About Dr Colarik

For over thirty-five years Dr Colarik has been utilizing information systems with a few simple objectives; mastering the technology, helping others make the best use of their systems, and preparing people and organizations for the future. As a researcher, author, speaker, consultant, mentor and inventor; his singular focus is to show you how to empower yourself to gain your goals.

Background Information

Andrew M. Colarik was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus from EC-Council University in 2009 for his contributions towards cyber security, holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems (Security), a Masters in Business Administration (MIS), and a Bachelor of Arts (Business Management). The combination of his credentials with over twenty years of university-level teaching, providing training seminars to a host of business professionals, government and military personnel, and over fifteen years as an independent consultant brings a well balanced insight on key security issues facing organizations today.

Since 1995, Colarik's university teaching history has spanned six institutions including the colleges of Business, Sciences, and the Humanities and Social Sciences with class sizes ranging from 650 to 10 students. He has also been invited to give lectures at various learning and educational forums. Throughout Colarik’s career, he has acted as an interface between academia and industry for the development and culmination of new designs, processes, products and services. As a researcher, author, and inventor, he has been published in top-tier security journals and conferences, authored several cyber security books, and is an inventor of both utility and design patents.

The best learning occurs when the teacher and the student learn together.

In his consultancy, Colarik continues to provide services encompassing information assurance, security reviews and awareness training, feasibility analysis, systems design and development, equipment sourcing, vendor review and selection, and installation governance for businesses in the financial, manufacturing and government sectors.

Notable clients include Xerox, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US State Department – Office of Anti‐terrorism Assistance, and the Electronic Crimes Task Force of the US Secret Service.

As a matter of personal and cultural interests, Colarik has traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. For over forty (40) years, he has been involved with some form of martial arts. This includes Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Shotokan, Aikido, Kendo, and boxing. He also has a passion for warm water scuba diving, ocean sailing, and backpacking. Colarik always welcomes a nice game of chess with a friendly adversary.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems - University of Auckland
In 2002, Colarik began a PhD in Information Systems focusing his research on security. 364 days later, he submitted his thesis for examination and had also pre-published 3 accepted conference papers from it. In 2004, Colarik successfully defended his thesis before the examination committee and was awarded the degree. The University of Auckland was ranked 67th worldwide in the QS World University Rankings at that time. Their Computer Science and Information Systems departments consistently rank within the top 51-100 programs worldwide, both of which contributed to his supervision.
Masters of Business Administration - Kent State University
In 1993, Colarik began a MBA with a concentration in Management of Information Systems. In 1995, he was nominated for best MBA student and graduated. He was also the student representative of the Graduate Council for the School of Business which examined degree and regulatory requirements.
Bachelors of Arts in Business Management - Hiram College
In 1987, Colarik enrolled in the college's Weekend program which included significant faculty from prominent corporations teaching both academic rigor and real world experiences, and graduated in 1990. At the time of graduating, Hiram was ranked 3rd in the country for liberal arts colleges.

University Courses Taught

  • PhD and Masters Thesis Supervision
  • Becoming a Research Scholar
  • Applied Security Research Project
  • The Cyber Security Environment
  • Security in the Information Age
  • Security for Smart‐devices
  • Management Information Systems
  • Network Security Management
  • Business Computing
  • Small Business Management
  • Multimedia Communications
  • Marketing
  • Systems Security
  • Secure Programming
  • Database Systems
  • COBOL
  • Visual BASIC
  • Pascal