Get ready for an insightful journey.

Join us at VMware Explore

Las Vegas, Nevada | The Venetian
August 25 – 28, 2025

Ever wondered what goes through the minds of the experts who take the stage at VMware Explore? We’re pulling back the curtain with a special speaker spotlight series that gives you an inside look at the brilliant minds shaping our four event tracks.

Over the next few weeks, we’re sitting down with four standout speakers from VMware Explore 2025 in Las Vegas—one from each track—to get their take on everything from cloud complexity to breakthrough innovations. We asked them all the same questions, and their answers? Let’s just say they’re as diverse and insightful as the community that makes Explore the powerhouse event it is.

Eric Kubla, IT Server Manager

Eric Kubla is an IT Server Manager based in Pennsylvania. He is a 9x vExpert and has been a VMUG leader for 12+ years. Recently, Eric has enjoyed starting to blog and present at UserCons. He looks forward to continued engagement with the vCommunity.

Connect with Eric Kubla
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5 Questions with Eric Kubla

Your session is part of the Cloud Infrastructure track—what’s this track about, and what’s one reason your session is a must-attend for folks interested in this topic?

The Cloud Infrastructure track is really the backbone of what we do—it’s all about building, managing, and optimizing the foundation that everything else runs on. My session specifically focuses on business continuity and disaster recovery, which honestly, is something I’m passionate about because I’ve been in the trenches dealing with outages firsthand.

What makes this session a must-attend? It’s not going to be some deep technical dive that loses half the room. I’ve designed it to be relatable whether you’re just starting out at the 100 level or you’re sitting in the C-suite. Because let’s face it—when disaster strikes, it doesn’t matter what your title is, we’re all in it together.

Can you give us a brief description of what your session will cover at Explore? And what’s one takeaway attendees will walk away with that they can implement immediately?

My session, Preparing for a Disaster/Business Continuity Event [CLOB1030LV], is all about positioning yourself for success when—not if—an outage or event happens. I’ll be sharing real-world strategies based on experiences I’ve had dealing with actual outages, so you’re getting battle-tested advice, not just theoretical best practices.

The immediate takeaway? You’ll walk away with key actionable steps you can implement as soon as you get back to your desk. I’m talking about practical things that can make the difference between a minor hiccup and a major crisis. No waiting for budget approval or lengthy procurement processes—just things you can do right now to better prepare your organization.

 If you had to convince a skeptic to attend Explore in 30 seconds, what would you say?

Three words: networking, learning, fun. Look, you can find technical content anywhere these days, but here’s what makes Explore different: nowhere else are you going to get this unique combination of speaking directly with the experts who build the products AND sitting down with the day-to-day users who are implementing them in the real world.

The content and information are there regardless of whether you’re from a 10-person shop or a Fortune 500 company. But what you can’t get anywhere else is that coffee conversation with someone who’s solved the exact problem you’re struggling with. That’s pure gold.

What’s the biggest challenge you see IT practitioners wrestling with right now, and how will Explore help folks navigate it?

Change. Everything moves so fast in IT it’s honestly hard to keep up with everything. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on one technology, three new ones pop up that you need to understand. It’s overwhelming.

Explore gives you this incredible platform where you can touch on all the new technology in one place. Instead of trying to piece together information from a dozen different sources, you get to see how it all fits together. Plus, you can ask the tough questions directly to the people who know the answers.

Beyond the sessions, what’s your pro tip for getting maximum value out of the Explore experience?

Network! I can’t stress this enough. Whether it’s meeting new people or catching up with old friends, those connections are what make the difference long after the event ends.

Make sure you attend the community sessions in The Hub and hang space—that’s where the real conversations happen. And definitely visit with VMUG. Some of my best insights have come from casual conversations in the hallways or over coffee, not necessarily from the formal sessions.

Bonus: What is your favorite memory from attending Explore?

Personally, I love seeing old friends—there’s something special about reconnecting with people you’ve worked with over the years. But I have to say, my new favorite memory is going to be having my first breakout session! There’s nothing quite like sharing your expertise with the community.

For anyone new to Explore, here’s my advice: take some time for yourself and actually enjoy the experience. Don’t try to attend every single session or spend all day in hands-on labs. The real value comes from networking and discussing topics with other attendees. Some of the best learning happens in those informal moments between sessions.

Check out Eric’s Hot Picks Session Playlist

Curious about what sessions you can’t miss at Explore? We’ve got you covered. Dive into this curated playlist of Eric’s favorite sessions, and add them to your agenda. ⤵

Fair warning—you might walk away with your next big idea.

Ready to join the conversation in person? These speaker spotlights are just a preview of the expertise and energy you’ll experience in Las Vegas.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the community that’s simplifying cloud complexity and architecting the future—one breakthrough at a time.