VMUG Is Experiencing a Fresh Chapter with Broadcom’s Support

VMUG is in the thick of it here at VMware Explore 2024 Las Vegas! Thousands of us have gathered at the Venetian Convention and Expo Center, a third who are VMUG members and proudly wearing their VMUG swag. Whether you're here in person or tuning in online from around the globe, this is our moment to connect, share our latest experiences, and dive into what's coming next.

For those of us in the VMware User Group (VMUG)-a community of 230 local groups and over 150,000 members-this event is a prime opportunity to hone our skills in live panels, on-the-floor discussions, and hands-on labs that tackle the big trends shaping IT today. And let's not forget the "hallway track," where those spontaneous, peer-to-peer conversations about VMware and other tech topics are really lighting things up. That's where the real insights happen.

Since Broadcom acquired VMware back in November 2023, we've seen incredible opportunities to forge new partnerships and deepen relationships across our growing community. With Broadcom's extensive VMware customer base, the potential for collaboration is immense, and we're just getting started.

VMware Explore is proving to be exactly what we hoped-a chance for our community to come together and share how we're navigating the biggest opportunities and challenges in both hardware and software. For VMUG, it's always been about community, and that's never been more evident than right now.

Even as an independent organization, VMUG is experiencing a fresh chapter with Broadcom's support. Hock Tan, Broadcom's President and CEO, has been speaking and listening to customers at recent VMUG UserCon events-those popular one-day conferences across multiple countries.

Many of us have been genuinely impressed by the level of support we're receiving from Hock. He spoke at our Germany UserCon in April, and he's set to speak again soon in the Fall. His engagement has truly inspired a renewed sense of community within VMUG.

What VMUG Members Can Look Forward To

A big theme we're exploring this year is the power of flexibility and simplification-two things we can all appreciate in our fast-paced world. VMUG members are getting a firsthand look at the latest advancements in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) that was released in July. The updates from VMware, like importing and live patching features, are enhancing our ability to collaborate and innovate together.

VCF is the future, plain and simple. It's what's going to be powering data centers, and we're laser-focused on helping our members-who are the engineers behind these systems-build and maintain the best setups possible.

In today's dynamic business environment, IT experts are increasingly at the decision-making table, working alongside other stakeholders. It all begins with a deep understanding of cloud infrastructure and the advantages of enhancing data centers with tools like the cloud-operating model and SDDC.

Still So Much More to Explore

VMUG members are really benefiting from a sharper focus on VMware's core services-especially VCF and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF). We're seeing less siloed operations and more streamlined efforts, thanks to VMware's innovations. This focus is fueling stronger products and building even more dedicated communities.

There's a renewed energy around what our community ecosystem can achieve, and that's fantastic for our members-and for VMUG as a whole.

If you're here at Explore, let's keep the conversations going! And if you're following along from home, stay tuned for more updates and insights from this exciting event.

To learn more about VMUG and upcoming events, read more here.