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Category Archives: 10 Questions with…

10 Questions With…Ivan Talley

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Name: Ivan Talley
Title:  Systems Engineer
Years at VMware:  5 weeks
Years in IT:  20
Certifications: VCP 4, VTSP, VSP, MCSE 2000/2003, MCNE, CompTIA Project +

1) What have you done in your career at VMware and what do you do now?

I just started as an Associate Systems Engineer in the SMB group. I provide a technical resource to our sales staff and customers for discussing those products that can be the most beneficial to the small and medium business sector.

 

2) Why do you love working at VMware?

I can honestly say I’ve never worked with such a smart, dynamic, group of individuals. Everyone seems focused on assisting our customers in finding the solution they need for their environment.

The work environment is also amazing. VMware truly values its employees and that’s such a motivating influence for me.

 

3) What did you do before coming to VMware?

Out of High School I had a great 5 years in the United States Air Force as an Imagery Interpreter which falls under their Intelligence branch. I had the pleasure of being stationed in Austin, Texas with trips to Germany and Italy and finished my career in Honolulu.

In the private sector I’ve had the opportunity to work in a very diverse number of areas. I’ve provided technical expertise to state and city governments as well as companies in the real estate, retail, contract electronics manufacturing, engineering, construction, mining, and legal fields.

 

4) What is your area of technology expertise? Continue reading →

10 Questions With…Craig Kilborn

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Name: Craig Kilborn
Title: Technical Consultant
Years In IT: 5
Certifications:

  • Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA)
  • Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
  • Cisco Certified Network Associate: Security (CCNA:S)
  • HP Accredited Pre Sales Consultant (HP APC)
  • ITIL v3 Foundation
  • Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator (MCITP: EA)
  • Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA 2008)
  • Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA 2003)
  • Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Messaging (MCSA: M 2003)
  • Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE 2003)
  • Veeam Technical Sales Professional (VMTSP)
  • VMware Certified Professional (VCP 4 & VCP 5)
  • VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP 4 & 5)

Aliases:

1) How did you get started in IT?
From a really early age, I was always into computers. I remember being an over excited youngster when we received our first computer a Toshiba MSX, I secretly wanted a Sinclair Spectrum ZX with rubber keyboard, but I won’t dwell on that!

I suppose you could call me a late developer as I took my first step into IT at the age of 30, perhaps it was an early midlife crisis?  Before this I had always been involved with computers and the industry generally, but it wasn’t my full time career.

I started in first line support, which lasted less than a couple of months before I was escalated to second line support,  during this time I hit the studying hard and achieved my MCSE.  This was a massive turning point and ultimately helped me get into third line support and then that’s when things stepped into over drive as I had found my true calling in life, architecting and implementing infrastructure solutions.

2) How long have you been using VMware products and which VMware products do you have deployed?
 Continue reading →

10 Questions With…A.J. Stringham

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Name: A.J. Stringham
Title: IT Support Agent
Years in IT: 3
Certs: A+, Network+, Security+
Alias: Spiceworks - A.J. Stringham Geek

 

1) How did you get started in IT?
I guess it goes back to when I first moved to the Syracuse area. I had a friend who really got me into IT by the name of Brian. He was very passionate about it and wanted to get me into it as well. So, he gave me an old computer he had scrounged and said he did me the “favor” of loading this thing called “Ubuntu Linux” on it. So I started with GNOME Ubuntu Linux 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon. After some time playing, I eventually got myself a decent computer running Windows XP Home SP3. However, at this point I still didn’t know this is what I wanted to do as a career. In 10th grade I took business courses because I thought of starting my own business. I soon realized this wasn’t for me and neither was the field of construction I thought of pursuing. So starting in 11th grade I began to take computer classes. CCNA preparation, JAVA programming, AutoCAD, 3D Modeling as so on. I then realized that the technical side of things was my field of choice.

So, starting my senior year in high school I began preparing for my A+ with some online training and book preparation. I then, from November 2010 to December 2010 obtained my A+, Network+ and Security+. That was only the beginning. I graduated in June 2010 from high school and in July began working at my local Staples in their tech department. Learned a lot about the field in general although not so much about the technical side of things. So went back to school for a couple semesters and got an internship for a financial firm in their tech department. It was there that I first was exposed to ESXi and VMware products in general and there that I first was really given a look into virtualization.

2) How long have you been using VMware products and which VMware products do you have deployed? Continue reading →

10 Questions With… Kris Walsh

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10QsKris

Name: Kris Walsh
Title: Associate Systems Engineer
Years at VMware: 5 ½
Years in IT: 17
Certifications: MCSE, VCP
Aliases: Spiceworks: KrisATX

Get to know Kris: 

1) What have you done in your career at VMware and what do you do now?

  • I started off in sales back in 2006, but gravitated back to my true calling as a Systems Engineer as soon as possible.

2) Why do you love working at VMware?

  • It may sound corny, but I love having a positive impact in my customers' lives. 

Continue reading →

10 Questions With… Jeremy Hall

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10 Qs with Jeremy Hall

Name: Jeremy Hall
Title: Associate Systems Engineer
Years at VMware: 5 Months
Years in IT: 13
Certifications:CVE, vCops, various Telco certs (Fuji FLM through Nortel optical) Cisco ONS, A+, MCP, etc.. way to many to list.
Aliases: jkhall (Spiceworks)

Get to know Jeremy:

1) What have you done in your career at VMware and what do you do now?

  • I started IT doing desktop support for Netscape Navigator/Communicator in 1998.  I have worked at WorldCom (in Network Operations Control), a hospital, a bank, and an insurance company.

2) Why do you love working at VMware? 

  • VMware has made my jobs so much easier to manage.  I wanted to work for VMware because I believe VMware has a great vision for the future.

Continue reading →

10 Questions With… Jeff Eberhard

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10 Questions Jeff Eber
Name: Jeff Eberhard
Title: Systems Engineer
Years at VMware: 1
Years in IT: 9
Certifications: VCP, VTSP, MCP

Get to know Jeff:

1) What have you done in your career at VMware and what do you do now?

  • I started out at VMware as a Systems Engineer in the Commercial/Enterprise space, covering accounts with 1000> employees.  I now manage the SMB Systems Engineering group.

2) Why do you love working at VMware?  

  • We truly have the best products and vision in the marketplace for Cloud, End User Computing, and Application Modernization.  We also have beer Friday :)

3) What did you do before coming to VMware?

  • Before VMware, I worked as a Solutions Architect at HP and as a Storage Specialist at Dell.

Continue reading →

10 Questions With… Mike Laverick

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10 Qs with mike laverick

Mike is a VMware vExpert who writes, instructs and otherwise communicates about virtualization.

Get to know Mike:

1) How did you get started in IT?

  • When I was 21 I became a teacher – just for a year. Teaching English in a UK school. I hated it. What's more the kids hated me. So I quit, and went back to live with my parents, whilst I figured out what to do with my pathetic excuse for an existence.
  • The week after I got home, the local University sent me a magazine for Graduates. I opened the first page – and there was an ad looking for Graduates to teach computers to newbies. It was the early 90's and folks were getting Windows 3.x and people were learning "What is a Wordprocessor?" and "What is a spreadsheet?". 
  • I'd done a little bit of computer stuff at home. My first computer was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum in the 80s. But I hadn't really kept with it. I sold the computer for record player and guitar – and had discovered alcohol and girls (in that order… for some reason I've always had a better relationship with drink than women. Go figure…). At University the most I'd done was typed up essays using Word for DOS. During teacher training I'd been lumbered with the "IT and English" part of the curriculum mainly I was the only member of staff without grey hair. So really what I knew about computers could have easily fitted on postage stamp.
  • So I blagged my way through the interview and the train-the-trainer programme. The rest, as they say is history. I progressed from applications onto networks (Novell Knitware 3.11 and Microsoft Windose NT 4.) Bit later on I got into Citrix MetaFrame. By 2001 then I'd been made redundant and started my own training and consultancy company. By 2003 I was bored with Citrix whose star was already declining….

Continue reading →

10 Questions With… Mike Fegan

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10QuestionsMikeFegan

Name: Mike Fegan
Title: Systems Engineer
Years at VMware: 1 Month
Years in IT: 14 
Certifications: VSP, VTSP, MCSE, VCP
                                                 

Get to know Mike:                                                                                            

 1)    What have you done in your career at VMware and what do you do now?

  • I was hired as an Inside Systems Engineer focusing on our SMB customers. I am currently in the process of establishing relationships with my team members and getting up to speed on some of our newer products.

2)    Why do you love working at VMware?

  • It’s an amazing company with a lot of brilliant people.

3)    What did you do before coming to VMware?

  • I was an IT Director for a Texas-based law firm prior to accepting the position at VMware.

Continue reading →

Introducing 10 Questions With…

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10 Questions

Today we're kicking off "10 Questions With…", a blog post series that gives us a chance to introduce you to the people behind some of the posts here on the VMware SMB blog.  We're working with many authors across the industry that bring great knowledge and unique insights and we want to make sure you know a bit more about their backgrounds and who they are.  As you'll learn, some of our authors come from inside VMware and some are partners while others are customers and IT professionals just like you. 

Are you passionate about virtualization, VMware solutions and SMB?  Would you like to be highlighted in a "10 Questions With…" post and contribute to this blog?  Do have any questions that you'd like to see in future "10 questions with…" posts?  Let us know in the comments below.