameworks
- •Policy and procedure writing
- •Audit planning and execution
- •Vendor risk management
- •Business communication and report writing
- •SIEM alert triage and investigation
- •Knowledge of common attack techniques (MITRE ATT&CK)
- •Network traffic analysis
- •EDR / endpoint investigation
- •Log analysis (Windows Event Logs, Syslog)
- •Written and verbal incident communication
Tools & Platforms
- •GRC platforms (ServiceNow GRC, Archer)
- •Microsoft Office / SharePoint
- •JIRA (for tracking compliance tasks)
- •Risk management tools (Riskonnect)
- •Splunk / Microsoft Sentinel / QRadar (SIEM)
- •CrowdStrike / SentinelOne / Defender (EDR)
- •Wireshark / Zeek (network analysis)
- •VirusTotal / AnyRun (malware analysis)
- •TheHive / XSOAR (SOAR)
Certifications
- •CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor)
- •CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control)
- •ISO 27001 Lead Auditor / Lead Implementer
- •CISM (Certified Information Security Manager)
- •CompTIA Security+
- •CompTIA CySA+
- •BTL1 (Blue Team Labs Level 1)
- •GCIH (GIAC Certified Incident Handler)
Background Fit
- •Auditors (IT or internal)
- •Compliance officers
- •Legal / Risk management professionals
- •Business analysts pivoting to cybersecurity
- •IT Support / Helpdesk staff
- •Fresh IT/CS/Networking graduates
- •System Administrators
- •Anyone with a passion for threat hunting
Growth Path
- •GRC Analyst → Senior GRC Analyst
- •→ GRC Manager / Compliance Manager
- •→ Head of Risk / CISO
- •→ Independent GRC Consultant
- •SOC Analyst Tier 1 → Tier 2 → Tier 3
- •→ Threat Intelligence Analyst
- •→ Incident Response Analyst
- •→ SOC Lead / MSSP Manager
Avg Salary (MY)
RM 5,000 – RM 12,000/month
RM 3,500 – RM 9,000/month
Avg Salary (Global)
USD 70,000 – USD 120,000/year
USD 50,000 – USD 90,000/year
Demand Level
High
Very High
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