Mike is currently unavailable
Mike Hutton
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Architecture Developer
North Kingstown, RI, United States
Toptal member since May 27, 2015
Bio
Mike is a software architect and developer with over 25 years of experience developing large-scale mission-critical systems. He currently specializes in Java and Jakarta EE development, C and C++ development, and embedded systems for IoT. Also, he is an internationally recognized expert in the area of lottery gaming systems. Mike has been delivering solutions employing geographically diverse teams for the past 16 years.
Portfolio
AC Research, Ltd.
C#.NET WinForms, JavaScript, AngularJS, Yocto, C, C++, MySQL Clustering, MySQL...
AEROBLOX INC
C++, Blockchain, Web3, Linux, PostgreSQL, Windows Server, IT Security...
Centric Brands - Main
Architecture, POS, Software Architecture, Enterprise Architecture...
Experience
- Product Strategy - 20 years
- Architectural Modeling - 20 years
- Consulting - 20 years
- CTO - 20 years
- Software Architecture - 20 years
- Team Leadership - 10 years
- Technical Leadership - 10 years
- Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) - 10 years
Work Experience
President/CTO
1998 - PRESENT
AC Research, Ltd.
- Led the design and development of a J2EE-based video lottery game server for the Chinese National Sports Lottery.
- Architected and consulted on the design for a project to build a national account-based lottery gaming system for the China Sports Lottery.
- Architected, designed, and developed a J2EE-based mobile gateway for lottery ticket sales for the Shanghai Welfare Lottery. The gateway enabled integration between internet-based mobile sales application providers and the lottery’s legacy central gaming server.
- Architected and led the design and development of a J2EE-based internet medical survey system.
- Developed advanced technology for next-generation telephone switching systems using J2EE application servers and Java technology for clients in the telecommunications industry.
- Appointed as an expert witness for the plaintiff in the area of lottery technology to the High Court of Justice in the UK in relation to a successful lawsuit against British Telecom by an independent UK lottery operator.
- Architected, developed, and led the design of a next-generation lottery POS terminal for Norsk Tipping AS. The POS terminal was one of the first to be based entirely on a PC platform (from IBM), and was implemented entirely in Java.
- Provided a technology analysis and recommendation for Norsk Tipping AS related to the incorporation of advanced J2EE technology in their internet-based distribution channel.
- Developed an innovative TCP proxy solution to overcome scalability issues with the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Remote Access Service.
- Provided consulting support for a California automaker related to a third-party provided JEE-based manufacturing automation system.
Technologies: C#.NET WinForms, JavaScript, AngularJS, Yocto, C, C++, MySQL Clustering, MySQL, Jetty, Java EE (Jakarta EE), Java, Software Architecture, Technical Leadership, Requirements Analysis, REST, System Architecture, Software System Architecture Development, System Architecture Design, IT Systems Architecture, Databases, JSON Web Tokens (JWT), Solution Architecture, Software Engineering, Migration, JSON, Hibernate, Large-scale Distributed Systems, Electronic Medical Records (EMR), .NET, Strategy, New Products, Software Requirements Specifications (SRS), Docker, Application Performance Monitoring, Java Performance Optimization, Caching, Data Processing, System Design, Project Scoping, Git, Apache Maven, NoSQL, Version Control, Back-end Development, Gradle, Database Integration, Low-latency Software, Enterprise Architecture, API Development, Integration, JSON API, JSON REST APIs, Embedded Linux, Embedded C++, Firmware, Real-time Operating System (RTOS), Product Strategy, Software Implementation, Java SE (Core Java), Web Services Description Language (WSDL), Apache CXF, Data Security, CTO, High-performance Design, Scalable Application, Scalable Architecture, Scalable Platforms, Backend for Frontend (BFF) Pattern, OpenAPI, Swagger, Kotlin, Android SDK, Hash, GraphQL, Event-driven Systems, ETL, Data Architecture, Multi-tenant Architecture, Security, Engineering, HL7, HIPAA, Agile Delivery, Communication, Cloud, Scalability, Infrastructure, Audits, Risk Management, API Architecture, Load Balancers, API Gateways, Message Queues, Proxy Servers, Consulting, System Architect, Systems Engineering, Data Modeling, Solution Design, Product Management, Next.js, IT Strategy, Coding, Project Management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), VoIP, Telephony, Legacy Code, OAuth 2, Server-side Programming, System Integration, Technical Architecture, Technical Documentation, Software Design, Workflows, Security Compliance, API Testing, SQL Server, Real-time Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Java Native Interface (JNI)
Fractional CTO | Technical Lead
2026 - 2026
AEROBLOX INC
- Led the knowledge transfer process from a departing startup developer.
- Conducted and technology overview and audit to give management a level of confidence in the product going forward.
- Created a set of concrete improvements to be included in the next phase of system development.
Technologies: C++, Blockchain, Web3, Linux, PostgreSQL, Windows Server, IT Security, Hedera Hashgraph, Solidity, C#, Angular, TypeScript, Data Security, Team Leadership, Swagger, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Security, CTO, Engineering, Fractional CTO, Communication, Consulting, IT Strategy, Project Management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Technical Documentation, Workflows
IT Integrations Architect
2025 - 2025
Centric Brands - Main
- Developed a custom Workato Integration to synchronize SAP metadata from a Snowflake Database with WorkflowGen using an on-premises agent.
- Developed custom Workato integrations to synchronize retail product metadata from SAP to Shopify.
- Stood up Workato on premises agent infrastructure to a Windows Server/MS SQL in support of WorkflowGen/SAP integrations.
Technologies: Architecture, POS, Software Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, API Development, Platform as a Service (PaaS), iPaaS, MuleSoft, Dell Boomi, Workato, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Implementation, GraphQL, ETL, Data Architecture, Engineering, Agile Delivery, Communication, Data Modeling, Solution Design, Coding, Technical Architecture, Automation, Software Design, Workflows, API Testing
Principal Consultant – New Business Development
1996 - 1998
GTECH Corporation
- Led an interdisciplinary team chartered with developing the overall strategy, business plan, marketing plan, and technology approach in support of GTECH’s entry into the internet gaming market.
- Spearheaded a program to deliver multiple internet product prototypes, including a web-based lottery industry information service and a Java-based internet consumer wagering service.
- Provided technology consulting to corporate due diligence activities related to partnerships and acquisitions.
- Worked with corporate human resources to operate the company's university partnership and internship programs. Participating universities included MIT, the University of Chicago, and the Stevens Institute of Technology.
- Researched, designed, and built original system prototypes to support potential non-lottery business opportunities.
Technologies: JavaScript, HTML, Java, Unix, C++, Architecture, Web App Design, Marketing Mix, Technical Leadership, Requirements Analysis, Strategy, New Products, Product Strategy, Security, Engineering, Communication, Cloud, Consulting, Solution Design, Product Management, IT Strategy, Project Management, Technical Documentation
Director, Software Architecture Group
1995 - 1996
GTECH Corporation
- Administrated an internal R&D and consulting group consisting of the company’s most senior engineering professionals.
- Spearheaded a large-scale strategic research project for the purpose of developing a vision and architecture for the company’s next generation of on-line systems. Resulted in an innovative vision of the future, and a comprehensive technical specification, which became a reference guide for the company's ongoing product development.
- Conducted research including pilot projects aimed at understanding the applicability of various new technologies, Introduced best practices and lessons learned into the mainline organization.
Technologies: Rational Unified Process (RUP), UML, C++, C, Software Architecture, Technical Leadership, Software System Architecture Development, System Architecture Design, IT Systems Architecture, Solution Architecture, Software Engineering, Large-scale Distributed Systems, Leadership, Strategy, Software Requirements Specifications (SRS), Project Scoping, Team Mentoring, Database Integration, Enterprise Architecture, POS, Integration, Real-time Operating System (RTOS), Product Strategy, Data Security, Team Leadership, High-performance Design, Scalable Application, Scalable Architecture, Scalable Platforms, Hash, Event-driven Systems, Data Architecture, Multi-tenant Architecture, Security, Engineering, Communication, Scalability, Audits, Risk Management, API Architecture, Proxy Servers, System Architect, Systems Engineering, Solution Design, IT Strategy, Technical Architecture, Technical Documentation, Software Design, Workflows, Security Compliance
Director, Software Communications Group
1993 - 1995
GTECH Corporation
- Managed the organization responsible worldwide for the development, deployment, and maintenance of the communications software required to operate our customer's lottery POS networks.
- Established the software communications organization as a formal function. Defined the group’s vision, mission, and charter. Performed the organizational design, work process definition, and staffing of the organization.
- Coordinated the research, design, and timely delivery of the networking systems for the largest lottery system in the world for the UK national lottery.
Technologies: Architecture, Telecommunications, Fortran, Java, Management, Assembly, Embedded Systems, High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR), Internationalization, Software Architecture, Technical Leadership, System Architecture Design, IT Systems Architecture, Software Engineering, Large-scale Distributed Systems, Leadership, Strategy, New Products, Software Requirements Specifications (SRS), Project Scoping, Team Mentoring, Database Integration, Enterprise Architecture, POS, Integration, Real-time Operating System (RTOS), Product Strategy, Software Implementation, Data Security, Team Leadership, High-performance Design, Scalable Architecture, Event-driven Systems, Security, Engineering, Communication, Scalability, Infrastructure, Risk Management, Proxy Servers, Systems Engineering, Solution Design, Product Management, IT Strategy, Project Management, VoIP, Telephony, Technical Architecture, Technical Documentation, Security Compliance, Real-time Data
Senior Technical Consultant – Communications Systems Engineering
1989 - 1993
GTECH Corporation
- Led the team charged with the development of the overall architecture for the company’s European communications systems. Delivered a set of concise technical specifications describing the architecture, interfaces, and protocols oft he system.
- Conceived and managed a product development effort pioneering the use of inexpensive, off-the-shelf PC technology as the basis for the network interface front-ends for online systems. The completed project resulted in the reduction of the capital cost of deploying an Online/POS communications system by over 65 percent. Led the development of the software and worked with hardware vendors such as Intel and Emulex to design the underlying hardware.
Technologies: Requirements Analysis, System Architecture Design, IT Systems Architecture, Back-end, Databases, Solution Architecture, Software Engineering, Large-scale Distributed Systems, Strategy, New Products, Software Requirements Specifications (SRS), Caching, Data Processing, System Design, Project Scoping, Team Mentoring, Version Control, Back-end Development, Low-latency Software, Enterprise Architecture, POS, Integration, Firmware, Real-time Operating System (RTOS), Product Strategy, Software Implementation, Data Security, High-performance Design, Scalable Architecture, Event-driven Systems, Multi-tenant Architecture, Security, Engineering, Communication, Scalability, Infrastructure, Solution Design, IT Strategy, Coding, Project Management, VoIP, Telephony, Technical Architecture, Technical Documentation, Software Design, Workflows, Real-time Data
Project History
New York City CIR COVID-19 Vaccination Program
As a senior member of the team responsible for maintaining the New York City citywide immunization registry (CIR), I was the principal engineer owning the build-out and ongoing management of the IT infrastructure and applications supporting the NYC SARS-COV-2 vaccines rollout in NYC.
This involved transforming the city's existing vaccination tracking and vaccine distribution infrastructure, which was originally developed to support tracking childhood vaccinations and the distribution of publicly funded childhood vaccines, to be able to support the logistics of ordering, receiving, storage, inventory management, and distribution of the SARS-COV-2 vaccines, along with tracking the administration of the vaccines to millions of adults in the NYC metropolitan area.
This was accomplished under intense public scrutiny in a constantly evolving clinical and administrative environment, where requirements changed daily.
The technical approach taken was to graft a small set of Spring Boot-based microservices onto the CIR's existing J2EE-based application systems, along with minimally invasive changes to the systems themselves. This allowed us to be extremely agile in adapting to the ever-changing requirements.
This involved transforming the city's existing vaccination tracking and vaccine distribution infrastructure, which was originally developed to support tracking childhood vaccinations and the distribution of publicly funded childhood vaccines, to be able to support the logistics of ordering, receiving, storage, inventory management, and distribution of the SARS-COV-2 vaccines, along with tracking the administration of the vaccines to millions of adults in the NYC metropolitan area.
This was accomplished under intense public scrutiny in a constantly evolving clinical and administrative environment, where requirements changed daily.
The technical approach taken was to graft a small set of Spring Boot-based microservices onto the CIR's existing J2EE-based application systems, along with minimally invasive changes to the systems themselves. This allowed us to be extremely agile in adapting to the ever-changing requirements.
Architecture Consulting for an IoT Product (via Toptal)
Provided architecture and design consulting to an organization developing a cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) product to monitor heavy equipment in the field. The system was based primarily on managed services leveraging the AWS IoT product suite. The client was facing a very tight delivery timeline for an MVP ship and required assistance getting it out the door.
EHR Integrations for a Large U.S. Health Insurance Company (via Toptal)
Developed standards-based (FHIR, CDS Hooks) and proprietary EHR integrations for a large health insurer using a Spring Boot microservice-based solution. The microservice was created from scratch based on the open-source specifications and subsequently supported successful integration testing with EHR partner organizations.
Azure Spring Boot Microservice (via Toptal)
A US-based multinational heavy equipment manufacturer was encountering performance and reliability issues with a Spring Boot REST microservice they were developing to serve equipment maintenance support data to their worldwide dealer network. The service was deployed as an Azure AppService inside a Tomcat container.
I joined the development team tasked with reviewing the microservice architecture and implementation with the aim of eliminating the problems. I identified and corrected defects in the coding design that were responsible for the majority of the reliability problems. I then developed a suite of JMeter tests that allowed us to pinpoint and correct the performance problems caused by both the microservice software itself along with the Azure AppService cloud deployment characteristics.
We successfully ameliorated the problems we identified and the service was able to reliably meet its performance requirements. It is now in production on the Azure cloud worldwide.
I joined the development team tasked with reviewing the microservice architecture and implementation with the aim of eliminating the problems. I identified and corrected defects in the coding design that were responsible for the majority of the reliability problems. I then developed a suite of JMeter tests that allowed us to pinpoint and correct the performance problems caused by both the microservice software itself along with the Azure AppService cloud deployment characteristics.
We successfully ameliorated the problems we identified and the service was able to reliably meet its performance requirements. It is now in production on the Azure cloud worldwide.
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene–CIR
http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/providers/reporting-and-services/citywide-immunization-registry-cir.pageAs a member of a small team of senior IT generalists, I was responsible for supporting, maintaining, and enhancing the IT infrastructure and applications supporting the department's Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR). This included full-stack support and enhancements to the CIR's flagship application, the online registry: a public-facing web application used by thousands of healthcare providers in NYC to record immunizations, track vaccine inventory, and provide immunization and other health records used by other city agencies (e.g., schools or daycares).
Recently completed a successful project to migrate the CIR's databases, including the dependent client applications from Oracle to PostgreSQL.
Recently completed a successful project to migrate the CIR's databases, including the dependent client applications from Oracle to PostgreSQL.
Reliable and Horizontally Scalable NoSQL Data Store (via Toptal)
The client, a fast-growing web startup in India, was faced with increasing schema complexity in its traditional SQL-based data tier, which hampered its ability to quickly onboard new developers. The rapid growth and aggressive expansion into new markets were also straining the scalability limits of its current MySQL-based infrastructure.
Working with the company CTO, I researched, designed, and developed a prototype for a lightweight NoSQL data store that provides persistent data storage for all use cases specific to the client's products.
The data store architecture consists of a set of sharded MySQL database servers divided into index shards and data shards. Application data is stored in the data shards as JSON strings and Apache Avro is used to provide schema support for the JSON data.
The data store interface was implemented as a Swagger-documented REST API exposing CRUD-like semantics. The service supports code generation in Java and PHP, allowing clients to read and write application layer objects from the data store without having to manipulate or even know the underlying JSON representation.
The system was implemented in Java as a Spring Boot-based microservice.
Working with the company CTO, I researched, designed, and developed a prototype for a lightweight NoSQL data store that provides persistent data storage for all use cases specific to the client's products.
The data store architecture consists of a set of sharded MySQL database servers divided into index shards and data shards. Application data is stored in the data shards as JSON strings and Apache Avro is used to provide schema support for the JSON data.
The data store interface was implemented as a Swagger-documented REST API exposing CRUD-like semantics. The service supports code generation in Java and PHP, allowing clients to read and write application layer objects from the data store without having to manipulate or even know the underlying JSON representation.
The system was implemented in Java as a Spring Boot-based microservice.
Architecture for a National Account-based Lottery System
Architecture and design consultant for a project to build a national account-based lottery gaming system for the China Sports Lottery. The system employs a service-oriented architecture and supports player account management, retail location management, and game service interface.
It is designed to allow seamless integration of diverse third-party game providers using a standardized plug-in interface.
The system is designed to scale to millions of player accounts, thousands of physical gaming locations, and any number of game content providers. It supports land-based as well as online (internet) gaming.
Once the architecture was complete, I performed the design and initial development of the retail location and gaming machine management module, then moved on to developing the first game server implementation to be used with the framework.
The architecture and development were conducted exclusively remotely from the US, with only a four-day brainstorming session in NYC to kick off the project.
The system went live starting in Hainan Province in January 2015.
It is designed to allow seamless integration of diverse third-party game providers using a standardized plug-in interface.
The system is designed to scale to millions of player accounts, thousands of physical gaming locations, and any number of game content providers. It supports land-based as well as online (internet) gaming.
Once the architecture was complete, I performed the design and initial development of the retail location and gaming machine management module, then moved on to developing the first game server implementation to be used with the framework.
The architecture and development were conducted exclusively remotely from the US, with only a four-day brainstorming session in NYC to kick off the project.
The system went live starting in Hainan Province in January 2015.
Full-stack Hardware, Software, and Firmware Development for an Embedded Controller
I designed and developed the hardware and firmware for an embedded controller board for a security product, and also developed the board interface software to allow the cloud-based security application to interact with the board. The hardware was designed using Autodesk Fusion, and the firmware was written in embedded C and C++. The board interface software is written in Java. The system utilizes a proprietary secure serial protocol employing AES-CCM and Diffie-Hellman key exchange to communicate between modules.
The project is now in pre-production testing, and we are currently converting the product architecture to a two-board solution.
The project is now in pre-production testing, and we are currently converting the product architecture to a two-board solution.
High Performance Forensic Disk Imager (via Toptal)
I developed high-performance parallel pipeline-based disk imaging software for use in digital forensics applications. The software was developed in C++ and runs on Linux and Windows platforms. The project was delivered on time and on budget and allowed the client to satisfy their grant requirements.
High Performance Video Lottery Game Server
A J2EE-based video lottery game server developed for the Chinese market, constructed entirely on open source technology (JBoss 7) with an in-memory database (MySQL Cluster). It supports up to 20,000 gaming machines and 1,500 transactions per second.
The system has no single point of failure and is horizontally scalable. It employs advanced cryptographic techniques to ensure security and integrity and is fully internationalized, dynamically switchable between Chinese and English.
The server interfaces with an account management system using a secure REST interface. It persistently maintains the game state in real time for each machine through cluster failovers, system restarts, and machine failures. It employs a plugin architecture for modules that allows for new games to be added as pre-packaged, digitally signed Java. It passed Chinese government testing for security and integrity and includes a separate turnkey audit system to audit every transaction, verify, and digitally sign the software modules. It was implemented using a GWT front end and a REST back end based on Jetty and Apache Derby (JavaDB). The server was developed remotely, with only ten days on-site over the course of the eighteen-month project.
The system has no single point of failure and is horizontally scalable. It employs advanced cryptographic techniques to ensure security and integrity and is fully internationalized, dynamically switchable between Chinese and English.
The server interfaces with an account management system using a secure REST interface. It persistently maintains the game state in real time for each machine through cluster failovers, system restarts, and machine failures. It employs a plugin architecture for modules that allows for new games to be added as pre-packaged, digitally signed Java. It passed Chinese government testing for security and integrity and includes a separate turnkey audit system to audit every transaction, verify, and digitally sign the software modules. It was implemented using a GWT front end and a REST back end based on Jetty and Apache Derby (JavaDB). The server was developed remotely, with only ten days on-site over the course of the eighteen-month project.
Windows POS Platform Back-end Server Integration
I developed a platform framework and associated Windows services in order to integrate a Windows 7 Embedded POS device that controls gaming machines located in geographically diverse venues (bars, hotels, etc.) with a central network management service (NMS) and a content distribution service (DLS).
The project involved integrating an existing Java-based Windows service that provides the basic gateway connector to the central services and developing two new C# Windows services to allow application components on the POS platform to communicate with the central services through the Java gateway. The C# services communicate with the Java gateway using a proprietary TCP/JSON-based protocol and expose WCF REST endpoints to talk to the POS applications.
The project was done primarily in C# with some Java and used a SQL Server Express DB.
The project involved integrating an existing Java-based Windows service that provides the basic gateway connector to the central services and developing two new C# Windows services to allow application components on the POS platform to communicate with the central services through the Java gateway. The C# services communicate with the Java gateway using a proprietary TCP/JSON-based protocol and expose WCF REST endpoints to talk to the POS applications.
The project was done primarily in C# with some Java and used a SQL Server Express DB.
Slot Machine Interface Board
I migrated a proprietary legacy C++ gaming machine controller codebase from a Red Hat Linux-based server platform to an off-the-shelf Freescale I.MX6-Based system module (EDM-1). The application was a Slot Machine Interface Board (SMIB) that would be installed in video lottery terminals (VLTs) to convert the machine's native proprietary serial protocol to a TCP-based protocol that can be run over a LAN.
The project includes building the appropriate embedded Linux kernel and file system image for the target hardware using the Yocto-embedded Linux development environment and adapting the application build procedures as applicable. The migrated codebase was returned to the client's engineering team for further adaptation to their proprietary infrastructure.
The project was completed entirely remotely using components shipped from the client and my own lab systems and equipment.
The product was deployed to several hundred locations in South Australia sometime in late 2015.
The project includes building the appropriate embedded Linux kernel and file system image for the target hardware using the Yocto-embedded Linux development environment and adapting the application build procedures as applicable. The migrated codebase was returned to the client's engineering team for further adaptation to their proprietary infrastructure.
The project was completed entirely remotely using components shipped from the client and my own lab systems and equipment.
The product was deployed to several hundred locations in South Australia sometime in late 2015.
Mobile Gateway for Lottery Ticket Sales
I designed and developed a high-performance mobile gateway system for the Shanghai Welfare Lottery Corporation (SWLC).
The system enabled lottery ticket purchases acquired by diverse mobile application providers to be executed on the lottery's legacy back-end transaction processing system.
The system was implemented based on JBoss 7 and employed a JAX-RS REST API to communicate with the mobile application providers and a custom JCA resource adapter to communicate with the lottery's proprietary back-end transaction processor. It employed JPA/MySQL as the persistence solution.
The system serves as a gateway for potentially tens of millions of mobile users, and thus has very stringent requirements for both response time and transaction rate.
It was developed almost exclusively remotely from the US, with only five days of on-site time in Shanghai to support the initial production roll-out.
The system went live in Shanghai in March 2013.
The system enabled lottery ticket purchases acquired by diverse mobile application providers to be executed on the lottery's legacy back-end transaction processing system.
The system was implemented based on JBoss 7 and employed a JAX-RS REST API to communicate with the mobile application providers and a custom JCA resource adapter to communicate with the lottery's proprietary back-end transaction processor. It employed JPA/MySQL as the persistence solution.
The system serves as a gateway for potentially tens of millions of mobile users, and thus has very stringent requirements for both response time and transaction rate.
It was developed almost exclusively remotely from the US, with only five days of on-site time in Shanghai to support the initial production roll-out.
The system went live in Shanghai in March 2013.
Enhancement and Ongoing Maintenance of a POS VLT Controller
I was responsible on an as-needed basis for the maintenance and enhancement of a JBoss 6-based "embedded" POS product.
The product functioned as a local controller ("site controller") for gaming machines (VLTs) in geographically diverse locations. It communicated with the gaming machines using a standard XML-based protocol (G2S) over TLS. It also communicated with a central state/provincial management system using similar protocols. The original implementation was based on JBoss 6 with a PostgreSQL database.
The client had inherited the codebase from a partner team that had failed to deliver a functional product. Over the course of numerous engagements, I refactored and reworked the codebase into a functional product, adding features and enhancements as requested, and eventually migrating it to JBoss 7. The product is currently used for demonstration purposes and is considered highly successful in that role.
The product functioned as a local controller ("site controller") for gaming machines (VLTs) in geographically diverse locations. It communicated with the gaming machines using a standard XML-based protocol (G2S) over TLS. It also communicated with a central state/provincial management system using similar protocols. The original implementation was based on JBoss 6 with a PostgreSQL database.
The client had inherited the codebase from a partner team that had failed to deliver a functional product. Over the course of numerous engagements, I refactored and reworked the codebase into a functional product, adding features and enhancements as requested, and eventually migrating it to JBoss 7. The product is currently used for demonstration purposes and is considered highly successful in that role.
Mobile Electronic Instant Ticket Game Server
I designed and developed a high-performance electronic instant ticket (EIT) game server, used as a component in an SOA used for a mobile EIT sales system in Jinan Province, China.
EITs are the virtual equivalent of "scratch-off" lottery tickets. Instead of a paper ticket, the player uses a mobile application to obtain an encrypted ticket, which they then "scratch" using a mobile application. For any particular EIT game, there are pools with a fixed number of EITs and a predetermined number of winners at each prize level. These EIT pools are generated by proprietary algorithms and encrypted.
I developed the server, which allowed the EIT pool files to be securely loaded, verified, and distributed to the mobile users via a REST interface. I created the core code, UIs, and REST API.
I designed techniques using public key cryptography that ensured the EIT files could only be read by the gaming server that they were generated for, and developed the cryptographic methods used to secure the "tickets" in transit and ensure that an EIT was only readable by the purchaser.
The system was implemented in Java on JBoss 7 using JSF for the UI and JPA/MySQL for the persistence layer.
EITs are the virtual equivalent of "scratch-off" lottery tickets. Instead of a paper ticket, the player uses a mobile application to obtain an encrypted ticket, which they then "scratch" using a mobile application. For any particular EIT game, there are pools with a fixed number of EITs and a predetermined number of winners at each prize level. These EIT pools are generated by proprietary algorithms and encrypted.
I developed the server, which allowed the EIT pool files to be securely loaded, verified, and distributed to the mobile users via a REST interface. I created the core code, UIs, and REST API.
I designed techniques using public key cryptography that ensured the EIT files could only be read by the gaming server that they were generated for, and developed the cryptographic methods used to secure the "tickets" in transit and ensure that an EIT was only readable by the purchaser.
The system was implemented in Java on JBoss 7 using JSF for the UI and JPA/MySQL for the persistence layer.
Online Medical Survey System
I was the architect and principal developer of a J2EE-based internet medical survey system for a medical metrics firm.
The system is completely turnkey and allows researchers to design complex custom medical surveys for targeted populations and then deploy them on the internet without any incremental web or back-end development.
The implementation was carried out on JBoss 5, utilizing JSP, Hibernate, and MySQL.
The system is completely turnkey and allows researchers to design complex custom medical surveys for targeted populations and then deploy them on the internet without any incremental web or back-end development.
The implementation was carried out on JBoss 5, utilizing JSP, Hibernate, and MySQL.
Dial-up WAN TCP Proxy Service
I developed a serial line TCP proxy solution, implemented in C++, for TCP clients on geographically distributed systems to communicate with a central server over a secure dial-up connection. The solution is transparent to both client and server, who think they are communicating over ordinary TCP. My client planned to use MS Remote Access Service (RAS) to allow local controllers to communicate with the central server, but RAS on Windows Server 2008 couldn't handle that many connections at the time.
The system involves a proxy application on the remote Linux client that listens on a TCP port for incoming connection requests and forwards them to the proxy server, which receives the request over the serial connection, emulates the RAS service, and forwards it to the central server on a TCP port assigned to the client. The connection is accepted by the server, and then at the remote side. Data sent between the client and server is forwarded over the serial link. The proxy service can handle multiple port pairs and is used in production to proxy the RSync protocol. The serial link is secured using AES encryption and authenticated using a proprietary cryptographic protocol certified as secure by South Australian gaming regulators.
The system involves a proxy application on the remote Linux client that listens on a TCP port for incoming connection requests and forwards them to the proxy server, which receives the request over the serial connection, emulates the RAS service, and forwards it to the central server on a TCP port assigned to the client. The connection is accepted by the server, and then at the remote side. Data sent between the client and server is forwarded over the serial link. The proxy service can handle multiple port pairs and is used in production to proxy the RSync protocol. The serial link is secured using AES encryption and authenticated using a proprietary cryptographic protocol certified as secure by South Australian gaming regulators.
Lottery Retailer Management System Integration
I developed a web service-based interface that allowed the Maryland Lottery to integrate the retailer management function between the lottery's UniSys back-end business systems and the POS system operator's proprietary Windows Server-based system.
Just for background, in the US, state lottery agencies usually sub-contract the deployment and operation of the online retailer point-of-sale network (POS) to specialist vendors. The lottery itself will manage the back-office business operations with their retailers (convenience stores, etc.). However, a subset of the information regarding the retailers must be shared with the POS vendor in order for the vendor to properly provide and service the retailers' lottery point of sale equipment.
The service I developed allows the lottery to push updates to the online vendor's system via a SOAP RPC-based web service. The service is fully automated and requires no operation intervention except to verify the reporting data. This replaces a manual process that required the retailer information to be redundantly entered into both systems.
The system was implemented in C# on IIS using ASP.NET technology. It has been in operation since October 2006.
Just for background, in the US, state lottery agencies usually sub-contract the deployment and operation of the online retailer point-of-sale network (POS) to specialist vendors. The lottery itself will manage the back-office business operations with their retailers (convenience stores, etc.). However, a subset of the information regarding the retailers must be shared with the POS vendor in order for the vendor to properly provide and service the retailers' lottery point of sale equipment.
The service I developed allows the lottery to push updates to the online vendor's system via a SOAP RPC-based web service. The service is fully automated and requires no operation intervention except to verify the reporting data. This replaces a manual process that required the retailer information to be redundantly entered into both systems.
The system was implemented in C# on IIS using ASP.NET technology. It has been in operation since October 2006.
Azure DevOps Automated Static C++ Code Analysis
Developed scripts and pipeline definitions to integrate a sophisticated static code analysis tool into the client's Azure DevOps (ADO) based embedded Linux C++ code build environment. The tooling aimed to improve code quality by performing a static code review on all code affected by a developer's Git pull request and automatically adding the most pertinent finding from the analysis as comments on the ADO pull request. The ADO tooling was developed as a set of Python and Bash scripts that integrated with the ADO Git repository APIs. The project also included deploying and managing a multi-server environment hosting the analysis tools.
Education
1974 - 1977
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science
City College School of Engineering - New York, NY
Skills
Libraries/APIs
REST APIs, API Development, JSON API, OpenAI API, React, OpenAPI, Node.js
Tools
Java Concurrency, WildFly, Apache Tomcat, Apache Maven, Subversion (SVN), Apache JMeter, Eclipse IDE, Microsoft Visual Studio, KiCad, Visual Studio, C#.NET WinForms, Jetty, CVS, Git, GNU Debugger (GDB), Apache Ant, Mercurial, Bamboo, Jenkins, TeamCity, IntelliJ IDEA, RabbitMQ, Keycloak, SMART on FHIR, Postman, Adaptive Code Correction (AC3), Autodesk Fusion 360, Gradle, CLion, MQTT, FreeCAD, Zephyr
Languages
Java, C, Java SE (Core Java), SQL, Assembly, Pascal, C#, C++, Python, Embedded C, Embedded C++, Web Services Description Language (WSDL), HTML, HTML5, UML, Fortran, JavaScript, Python 3, PHP, Bash, TypeScript, Solidity, Kotlin, GraphQL
Paradigms
Socket Programming, Concurrent Programming, Service-oriented Architecture (SOA), Microservices, Object-oriented Design (OOD), Automation, REST, Application Architecture, Event-driven Architecture, Scalable Application, Server-side Programming, Requirements Analysis, Agile Software Development, Microservices Architecture, API Architecture, DevOps, Unit Testing, Azure DevOps, HIPAA Compliance, Java Performance Optimization, ETL, Model View Controller (MVC), Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), Management, Web App Design, HL7 FHIR Standard
Platforms
Web, Jakarta EE (Java EE or J2EE), Linux, Java EE (Jakarta EE), JBoss, Azure, Android, Eclipse, Unix, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle, Amazon EC2, Windows, Embedded Linux, Docker, AWS IoT Core, AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Workato, MuleSoft, Blockchain, Windows Server, Hedera Hashgraph
Frameworks
Jakarta Server Pages (JSP), Spring Boot, Hibernate, Spring, JSON Web Tokens (JWT), .NET, Swagger, OAuth 2, Rational Unified Process (RUP), AngularJS, GWT, JUnit, Spring Microservice, gRPC, Angular, Apache CXF, Android SDK, Next.js
Storage
JSON, JBoss AS, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Databases, Database Integration, MySQL Clustering, Oracle RDBMS, Apache Derby, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite, Data Integration, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), NoSQL, MongoDB, Dell Boomi
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Project Management, Telecommunications
Other
Architecture, Requirements & Specifications, Business Requirements, Front-end Development, APIs, Integration, Embedded Systems, Software Architecture, Web Development, API Integration, API Design, Software Development, System Architecture, Software System Architecture Development, System Architecture Design, IT Systems Architecture, Back-end, RESTFul APIs, Solution Architecture, Software Engineering, Large-scale Distributed Systems, Software Requirements Specifications (SRS), Caching, Data Processing, System Design, Project Scoping, Version Control, Back-end Development, Low-latency Software, JSON REST APIs, Software Implementation, High-performance Design, Scalable Architecture, Event-driven Systems, Multi-tenant Architecture, Engineering, Agile Delivery, Communication, Scalability, Consulting, System Architect, Systems Engineering, Data Modeling, Solution Design, IT Strategy, Coding, Legacy Code, System Integration, Technical Architecture, Technical Documentation, Software Design, Security Compliance, API Testing, Real-time Data, SOAP, GlassFish, Enterprise Architecture, Embedded Software, RESTful Microservices, Architectural Modeling, Leadership, Cloud, Technical Leadership, CI/CD Pipelines, Migration, Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Embedded Hardware, Strategy, Software as a Service (SaaS), New Products, Application Performance Monitoring, Code Review, Team Mentoring, Firmware, FreeRTOS, Real-time Operating System (RTOS), Healthcare Software, Product Strategy, SaaS, Electronic Health Records (EHR), IT Security, Data Security, Team Leadership, CTO, Cryptography, Deterministic Encryption, Scalable Platforms, Hash, Data Architecture, Security, Fractional CTO, HIPAA, Infrastructure, Audits, Risk Management, Load Balancers, API Gateways, Message Queues, Product Management, Telephony, Workflows, Full-stack, Protected Health Information, SQL Server, Internet of Things (IoT), Yocto, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR), Internationalization, Marketing Mix, HL7, Computer Science, Yocto 14.1, Hardware, Hardware Design, Hardware Testing, Embedded C#, Windows Embedded, Electronics Engineering, POS, Platform as a Service (PaaS), iPaaS, Web3, 3D Printing, Backend for Frontend (BFF) Pattern, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Proxy Servers, Artificial Intelligence (AI), VoIP, Java Native Interface (JNI)
Collaboration That Works
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
1
Share your needs
Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2
Choose your talent
Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3
Start your risk-free talent trial
Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring