In this vBrownBag/VMTN session I was joined by Matt Crape and Jim Millard to discuss the realities of joining a influencer program such as vExpert or Veeam Vanguard.

In 2017 I was allowed not one but two slots at for vBrownBag at VMworld 2017 which was a big deal to me. The first of these was a solo presentation by me about how to be an active member of the vCommunity while living in a rural area without easy access to things like VMUGs and such.

Slidedeck: https://www.slideshare.net/JimJones147/veeamon-2014-vbrownbag-physical-server-backup-strategies

This was actually my first public speaking presentation ever. Supposed to be a 15 minute time slot I believe I finished in under 8 minutes. What aided to my discomfort was that the whole purpose of this was to show a method I was using to backup physical servers in a Veeam world, something there was no answer to at the time. That morning it leaked that Veeam was announcing what is now known as Veeam Agent for Windows and my friend Rick Vanover was following me on the same stage to announce it. Talk about your topic becoming irrelevant in record time…