Giuliano Bagni

For a company aiming to optimize its IT operational costs, I designed and implemented a complete on-premise server infrastructure at their headquarters.

The project included the installation of three physical servers, configuration of a virtualized environment using Proxmox VE, and the creation of Linux and Windows virtual machines for the following services:

• Active Directory
• Local NAS
• Centralized Backup

This solution delivered several key benefits:

• Significant cost savings by eliminating recurring cloud service fees
• Full control over data, enhancing security and compliance with regulations (e.g., GDPR)
• Stable performance and reduced latency, thanks to dedicated local resources
• Customized backup and disaster recovery, with flexible, tailored strategies

The resulting infrastructure is a strategic long-term investment, combining operational efficiency, technological independence, and cost sustainability.

As part of a network security enhancement initiative, I deployed a custom open-source firewall appliance for a client, tailored to meet their specific security and connectivity needs.

The solution included the installation and configuration of the following key services:

• Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
• Virtual LANs (VLANs) for network segmentation
• VPN access for secure remote connectivity
• Traffic control and bandwidth management
• Network monitoring and alerting

This project provided the company with multiple strategic advantages:

• Improved network security, with real-time threat detection and proactive defense
• Efficient resource allocation, through traffic shaping and prioritization
• Enhanced network visibility, enabling quick diagnosis of issues and performance bottlenecks
• Cost savings, by leveraging robust and reliable open-source technologies instead of commercial firewall licenses
• Flexible and scalable architecture, easily adaptable to future growth or new security requirements

The open-source-based solution empowers the company with full control over its network, while ensuring reliability, transparency, and long-term sustainability without vendor lock-in.

To improve data availability and centralize file management, I implemented an open-source Linux-based storage server for a client operating in a dynamic business environment.

The solution was built on reliable Linux technologies and tailored to the specific operational needs of the company.

Key services included:

• Centralized file storage and sharing across departments
• User and permission management integrated with existing authentication systems
• Automated backup scheduling and snapshot support
• RAID configuration for data redundancy and fault tolerance
• Remote access via secure protocols (e.g., SFTP, SMB, NFS)

Business benefits:

• Reduced licensing costs, thanks to the use of stable and mature open-source software
• Increased data reliability and protection, through RAID and automated backup strategies
• Simplified data access and collaboration, with centralized and secure file sharing
• Scalable storage architecture, easily expandable as the business grows
• Full control over infrastructure, avoiding dependency on proprietary solutions

The result is a cost-effective and secure storage solution, fully aligned with the company's IT and data governance policies, while providing the flexibility to adapt to future needs.

To enhance infrastructure visibility and ensure proactive issue detection, I designed and deployed a centralized open-source monitoring and alerting system for a mid-sized company.

The solution was implemented using Zabbix (or optionally Prometheus + Grafana), running on a secure Linux server, fully customized to the client's environment.

Key Features:

• Real-time monitoring of physical and virtual servers, network devices, firewalls, and critical services
• Custom dashboards for visualizing system health and performance metrics
• Alert thresholds with automated notifications via email, Telegram, or Slack

• Historical data retention for performance analysis and capacity planning
• Monitoring of disk usage, CPU, RAM, bandwidth, application uptime, and more

Business Benefits:

• Minimized downtime through real-time alerts and proactive maintenance
• Full infrastructure visibility, including multi-location environments
• Optimized resource usage, identifying bottlenecks or underused systems
• Scalable architecture, easy to expand as the infrastructure grows
• No licensing fees, leveraging robust and proven open-source tools

This project provided the company with a powerful and cost-effective monitoring solution, improving IT operations and helping ensure system reliability and availability over time.