Online Delivery

In Ontario, gatherings are restricted, and no university is offering classes in person for the foreseeable future. We have been successfully delivering many of our courses online for years. So please know that you will not be compromising on your learning experience. When the situation changes and it is once again safe to offer face-to-face instruction, full-time programs will make the transition back into the classroom.

Until then, this program will be offered in our “live online” format which offers students the structure and group interaction of a face-to-face experience without travelling to York’s campus. Our live online classrooms enable students to hear and interact with the instructor and other students like in a regular classroom. Course materials and assessments vary by course but students can expect online articles, videos, practice opportunities, discussion boards, etc. to help learn the content.

By the end of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Recognize and apply the appropriate best practices to an IT Audit as outlined in standards including ITIL, COBIT and COSO;
• Implement the IT Audit lifecycle from planning, executing and reporting to management;
• Apply the Certified Information Security Auditor (CISA) domains to the IT Audit Lifecycle;
• Assess risk within the IT environment to determine if risk is being managed at an acceptable level;
• Apply auditing and assurance concepts to real-world case studies by examining controls implemented and providing recommendations on improvements;
• Assess various ethical predicaments as they pertain to the IT Audit profession;
• Examine compliance with laws and regulation, including SOX, PIPEDA and PCI;
• Develop effective internal and external relationships using influencing, communication and consultative skills;
• Apply innovative and critical approaches to challenges faced by an IT audit.

Nina Chow
Principal Consultant, SNC Advisory Services Inc.

Nina is a recognized leader in IT risk and governance with over 20 years of experience. She is an experienced consultant working with business and IT processes, skilled in Internal Audit, IT internal and external audits.  She has worked with various frameworks and standards including: ISO 27001, NIST, CSAE 3416, SSAE 16, SSAE 18, COSO, ITIL, COBIT, BCI, DRI performing business process design, analysis and improvement, risk analysis, system implementation and IT risk, governance and strategy engagements. Nina has been a CISA for over 15 years.

Gerard Francis
Director, Enterprise-Wide IT Audit and QA, Government of Ontario

Gerard Francis is the Director of Enterprise-wide I&IT Auditing for the Government of Ontario.  In this role, he provides strategic leadership for all information technology audits conducted across the Ontario Public Service.  Gerard has developed a deep appreciation for technology risks facing governments around the world and the critical role IT Audit plays in helping to identify and mitigate them.  The enterprise-wide audits conducted by his team cover all government sectors and address key I&IT risks in  IT Governance, Cybersecurity, IT Investment Planning, Project Management and Delivery, Service Management and Information Management.  Prior to moving into IT Audit, Gerard worked with a number of global financial organizations in the IT field.  He has a passion for public service and has devoted the past 16 years of his career to protecting the interests of the people of Ontario.

Arif Hameed
Senior Director Client Security, Equifax

Arif is an accomplished IT Risk, Cyber Security and IT Audit professional with 15 years’ experience in the financial services. With excellent analytical skills in uncovering issues through performance of a wide range of assessments including IT Risk/Control, IT Audit and Quality Assurance, Arif has a proven ability to influence multiple levels of key stakeholders in order to address risks in a timely and effective manner. Arif focuses on excellence in the development of IT control documentation, audit programs and test scripts.

Sean C. Higgins
CTO, Customer Success, Herjavec Group

Sean C. Higgins is the CTO, Customer Success for Herjavec Group, responsible for driving partnership through Managed Services onboarding experiences. Sean thrives on site with our customers, supporting architecture reviews and operations assessments to set the partnership up for success as we go forward into our services relationship. Sean has worked in the Information Technology Field for over 30 years with a specific focus on Internet Security for the last 20 years. In the early days of Internet Security, Sean worked closely with Check Point Firewall-1 in bringing the technology to Canada and then assisting in the development and delivery of Check Point training courses throughout Canada. Over the years, Sean became a trusted advisor in Internet Security and has been called upon to lead teams to assist companies in remediation of corporate security incidents. Sean was one of the first to be called as an expert witness in a Canadian court regarding a cyber-security incident. He was named the first CTO of the month in September 2012 by IT Focus. Sean is also a speaker and author.

Gaurav Kumar
Academic Advisor & Instructor: Certificate in Cyber Security, York University School of Continuing Studies

Gaurav Kumar is a security and risk management leader with one of the world’s largest management consulting companies. In his current role, Gaurav is responsible for helping client executives develop suitable security and risk management strategies that meet business needs, seeking to balance defensive and responsive strategic elements. For over 15 years, Gaurav has been helping businesses understand and proactively manage information technology risks by effectively acting as both a technical subject matter expert and a trusted business information security adviser. Gaurav has worked in all verticals of information security and risk management including access management, threat analysis, security monitoring and response, risk management, security assurance and governance, security consulting, and enterprise security program management.

Ran Lewin
Assistant Vice-President Budgets and Asset Management, York University

Ran Lewin is the Assistant Vice-President Budgets and Asset Management, York University, reporting to the President and the Board of Governors’ Finance & Audit Committee. He graduated with a B-Com Accounting Honours from the University of Johannesburg. After completing his accounting and auditing training at KPMG South Africa, he was seconded to Toronto. His audit clients have included companies listed on the South African and Canadian stock exchanges in the construction, IT and media sectors. In 2003 he joined York’s Internal Audit department and became its Director in 2012. He is a CPA-CA in Canada and South Africa, as well as a Certified Internal Auditor.

Asif Mohammed
VP Risk, Performance and Technology, Richter

Asif specializes in governance, risk management, and cyber security for the private sector.  He is a trusted advisor to his clients, from those on the front lines to the executive level.  Asif uses a client-centric approach to addressing complex challenges and designs recommendations that are pragmatic and aligned to the culture of the organization.  He has a passion for ensuring his clients succeed in meeting their strategic imperatives.

Asif is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), and received his MBA from the Queen’s Smith School of Business.  Asif is currently serving as the ISACA Toronto Chapter President.

Kartikeya Pandit
Senior Consultant Risk Advisory Services, Ernst Young LLP

Kartikeya is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA), working as a Senior Consultant with EY Risk Assurance practice in Toronto, Canada. With over 5 years of work experience in the field of IT Audit, he has managed global internal audit clients and coordinated with global member firms of EY. He previously worked with EY India and EY US before joining EY Canada.

Baskaran Rajamani
Partner, Risk Advisory, Deloitte

Read interview with Baskaran ^[8]

Baskaran Rajamani is a Technology Risk Advisory Partner at Deloitte in Toronto.  Baskaran leads teams to help Financial Services clients on transforming and managing Technology Risks across lines of defense related to IT Assets, IT management processes, IT strategy, Digital transformation, Robotics/Cognitive automation and Agile delivery. As part of his global role in the RPA/Cognitive community, he is connected to practitioners across the globe and provides thought leadership on related frameworks and methodologies.  Baskaran Chairs Deloitte’s Technology and Digital risk management roundtable, and is a Faculty at Deloitte University in its Toronto and Dallas, TX campuses.

Baskaran is a popular speaker, has authored several technical papers on IT risk management and assurance, and has presented at conferences and seminars in different parts of the world. Baskaran is the co-author of Deloitte’s latest point of view of Integrated Risk Assurance. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering and an MBA.  His designations include CISA, CISSP and is a past President of the ISACA Toronto Chapter.

Zain Haq, CPA, CA, CISA. Director – Audit, Risk, Compliance & Policy at Manulife

Read interview with Zain ^[10]

Zain Haq is an information systems, cyber security and IT audit professional. Currently, Zain is a cyber security Audit Manager with Manulife Financial, a multinational financial services organization headquartered in Toronto. Zain leads and delivers a mix of application security and management audits, business integrated audits and technology project risk reviews. Previously, Zain has worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) where he led and delivered various third-party assurance engagements for clients in different industries including telecommunications, technology service providers, financial services and asset management.

Zain is an alumnus of York University, having completed his BCom in accounting in 2010. Zain is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

Eric Anastacio, MEd, CISA, CIA, CRMA

Eric Anastacio has over 20 years in IT Audit experience. Eric started his career at PwC after completing his Bachelor’s in Commerce. During that time, Eric attained his CISA, CIA and CRMA designations. After that, Eric has held multiple positions with several organizations, including the Ontario Ministry of Finance and CIBC. Eric also holds a Masters in Education and has experience delivering IT Audit courses with emphasis on emerging technologies, such as Cyber Security and Cloud Computing.

ISACA®’s Certified Information Systems Auditor® (CISA®) certification ^[12] validates your skills and expertise in auditing, control and information security. It proves you can assess vulnerabilities, report on compliance and validate and enhance controls in an enterprise. That’s why hiring managers and clients look for it and why many businesses and government agencies require it.

Our Certificate in IT Audit Execution covers all 5 domains required for you to write the exam*. This, combined with the applied knowledge you’ll gain through real-world case study work, will fully prepare you for your new career as an IT auditor.

*It is the responsibility of students to comply with all the requirements of ISACA for the CISA Designation.  ISACA has their own requirements regarding application, admission, program and membership. Students should contact ISACA ^[2]directly for more information.

http://continue.yorku.ca/technology-requirements-for-remote-online-courses/ ^[14]

Certificate in IT Audit Execution – Program Policies ^[16]

 What if I don’t have any work experience in auditing or IT?

York U’s faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies offers a Certificate in IT Auditing ^[18] that’s geared specifically to current degree students who don’t have the work experience required to take our program. If that’s your situation, we recommend starting there!