// Nathaniel Routson

Cybersecurity & IT Support B.S. Cybersecurity (Tiffin University, 4.0 GPA) · NOC & Help Desk experience · Findlay, OH or Remote

I keep networks online and I write it down clearly when they're not. This site covers my certifications, hands-on experience, and a few home-lab projects — scroll down, or use the buttons on the left.
AVAILABILITY: OPEN TO WORK — RESPONSE TIME < 24 HRS
ABOUT

I graduated from Tiffin University in December 2025 with a 4.0 GPA in Cybersecurity, after starting my technical foundation with a double major Associate of Science in Computer Information Systems and Systems & Networking Support from Terra State Community College — also 4.0, also Dean's List. Along the way I picked up my CEH along with a stack of Cisco, Red Hat, and other industry certifications, because I'd rather show a credential than promise one.

My hands-on time comes from a NOC Technician internship at CentraComm Communications, current remote technical/pharmacy support work for Costco's Pharmacy Division, and volunteer help desk work at Terra State — real tickets, real users, real "why is the VPN down" energy. Outside of work I run home-lab projects to keep my SOC and networking skills current between applications.

DegreeB.S. Cybersecurity — Tiffin University, 2025
Prior degreeA.S. Computer Info Systems & Systems/Networking Support — Terra State CC
GPA4.0 (both degrees), Dean's List
Based inFindlay, OH
Work styleOn-site (local) or Remote
LeadershipPresident, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society — Terra State
CERTIFICATIONS
CEH
Certified Ethical Hacker
EC-Council · 2024
CCNA
CCNAv7: Enterprise Networking, Security & Automation
Cisco · 2023
CCNA
CCNAv7: Switching, Routing & Wireless Essentials
Cisco · 2023
CISCO
Cisco Entry to Networking
Cisco · 2023
RHEL
Red Hat System Administration I
Red Hat · 2023
FOA
Premises Cabling & Fiber Optics
FOA · 2023
FESTO
Fundamentals of Electricity, AC & DC
FESTO · 2023
PCPro
TestOut PC Pro
TestOut · 2023
B.S.
B.S. Cybersecurity
Tiffin University · Dec 2025
EXPERIENCE
Technical & Pharmacy Support AgentRetail Imaging — Costco Pharmacy Division
July 2026 — Present · Remote
  • Provide comprehensive technical, pharmacy, and customer support for Costco Pharmacy locations nationwide.
  • Troubleshoot account access, login issues, and pharmacy software systems for medical staff and pharmacy technicians.
  • Assist customers with insurance verification, prescription processing, and medication-related inquiries across multiple healthcare and retail platforms simultaneously.
  • Handle confidential patient-adjacent information in compliance with HIPAA privacy standards while delivering clear technical guidance in a fast-paced remote environment.
NOC Technician (Internship)CentraComm Communications
April 2024 — September 2024 · Findlay, OH
  • Implemented cybersecurity measures and protocols that prevented real-time cyberattacks and mitigated a major DDoS incident, maintaining 99% uptime and continuous operational integrity.
  • Resolved 95%+ of Tier 1 incidents independently, improving response time by 20% while supporting 100+ weekly client call-ins.
  • Supervised six staff members and developed automated scripts, Excel inventory tools, and streamlined patching processes to enhance team efficiency.
IT Help Desk Technician (Volunteer)Terra State Community College
August 2022 — May 2024 · Fremont, OH
  • Managed incoming support tickets through a help desk ticketing system, performing hands-on hardware troubleshooting including OS reinstallation, SSD replacement, printer configuration, and account resets.
  • Provided clear, friendly, and patient communication to clients — translating complex technical issues into easy-to-understand explanations while maintaining a calm, professional demeanor.
PROJECTS
Homelab RackIN PROGRESS
[ PHOTO COMING SOON — RACK BUILD IN PROGRESS ]

Self-built rack running my own router/firewall, switches, a services box, NAS storage, and a media server — still being expanded. This is the project — everything else here is a smaller piece of the same effort. Full breakdown is in the Homelab section below.

pfSenseProxmoxNASSelf-Hosted
Network Monitoring DashboardPLANNED

Live dashboard tracking uptime and health across the router, switches, and services box — feeding a physical status screen mounted on top of the rack.

GrafanaPrometheusUptime Monitoring
Malware Testing LabPLANNED

Isolated, network-segmented VM environment for safely detonating and analyzing malware samples without risk to the rest of the rack.

Isolated VMsSandboxingMalware Analysis
Local AI Model ServerPLANNED

Self-hosted machine running local AI/LLM inference on the rack, kept fully offline from any third-party cloud service.

Self-HostedLocal Inference
Vulnerability ReportPLANNED

Ran a scan against a lab network, prioritized findings by risk, and wrote a remediation report aimed at a non-technical stakeholder.

OpenVASRisk Reporting
Backup & Disaster RecoveryPLANNED

Documented backup pipeline covering mirrored NAS storage and a dedicated backup server for container configs — with defined recovery goals, not just "there's a copy somewhere."

Proxmox Backup ServerRedundancyRPO/RTO
Network Segmentation (VLANs)PLANNED

Isolating the NAS, media server, and other rack traffic onto separate VLANs using the existing switches and firewall — defense in depth on hardware I already have.

VLANspfSenseNetwork Security
SKILLS

Networking

TCP/IPDNS DHCPVPN Cisco IOSFirewalls SolarWindsJuniper Networks Fortinet

Security

Vulnerability ScanningSIEM Incident ResponseEthical Hacking

Systems & Cloud

Windows ServerActive Directory Linux (Red Hat)Virtualization Azure

Programming & Web

C#C++Python SQLHTMLCSS JavaScript

Support & Tools

Ticketing SystemsRemote Support DocumentationPowerShell TeamViewerMicrosoft Remote Desktop

AI Tools

ChatGPTCopilotDeepSeek
HOMELAB — RACK STATUS

Everything below is a real, currently-running box in my rack — this isn't a wishlist. I use it to keep hands-on with the stuff I studied on paper: routing, virtualization, storage, and remote access.

RTR
Router / Firewall
Self-built box running pfSense, handling routing and firewall rules for the whole rack.
SW
Managed Switches
Segment traffic between the rack's servers, NAS, and home network.
SVC
Services Box
Proxmox VE host running everything as VMs/containers — this is where most of the rack's actual workload lives.
NAS
NAS / Storage
Network-attached storage for shared files and media, with redundancy on the roadmap.
MDA
Media Server
Self-hosted media server for content I've ripped myself, with a custom retro-console-themed UI I built for it.
VPN
Remote Access
Self-hosted VPN for securely reaching the rack from anywhere without opening ports to the public internet.

Currently expanding the rack with additional compute and multi-bay drive enclosures for backup redundancy.

PICTOCHAT — OFF THE CLOCK
NATHANIEL

Yes, this whole site is styled after the DS Lite. If you get the reference, we're already off to a good start.

NATHANIEL

When I'm not chasing tickets or building lab environments, I'm probably tearing apart hardware I have no business opening, lifting, gaming, or getting outside — pretty much anything that isn't a screen with a ticket queue on it.

NATHANIEL

Favorite kind of problem to solve: the one where the fix is obvious in hindsight but took forty minutes of staring at logs to find.

Nathaniel has entered the chat.

Built with ds.css (MIT licensed) — font and border assets are embedded in this file.

CONTACT
Email is the fastest way to reach me — I'll get back to you within a day.
LinkedIn GitHub (coming soon) Resume (PDF)