I am very excited about VMware Explore this year, as it will be my first time at VMware Explore and the first large tech conference I’ve attended in person.
VMware Explore is a conference about VMware products that VMware (technically Broadcom now) organizes. It used to be known as VMworld, but in 2022, it was renamed VMware Explore. VMware Explore usually takes place in Las Vegas and Barcelona.
The VMware Explore event that I am attending takes place from August 26th to August 29th in Las Vegas. What’s really cool about VMware Explore is that it covers a wide range of topics, from entry-level to very technical. One of the items at VMware Explore that I’m excited about is the hands-on labs, which will allow me to play with some of the VMware products I’ve only read about.
I’m eager to learn more about VMware Cloud Foundation, Tanzu Kubernetes, NSX, and so much more. I’m also very excited to network with other like-minded people and nerd out about all the technical things. I will also be able to meet other vExperts with whom I’ve only spoken with online.
There are over 400 sessions at VMware Explore, and here are a few of the sessions I plan on attending.
- Tech Deep Dive: Automating VMware ESXi Installation At Scale [CODEB1574LV]
- This session piqued my interest because I love automating things when they make sense and it is hosted by William Lam, whose blog has taught me many things over the years. I remember reading it when it used to be called Virtually Ghetto.
- AVI Getting Started [ELW2427LV]
- This session is a hands-on lab that will let me play with the AVI/NSX Advanced Load Balancer, which I’ve always wanted to learn more about.
- Best Practices To Reduce The Attack Surface Of Your VMware Infrastructure [VCFB2148LV]
- Ransomware targeting ESXi hosts is a growing trend, and I’d like to know more about the current techniques to make your VMware stack more secure.
- A Technical Introduction To Building A Private Cloud With VMware Cloud Foundation [VCFB1671LV]
- This session is interesting because I understand most of the parts of VCF, but I know I still need to learn more. I believe this session will help me fill in those gaps or help me find the correct path forward.
- Building Cost-Effective Homelabs For AI/ML Workloads [CMTY1709LV]
- I’m interested in this session because I have a homelab, and AI is not going away anytime soon. I am very curious about what other people are doing to play with AI in their home labs. Also, this session is hosted by Johan van Amersfoort, who is well-known in the EUC and VDI space. I attended his webinar a while back, and it was great. He kept it interesting and fun and included excellent Jurassic Park references.
- New To VMware NSX With VMware Cloud Foundation? This Session Is For You [VCFB1958LV]
- I hope to better understand NSX and its uses from this session, as I need to learn more about it.
- Kubernetes 101 And The IaaS Control Plane On VMware Cloud Foundation [VCFB1443LV]
- This session is interesting because I understand Docker and want to further my understanding of containers. I also want to know how I could use my ESXi hosts as Kubernetes hosts and manage everything in vCenter or something similar.
After VMware Explore, I will post a follow-up blog post about my experience at VMware Explore this year.
If you want to learn more about VMware Explore or attend the conference, here is the official VMware Explore website.
