VMworld 4-1-1

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The tradeshow of tradeshows is almost upon us. VMworld 2018 starts in a week, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Why?

As a VMware-based cloud provider, this is our favorite time of the year. We love the chance to attend new sessions, show off our one-of-a-kind cloud, network with other VMware-minded techies, and of course, party.

11:11 Systems Cloud Technologist and resident VMworld expert, Brian Knudtson, sat down with us to talk about what he’s looking forward to. Take a look at what he has to say:

Q: What sessions are you looking forward to? What sessions would you recommend?

“Personally, I’m going to be digging into NSX and vCloud Director. Those are two key technologies for our platform, so I want to spend most of my time focusing on those topics.

Overall though, I think the wide variety of great sessions this year is really amazing. If you’re looking to learn from and/or meet some of the best vSphere experts out there, I’d recommend Meet the vSphere Experts Panel [VIN3032PU]. Just make sure you hang around afterward and ask questions of the panelists.

Or, if you’re trying to get more information on artificial intelligence/machine learning, I’d check this session out: Driving Organizational Value by Virtualizing AI/ML/DL and HPC Workloads [VAP2340BU].

I’m not usually one to get excited for general sessions these days, but VMware recently announced that Malala Yousafzai will be part of the Tuesday keynote, so I’m going to make sure not to miss that one.

With over 600 breakout sessions, panels, labs, and quick talks to choose from, you can build a schedule catered exactly to your needs. Just set aside some time, and check out the Content Catalog – it will really help you get the most out of your time at the show.”

Q: What parties are you planning to attend?

“This is the twelfth year for VMunderground, and I might be a little biased, but I think it’s the best party at VMworld (I’ve helped to run it the last eight years). 11:11 is sponsoring VMunderground this year, so it’s a little extra special for me this year. And I definitely wouldn’t want to miss Opening Acts. Beyond that, I’ll make sure to check out the long-running and always excellent parties hosted by our partners, Veeam and Zerto.“

Q: What are VMunderground and Opening Acts? Why should someone go?

“VMunderground started as a way for people attending VMworld to get to know each other. It’s essentially become the community’s kick-off party for the conference. I’ve been attending VMworld for a while and have had the chance to meet a lot of great people. This party is where I can see them and catch up before the conference starts and our brains turn to mush. It’s a relaxed atmosphere with food and drinks. So, whether you’re a VMworld veteran or a rookie, you should come out to VMunderground and reunite with, or meet for the first time, many of your fellow conference-goers.

As for Opening Acts, that started four years ago as a way to ‘warm up’ mentally for the conference. This year, there are three different panel sessions, about 45 minutes each. We crowdsourced the topics to find out what people are the most interested in. Here’s what we’ve got planned:

- Do you have the skills?

This session is for the folks that want to move up in their career, but don’t know how. We’ll get tactical and talk about the specific skills you need to have to get to the next level professionally.

- Beating IT Burnout

This has been a hot topic for the last several months. Our speakers will talk about what’s happened to them and how they beat the IT burnout.

- Multi-Cloud Success

Many organizations are using multiple clouds these days, but how have they managed to make this change effectively? This panel will discuss the complexities of utilizing multiple clouds.“

Q: Anything else attendees should know?

“VMworld is a great show with a lot of opportunities to learn and network. As a stereotypical IT introvert, I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t be shy! Talk to people while waiting in lines or in the VMvillage. Go visit the blogger area and find your favorite bloggers. They’re easy to talk to. Also, make sure to utilize Twitter to its fullest. I can’t imagine a conference without it.”

We’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about what 11:11 has lined up for the show. As Gartner’s Leader in the 2018 Magic Quadrant for DRaaS, we’re going to make sure we give a demo of our award-winning console and platform. Stop by booth #1616 to talk to our team and see first-hand how 11:11 Catalyst and 11:11 Recovery Assurance set us apart from the competition. Oh, and if that doesn’t strike your fancy, maybe the opportunity to win a Lego Millennium Falcon will? That’s right. Come to our booth. Nerd out. And take this puppy home: