VMware Explore 2025 – Insights from Las Vegas
A recap with evoila, exciting technical news, and our mascot Patty on tour
Las Vegas – for many, a synonym for glitter, shows, and endless nights. For us this summer, however, it was above all: VMware Explore 2025. Our team was on site with a strong delegation and took away the latest developments, exciting sessions, and valuable conversations. And not just us – our mascot Patty, the little burger with sunglasses, also made the trip to the US and experienced the event in his very own way.
Key takeaways for our customers
Three points stood out for us in particular – all highly relevant for our customers in DACH and internationally:
- Private Cloud becomes the standard: 9 out of 10 customers want a Private Cloud. With VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9, VMware now delivers standardized Compute, Storage, and Memory for IaaS and CaaS. The next step: PaaS and AI. This creates a truly “cloud-like” experience.
- Private AI becomes reality: VMware is clearly positioning itself towards Private AI. For our customers, this means: AI functionalities that can be integrated into their own infrastructure – without giving up data sovereignty and security.
- VCF as the foundation of the future: VCF continues to evolve – from classic infrastructure towards a platform that consistently combines cloud-native workloads, automation, and multi-tenancy.
Sessions & demos that stuck with us
Two sessions impressed us the most:
„VMware Cloud Foundation Network Design“ – Nimish Desai & Luca Camarda
Key takeaways:
- Network design in VCF9 becomes more flexible and modular.
- New approaches for NSX VPCs improve security and reduce limitations.
- Private Cloud scenarios can be mapped more individually.
„6 Innovations Redefining Storage and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation 9“ – Duncan Epping & Rakesh Radhakrishnan
Key takeaways:
- Disaster recovery replication becomes significantly faster.
- vSAN over Fibre Channel opens up new migration and operational options.
- The combination of VCF and NSX particularly strengthens low-latency scenarios.
👉 [Here are the slides from the storage session (PDF)]
Roadmap & trends (next 6–12 months)
Some content is still confidential – but what we can share:
- VCF9 will be consistently optimized towards Private Cloud.
- Flexibility & multitenancy are in focus: especially the ability to adapt VMware Kubernetes Services (VKS) flexibly.
- NSX: optimized integration with physical networks → crucial for low-latency use cases.
- Disaster Recovery: significant improvements in replication and faster recovery scenarios.
For our customers, this means: more security, more performance, more adaptability.
Community & impressions
Explore was not only a place for keynotes and roadmaps, but also for exchange:
- Community spirit: The vExpert and Knights community was strongly represented. The direct exchange with each other – and with VMware itself – was as valuable as always.
- Event impression: Very well organized, overall somewhat smaller than expected, but with many subject-matter experts on site.
- Comparison with Barcelona: Several voices (including speakers) confirmed: Barcelona is still a bit deeper technically. Nevertheless, Las Vegas offered a very good overview of strategies and visions.
We had numerous meetings and were able to hold interesting discussions with a wide range of Broadcom executives. Thank you – we look forward to future meetings.
And what does Patty think? Our mascot not only explored the exhibition halls but also scored big at mini golf in the VMUG area. A little burger making it big – classic Las Vegas. 🍔😎
VMware Knights on site in Las Vegas
We’re proud of our colleagues who had their skills officially confirmed during Explore:
- Peter: VCF 9 Support, VCF 9 Administrator
- Daniel: VCF 9 Administrator
- Steven: VCF 9 Architect
- Adrian: VCF 9 Administrator
A strong sign of our team’s expertise – and a direct added value for our customer projects.
A look beyond Explore
Of course, there was also some time to experience the city and surroundings: the impressive Sphere, the unique nature around Vegas – and yes, the dry heat that made every walk a challenge. By the way, Patty decided that the “old Strip” definitely has more charm than the new one.
Conclusion & personal impressions
VMware Explore 2025 showed: VMware remains a decisive player for the future of the cloud. Private Cloud, Private AI, and VCF9 form the core. For us, Explore was not only an opportunity to take away the latest trends directly but also a valuable platform for exchange and community.
If you’d like even more personal insights into the trip and Explore, check out the blog post from our colleague Daniel Krieger.