VMUG Heads to VMworld 2019
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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