It all began back at the VMworld event in 2019, where I, alongside some colleagues, got the chance to attend. The editions of 2020 and 2021 were remote due to Covid but I missed the in-person experience. Fortunately, last year brought back the physical event, now called VMware Explore, offering us the chance to discover new things and meet new people. This year marked my 5th VMware Explore journey.
For this edition, I carefully planned a series of community sessions. In my opinion, these sessions are more focused and less on high-level topics. These community sessions were led by VMware enthusiasts eager to share their creations or discoveries.
The Sessions
I will not provide summaries for all the sessions, as most of them were recorded and will be available in the content library. However, I did spend a significant amount of time at The Hub, the central gathering place for the community. There, Alain Geenrits discussed how to secure your environment with Aria Operations, a product in VMware’s portfolio ideal for implementing compliance scanning. Later on, William Lam shared his insights into creating a cost-effective home lab in a concise 15-minute session. He emphasised the importance of planning and investing in an Intel NUC for optimal performance without breaking the bank.
The general session, hosted by VMware leadership, dove into topics mainly related to Generative AI, focusing on how VMware, IBM, and NVIDIA collaborate to bring Private AI to enterprises, addressing privacy and compliance needs.
I was fortunate to attend some CTEX sessions, exclusive technical NDA sessions requiring preregistration. These sessions often dove into profound vSAN ESA explorations or captivating AI demos. In a particularly memorable AI session, Arnold Schwarzenegger surprised everyone by belting out “Master of Puppets” – an unexpected and entertaining highlight.
The Hub & The Expo
The Hub and The Expo remained the highlight of the event. The Expo, an annual opportunity to explore new horizons and engage with numerous sponsors, attend sessions, and snag some goodies. A new addition was the “Design with us” booth, an interactive platform to provide feedback through activities like playing Jenga or illustrating suggestions.
The Hands-On Labs (HOL) maintained its prominent presence in The Hub, offering a great space to balance sessions with practical learning. This year, I indulged in the NSX fundamentals lab.
The Parties
Networking events, or what some might call parties, were abundant. I personally see them as networking opportunities. The Benelux Party and the Explore Party were particularly enjoyable, providing a fantastic atmosphere and intriguing conversations.
In conclusion, this edition was captivating, AI-focused, and a tremendous boost for the community. I’m hoping for another rendezvous next year!
