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VMUGIT UserCon 2015 Event Recap

14. November 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: community, events, vmug, vmug-it, vmware

Every now and then I realize how lucky I am to be part of this community of peers sharing a common passion for what can be (in a very simplistic way) referred to as “virtualization technology”; last November 12th, on a train back to Rome after the conclusion on VMUG Italy’s 2015 UserCon, I had once again such an epiphany. I was very tired after a long two days in Milan spent preparing and running the conference I have helped to organize together with my VMUGIT friends, but I was also very happy and proud for the awesome result we (as a community) obtained.

The outcome is here for you (not me) to judge: 274 attendees, 18 sponsors/exhibitors, 3 keynotes, 15 breakout sessions and one closing panel featuring some of the most influential leaders and visionaries in the IT industry. One of the aspects I am particularly satisfied with is that this time (our third one) the VMUGIT UserCon has become a true international event: most of sessions were delivered in English by prominent speakers coming from Europe and the US specifically to present at our conference. We also had Brad Tompkins (the VMUG International CEO) and Massimiliano Mortillaro from the Czech Republic VMUG as our welcome guests. The Italian UserCon may not be one of the biggest in terms of attendance, but for sure it can now be acknowledged as one of the leading international community events in terms of quality of content presented. This doesn’t come by chance but thanks to the hard work of all the people involved (the VMUGIT Board, the VMUG International Team, VMware itself and, last but not least, partners and sponsors).

Italian VMUG 2015 UserCon

20. August 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: community, events, vmug-it, vmware

You know that old saying “Third time’s a charm”?

Well, I am not saying that the previous two editions of VMUG Italy’s (@vmugit) User Conference weren’t a success with almost 300 attendees each, packed sessions and the participation of some of the most famous names of the virtualization community, but believe me, this year the VMUGIT leaders are working behind the scenes to organize the best edition ever.

Here are some details about the event.

The UserCon will take place on 12 November 2015, in Milan; the venue is Centro Congressi Milano Fiori – Assago (the same of the 2013 edition, which has undergone a refurbishment process in the meantime).

The registration page (which also includes directions) is open and you can already reserve your seat. Although the page is in Italian, the process is standard, so you should know which buttons to press and how to fill the forms. In case of any issues, don’t hesitate to shout out.

All of the sponsors are confirmed and you can expect top notch, user focused technical sessions delivered by the majority of them. Just a few names: VMware (of course!), EMC, Nutanix, Pure Storage, Acronis, HP (with Intel), Infoblox, PernixData, Tintri, Webroot, Zerto, Hitachi, Micron, Simplivity, Aruba, Hitachi, Solarwinds. A few more might still be added, so be sure to keep checking the event page on the VMUG website for any updates. Be sure to visit their booths at the Solutions Exchange area to learn about the latests developments in their products and technology.

VMUG IT User Conference 2014 – Call for Papers

03. March 2014 · Write a comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: events, vmug, vmug-it

One of the most important characteristics of a VMUG event, and particularly of a big sized one such as a User Conference, is indeed the involvement from the Users’.

This can take the form of volunteering efforts, but also active participation as speakers. We always encourage speakers to take the stage and present their experiences with VMware technologies to peers.

No matter your experience, you are always welcome to join events as an active participant.

Save the date: VMUG IT User Conference 2014

12. February 2014 · Write a comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: events, vmug, vmug-it, vmware

After the first successful event held in April 2013, VMUG Italy is proud to announce the date and location of its second User Conference, which will take place next May 7th in Milan, at the MiCO – Milano Congressi Conference Center.

We are in the early stages of the event organization, but stay assured that we – once again – will deliver a User Conference up to the high standards set last year.

We should be able to provide you with some details soon, including the names of the first International Speakers and a link to the registration page.

Be sure to subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed to stay up to date and also to follow both my personal Twitter account @stingray92 and VMUGIT’s official one @vmugit for real-time updates.

VCAP/VCDX Boot Camp in Milan

11. February 2014 · Write a comment · Categories: Certifications, VMware User Group Italy · Tags: certs, events, vcap, vcdx, vmug, vmug-it, vmware

It’s official: we (the VMUG Italy board) have been working for some time behind the scenes to organize the first VCAP/VCDX Boot Camp in Italy, and now we can officially announce it.

Mark this date and location on your calendar: April 7th, 2014, Milan, Italy.

VCDX Boot Camp in Milan – Interested?

16. September 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Certifications, VMware User Group Italy · Tags: certs, events, vcdx, vmug-it, vmware

As you most probably know, VCDX – VMware Certified Design Expert is the highest achievable level in VMware Certifications. Only a small group of skilled and experience professionals can show this title on their business cards and very few new ones are minted each year.

The path to VCDX is long and hard, it will require extensive knowledge, experience, hard study and understanding from the loved ones (which are usually neglected during the process). The exam itself consists of the “defence” of a design in front of a panel of other VCDXs.

So, even taking the decision to embark yourself onto the VCDX journey can give you headaches. For this reason, VCDX Boot Camps come to rescue!

VMworld 2013 Call For Papers: vote for VMUG IT!

24. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: VMworld 2013 · Tags: events, vmug-it, vmware, vmworld

Spring is finally here, not only with blue sunny skies, blossoming flowers, and buzzing bees but also with the traditional VMworld Call For Papers Voting!

Breakout Sessions are one of the highlights and the backbone of every VMworld edition, together with Hands On Labs, Solutions Exchange and the incredible amount of networking opportunities. The technical level of the Breakout Sessions and the expertise of the speakers is typically quite high and the featured topics cover a very broad range, from Infrastructure to End User Computing, from Cloud Computing to Customer Cases and so on.

So, how are sessions selected?

VMUG Italy User Conference – The Debriefing

05. April 2013 · 1 comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: events, vmug, vmug-it, vmware

Lights are off in the conference center which hosted the first Italian VMware User Group User Conference. Rooms are empty, sponsors booths have been dismantled, all is silent, guests, organizers and attendees are all back home and at work.

But the excitement and the adrenaline still have not faded out.

I thought that, once we had scattered in many different directions after the event wrap up, we would have returned back to our normal lives, perhaps savoring that warm feeling coming from a sense of achievement, maybe vaguely making plans for our next meeting in the back of our minds. On the contrary, after two days my mind still has not stopped thinking about what happened on April 3rd and how great it was. Maybe it’s because we – the VMUG IT board guys – are still busy with post-conference tasks (you know, collecting, sorting and uploading photos, slides and videos), maybe because the Twitterverse is still buzzing with references to the event. The truth is that I am still in full Conference mood. I cannot stop thinking how well it went. And I like this.

VMUG Italy User Conference: Event Agenda

20. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: events, vmug, vmug-it, vmware

In two weeks’ time I will be most probably blogging live from VMUG Italy’s User Conference (planned for next April 3rd, 2013 in Milan), but now I am just excited to reveal what has been cooking for the last couple of months!

We’ve been working hard to set up this event and now all the pieces of the jigsaw are in the right place and we’re finally allowed to publish the complete and final Event Agenda.

I would not want to talk about it much, just judge yourself. I can hardly contain the excitement looking at the speakers’s names and at the sessions’ topics.

Don’t forget to register here and also keep in mind that very soon the official User Conference App will be available for iOS and Android devices… we don’t want you to miss a single beat!

So… here is the Agenda!

VMUG Italy User Conference: Spotlight on Mike Laverick

08. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: VMware User Group Italy · Tags: events, vmug, vmug-it, vmware

This is our fourth and last interview with the Special Guests visiting us in Milan in early April for the VMUG-IT User Conference. We already spoke to +Cormac Hogan, +Scott Lowe and +Duncan Epping and today I am delighted to introduce you Mr. +Mike Laverick.

I am particularly pleased to complete this mini-series with Mike, as I know him personally since 2006, when I was among his students in a VMware ESX 2.5 training. Mike’s training skills were instrumental in teaching me the fundamentals of Enterprise Virtualization and in helping me to become the professional I am now.

Mike is probably one of the best known personalities in the VMware Community: a former Trainer, then Blogger and Writer (his SRM books should be in any professional’s technical library) and now an “Evangelist”.

But he’s probably most famous as an Elvis Impersonator!