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As we find ourselves quickly coming upon the start of what I’ve come to think of as “IT Conference Season”, one conference that I’ve been a fan of for years in VeeamON. Granted, I’m biased given that Veeam is my current employer, but I’ve long felt that VeeamON is a conference done right. The content has always been strong, technical experts always abound, and the amount of organized social activities seems just right (whereas things can be overwhelming at VMware Explore). ...

As some of you may have heard, I recently made the next jump in my career, and in a move that shocked nobody who knows me, I am now working for Veeam. One of the biggest “cons” that was on my list while evaluating the opportunity was the fact that I would no longer be a part of the Veeam Vanguard, a program that I have the utmost respect for - for its mission that it is looking to accomplish, the fashion in how it strives for this, and of course the people. ...

Yes, it has been awhile, but I figured this was as good a time as any to dust off the login credentials for this site :) As the title alludes to, I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the Veeam Vanguard program again for 2022. The last few years have been a bit different for the program, and despite having limited in-person interactions, it did spawn significantly more frequent get togethers (whether formally organized webinars, social events, or special one-off sessions). We’re all hopeful that with 2022 we’ll all be able to see each other at the annual Vanguard Summit. However, with the way the world has been for the past two years, I’m not placing any bets on it yet. ...

2016 was a big year for me from a personal and career growth standpoint; I obtained vExpert for the first time, I launched my own Veeam User Group and became apart of the Veeam Vanguard, and I also presented at a couple of VMUGs. That in of itself was far more than I thought I could achieve, but something that I thought would never happened did: I was invited to a Tech Field Day event. ...

Yesterday, VMware unveiled its vExpert Pro program. For those of you who aren’t aware, VMware runs a program called vExpert. Despite its name, this is not a technical accreditation. Rather, it is an invite-only program (although nominations, and self-nominations are open) and is intended to recognize individuals who give back to the “vCommunity”. The exact criteria for entry are kept confidential, to avoid folks gaming the system. However, for reference, you’ll find that a lot of vExperts regularly blog, present at conferences or user groups, and just generally try to help folks. Along with the title, there are some great perks. Things such as a Pluralsight subscription, NFR license keys, and access to the vExpert party at VMworld. ...

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to present at VeeamON 2018. The topic in question revolved around the numerous restore scenarios that Veeam Backup & Replication offers. More specifically, I wanted to highlight some of the lesser-known methods. These methods largely came about through conversations that I had with folks, usually at my SWOVUG events or VMUGs. Yes, the conference was back in May, and it is now (barely) July. Firstly, I wanted to check with Veeam first to ensure that I could share the content. Secondly, with the new job, things have been a bit busier as I try to get back into the swing of things. This also explains the infrequent blogging as of late. ...

Late last year, I wrote up some goals and intentions for 2018. I’ve often felt that actually writing things like that down holds you accountable, and at least for me, it tends to make the likelihood of it coming true much higher. One of those points revolved around career and making a change, whether it be a shift where I am currently or moving on to somewhere else. And that is where this post comes in: a change is in the winds. ...

In my previous post, I covered off a lot of the hands-on activity at Camp Rubrik: Insiders Edition. That was only one item on the agenda. Rubrik packed a lot into what was really only a few hours of the day. To their credit, we still managed to keep things mostly on time, despite seemingly going over for almost every agenda item. The entire day was initially meant to be free of NDAs, but that changed. We were fortunate to hear from Bipul Sinha, Co-Founder & CEO, and he gave us a good glimpse of behind the curtain. Unfortunately for anyone not there, his session turned NDA. What I will say is that I was impressed with the openness and willingness to share information. That holds true for throughout the day. ...

Last year I wrote a post summarizing my 2016 - this may not be the most interesting of topics for most readers, but it is something that I have found useful. I get value from this exercise as it forces me to reflect back on my year and see what goals I achieved, and which ones I didn’t. I also find that the action of writing down a goal (publicly, in this case) also makes it real. It makes it something to strive for. ...

Last month I was invited to attend my first HPE Tech Day held in Anaheim, California. Actually, it was held at the Grand Californian Disneyland Hotel … pretty cool for someone like me who had never been to Disneyland. Although the location was definitely head and shoulders above most events that I have gone to, I didn’t let that get in the way of when it came to assessing what I saw. ...