vSphere-land Voting for Top Blogs

As most of my vFriends would know, I’m a huge fan of blogging and social media in general. I think it’s a great mechanism to reach out to the masses for the means to educate, and to push out messaging in a wide scale. I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for blogging and social media, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today professionally (thanks Chad).

With that said, my good buddy Eric Siebert over at vSphere-land has opened up voting for his top blogs lists called the vLaunchPad, and I’d like to reach out to my readers and frequent visitors to please go out to his site and vote for me along with your other favorite virtualization focused blogs. When you go vote you’ll be asked to choose your top-10 favorite blogs and boy is it going to be difficult to choose, the blogosphere has literally blown up and there are new blogs popping up almost daily so it may take you some time to choose.

Regardless of who you vote for, even if it isn’t me, please be sure to vote… as I can attest, blogging is almost like having another job as it is extremely difficult to find content to write on as well as develop. The people that are behind the great sites you’ll be voting on really put some great effort (typically at the expense of their families) to provide us with great information. Voting closes on 2/7, so please Rock The Vote as soon as possible! :)

Click here to vote!

Posted under Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on February 2, 2012

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EMC Webcasts in June

Wow, this year is flying by and before you know it VMworld will be here! Until then, and all of the great things EMC has planned to show you, you should definitely check out these upcoming webcasts, including Chad’s Choice which is guaranteed to be jam-packed with great things all focused on virtualization.

Click here to register now!

Performance and Provisioning for Virtualized Oracle
Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Hear from EMC and VMware Solutions Architects on how to leverage server and storage virtualization to greatly improve Oracle performance as well as accelerate and simplify provisioning of new Oracle environments.
Hosts: Sam Lucido, Solutions Architect, EMC and Vas Mitra, Solutions Architect, VMware

Accelerate Your Journey to a Virtualized Data Center
Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Learn how EMC’s Ionix Unified Infrastructure Management, a leading cloud infrastructure management solution for Vblock, can help you deliver IT services 5 times faster and 80% more efficiently with full compliance across your virtualized infrastructure.
Host: Tom Hayes, Senior Manager, Ionix Marketing, EMC

Automate Virtual Machine Recovery in VNX-based Vblock Environments
Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Discover how EMC RecoverPoint, integrated with VNX in Vblock configurations, delivers comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery for virtual data center deployments.
Host: Rick Walsworth, Director, Product Marketing, EMC

Chad’s Choice - Virtually Any Virtualization Topic!
Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Find out the latest virtualization topics from Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC. Get key updates on new technologies, hear honest answers to your most demanding questions, and see intriguing technical demos.
Host: Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC

Click here to register now!

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on June 6, 2011

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EMC Webcasts in May

Tomorrow starts another great series of VMware Focused webcasts from EMC. This month we cover everything from Virtualizing Oracle to Simplified Management, these weekly webcasts should not be missed. Be sure to register for them today!

Next week we’ll be hosting EMC World live from Las Vegas, if you’re not attending live be sure to check out all of the great content we’ll be releasing online. Some have described the announcements we’ll be releasing as face melting and mind blowing. Don’t miss out!

Register Now for these great EMC Webcasts!

To Virtualize or not to Virtualize Oracle; Converting Skeptics to Supporters
Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Hosts: David Welch, CTO, House of Brick Technologies and Jason Kotsaftis, Director, Strategic Alliances, EMC
Building a business case to virtualize Oracle? Hear from David Welch, CTO, House of Brick Technologies, on how to successfully architect and deploy Oracle databases on the EMC and VMware platform.

Cloud Meets Big Data at EMC World 2011
May 9-12, 2011 - Las Vegas, Nevada
We have freed up this week’s webcast schedule, so you can focus on EMC World. From advanced technical training to meet ups with some of the industry’s most influential thought leaders, EMC World is where it’s happening.

The Value of VMware Integration
Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Host: Dave Henry, Senior Technical Marketing Manager, EMC/VMware Affinity Team, EMC
Learn about the benefits of tight VMware integration, and find out how EMC’s 70+ points of integration with VMware enhance the performance, scalability, security, and ease-of-management of virtual environments.

Simplify Management for Virtualized Applications with EMC Unisphere
Thursday, May 26, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Hosts: Bob Abraham, Product Manager, EMC and Bruce Wolfeld, Principle Product Manager, Virtualization Solutions, EMC
EMC Unisphere redefines simplicity. See how the integration between Unisphere and VMware vCenter provides administrators easier access to data and reports. Learn more about EMC Unisphere’s fresh approach to managing storage.

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on May 4, 2011

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Storage Saavy in SoCal? Want a Job?

At EMC we’re constantly growing…and with the launch of our VNX and VNXe storage lines, we’re growing like CRAZY!

So here’s a calling for all of you storage geeks out there….

Are you storage saavy? Not necessarily EMC, but perhaps NetApp, 3PAR, Compellent, HDS or IBM and want to work with a great team of storage specialists, learn all of the latest and greatest things from EMC and have fun while doing it all?

Currently in the Southern California area we have opened up a few new requisitions and are actively looking for some great talent to come on board! So if you are in the Los Angeles, Orange or San Diego County area please shoot me a message and I’ll get you in touch with a hiring manager ASAP!

Posted under Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on March 1, 2011

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EMC Webcasts in March

EMC Webcasts are in full effect! Over 20,000 viewers have registered for these webcasts, why haven’t you!? Every Thursday we cover the hottest topics hitting the virtualization scene, and this month isn’t going to be any different!

We have five hot topics for you this month, everything from Virtualizing Oracle to Delivering IT as a Service! And for a special treat we have Chad’s Choice at the end of the month where VMware Technology Alliance Vice President, Chad Sakac, delivers the hottest topics flowing around the virtualization ecosphere…this is one webcast you do not want to miss!

Want to hear them all? Register for the entire series and never miss an episode!

Delivering IT as a Service: Best Practices
Thursday, March 3, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Explore how EMC Consulting can help you establish priorities for cloud services; create a unique portfolio of services to guide cloud management and automation; and reveal full visibility of business and IT service performance.

Top 5 Reasons to Deploy Virtualized Microsoft Applications on VNX Family
Thursday, March 10, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn the top reasons why organizations have successfully implemented Microsoft applications like Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL databases on the new EMC VNX Family.

Optimize Your Data Paths with PowerPath/VE
Thursday, March 17, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT

Discover the advantages of EMC PowerPath/VE with its comprehensive load balancing policies, path failover, path recovery, and path management capabilities.

Top 5 Reasons to Virtualize Oracle Databases
Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT

Examine the top reasons to optimize Oracle database performance and maximize IT efficiency through tightly integrated EMC and VMware solutions.

Chad’s Choice - Virtually Any Virtualization Topic!
Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT

Find out the latest virtualization topics from Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC. Get key updates on new technologies, hear honest answers to your most demanding questions, and see intriguing technical demos.

Want to hear them all? Register for the entire series and never miss an episode!

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on February 26, 2011

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Get Your Read On

I just wanted to spend some time to tell you about two great books recently released by Pearson publishing. Both are focused on VMware vSphere 4 and will help you do two things…learn more about vSphere and how to administer it, then help you to pass the VCP-410 exam which is needed for VMware Certified Professional (VCP) certification.

The first book, VMware ESX and ESXi in the Enterprise by Edward Haletkyis now in its second edition which includes details into the new features found in vSphere 4.1. As you may or may not know, Edward runs VirtualizationPractice.comand has been a virtualization evangelist for quite some time. In addition to the blog site, Edward is also the moderator and host of the Virtualization Security Podcast. If you’re looking to expand your vSphere knowledge I’d strongly suggest checking out this book, there is even a free chapter available for download.

Once you’ve read Edward’s book and have configured your own vSphere environment in your home lab, the next thing to do is prepare for the VCP-410 exam. VCP4 Exam Cram: VMware Certified Professional, 2nd Edition has just been revised to include all of the latest updates to the VCP-410 exam. Elias Khnaser takes you through what is needed to become VCP Certified, it provides coverage and practice questions for every exam topic. The book contains an extensive set of preparation tools, such as quizzes, Exam Alerts, and a practice exam, while the CD provides real-time practice and feedback with a 75-question test engine.

There you have it, two great reads on expanding your knowledge around VMware vSphere 4. You don’t have to take my word for it, but the job market around virtualization is growing like crazy so learning as much as you can and becoming certified is the clear cut way to jumping into this great line of work!

Get Your Contest On!

Would you like a free copy of the VCP4 Exam Cram? The nice people at Pearson gave me 10 copies to give away and one of them could be yours! I’ll make this contest really simple, I will be giving away 5 copies to readers that comment on this post and 5 copies to followers on Twitter. That means you have 2 chances to win!

Chance #1: Post a comment on this page expressing your interest in becoming VCP Certified.
Chance #2: Follow me on Twitter(@rick_vmwaretips) and send a tweet to me that says you want to become VCP Certified (example:  @rick_vmwaretips I’d love to get my hands on the VCP4 Exam Cram!)

UPDATE: Contest is now closed, I will be notifying the winners tonight and they must respond by Monday to receive their prize. Entries made after 2/24 at 8:30am PST are ineligible.

Fine print:  Contest ends February 24 at 8:30 a.m. PST.  Winners must respond by February 28 at 11:59 PST or prize will be forfeited.  US residents only.

Posted under Certification, Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on February 21, 2011

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EMC Webcasts in February

It’s the beginning of the month and you should know what that means…. new EMC virtualization focused webcasts! These awesome webcasts run every Thursday and offer some great content on what new and exciting things EMC is working on in terms of VMware integration as well as just their general efforts on cloud computing.

This month there is even a special treat! I will be running a webcast on EMC+VMware Integration highlighting the EMC vCenter plug-ins. Be sure to register for my session now!

Install & Run the EMC Celerra Virtual Storage Appliance
Thursday, February 3, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Find out how to deploy and run the EMC Celerra Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) in a VMware vSphere lab environment. This webcast will also offer a comprehensive overview of the EMC Celerra.

VMware vCenter Plug-ins from EMC - Join me for my session!
Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn how EMC plug-ins for VMware vCenter deliver the visibility, provisioning, and management of EMC storage from the vCenter interface - giving you more integration and capabilities than any other storage vendor.

EMC Proven Solutions for VMware View 4.5
Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Discover the cost savings and flexibility offered by a virtual desktop environment with EMC Proven Solutions for VMware View 4.5.

Secure the VCE Vblock and Virtual Data Center
Thursday, February 24, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Explore how the RSA Solution for Cloud Security and Compliance including the RSA enVision® platform work together to secure the virtual data center with VCE Vblock.”>

Register now >>

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

EMC Webcasts in January

Every Thursday EMC puts on great webcasts dedicated to virtualization. This months installment includes a great customer reference discussing their adoption of desktop virtualization in the health care vertical. Be sure to keep an eye out as my webcast will be coming in February where I discuss EMC/VMware integration with some very cool and easy to use plug-ins.

Deploying Virtual Desktop Infrastructure to Accelerate EHR Adoption
Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Hear Columbia Memorial Hospital discuss how the EMC Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Solution for Healthcare helps solve the challenge of ever-increasing costs–while increasing clinical productivity, improving workflow, and securing patient information.

Automate Unified Recovery of VMware Hosts
Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn about strategies for protecting data within a unified storage infrastructure. Discover how to define protection policies, identify protection gaps, and prove compliance, as well as instantly recover from data corruption with DVR-like rollback.

Simple, Efficient, Powerful - Optimizing Your Virtualized Applications
Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Find out how our unified storage solutions can help you utilize resources to efficiently and dynamically embrace virtualization, and boost your infrastructure performance–with a 20% guarantee.

Register for the January VMware series now

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on January 10, 2011

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2010 Wrap-Up

Wow, where has the time gone? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was dabbling with VMware GSX to give some extra workstations to application developers, that was over 7 years ago. Now I’m working for a Fortune 500 company doing what I love more than anything, talking about wickedly cool stuff!

2010 has been an amazing ride, probably the best year of my life and it’s just the beginning. Beautiful brand new home, a new job working for the best company with the best people in the industry, a new addition to the family (our puppy Chloe), good health and overall happiness.

The holiday season is a great time to reflect back and to be thankful for all that you have and have done. With that I’d like to thank Chad Sakac, Wade O’Harrow and Jeff Thomas for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. I’d like to thank my beautiful partner Mandy for putting up with me and things we’ve dealt with this year (home-ownership, traveling for business and for just putting up with me :)). And finally I’d like to thank my readers, for continuing to visit the website and for sticking with me even though the amount of content has dwindled - I promise, one of my Resolutions for 2011 is to change my ways and get some more quality content online!

With that I feel I must follow in year-end blog tradition and post my thoughts on what’s to come in 2011.

  • 2009 2010 2011 will be the year of Virtual Desktops (VDI)
  • The way we think about networking will change (OTV, FCoE)
  • The way we think about storage will change (Storage Pools, Auto Tiering, HUGE Cache footprints)
  • The way we deploy virtualization will change (Vblock)
  • Mixed workload deployment (Private and Public Cloud)

Those are some high level thoughts and frankly I could dive deeply into each one of those things, but to some things up I’ll try to make it really simple. Things are going to get really easy for administrators and end-users alike and things are going to get real dynamic. We’re moving back to the mainframe days, there will be datacenter administrators that manage our virtual infrastructures which consists of compute, storage and network. Each one of these pieces inherently will simplify as well (flat converged networks, automated tiered storage and web portals for public consumption just to name a few). However, we will not leverage this internal (private) cloud for everything, some things can sit out in the external (public) cloud in an effort to be more elastic and cost effective. Then at the end of this is end-user accessibility (or mobility), in terms of VDI we’ll see the adoption of many different end-points (thin, thick, mobile, tablet, etc) giving access to a centralize desktop from anywhere. Because in the end the world is full of consumers who want what they want, when they want.

So there you have it, simple consumption, simple administration, simple design and even simplicity in deployment through complete stack offerings like the Vblock. Hopefully I’ll get some time to deep dive into each one of these things individually as they really are all amazing technologies.

With that I’m going to shut ‘er down for a few days and enjoy the holidays. May you and your family have a happy and healthy holiday and New Year!

Posted under Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on December 23, 2010

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EMC Webcasts in December

EMC is putting on some great webcasts in December all around virtualization, consider this an early Christmas present! Join some of the biggest names in the industry for two hot discussion on desktop virtualization, then join the VP of VMware Alliances, Chad Sakac, for “Chad’s Choice” - an off the cuff discussion of whats new and whats hot in virtualization technology today.

You’re not going to want to miss any of these hot topics, so be sure to register for these great events today.

How to Accelerate Desktop Virtualization in the Enterprise
Thursday, December 2, 2010 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT

Find out how you can gain control over existing chaotic and complex client computing infrastructures, while improving desktop security.

Best Practices for Deploying Desktop Virtualization
Thursday, December 9, 2010 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT

Learn how organizations have successfully implemented desktop virtualization to create a more efficient environment and discover the benefits they have experienced.

Chad’s Choice - Virtually Any Virtualization Topic!
Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn about the latest virtualization topics from Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC. Get key updates on new technologies, hear honest answers to your most demanding questions, and see intriguing technical demos.


Register for the December VMware series now

Posted under Good Reading

This post was written by Rick Scherer on November 27, 2010

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