Alberto Serra

In the last year I have basically been working as a mix of Solution Architect, Developer and Sysadmin, as the Big Data growth often exposes situations in which individual tools are difficult to assemble into a properly working set with manageable levels of administration (in particular when most of the team has little previous exposition to Linux). So I have become the guy who assembles the system and maintains the glue that keeps all bits and bobs together.

Responsible for  Cassandra and MongoDB based HA billing systems (python development)  System consistency and data integrity  General system revision and future development strategy

Team co-ordination and management, Design, administration and implementation of the internal postgreSQL replication server, Design and implementation of the postgreSQL replication clusters for high availability, Disaster recovery, Migrations to different hardware with optimization (and minimal downtime constraint), Migrations on non interruptible services (~zero downtime), Creation of monitoring systems and ad-hoc tests (load and structure of service use in time)

Data Architect for an Open Source distributed textual repository

The company aimed to be a totally on-line business, including: 1. E-commerce public interface (with all the usual gear: carts, payment, delivery tracking); 2. Private administrative interface for stock management, invoicing, statistics, etc.; 3. Online tools for retailers and sub-distributors; 4. Database on MySQL (innoDB); 5. LAMP environment with OO-PHP

Support of third parties, including SIPRA (biggest advertising industry in Italy at the time )

Robotic warehouses. A system capable of dramatic reduction of storage space for metal bars, coils and sheets.

Technology teacher for the Olivetti spa sales structure. Travelled through all Italy to ensure the sales network was ready to use/sell internet and windows based technology.

The industry was young, and so were we. We did anything that could produce some cash. Fron Vic-20 and C-64 games to automation for commercial Radio Stations (sort of auto-DJ) and the book-keeping of the planet-wide Ermenegildo Zegna franchising line. Which is how I started to think of databases.

Some College Coursework Completed. I interrupted the process because I had already started my own software house (see BA.SE) and I was working 14 hours a day x 7 days a week. In the last year I was only paying taxes and never showing up at all.