In-Depth

VMware Explore 2024: Day 1

• By Tom Fenton
• 08/28/2024

VMware Explore, held at The Venetian in Las Vegas Aug. 26-29, is one of my must-see events this year. Many I have talked to wondered if attending it this year would be worthwhile due to concerns about Broadcom's acquisition of VMware as it shifted its focus toward enterprise customers and the divestiture of its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and its end-user computing (EUC) division, which is now Omnissa.

Despite these changes, I felt that event would still hold value to me. Historically, VMworld and Explore have always catered to enterprise customers, with few sessions for smaller businesses. Yet, even without a large-scale infrastructure, the insights gained from the sessions geared toward VMware's larger customers have been applicable and beneficial to its smaller ones as well.

In the past, the VMware Technical Network (VMTN) remained a source of in-depth technical information, especially for those engaged in unique or advanced projects. They will be present at the event, offering Quick Talks—25-minute sessions where community members share their techniques and experiences. Additionally, there are rumors that the mainstream sessions will be more technical this year, with a return to customer-led presentations, promising a return to the event's technical roots.

Pre-Event
I arrived in Vegas the day before the event, had brunch with some of the show's vendors and customers, and then went to the VMUG (VMware Users Group) get-together. I found it promising that both the vendors and customers were bullish and excited about the event.

The Event
The next day, I attended the event breakfast and talked to other attendees. There was the usual mix of longtime users interested in the latest products and new users who wanted to get up to speed and learn how to take full advantage of their VMware products. All were interested in the announcements that would be made during the keynote the following day.

I attended a few sessions, many of which were marked as full weeks or even months before the event. All the sessions I attended were full, well-presented, and full of technical content, which I enjoyed.

One session that I got a lot out of was a VMware Code session entitled "Maximizing VMware Workstation/Fusion for Business, Education, and Home Labs" [CODE1162LV]. The presenter, Dale Hassinger, VCF Specialist Architect, Broadcom, showed how to work with VMware Workstation using APIs, something that I have never done before but plan on doing so after attending his session.

The Expo Floor
The Expo Floor was open on Monday. All VMware's major partners (Microsoft, Dell, Intel, Pure, etc.) and many of the smaller vendors had booths there. There were not as many as in the past Explore/VMworld, but a large portion of the floor was taken up. This could be due to many factors, such as Broadcom selling off its EUC division or the post-pandemic malaise.

All the vendors I talked to were excited to attend the event and meet existing and potential new customers.

I then headed to "The Hub" to see what was happening. The first area I hit was the hands-on labs (HOLs). HOLs allow attendees to work with the latest VMware technologies in a sandbox environment using instructions to guide them. In the past, these have been extremely popular. They did set up a cool control board to monitor the labs. I was pressed for time and didn't get to try any of them but will hopefully get to do so latter during the event.

The Pre-Party
I have long contended that one of the greatest benefits of conferences is meeting old friends and making new ones. Unfortunately, the parties were minimal this year, but ControlUp, IGEL, and LG did have one on Monday night at a speakeasy in the Venetian. I was able to reconnect with some old coworkers and others I have done business with in the past. I even got a chance to meet face-to-face with some folks I only knew virtually!

Final Thoughts on Day One
The first day of VMware Explore 2024 was a good experience despite concerns over Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and the divestiture of its VDI and EUC division. I found the sessions technical, and they had a strong attendance. I especially enjoyed the VMTN sessions. Though smaller than in previous years, the Expo Floor featured exciting vendors. The HOLs seemed popular, allowing attendees to explore VMware technologies. And, of course, I found many opportunities to network with others. Overall, the first day of the event seemed to be well-received, if somewhat quieter than in the past.

Now I look forward to the keynote, where various announcements will be made regarding the future direction of VMware and its products will be announced.