Nicolas Southern
Nicolas Southern

Austin, TX

IT Operations & Security Engineer

New Market Entertainment / Highland Consulting

I build our gaming products and I keep the systems behind them running. Land-based venues and cloud deployments in regulated and emerging markets. Most weeks that means some mix of Unity and C#, a TypeScript or Python tool, and a machine in the field that decided to have a bad day.

Security is part of the same job. I review our own apps, I built Lockhaven for WireGuard access, and I use Axiom with custom AI agents to review logs, flag issues, and triage as I expand coverage.

Certs

OSWE
Jun 2026. White-box web exploitation
OSCP+
Jul 2025. OffSec Certified Professional
OSWP
Apr 2026. Wireless
eJPT
Junior Penetration Tester

CompTIA

A+
Done
Network+
Done
Security+
In progress

Experience

IT Operations & Security Engineer at New Market Entertainment / Highland Consulting

2011 – Present · Austin, TX

Related: eTabs, Manatee Bingo, VSweeps.

  • IT operations and product engineering for regulated and emerging gaming. Venue installs and cloud deployments.
  • Unity/C# field clients. TypeScript, Python, and .NET backends. APIs, PostgreSQL, CI/CD. Licensing, accounting, telemetry, reporting.
  • Field work: networking, terminals and cabinets, imaging, remote troubleshooting. I get venues online.
  • Production ops: monitoring, releases, incident response. Vendors and operators.
  • Security: white-box and black-box review, Lockhaven WireGuard access, and Axiom alerting with custom AI agents for log review, flagging, and triage.

Founder at Manatee Bingo

2022 – Present
  • Electronic pull-tabs for Florida venues. I built the Unity/C# client and the cloud side, and I still handle field ops.
  • Licensing, accounting, and the work to keep locations online.
Full experience →

Projects

Manatee Bingo

Manatee Bingo

Electronic pull-tabs for the Florida market. I built the Unity/C# client and the cloud side for licensing, accounting, and deploys, and I still support it in the field.

Learn more →
Lucky Spur

Lucky Spur

A sweepstakes platform for the Texas VFW market. Built in Unity under New Market Entertainment, next to Manatee Bingo and VSweeps.

Learn more →
USVSD Application Portal

USVSD Application Portal

Application portal for United States Veteran Service Dogs. Intake, staff review, case management. HIPAA-aware. Live at usvsd.org.

Learn more →
All projects →

Cyber

Lockhaven

In-house WireGuard access plane. Internal services stay off the public internet.

View tool →

API Griffer

Lightweight API route discovery for authorized testing and lab work.

View tool →
All cyber work →

Writing

The Case For Gray

blogworkgaming

Why gray area gaming is more nuanced than people admit, and why treating it as purely black-and-white misses the operational, market, and consumer realities.

Life Lately

blogpersonal

A lot has changed again. Family, flying, hunting, work, travel, and a reminder that time is a lot shorter than we like to pretend.

Conventions and Airplanes

blogpersonal

I've been to a convention, and I'm going to another one next week. I'm excited to see where this goes, and I'm excited to share my journey with you.

All writing →