Available for select engagements
Nicholas A. Southern
Cybersecurity Architect — DoD / Classified Environments
I design, harden, and defend mission-critical systems for DoD and classified environments. Two decades across NOC operations, information assurance, systems administration, and security architecture — shipping work that has to be right the first time.
15+Years in Cyber
TS/SCIClearance
6Certifications
241Systems Hardened
$ cat
Service Record
Cyber Systems Security Engineer
Lockheed Martin- Engineered and maintained RMF-aligned security postures across classified program networks.
- Authored and enforced STIG compliance baselines for Windows and Linux systems supporting national defense workloads.
- Drove vulnerability remediation, audit readiness, and continuous monitoring across 200+ endpoints.
RMFSTIGeMASSClassified
Information Assurance Specialist
Five Stones Research Corporation- Led information assurance and accreditation efforts for federal customers under NIST 800-53 and 800-171.
- Operated and tuned NOC monitoring, IDS signatures, and incident response workflows.
- Performed risk assessments, POA&M tracking, and ATO documentation across multiple programs.
NIST 800-53NIST 800-171NOCIR
Cyber Systems Operator
United States Air Force- Operated and defended mission-critical Air Force networks in support of real-world operations.
- Administered Windows/Linux infrastructure, Active Directory, and enterprise messaging at scale.
- Executed patch management, account lifecycle, and 24/7 NOC support under strict operational tempo.
USAFSysAdminActive DirectoryNOC
$ ls -la
Technical Arsenal
Compliance & Frameworks
NIST 800-53NIST 800-171RMF
STIGDISA SRGeMASS
POA&MATO
Security Operations
SIEMSplunkTenable / Nessus
ACASIncident Response
Vulnerability MgmtThreat Hunting
Systems & Infrastructure
Windows ServerLinux (RHEL/CentOS)
Active DirectoryGroup Policy
PowerShellBashVMware
Network & Architecture
Firewall AdminVPN / IPsec
Zero TrustNetwork Segmentation
IDS/IPSTCP/IP
$ grep -l cert
Certifications
CISSP
CISSPDoD 8570 IAT III / IAM III
(ISC)²
CASP+
CompTIA CASP+DoD 8570 IAT III
CompTIA
SEC+
CompTIA Security+DoD 8570 IAT II
CompTIA
CYSA
CompTIA CySA+DoD 8570 CSSP
CompTIA
NET+
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA
A+
CompTIA A+
CompTIA
$ whoami
Education
◎
B.S. Cybersecurity & Information Assurance
Western Governors University
In Progress
$ ./contact
Establish Secure Channel
> handle: Nicholas A. Southern
> role: Cybersecurity Architect
> clearance: TS/SCI
> status: Available for select engagements
> encryption: PGP on request