VMworld US 2018 VMUG Leader Lunch
Photo Credit: Brandon Seymour of vmwarevelocity.com
It’s that time of year again when the UserCons slow down and we start to prepare for both VMworlds. First, we’ll be in San Francisco from August 25th to 29th. The annual VMworld August show never disappoints, and VMUG will be there with a large presence. We will have a booth in the Solutions Exchange as well as a lounge in Moscone West.
Festivities start with our Annual VMUG Member Party. Historically, this party sells out, so make sure you register early so you can join us. We will be hosting the party at SPiN, a ping pong establishment across the street from the conference venue. I always enjoy this event because it’s a big VMUG reunion that allows me to connect with members I haven’t seen in a while.
The next day is the opening keynote presentations. Expect big announcements from VMware as well as insight to where the industry is going. VMware is one of the big players in the industry—bigger now with the Dell Technologies relationship—so I always listen to what they say on industry trends.
This year, I’m expecting to hear vSphere announcements, more about Kubernetes, and how the telecom industry is preparing for 5G which means more for big data and IoT. Recent acquisitions will be front and center, but more importantly, I’ll be listening for the insights into the direction VMware is going because of those acquisitions.
Sessions are always a big part of VMworld. There are many VMUG members and speakers who will be holding sessions, and I encourage you to select ahead of time the ones you want to attend. The schedule builder is out, so choose them now before they fill up to avoid being waitlisted.
Here are some of my session recommendations:
- VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes and Storage Policy-Based Management [ELW-2005-02-HCI_U] with Tim Koishor. The reason I like this session is that it is based on expanding vSphere with SPBM and vVols. If you are a vAdmin, this knowledge—learning how to do more than just server virtualization—is your first step in career advancement. This can be done without purchasing additional software with VMware, it’s already baked into vSphere. There is no reason to not take advantage of this.
- Continuing with this trend is Marc Crawford’s session, My experience building a VSAN cluster using certified components [VMTN5003U]. Sessions like this, led by an end-user, are some of my favorites. If you want to know the good, the bad and ugly of our work, come to this end-user session.
- While at VMworld, expand your horizons to new tech like NSX. NSX-T Design for Small to Mid-Sized Data Centers [CNET1072BU] with Amit Aneja and Gregory Smith will focus on small and mid-size deployments, which should resonate with many VMUG members.
- VMworld, just like VMUG, is about the community. Ben Clayton’s session, How VMUG Helped Shape My Career [VMTN5042U], will give personal examples of how giving back to the community will help you as well.
My final advice is to make time during VMworld to network. Talk to people, and especially engage with folks you wouldn’t normally talk to. If you are at VMworld, you have something in common with your fellow attendee, regardless if they are end-users, VMware employees, or partners. We are all part of this ecosystem—you can learn from them, and you have something to share as well.
See you at VMworld!
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