Stellar VMworld line-up set to ‘follow the sun’ for 48 hours

Set to run for 48 hours consecutively from October 5 to 7, VMworld 2021 is a truly global event where delegates will be “following the sun” online around the world. The non-stop agenda means that attendees will be able to follow all sessions during their own workdays in their time zones.

This annual event is filled with tracks, learning sessions, and customer showcases. As the premier annual VMware event, it will provide insights and understanding not only for the company’s current roadmap but also for its broader strategy and innovations that will shape ICT and business for the months and years to come.

The event features numerous thought leaders and luminaries from a range of industries. On the business side there is Arvind Krishna, chairman and CEO of IBM; Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft; Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud; and Raghu Raghuram, CEO of VMware. From the world of entertainment, the line-up incudes award-winning actor, best-selling author, and patient advocate Michael J. Fox; and actor, musician, and producer Will Smith.

IBM’s Krishna and VMware’s Raghuram will have an engaging conversation to discuss the state of the cloud and how today’s business climate is driving cloud adoption. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Nadella will also join in a session with Raghuram to examine industry trends and how they impact on cloud adoption. Google’s Kurian will be part of a fireside chat with Raghuram where the two thought leaders will explore industry trends, customer success, and the future of technology.

Michael J. Fox will sit down with VMware chief marketing officer Carol Carpenter to discuss his life and his passion to help find a cure to Parkinson’s disease. Will Smith and VMware president Sumit Dhawan will examine the foundation of success and how to thrive through continual transformation and growth.

“These and the many other luminaries who will be speaking at VMworld 2021 highlight just how integrated technology, the cloud, and change have become to the world around us. Whether it is understanding how to better engage with customers and colleagues in a remote world or identifying the skills gaps in the ‘new normal’, the agenda for boardroom discussions is significantly different from what it was at the beginning of 2020. VMworld 2021 is designed to provide the insights and peace of mind needed to navigate the uncertainties around today’s operating environment and how we can transform as individuals in an uncertain landscape,” says Lorna Hardie, Regional Director SSA at VMware.

Accessibility is integral to this. It is about creating an enabling environment that delivers value through applications, cloud platforms, and devices in such a way that any user can benefit from it regardless of their geographic location.

“Even as technology continues to evolve amidst all the changes happening around the world resulting from the ongoing pandemic – there is still an understanding amongst companies that they need to be more than just a corporate engine. They need to be a good corporate citizen and become a force for good. On the one hand, this talks to real-world corporate social investments already made by organisations globally. But on the other hand, it is about empowering the communities in which they operate through infrastructure development that make it easier to access the cloud, data, and applications that positively impact on people’s lives,” says Ian Jansen van Rensburg Chief Technologist SSA at VMware.

Delegates will be able to build their agendas to suit their personal and professional interests. With a selection of sessions with well-known and influential global thought leaders to choose from, the opportunities to gain invaluable insights are significant.

“VMware itself has been forging extensive relationships with local and public cloud provider partners to give customers the flexibility and choice to select the one most relevant for their pressing business concerns. Together we are working on helping customers with building, managing, automating, securing, and operating as effectively as possible regardless of where the VMware-based workload is hosted,” adds Hardie.

“VMworld will consist of a myriad of general, solutions, and breakout sessions that explore how the multi-cloud increases an organisation’s ability to extract value from cloud services and applications. But more than that, it is about the impact this will have on the longevity of organisations as they adapt to evolving customer and stakeholder expectations,” concludes van Rensburg.

• For more information and to register for VMworld 2021, click here.