Michael McDonnell holds a Master of Library and Information Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences and Psychology, both from the University of Alberta.
Michael has worked in information technology since 1994, having worked in the areas of Internet application development, network security, and unix systems administration. Among his clients and employers have been TELUS Advertising Services, TELUS Web Solutions, the Edmonton Public Library, The Cross Cancer Institute Department of Medical Physics, The University of Alberta Library, The Alberta Library consortium, School of Hope, Edmonton Public Library, The Energy Resources Conservation Board, and others.
For many years Michael was a partner in Emergence by Design, Inc. and owned Winterstorm Solutions, Inc.. Today he is an Information Security Professional.
Michael was the 474th person to receive the SANS GIAC GCIA certification as a Network Intrusion Analyst and in 2004 he was the SANS Local Mentor in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for their GCIA program.