He has been described in the press as the father of the knowledge base used worldwide to establish computer security and information assurance. He was responsible for compiling and editing computer security training standards for the U.S. government.

In 2003, he was selected as the first university professor at Idaho State University. He directs the Informatics Research Institute and the National Information Assurance Training and Education Center. His program was recognized by the U.S. government as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and is a leading institution in the CyberCorps/Scholarship for Service program.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, he holds a broad spectrum of certifications including Certified Cyber Forensics Professional (CCFP), Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP), HealthCare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner (HCISPP), CISSP Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (CISSP-ISSAP), and CISSP Information Systems Security Management Professional (CISSP-ISSMP).

During his career, he has been recognized by many organizations including the Federal Information Systems Security Educators Association, which selected him as the 1996 Educator of the Year, and his research and center were cited by the Information Systems Security Association for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession. In 1997, he was given the TechLearn award for contributions to distance education.

He was nominated and selected as an honorary Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) based on his lifetime achievement. In 2001, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 selected him as the second recipient of the Tipton award for contribution to the information security profession. In 2007, he was recognized a fellow of (ISC)2.