Customer Success

VMware Explore Barcelona 2023 Recap

Earlier this month, we convened with fellow IT professionals and enthusiasts at VMware Explore Barcelona to connect, collaborate, and discuss new innovations in the VMware ecosystem. The architecturally stunning Fira Gran Via was the home of insightful speaking sessions, hands-on learning opportunities, and so much more.

We met with our customers, supported our partners, and learned from world-class VMware experts. We also made a few exciting announcements, including a new learning opportunity to equip IT professionals with essential cloud skills. 

So buckle up, get ready, and join us for this thrilling recap from Barcelona. 

In-depth, expert-led sessions 

It’s impossible for us to pick our favorite part of VMware Explore Barcelona, but all of the informative VMware Services, VMware Learning, and VMware Support sessions we hosted are a good start! 

These sessions enabled attendees to build new skills, maximize the value of their VMware investments, and optimize their IT environments. Our speakers covered topics ranging from navigating day-of security incidents to multi-cloud management and network virtualization. We also offered a few sessions to help VMware Learners prepare for on-site certification exams, including the VCP-Data Center Virtualization exam as well as our brand new BETA VMware Cloud Infrastructure Administrator exam, which currently has a limited-time promotion.   

By popular demand, attendees also had the chance to attend people’s choice sessions — including one focused on large-scale workload migration, led by Principal Architect Andrea Siviero and Director of VMware Cloud Solutions Emad Younis. Andrea and Emad discussed how to avoid the pitfalls of large-scale migrations, including developing an effective migration strategy, discovering and analyzing environments, creating a detailed migration plan, and executing and verifying migrations. They also shared examples from real-life organizations that have successfully migrated workloads to public clouds. 

Navigating the modern, multi-cloud world

More than 75% of organizations are using multiple clouds, so cloud infrastructure capabilities are an essential competency for IT professionals. That’s why we kicked off VMware Explore Barcelona by introducing our newest Beta certification exam, the VMware Certified – Cloud Infrastructure Administrator.  

This certification helps tech professionals develop deep knowledge of cloud infrastructure management, optimization, and critical VMware virtualization technologies — including vSphere, vCenter, and more. These skills empower certified administrators to seamlessly operate and optimize virtualized environments, reducing cloud costs and boosting productivity. 

With demand for cloud infrastructure administrators surging across the industry, now is the perfect time to learn more about this opportunity. 

Congratulations, certification earners! 

At the Certification Exam Center, we offered certification exams to VMware Explore attendees at just a fraction of the cost. VMware Learners who took their VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) exams received a 50% discount, making it even easier to validate their skills and advance their careers. 

Congratulations to the IT professionals who earned their certifications in Barcelona! We were thrilled to share this achievement with you, and we can’t wait to see how you continue to revolutionize IT. 

And the awards go to… 

The exciting news doesn’t stop there: We announced our EMEA winner for VMware Learning Partner of the Year and the VMware Certified Instructor of the Year! 

  • VMware 2023 EMEA Learning Partner of the Year Award: Arrow ECS Education EMEA
  • VMware 2023 VMware Certified Instructor of the Year: Eric Sloof

Celebrating all things Learning 

On the first day of VMware Explore Barcelona, members of the VMware Learning community also participated in four exhilarating VMware Learning events. 

VMware Certified Design Experts (VCDXs) came together for a town hall with VMware leadership to discuss the future of the VMware ecosystem, IT, and more. During our VCDX workshop, they partnered with the next generation of VCDXs to guide these aspiring certification earners through their learning journeys. 

We couldn’t forget our incredible instructors and Learning Partners, so we celebrated them with our VCI Day and Learning Partner Day gatherings. 

Expert guidance  

At the Expert Bar, VMware Support engineers collaborated with customers to take their VMware solutions to new heights. Customers could receive guidance and one-on-one support with experts with just one quick trip to the Expert Bar.

VMware Explore attendees also had the opportunity to meet with our VMware Learning experts for career mapping sessions. These sessions gave IT professionals access to advice from experienced peers, helping them grow their careers. 

Customer Success Central 

Finally, our VMware Success 360 and Technical Adoption Management customers had access to several in-depth sessions at Customer Success Central — sparking rich discussions about maximizing VMware investments in partnership with our professional services and support teams. 

Get ready for VMware Explore 2024  

We had a great time in Barcelona, but the fun isn’t over yet! Mark your calendars for VMware Explore 2024 in Las Vegas from September 26-29, then head to Barcelona from November 4-7. We can’t wait to see you there.