Digital Management
The Unit ensures the availability of services required for the development, updating, operation, and maintenance of the technological infrastructures managed by the Institute. Specifically, it manages and maintains the internal data centre, ensuring the continuous operation of the services provided to both the Institute and external stakeholders (e.g. Ministry, Regions, etc.). The unit also oversees all technological infrastructures used within the Institute, including the development and updating of hardware and base software, endpoints, corporate databases, servers and services, as well as network systems and fixed and mobile communication infrastructures.
The Unit operates within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Laboratory, providing the technological infrastructure necessary to support the research, development, and innovation activities carried out by the Institute, in line with institutional strategies. It manages and maintains all technological infrastructures in use within the Institute, focusing on the development, updating, and operation of hardware, core software, corporate databases, servers and services, networks, and telephony systems. Additionally, it ensures the protection of the Institute's information assets through backup procedures and security systems.
The unit is responsible for independently managing the data centre in all its aspects, including:
- Operational infrastructure: physical servers, cluster management, server virtualisation, virtual server management, shared storage for databases and virtual servers.
- Network infrastructure: communication networks between servers (Gigabit Ethernet) and between storage and servers (Fibre Channel).
- Security infrastructure: logical security (firewalls, etc.) and physical security (electrical systems, fire prevention and climate control systems).
The unit oversees the operation of more than 700 servers (both physical and virtual) to support internal information systems, livestock registries, and various veterinary information systems. These servers perform a wide range of functions, including:
- Application servers
- Web servers
- Database servers
- Web service interfaces
- Traffic balancers
- Log collection systems
- VoIP servers for the call centre
- Account management servers
- Helpdesk support
- DHCP servers
- Email servers
- Antivirus systems
The unit also manages data storage systems, ensuring adequate capacity for data recording and archiving, as well as backup libraries and servers for backup management.
To ensure optimal performance across information systems and databases, the unit dynamically allocates storage space and computing power based on operational needs. It regularly updates hardware, renews licences and maintains software components related to operating systems, databases, data security tools, and network performance analysis applications.
The data centre, along with its supporting infrastructure, is ISO 27001 certified and was classified in Group A following the 2019 census of ICT assets in Public Administration, conducted by the Italian Digital Agency (AgID), as outlined in the 2017–2019 Three-Year Plan for ICT in Public Administration. Additionally, it holds QI2 certification under the ACN specifications.
Beyond the data centre, the unit manages all hardware and base software for the Institute—from procurement to decommissioning—ensuring installation and maintenance. It also administers core databases and services essential to the operation of all departments, including:
- User account management and provisioning
- Institutional email systems
- Network services
- Shared file systems
Additionally, it oversees the wired and wireless networks for the central headquarters and regional offices, fixed telephony services (RTG and VoIP), mobile telephony systems, and central and endpoint security solutions, including antivirus and anti-spam protection.
- + - Head
-
Daniele Zippo
Head
He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Pisa and later completed a First-Level Master’s in IT Security and Legal Informatics at the University of Teramo. Since 1992, he has been working as an IT Analyst Manager at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", and in 1994 he was appointed Head of the IT Management Unit. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all Information Technology infrastructure at the Institute.
He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Pisa and later completed a First-Level Master’s in IT Security and Legal Informatics at the University of Teramo.
Since 1992, he has been working as an IT Analyst Manager at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", and in 1994 he was appointed Head of the IT Management Unit. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all Information Technology infrastructure at the Institute.
In addition to his managerial responsibilities, he has taken on multiple technical roles—including Network Administrator and System Administrator—and has been involved in:
- the analysis, design, implementation and maintenance of networks (both wired and wireless)
- the management of the Institute’s IT security systems, including firewall configuration using both Linux (iptables) and Clavister products
- the management of servers (Unix, Linux, Novell, and Windows) and storage systems
- the development and maintenance of websites
- the administration of network services such as DNS, DHCP, and email systems using open-source tools
- the implementation of a private cloud using OpenStack open-source software
- the design and development of a Tier III data centre
