The energy is high as we start the trek to VMworld.  New and old VMworld team members spring up ready for action, jumping on planes, kicking out blogs, posting on Facebook, tweeting their plans (and speaking slots)  and gearing up for another vOdgeball  match.   And, most important, the EMC VMworld Party moved from a local restaurant to Ghirardelli Square.  Woo – Hoo!

EMC Party at Ghirardelli Square

It seems like yesterday when Chad Sakac began the journey to build an army of vSpecialists, evangelists in their own right, focused on delivering the message of “Why EMC for VMware”.  As Chad’s partners, we worked hand in hand with Rod Gilbert, John Theberge, Wade O’Harrow, Matt Conway, Kara Banosian, Travis Grant, and a host of global leaders to build a best in class, technology alliance, reporting to Frank Hauck, then EMC EVP and VMware executive sponsor.     Years later many of us have moved on to new leadership roles, Chad leading EMC’s WW Systems Engineering organization, me EMC’s open source strategy and Frank Hauck becoming President of VCE.   But our roots are strong as we start the journey this weekend to VMworld, some of us as vSpecialists Alumni.

EMC is #1 for VMware

This year, I have a new partner, Ed Walsh a former vSpecialist who recently joined EMC’s Office of the CTO.  Consider the possibilities when you put two vSpecialists in the CTO office.  With a shared passion for doing something completely different, delivering measurable results, and building new communities of partnership we are getting ready to launch the first ever VMworld CTO Roundtable.

Our guest speaker will be John Roese, EMC CTO.  Additionally I will moderate a panel of experts featuring Scott Lowe VMware and former vSpecialist,  Robin Ren, CTO EMC XtremeIO  and Andrew Aitken,  Founder Open Source Think Tank,  and GM Olliance Consulting, a division Black Duck, who will talk about Storage defined networking trends,  the experiences of a serial entrepreneur  and Open Source strategy, respectively.

VMworld Panel

Join us as we get on the road to VMworld and join me as we look for vSpecialists, and my next blog exploring where they are now in their leadership journey.  See you at VMWorld and on the trolley car to Ghirardelli Square.

vSpecialists