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London VMUG – 13th July 2023

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Ask anyone. They’ll tell you the same, ‘That Gareth chap loves a VMUG event!’ They’d be correct too.

I’ve been a member of the VMware User Group for some time now, a group of technologists eager to share their thoughts and passion for VMware products. However, the vCommunity (as we put it) can also help as a sounding board for your technical issues, etc., so what better way to meet up with like-minded individuals than at these fantastic VMUG events? A fantastic day catching up with fellow VMUG members as well as a few fellow vExperts and vExpertPROs!

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UK VMUG UserCon 2022

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It’s been a few years since I was able to venture to Leicester for the UK VMUG UserCon, the national VMUG event here in the UK. After Covid laid wasted to the previous two years, there was certainly excitement from all attendees, and it was fantastic to see such a great turnout at this year’s event on Thursday, 17th November 2022.

Yes, the technical content at VMUGs is always fantastic, with customer-driven challenges/stories/fixes, complementing VMware sessions, however, the main thing I love about these events is that they give attendees the ability to catch up with members of the community and to discuss their challenges within a safe and informal forum. They are also a great way to catch up with customers, partners, and friends over a coffee.

So, after a two-year hiatus of the UK VMUG UserCon, the ‘in-person’ community is very much alive!

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London VMUG – 15th July 2021

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Earlier this month, I was honoured to have been able to present at the London VMware User Group. My session focussed on a discussion and demonstration around how we can leverage VMware vRealize Network Insight (vRNI) to visualise applications, their dependencies, and their application traffic flows to effectively micro-segment an application using the VMware NSX-T Distributed Firewall (DFW).

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North East VMUG 2019 - Gareth-Lewis
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North East England VMUG – 26th September 2019

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That didn’t disappoint! I’ve wanted to visit the North East England VMUG for sometime, so being asked to present at the user group made it all the more special. As I sit here in Newcastle International Airport waiting for my flight home, I thought I’d summarise the event for those who’ve never been to a VMUG event, are thinking of doing so in the future, or are thinking of speaking at a local VMUG.

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North East England VMware User Group VMUG
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North East England VMUG – 26th September 2019

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The next North East England VMUG will be taking place on Thursday 26th September at the Royal Station Hotel, Newcastle, and I’m excited to be presenting alongside so many fantastic individuals from throughout the vCommunity.

My session will be covering VMware NSX Data Centre for vSphere (NSX-V) and, more specifically, a real world look at micro-segmentation and the implementation of a zero-trust environment. NSX makes this fairly easy thanks to a number of built-in tools, and we’ll explore how we can use the NSX Application Rule Manager to visualise application dependencies in order to start fleshing-out our Distributed Firewall rules.

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20190320 VMUG Presentation Welcome Slide
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South West UK VMUG – March 2019 – VMware NSX and Micro-Segmentation from the Field

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That was a blast! On Wednesday 20th March I had the pleasure of speaking at the South West UK VMUG, held at the Bristol and Bath Science Park. My biggest thanks to VMUG Leaders Jeremy Bowman, Simon Eady, Barry Coombs, and Megan Warren for such a great opportunity, and to all who attended my session. This was my first time speaking at a VMUG, and despite the nerves, I really enjoyed it.

Focusing on VMware NSX Data Centre for vSphere and, more specifically, the micro-segmentation of applications with the aid of the NSX Application Rule Manager (based around my previous article). I opted not to perform a live demo during my very first speaking slot, but instead produced a live recording, for which I walked the group through how to utilise the NSX Application Rule Manager to identify application dependencies, endpoints, and service/ports/protocols when implementing a zero-trust environment.

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South West UK VMUG – 20th March 2019

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The first South West UK VMUG will be taking place on Wednesday 20th March 2019 at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, an event which also marks my first time presenting at a VMUG. No pressure, but I will be following a session by fellow vExpert, Chris Lewis (no relation).

My session will be covering VMware NSX Data Centre for vSphere (NSX-V) and, more specifically, the reality of managing a zero-trust environment for true micro-segmentation of services. NSX itself makes this fairly easy thanks to a number of tools (Application Rule Manager being just one), however, there are always a number of human variables which need to be acknowledged and identified along the way.

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London VMUG - LonVMUG
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London VMUG – 14th June 2018

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Thursday 14th June saw the latest London VMUG take place at Tech UK, London, with the User Group marking it’s third outing for 2018 in just six months! Rarely does any event see such heavy hitters as Duncan Epping, Frank Denneman, and Niels Hagoort in one place, but today, we got to see all three in attendance. Add to that line-up further awesomeness in the form of  vCommunity member, Chris Porter, and this was one truly great London VMUG indeed! I’ve been to a number of VMUGs around the UK, however, this was to be my first time joining the London gang.

London VMUG - 14th June 2018 Agenda
London VMUG 14th June 2018 Agenda

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VMUG USERCON
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UK VMUG USERCON 2017

Reading Time: < 1 minuteVMUG USERCON

It’s that time of year folks, with the United Kingdom VMUG UserCon 2017 taking place on Thursday 16th November at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham.

This year will see Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, EMEA at VMware, Joe Baguley presenting the opening keynote, followed by an astounding list of technology breakout sessions and speakers, as well as the much coveted VMware Hands On Labs. This truly is an event not to be missed!

Having designed and deployed VMware NSX in 2017, I’m personally looking forward to the NSX sessions, as well as those covering the recent integration of VMware Cloud and AWS, and I look forward to catching up with the old faces, as well as meeting any new ones.

For information on this year’s UK VMUG UserCon, and to follow the agenda as it’s released, simply visit www.vmug.com, or to register click here.