Faculty Profiles

Mike Long is a long-time computer nerd that started programming a Commodore VIC-20 in the 1980s when he was in elementary school, and he hasn't taken his hands off the keyboard since!  Today, Mike is the Vice President of Operations at Auto~Star Compusystems, a Medicine Hat based company that creates software for pharmacy, grocery, and other retailers in 7 countries.  In that role, Mike oversees security and compliance, ensuring Auto-Star meets or exceeds industry standards for the credit card processing solutions they develop.  He also oversees software development, technical services, network administration, and product ownership.

 

Mike has been a featured speaker and panelist at conferences throughout North America, and one of his career highlights is attending the DEFCON security conference in Las Vegas.

 

Mike started teaching at MHC back in 2003 when an instructor was needed to teach Linux in the ITEC program.  He was inspired by his mom, who taught for many years in the nursing program at MHC, and loves to illustrate practical concepts through the use of hands-on labs, especially when it comes to security and ethical hacking.  Mike's goal is to never stop learning, and to pass on his knowledge and passion for IT to others.

 

When he's not doing IT, Mike can often be found in a dojo.  He has a black belt in karate, and is a new, enthusiastic amateur in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.