Allgemein – vLenzker – a comdivision partner

VMware Explore 2025 General Session VCF 9 and the Maturity of Private Cloud

26. August 202526. August 2025lenzker

Walking into the general session at VMware Explore 2025 in Las Vegas felt a bit like déjà vu — Broadcom, big stage, bold announcements. But unlike some years in the past where marketing slogans didn’t quite meet reality, this year the message was clear and technically compelling: VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) , a General Available product, is the platform that defines the future of private cloud.

From silos to a unified platform

The keynote hammered on a problem we all know too well: legacy infrastructure, developer frustration, operational silos, and the constant battle of balancing speed with compliance. With VCF 9, Broadcom’s pitch is that those problems aren’t just being patched, but solved at the architectural level. Compute, networking, storage, and security are integrated into a single software-defined stack. No more stitching together point solutions, no more losing weeks in lifecycle chaos. Hock Tan, the CEO and President of Broadcom made clear that there has been only one way to bring all those single great solutions (vSphere, NSX, vSAN, Aria, etc.) into a single product: Invest in engineering and coding.

The idea is simple, but powerful: private cloud done right, in one SKU, delivered consistently at any scale. That’s a huge step for IT teams who’ve been juggling fragmented systems while public cloud players tried to lure workloads away with promises of speed.

Customer stories matter

Of course, anyone can claim transformation. What made this session resonate were the customer stories. Barclays, a global enterprise, is leveraging VCF to accelerate developer velocity and support AI at scale. Meanwhile, Grenell Mutual with a much smaller IT team used VCF to modernize legacy environments, reduce costs, and actually unify their teams. The contrast was intentional: VCF isn’t just for the Fortune 500. It scales down as gracefully as it scales up. Big teams create organizations challenges and therefore less outcome. VCF done the right way enables small teams to operate a complex cloud.

What’s new and why it matters

The session introduced plenty of new capabilities, and here are the highlights that stood out for me

Developer velocity: VCF now runs containers and VMs side by side with native Kubernetes lifecycle management. Developers get self-service, policy as code, GitOps pipelines — and IT still keeps governance intact.
Private AI services: Broadcom bundled AI directly into the platform and included it from a license into the normal VCF Package. With a model gallery, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) services, GPU allocation, and agent builders, you can now run AI on-prem with full control and data sovereignty.
Cyber resilience: Continuous compliance enforcement, automated ransomware recovery, confidential computing, and runtime security are built in. Security is no longer bolted on,it’s part of the DNA.
Automation and operations: Live patching without downtime, global deduplication, simpler network creation, and central diagnostics all point toward one thing: IT teams spending less time keeping the lights on and more time innovating.
Ecosystem partnerships: Canonical Ubuntu hardened containers, Nvidia GPUs, Intel and AMD accelerators — Broadcom isn’t trying to do this alone. The ecosystem support means customers aren’t locked into one hardware story.

My reflection

The message was unmistakable: public cloud is no longer the only way to get agility. With VCF 9, private cloud can deliver the same, if not better, in terms of speed, flexibility, and cost predictability. And importantly, it does so on your own terms, under your control, within your compliance boundaries.

For years, private cloud always felt like it was “almost there.” Too rigid, too siloed, too complex to operate at scale. Watching the VCF 9 announcements, I had the sense that Broadcom has finally closed those gaps. If deployed as a full stack, this isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. it’s about enabling IT to deliver modern cloud services inside their own data center at cloud speed.

Embracing And honoring the #vCommunity & #vExpert key players was one of my hightlights as well. The product and the whole ecosystem benefit so much from the valuable community behind.

The call to action

The general session ended with a clear challenge: IT professionals need to embrace the modern private cloud and position themselves as the architects of this next era. Broadcom is betting big on VCF 9, private AI, and continuous innovation in cyber resilience and based on what I saw in Vegas it’s time to take your environment to the next level. If that is still challenging you, reach out for me…I can help on all topics VCF :)

#VMwareExplore in Las Vegas -> Let’s learn how to play Poker and Join the event

12. August 202512. August 2025lenzker

As you might know we are organizing a Poker event on Monday in Las Vegas. If you have no clue how Poker works, just watch the following clip.

If you have no idea what happened?! -> Check out the following play rules.

We play in 5 phases.

The Deal – Everyone gets two private cards (your “hole cards”). These are just for you.
The Flop – Three community cards are placed face-up in the middle. Everyone can use them, in combination with their own two cards, to make the best 5-card hand.
The Turn – A fourth community card is added. Betting continues.
The River – The fifth and final community card hits the table. This is your last chance to bet, bluff, or fold.
Showdown – If more than one player remains, you reveal your cards. Best 5-card hand wins.

Those are the best cards * Source Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poker_hands

The goal is simple: win the pot by having the best hand… or by convincing everyone else you do. In poker (and in negotiatiosn), confidence counts as much as the actual cards you’re holding. Since I always lose at Poker I guess thats the reason why at comdivision we have fixed prices & don’t negotiate :P

And if you still have no clue you could still join and enjoy the atmosphere. Just play it like I would…

You want to join the comdivision Poker event? Check it out here:

Vegas, VMware, and… a poker tournament? That’s exactly how we’re kicking off Monday evening at VMware Explore 2025. On Monday, 25 August, 8:00 PM, the comdivision crew is taking over the prestigious Poker Room at The Venetian Hotel for an evening of cards, competition, and conversations you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re a Texas Hold’em veteran or you’ve only played on the odd poker night with friends, this is the perfect setting to relax, connect, and maybe pick up a few bluffing skills — could come in handy during your next subscription renewal negotiation.

The setup is simple: comdivision covers the event fees, you just bring yourself. Everyone starts with the same stack of 10,000 chips (no cash value), so it’s about skill, luck, and maybe a well-timed poker face. At the end of the night, the top three chip leaders will walk away with special prizes:

1st: Seat at the comdivision Architecture Think Tank + exclusive branded prize
2nd: Seat at a comdivision Challenge Days event + exclusive branded prize
3rd: 20 cd:credits + exclusive branded prize

Even if you’re not eligible for prizes due to company or legal policies, you can still play — you just won’t be in the prize ranking. comdivision staff will be playing too, but don’t worry… we’re excluded from winning anything (except bragging rights).

Seats are limited, the stakes are fun, and the conversations at the table might be as valuable as the cards in your hand. See you Monday night — and remember, in poker and in IT architecture, sometimes you win by not showing all your cards.

Check it out here: https://go.comdivision.com/en/comdivision-poker-vegas2025

#VMwareExplore 2025 – @lenzker ‘s breakout sessions recommendations

6. August 20256. August 2025lenzker

I think I already told you that I am back in Vegas :) & I want to get back to the roots of technical awesomeness. Therefore the breakout sessions are the place to be :)

Let’s have a look why I took the full pass and which sessions I am going to visit. The last years put me a lot into organizational & business development topics – But this year my heart cries for some technical deetails. VCF 9 is the perfect opportunity.

A Hardware Smörgåsbord: Practical Tips and Tricks for Server Deployments [CLOT1774LV]

This title had me at Smörgåsbord [Say it 3 times and a VMware VCF accountant will appear]. This session dives into the practical aspects of hardware design that have a real impact on virtual infrastructure performance and reliability. From BIOS tweaks to server size choices and GPU planning, this is the kind of content you only get from field experience.

Why I’m attending: Hardware sizing decisions are still underestimated in many designs. I have good knowledge & a great Excel template, but I want to gain some new practical do’s and don’ts to make better long-term decisions in customer environments.

Design and Architect: Private Cloud Consumption with VMware Cloud Foundation Automation [CLOB1108LV]

This session is all about how to turn VCF into a real platform with automated provisioning, multitenancy, and consumption models that look and feel like cloud. It’s a mix of design patterns, deployment tips, and tenancy models using the new VCF Automation capabilities.

Why I’m attending: With VCF 9, the consumption layer is finally taking shape. I want to get a solid understanding of how to implement it in a way that supports platform teams and developers effectively.

Hardening and Securing VMware Cloud Foundation [CLOT1035LV]

Security begins at the base layer, and this session walks through how to harden VCF environments from the physical layer all the way up to workloads. Real-world attack examples make this session especially valuable for understanding where traditional setups fall short.

Why I’m attending: Since I do a lot of hardening engagements around VMware this is definelety the place to be :) I want to validate my current recommendations against Broadcom’s latest field insights and security architecture thinking.

Unlocking Your Data with Private AI – Retrieval Augmented Generation Deep Dive [INVB1070LV]

This session goes deep into how VMware envisions a production-grade Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) setup using Private AI Services. It includes model serving with OpenAI-compatible APIs, GPU scaling, data indexing, and more.

Why I’m attending: Everyone is talking about GenAI, but few sessions go this deep into actual architecture. I want to understand the real building blocks behind deploying RAG on-prem in a secure and performant way.

Design and Architect: VMware Cloud Foundation for Edge Computing [CLOB1150LV]

This session looks at how to extend VCF to the edge, covering architecture, workload placement, and networking challenges in distributed environments. The goal is to apply VCF standards even in locations with limited space or compute.

Why I’m attending: Edge is becoming a serious topic, and VCF needs to adapt to be relevant there. I want to see how realistic these deployment patterns are and where they fit into hybrid cloud strategies. Let’s hope we get the Edge commercials also up and running (….. per VM subscription would be great :P)

Real-World Lessons in Rightsizing VMware Cloud Foundation for On-Premises AI Workloads [INVB1300LV]

Frank and Johan are bringing real-world lessons from designing VCF-based AI platforms, covering how to size infrastructure for LLMs and inference workloads. They’ll also showcase a sizing tool and discuss how to balance MLOps pipelines and platform cost. Whenever there was a VMware Explore the sessions of Johan and Frank have been the best -> The bar is high, but I am sure it will be hit!

Why I’m attending: This is probably one of the most hands-on and architecture-driven AI sessions at Explore. I want to hear what works, what doesn’t, and how to translate that into real customer designs.

A Deep Dive into Memory Tiering with NVMe [CLOB1122LV]

This technical session explains how vSphere and VCF now support memory tiering using NVMe, including config steps and optimization strategies. It’s aimed at increasing performance and efficiency in memory-hungry environments.

Why I’m attending: Memory tiering is one of those features that sounds great but needs careful consideration. I want to make sure HOW MUCH many I can safe without slowing down performance :)

Building Secure Private AI Deep Dive [INVB1432LV]

This session shows how to secure AI workloads using VMware vDefend and Private AI with NVIDIA. Topics include segmentation, threat detection, policy automation, and infrastructure-level control over model execution.

Why I’m attending: Security is a must-have for AI infrastructure. I want to see how VMware is integrating isolation and control into the AI stack, especially for private cloud deployments.

@Lenzker is back in Las Vegas – VMware Explore 2025, let’s go

4. August 2025lenzker

I haven’t been to Las Vegas in quite a while. The last time I walked down the Strip, vSphere 8 wasn’t even announced, Broadcom had yet to finalize any big acquisition, and VMware Explore was still called VMworld (and there was an event like #vSoccer & #vDodgeball that demonstrated my lack of fitness).

So I went down the registration road & here we are

I’m back.
Flight booked – ✅.
Explore pass – ✅.
Hotel sorted – ✅.

I’ve always loved this event. Not just for the technology, but for the atmosphere. The community vibe. The conversations you don’t find in slide decks. The random reunions with people you’ve only seen on Zoom over the past years. It’s the energy that makes Explore what it is. And if i look at my linekdIn Poll still 33% of my network will come to the US.

What’s new this year? Besides a whole new range of tech topics and announcements, VMware Explore 2025 introduces a more flexible event structure. For the first time, you can choose between three different types of passes depending on how deep you want to dive into the content—or how much you just want to connect with others.

The Full Event Pass gives you the classic, all-in experience: breakout sessions, Hands-on Labs, access to the general session, the party, the Hub, the exam voucher , and yes, the infamous backpack [if somebody wants it – drop me a message :)]. It’s what most of us are used to from past years—and still the best choice if you’re coming for both knowledge and community.

The Essentials Pass is a lighter version of that. You’ll still get to queue for sessions onsite, hear from leadership in the general session, and meet vendors and peers in the Hub. It’s a focused, flexible way to attend – especially if you want to avoid being overscheduled.

Then there’s the Meetings+ Pass, which actually had me thinking. It’s clearly geared toward business networking: access to the Meeting Center, the Hub, partner areas, and sponsored sessions. I’m a big fan of the face-to-face format, and this pass supports exactly that .So yes, I briefly considered going the Meetings+ route. If you know me, you know I enjoy meeting folks from across the ecosystem,partners, customers, tech friends. Building those connections is a huge part of what Explore is about for me.

But then I checked the session catalog.

And there it was: deep dives on VMware Cloud Foundation 9. New architecture models. Operations and automation changes. A real shift in how we approach private cloud.

My technical heart kicked in.
I’ve always been hands-on. I want to get my information straight from the engineers and field experts who built it. I want to sit in the front row and ask the awkward architecture questions. I want to come home with practical insights I can use in customer projects the next day.

So yes I went for the Full Event Pass.

Not just for the VCF content (though that was the tipping point), but because I still enjoy getting certified on-site, wandering through the Hands-on Labs, soaking in unexpected product updates, and of course: joining the party. Let’s not kid ourselves—Explore without the party just isn’t the same.

So here we are. I’m heading back to Vegas.

I’ll post my session list in a follow-up. There’s a good mix of technical VCF sessions, architecture content, and a few that dive into where the whole Broadcom + VMware story is headed from a partner perspective.

If you’re attending, let’s grab a drink. Or coffee. Or food. Or meet in a breakout. Or just say hi while crossing The Hub. You know how it is—random encounters often lead to the best ideas.

Btw. we are also organizing a Poker event – And if you want to see why I am one of worst Poker players in the world…. join us :)
https://go.comdivision.com/en/comdivision-poker-vegas2025

Looking forward to connecting, learning, sharing and yes, maybe dancing a bit too :D.

Let’s make this one count.
See you in Vegas.

#VMware Explore – Content Catalog and my top 5 picks

25. September 202425. September 2024lenzker

Whoop Whoop! The VMware Explore 2024 Content Catalog is now live! You can explore a wide range of sessions, workshops, and expert-led discussions tailored to all things VMware and beyond. Start building your agenda today and find my top picks for this year :)

Mastering Infrastructure As Code With VMware VSphere And Terraform [VCFB1813BCN]

Join us for an in-depth, in-person seminar to learn the essential skills to build and manage your virtual infrastructure using VMware vSphere and Terraform. This hands-on moment is designed for IT professionals and developers who want to better understand infrastructure as code (IaC) and how to leverage these powerful tools to streamline and automate their virtual environments.

Why Do I want to join the session? Infrastructure as a code is such a great concept used quite often in modern clouds. vSphere is still lacking this nowadays in my customer base :) Its time for a change

Supercharge Your Workloads On VCF: Unleashing The Power Of DPUs [VCFB1208BCN]

Offloading central processing unit (CPU) tasks to a network interface card has been around for years, but data processing unit (DPU) cards take this to a completely new level. They free up CPU resources and reduce the number of hosts needed in your data center. DPUs are pivotal in accelerating and offloading computational workloads, but their potential to enhance security, particularly in intrusion prevention and detection, remains unexplored. How can we leverage these cutting-edge advancements to ensure the utmost protection for sensitive data and critical systems? We explore how DPUs strengthen security for VMware VCF Workloads and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platforms, e.g., firewalling and testing real-world performance-simulating attacks. Gain valuable insights into best practices for configuring DPUs in your VMware Cloud Foundation environment.

Why Do I want to join the session? CPU Core Count is key due to the new licesining model, all features that increase performance and decrease CPU requirements must be Analyzed and understood as an architect :) Besides that Philipp and Marvin are great guys I want to work more with in the future :)

Unlocking Your Data With VMware And NVIDIA—RAG Deep Dive [VCFB1881BCN]

Organizations today have acquired massive data sets, but getting the right information at the right moment can be a challenge. Enter retrieval augmented generation (RAG), an approach that combines the intelligence of a large language model with current, relevant and accurate data from trusted sources. Join us for a 300-level look into a RAG pipeline-architected using Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA. We review the end-to-end workflow and how it maps to virtual infrastructure. Then we dive deeper into the components, including the LLM, NVIDIA Inference Microservices and Vector DB. We also review best practices—including sizing considerations and when to leverage fractional, full, or multiple graphics processing units (GPUs).

Why Do I want to join the session? Adjusting LLM to organisational needs is something many mid- to large size organisations ask for nowadays. Getting a better understanding how that can be achieved in a private infrastructure is something I want to understand by heart.

VMware Cloud Foundation Networking Performance—Deep Dive [VCFB1646BCN]

What performance should I expect from VMware Cloud Foundation networking stack? What is enhanced data path? How does a data processing unit help? How can I tune to maximize throughput? Is it possible to lower the latency? If these are some of the questions you would like answers to, join this session. We take a close look at application traffic profiles, real-life performance expectations, tuning, design considerations, hardware choice and more, to achieve optimal performance when leveraging VMware NSX.

Why Do I want to join the session? DPU Network performance real-life data :)

Breaking Chains: Transforming Attack Chain Analysis Into Defender Strategy [ESGB1142BCN]

In this session, we delve into the anatomy of recent cyber attacks to uncover the strategic lessons they offer. By analyzing various attack chains, we have identified key tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) attackers use. We translate these insights into practical defensive strategies, equipping cybersecurity professionals with the knowledge to bolster their defenses. Leave with actionable tips and a deeper understanding of how to protect your organization from attacks based on lessons from real-world data.

Why Do I want to join the session? Security is everywhere nowadays and everyone needs to get a better understanding of attack vectors, tactics, techniques, etc. I am really looking forward to it.

If you haven’t registiered yet -> Do it here :) If you want to join our secret public friends & family dinner in Barcelona on Monday… Drop me a note and I can give you guidance how you might join the proper club :)

#VMware Explore 2024: Join Us in Barcelona to get even more confident in the new #Broadcom Chapter

13. September 2024lenzker

Due to some personal health incidents I was not able to join VMware Explore in Las Vegas -> But guess WHOOOO’s backkkk….

VMware Explore is back this year in Barcelona November 4th-7yh. This event marks the first European VMware Explore in the new VMware Broadcom era following the Broadcom acquisition. Attendees will gain insights into the evolving dynamics of VMware under Broadcom’s ownership, with a focus on VMware Cloud Foundation 9 and leveraging VMware for AI workloads.

For sure we all know William Lam’s playlist to bingewatch the session that have been presented at the US conference (https://github.com/lamw/vmware-explore-2024-session-urls/), but still there are several good reasons to attend Barcelona in Person.

Why Attend VMware Explore? Here Are 10 Compelling Reasons:

Connect and Network: Forge meaningful connections with fellow data center enthusiasts. Whether you’re meeting new faces, sharing a meal, or engaging in business discussions, VMware Explore offers the perfect platform to build lasting relationships. Contribute to the community through blogs, tweets, or vBeers, and you’ll find that giving often leads to receiving valuable insights and support.
Explore the Solutions Exchange: Dive into the core of the software-defined data center and multi-cloud ecosystem. The Solutions Exchange provides a unique opportunity to explore the latest innovations. Engage in in-depth discussions with booth representatives, and if needed, schedule one-on-one meetings to address your specific needs and ideas.
Attend High-Quality Breakout Sessions: Choose from a wide range of breakout sessions designed to enhance your knowledge and skills. Your VMware Explore ticket grants access to all sessions, even post-event. Be sure to check out William Lam’s comprehensive collection of direct links to previous sessions for a preview of the valuable content you can expect.
Engage with the Community at VMTN: Visit the VMTN booth and join discussions at the blogger table. Share your expertise or learn from others in a welcoming, community-focused environment. Submit your own session proposal or simply absorb the wealth of knowledge available. Unfortunately, vBrownbag will not be attending this year, but don’t miss out on joining the VMware #code program at the community booth.
Meet the Experts: VMware Explore gathers a high concentration of industry experts. Arrange meetings to discuss specific challenges, design questions, or product insights. This is a unique opportunity to gain direct input from some of the best in the field.
Pre-Event Networking: Connect with attendees beforehand on social media platforms like Twitter/X, TikTok, LinkedIn, and more. Discover what’s happening in Las Vegas, join or organize public meetings, and keep up with vendor and community-sponsored evening activities. Register early for various late-night events to secure your spot.
Participate in the Hackathon: Join the hackathon for a collaborative and intellectually stimulating experience. Work with brilliant minds to tackle specific challenges. Even with limited time and resources, the hackathon is a fantastic way to engage with peers and enjoy a creative challenge.
Meet the Community and Social Media Team: A highlight each year is the community booth, where you can interact with bloggers and active community members. Engage with VMware’s social media team, including Eric Nielsen and Corey Romero, who help make this community vibrant and welcoming.
Return to Work with New Ideas: Gain fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to apply in your daily job. Engaging with thousands of smart, forward-thinking individuals will inspire new approaches to technologies, methodologies, and problem-solving.
Discover Business and Job Opportunities: While this might not be the primary argument for your boss, VMware Explore offers the potential to uncover new business and job opportunities in the SDDC and cloud sectors. Understanding the market and environment at VMware Explore will help you identify and capitalize on these opportunities.

Ready to Transform Your Career?

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to enhance your skills, network with industry leaders, and explore the latest in VMware technology. Convince your boss and register for VMware Explore 2024.

And if you are still reading this and meet me in person; let’s catch up… I will be at one of the pre-conference event starting on Sunday [and I hope to not end up in a club at the beach this year :)]

#VMware Explore 2024: Join Us in Las Vegas to get confident in the new #Broadcom Chapter

27. May 20246. June 2024lenzker

LAS VEGAS | THE VENETIAN | AUGUST 26 – 29, 2024

VMware Explore returns this year at The Venetian in Las Vegas. This event marks the first VMware Explore since the acquisition by Broadcom, and by now, everyone will understand how things work in the new VMware Broadcom era. The focus will be on VMware Cloud Foundation and utilizing VMware for AI workloads, providing valuable insights and updates for all attendees.

Why Attend VMware Explore? Here Are 10 Compelling Reasons:

Connect and Network Forge meaningful connections with fellow datacenter enthusiasts. Whether you’re meeting new people, sharing a meal, or engaging in business discussions, VMware Explore is the perfect platform to build lasting relationships. Contribute to the community through blogs, tweets, or vBeers, and you’ll find that giving often leads to receiving valuable insights and support.
Explore the Solutions Exchange Dive into the heart of the software-defined datacenter and multi-cloud ecosystem. The Solutions Exchange offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the latest innovations. Take the time to have in-depth discussions with booth representatives, and if needed, schedule one-on-one meetings to address your specific needs and ideas.
Attend High-Quality Breakout Sessions Choose from a wide array of breakout sessions tailored to enhance your knowledge and skills. With your VMware Explore ticket, you’ll have access to all sessions, even after the event. Make sure to check out William Lam’s comprehensive collection of direct links to previous sessions for a preview of the valuable content you can expect.
Engage with the Community at VMTN Visit the VMTN booth and participate in discussions at the blogger table. Share your expertise or learn from others in an inclusive, community-focused environment. Submit your own session proposal or simply absorb the wealth of knowledge available. Unfortunalty vBrownbag will not attending this year anymore, but don’t forget to join the VMware #code program at the community booth.
Meet the Experts VMware Explore will host a high concentration of industry experts. Arrange meetings to discuss specific challenges, wishes, or design and product questions. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to gain insights directly from the best in the field.
Pre-Event Networking Connect with attendees in advance on Twitter/X/TikTok/LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Discover what’s happening in Las Vegas, organize or join public meetings and events, and stay updated on vendor and community-sponsored evening activities. Don’t miss the various late-night events—register early to secure your spot.
Participate in the Hackathon Join the hackathon for a collaborative and intellectually stimulating experience. Work alongside brilliant minds to tackle specific problems. Even with limited time and resources, the hackathon is a fantastic way to engage with peers and enjoy a creative challenge.
Meet the Community and Social Media Team One of the highlights every year is the community booth, where you can interact with bloggers and active community members. Engage with VMware’s social media team Eric Nielsen’s team (including Corey Romero) and others who make this community vibrant and welcoming.
Return to Work with New Ideas Gain fresh perspectives and innovative solutions that you can apply in your daily job. Engaging with thousands of smart, forward-thinking individuals will open your mind to new technologies, methodologies, and problem-solving approaches.
Discover Business and Job Opportunities While this may not be the main argument for convincing your boss, the potential to uncover new business and job opportunities within the SDDC and cloud sectors is significant. Understanding the market and environment at VMware Explore will help you identify and seize these opportunities.

Ready to Transform Your Career?

#VMware Explore 2023 – 10 reasons why you should go

4. July 202323. May 2024lenzker

VMworld is dead – long live VMware Explore. We are back and it is getting physical again. Barcelona & San Francisco welcomes us back to celebrate VMware’s yearly conference.

Why you should go to VMware Explore? Let me give you 10 reasons:

Meeting/Connecting/Drinking/Eating or in business-talk: Connecting with people who love the datacenter field is such a great selling point of yourself. If you are passionate about something and you give something to others (blogs, tweets, vBeers or a simple thank you) there will come the day that you will get something back from them. Use VMware Explore to find new friends.
The Solutions Exchange is a great chance to get in-touch with the overall ecosystem in our software-defined datacenter & multi-cloud world. Seek for a discussion with the people at the booth. I know, sometimes they cannot give you the level of information you want to have, therefore try to figure out which product might interest you and schedule an appointment with a specific person to discuss your needs and ideas.
Many of the breakout-sessions are really really good. Remember: many Gin Tonic’s are good as well, but if you get too many …. you might know what I mean. Select your breakout session wisely. Remember that with a VMware Explore ticket you can access all breakout sessions later on (even though most of the session will get public-accessible after a longer-term). Check out William Lam’s fantastic collection of all direct-links to last years VMworld sessions. But hey: don’t think now you have everything you need. I am pretty sure there is a lot of great/new stuff is coming this year.
Check the VMTN booth, vBrownbag & blogger table. Many of the people in our field would love to share their knowledge during this conference.. Unfortunately their session is not getting accepted for political, technical or whatever reasons :) -> Apply for a vBrownbag session & check the VMTN booth at the community space to listen and learn from other experts in the field . Send in your own proposal or just learn from the others in small community-agnostic way.
Meet the experts: VMware Explore will have a very high density of Experts. Try to make appointments to talk about certain problems, wishes, design/product-questions you have.
Connect with people in advance. Go on twitter, figure out what’s going on in San Francisco. Organize or join those public meetings & events. Figure out what the vendors/community-members are sponsoring in the evening. The VMware Explore party is NOT the only event in the evening. Make sure that you register early for those late-night events. Do not miss the chance to talk to the presenter after the session or try to use twitter to figure out where us geeks meet after-hours.
If you feel lonely…. join the Hackathon [I am sure there will be one :)]. I have joined the hackathon a few years agon in Las Vegas and we had a great time. You get together with very very smart people and try to solve specific problems. Even though small the amount of time (and minor technical challenges) are not allowing to create a new hypervisor, people loved this event.
Meet the community and VMware’s social media persons behind the scene. My favorite place every year is community booth with the tables where all the blogger and community active persons are. Take your time to talk with me/us. Take your time to talk to the persons who manage the social media branch within VMware. Big thanks to everyone involved: Corey Romero, Tom Berry, Tej Cheema, Jenni Gonzales, Julia Klaus, Eric Nielsen and all the others that are part of this fantastic team.
Come back in your daily job with new ideas. I discovered that multiple times. Many of us know a lot of things, but over the years or during specific problem-solving tasks you end up in a very specific situation based on initial assumptions. Assumptions that might have been changed by newer technologies, methodologies, smart peoples words, etc. Getting together with thousands of other smart people will definitely give you a better chance to open the box of your mind.
Find business and job opportunities: Not a solid argument to convince your boss, but the opportunities within the SDDC and cloud era are big. New opportunities will come up outside and inside your company. To be able to recognize the opportunities you need to have a feeling for the market and environment. I realized during last VMworlds that this is the perfect location to develop such a feeling.

What’s next? Convinvce your boss & Register here.

VMware Explore 2022 – The 2 minute story around multi cloud in the Virtual Machine & Dev world

3. July 20223. July 2022lenzker

Things have changed over the last few years. I have become a dad, my blog was on pause, but now I am back :) And so are our IT-events. Like Olivia Newton-John have foreseen it in 1982 – let’s get physical.

VMworld is now VMware Explore – and a lot has changed. The window for VMware was open just for a short timeframe (a little reference to himym) has decided to not be solo anymore & get part of broadcom. Even though we are in the middle of the takeover and certain scenarios have been discussed I am looking forward to how VMware will present itself during this years VMware Explore. To bring you on track what major topics are going to be the theme I am going to give you a short wrap up about the current state of VMware’s VM & Container/Dev strategy.

Register HERE

As in the years before VMware will have two main conferences in the United States (San Francisco) & Europe (Barcelona). Besides that 4 more 2 day events are coming to countries with a huge growing market around IT.

The topic will remain the same as the last years: multi-cloud multi-cloud & multi-cloud (and for sure workplace :). VMware’s Cloud Console is gaining more and more cloud services. A lot of common products we use are available as a subscription based service & still there is a lot to do from my point of view.

VMware follows certain strategies in the world of multi-cloud. One of those strategies is

“One (cloud) foundation to rule it all”

Within the pure infrastructure & virtual machine space VMware is pushing its cloud foundation (vSphere, vSAN & NSX) into all major clouds for several years now. The goal here is to convince customers & enterprises getting rid of their datacenters to migrate everything as it is in a lift & shift manor to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Alibaba, Oracle Cloud or one of the plenty VMware Cloud Provider’s out there.

And if you don’t want to go to the cloud? If you simply want to keep your datacenter or choose a partner as a co-location for your datacenter VMware is going to give us surely more insights in vSphere+ & vSAN+: the new subscriptions around vSphere & vSAN included in a centralized cloud console. What would be the target of the business to go that road?

This strategy is is something we have seen for years now. What are the challenges for VMware & it’s partners? Convince companies that it is more useful to keep the current operations models you have to today & migrate it to the cloud. That will just works when you talk to companies that are satisfied with how the IT is operates today. Otherwise the CIO will prefer a way to migrate to the native infrastructure service instead of putting it on a vmware-in-the-middle stack.

If you have a solution based on vSphere/vSAN/etc. running today, that satisfies the business goals but lacks scaleability, availability (in terms of – I need that solution on all continents within days) and maybe operability the VMware Cloud Story is just great. IMO the best way to get the quick wins of lift & shift projects into the cloud.

But since most cloud initiatives also wants to reduce the amount of legacy VMs with a concrete set of things like cpu, memory & disk we need to talk about modern applications that are not just installed on a ‘fat’ system. We need to talk about applications that scale out if required & scale down to zero once they are not used. The answer to that is:

tanzu

Now you see it :) VMware’s Tanzu is an interesting name for all tools & solutions around developing application & running them. Over the years the story around kuberentes has changed a lot and seems to be finally finalized (the story is finalized not the products & velocity of features / products within tanzu).

Within the comdivision team we did some cool stuff around the infrastructure part of tanzu & if someone would ask me what the goal here is I would say the following.

The cloud native landscape is huge and to get things here up & running from scratch is nearly impossible for enterprises.

With tanzu & its tools VMware tries to make a lot of those things consumable in an easy fashion. From an infrastructure point of view Tanzu Kubernetes (Grid) clusters are the key.

You run this K8s conformant (VMware supported) cluster everywhere (on vSphere/EC2/Azure VMs), manage it centrally with the SaaS solution Tanzu Mission Control.

If you want to create new clusters -> Just do it. If you want to scale out k8s clusters -> Just do it. If you want to extend clusters with services from the Cloud Native landscape? -> Just do it.

With just do it I mean -> run a simple cmdlet for the pros or click on the proper buttons in Tanzu Mission Control.

From my point of view what Cloud Foundation is the core foundation for the infrastructure within all the clouds, is the Tanzu Kubernetes (Grid) cluster for everything cloud native.

So I am really looking forward on new things coming into the cloud native world & I am really hoping that broadcom will follow VMware’s current strategy in the cloud-native space.