Meet the Five Rackers Recognized by VMware as vExperts

Expertise, Excellence and Customer-driven are the three Rackspace Technology® Core Values that come to mind when thinking of the five Rackers who were awarded the distinction of vExpert by VMware®.

What is the vExpert Program?

The vExpert program was created to recognize technologists passionate about sharing their VMware knowledge with the community through speaking sessions, blogs, book writing, code sharing and more. The focus is on celebrating individuals who share what they have learned with a broader audience, whether in their own company or publicly. The program isn’t focused on the number of certifications they have accrued. Instead, it’s how these individuals are going above and beyond in helping and influencing others with their stories and expertise.

The award is made annually and lasts for one year, and the winners land a spot on the vExpert online directory. In addition, awardees of this global advocacy program are also offered additional networking opportunities with over 2,000 vExperts, access to VMware social channel content, VMware gifts, private #Slack channels and exclusive webinars.

“Our vExperts have developed a substantial personal platform of influence spreading their knowledge,” said Srini Koushik, Chief Technology Officer at Rackspace Technology. “This defines what it means to be passionate about technology. It’s not just about having the expertise, but it is also about being excited to reach out to your peers and customers to share your knowledge while continually striving to learn more.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of Amine, Ather, Eugene, Michael and Richard, who have put in the hard work to become VMware vExperts which speaks volumes to our commitment to and connection with the greater technical community,” continued Koushik.

Meet our five vExperts

Amine El Badaoui, VMware Product Architect, writes technical posts on his personal blog and customer-facing articles on the Rackspace Technology portal. He also delivered a presentation at the annual VMworld event.

“The vExpert program has given me extra confidence,” said El Badaoui. “I can tackle the most complex technical challenges I face during my working day. Additionally, I’ve been able to use my VMware expertise to positively impact the launch of Rackspace® Services for VMware Cloud™.”

Ather Beg, Enterprise Solutions Architect, launched a VMware-focused blog in 2010 and is a co-host on the OpenTechCast podcast. He’s been an active member of the VMware community since 1999 and has been a vExpert for a decade.

Beg’s in-depth knowledge has been invaluable when working with our customers, especially in the healthcare sector at the beginning of the pandemic. “I helped to extend a deployment of a work-from-home solution into VMware Cloud on AWS,” explained Beg. “It was a relatively new architecture for the partner, and they faced some technical challenges which I was able to solve using my prior experience.”

Eugene Mulder, VMware Private Cloud Architect, is regularly invited to participate in NDA BETA programs, where he provides feedback on products during their development phase. Mulder is also a board member of the VMware Customer Technical Advisory Board, which has led him to take part in many conferences that influence product features at the pre-BETA level.

Mulder shared: “Being a vExpert allows me to share ideas, concepts and even problems with like-minded technologists from other enterprises and is immensely enabling. I’m using this knowledge every day supporting Rackers by solving day-to-day issues and meeting software feature requests.”

Michael Voigt, Senior Solutions Architect, is both a VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) and vExpert. One of his most prolific achievements was as co-author of the book “IBM San Solution Design Best Practices for VMware Vsphere Esxi.” Voigt has over thirteen years of experience in VMware server virtualization and is an automation enthusiast.

Richard Harris, Cloud Architect, has been building his knowledge and relationships in the VMware community for many years and starred in two YouTube adverts for VMware® Skyline™, a pro-active support service.

Harris explained the impact the vExpert distinction has had on his career. “VMware now approaches me for feedback on products,” he said. “My leaders have taken notice and appreciate the level of product integration that I can provide as a vExpert. With my VMware knowledge, I’m enabling Rackspace Technology to continue its drive for excellence in the IT industry.”

Our VMware services

We’re a VMware Cloud Verified Partner and are a three-time recipient of the VMware Partner Innovation Award and can offer our expertise in the following services:

Our Rackspace Elastic Engineering for VMware enables you to modernize your VMware environment and leverage the platform's benefits. This advisory service also provides technical support delivered in a consumption-based model allowing you to address resource and skills gaps.

Additionally, Rackspace Services for VMware Cloud helps businesses gain maximum efficiency, agility and ease-of-use from VMware without having to change your development processes or retrain your staff. Unlock the power of VMware Cloud to innovate and scale resources on-demand to help drive your transformation strategy.

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