FCCN, the digital services of the Foundation for Science and Technology, spoke to the community to take stock of the work carried out over the last year and the expectations for 2025.
We heard from Pedro Vale Pinheiro, head of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Infrastructure Division at the University of Coimbra (UC), who considers the FCCN to be a partner in solving problems and in constant collaboration.
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How has the FCCN contributed to your work and that of your institution over the past year?
The FCCN 's services are very diverse and important for the academic community in general, and the UC benefits from them and strives to make the most of them, which contributes greatly to our continuing to be a benchmark institution.
The role that the FCCN has played for the ICT services of higher education institutions (HEIs) is also very important. It has been a guiding light and motivator of good practice in the operation and management of the various information technologies, without which our work would be much more difficult.
On the other hand, shared discussion events, such as the FCCN Days, are essential for creating a privileged channel for communication and sharing between the various elements of ICT and Higher Education Institutions.
Which services had the greatest impact on your work in 2024 and why?
In relation to the last year, some of the services that I would highlight for the significant impact they have had are those covered by the Division that I have the privilege of directing, namely the IP and Fiber services. And I'd like to highlight the truly exceptional, swift, cooperative and assertive way in which the FCCN dealt with the various fiber optic cuts that the UC was subjected to as a result of the works taking place in the city.
I would also like to highlight the secondary DNS service, which made it possible to have an additional domain address resolution server, making the UC more resistant to service failures.
Colibri, as it allowed efficient communication between several colleagues and remote classes. Even though the UC has created an internal videoconferencing system dedicated exclusively to its needs, this digital service from the FCT has proved to be an excellent alternative option.
And finally, although I can't praise them all, I would like to highlight the SSL certificate service, which guarantees the security of the websites used by the UC, as well as VoIP, which has made an essential contribution to the functioning of the UC and has enabled a marked reduction in call costs.
In your opinion, what is the greatest impact of the FCCN on the scientific, teaching and research ecosystem in Portugal?
On a scientific level, the FCCN has once again proved to be essential in the search for balanced and advantageous solutions for Higher Education Institutions. By way of example, with OCRE these institutions are able to obtain really advantageous prices and services for using cloud computing.
In the field of supercomputing, where UC is very well represented, we have found in FCCN an excellent partner for sharing experiences and obtaining funding and advanced technological solutions.
And in the area of knowledge, b-on, with its integration with the federated RCTSaai, has given us a unique and secure way of accessing scientific articles regardless of where we are physically located.
But I could go on listing the technical issues without being able to cover all the services provided.
Was there anything new or special about the FCCN that you'd like to highlight?
The moment that struck me most happened at the FCCN 2024 Conference, when it was announced that the next edition of the event would be held at the University of Coimbra. We're working hard to make this year's event even better (if that's possible).
What is your ambition for the relationship between the FCCN and your educational institution in the future? And what are your expectations for 2025?
The expectation for 2025 is, of course, that the FCCN Days 2025 at the University of Coimbra will be the best ever! But as far as my ambition for the relationship between the UC and the FCCN is concerned, it's that we manage to maintain this partnership that has lasted for several years and the sharing of contacts, knowledge and good humor.
