Tag: vExpert

VMware vExpert

VMware vExpert 2020

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

VMware just announced the list of 2020 vExperts and I am honored to be nominated for the third time!

For 2020, VMware awarded this title to over 1700 persons from over 40 countries. I’m glad that my country, Romania, has 3 more friends on this list: Razvan Ionescu, Aylin Sali and Michael Stoica. I feel that more of the people involved in the VMware community from Romania should set a target for themselves to be nominated next year (some of them should start with a Twitter account, hint!). If you need more information about the program, feel free to send me a message. For my Romanian friends: you may find more details about being a vExpert from a presentation I did for Romanian VMUG some time ago (first video recording from VMUG Romania October Meeting Report starting around the 6th minute).

For those still unfamiliar with the benefits of the program, I will list the ones that strike me as most important:

  • recognition both from VMware and from community to personal “significant contributions to the community and a willingness to share their expertise with others”
  • access to vExpert Slack channel – I would say this is a treasure judging by the persons around and the quality of their posts. Think at this as a personal Twitter on steroids 🙂
  • VMware software licenses for home labs – virtually all VMware products can be tried with 1 year licenses with enough capacity for a decent home lab
  • exclusive opportunities for vExperts – webinars, VMworld events, access to beta programs
  • not for resale licenses from other vendors from VMware environment

For the comprehensive list of 2020 vExperts, you can visit the dedicated directory at vexpert.vmware.com/directory.

Congratulations to all new and renew vExperts!

VMware vExpert

VMware vExpert 2018

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

The results for VMware vExpert 2018 program are finally in and I’m so glad to let you know that I have been accepted! There is always a first time and now it is for me. It is a great honor to be part of this vExpert community I heard about so much in the last years. I am looking at the vExpert names, there are people I follow for many years and I’m wondering what am I doing here? It remains to be seen.

So, what is this VMware vExpert program about? I will let one of the main persons behind it to explain:

“Each year, we bring together in the vExpert Program the people who have made some of the most important contributions to the VMware community. These are the bloggers, book authors, VMUG leaders, speakers, tool builders, community leaders and general enthusiasts. They work as IT admins and architects for VMware customers, they act as trusted advisors and implementors for VMware partners or as independent consultants, and some work for VMware itself. All of them have the passion and enthusiasm for technology and applying technology to solve problems. They have contributed to the success of us all by sharing their knowledge and expertise over their days, nights, and weekends.” – Corey Romero

So far, the community gave me and the other first-timers a warm welcome. I want to express a special thank you to Ariel Sanchez for the “unofficial welcoming tips pack”!

You can check the entire list of vExperts in the official Directory. 67 countries have representatives in the vExpert community, and I’m happy I helped to place Romania on the map! I hope next year we will see more Romanians around!

Congratulations to all vExperts out there!