VMware's user groups fuming again, consider deposing leaders VMware's user groups are fuming at being brought under Dell's wing without consultation, and some group leaders are considering action against the leaders of the organisation overseeing the groups. Virtzilla's user groups (VMUGs) are unusually large and well-organised: most throw regular meetings plus day-long annual “UserCons …
for meetings in the future.
Now that it will become virtually a Dell Sales event there will be a good deal or reluctance from other vendors such as HPE to sponsor the events in the future.
One of the things about VMWare is that is it pretty hardware vendor agnostic. I used to run it on all sorts of kit. I would not put it past Dell to start putting [cough-cough] code in future releases that make it work better on Dell kit and use it as a way of increasing sales of said kit.
IMHO, that is one way to engineer obscurity into your product. Then wonder why sales start falling?????
So we have the official (Dell) VMUG with large numbers of disgruntled members. With formal letters expressing displeasure at unilateral actions by certain parties, it's pretty clear that the schism that existed after the Nutanix affair will only worsen.
Regardless of Dell's intentions, which one hopes are benevolent, the handling by the pro-Dell faction in the leadership has been somewhat questionable - hence the apology.
Will we see some form of compromise that will restore balance to the force, or will we see more departures, or even a breakaway unofficial VMUG? Watch this space...
Another vendor that took over something that was grown grass roots and organically that does not understand what it is trying to manipulate. They should just do an IVMUG group (Independent) and user should make VMUG go dark. Vendors need to learn they can't just buy a user community without backlash. Sorry Dell - party moved on.
I'm a newer member- so if VMUG will turn on itself they will probably attack me....but isn't this a good thing? It just sounds like VMUG is part of a broader community, most of us use more than just VMware anyway.
It sounds like VMUG won't lose anything.
This would have happened anyway, so I'm glad the VMUG is leading it.
It isn't feasible for EVERY member to make EVERY decision- not for a $15M organization with 150000 members.
This just seems to be conspiracy theorists venting.
I'm with VMUG on this one.
>It sounds like VMUG won't lose anything.
Umm, independence and a VMware focus?
>This would have happened anyway, so I'm glad the VMUG is leading it.
Why is it inevitable? Why couldn't these remain what they were: a useful place for VMwae admins and others to gather and discuss VMware products, exchange ideas, share horror stories, and get some occasional assorted vendor SWAG and beer?
>It isn't feasible for EVERY member to make EVERY decision- not for a $15M organization with 150000 members.
This wasn't a plebiscite, nor was that requested. Not even the heads of VMUG standing groups or others deeply involved were consulted. You don't need to get everyone's permission but you should run it by the day to day leaders of the organization.
This makes it less likely that members will get to hear from Veeam, Nutanix, IBM, Cisco, HPE, HDS, NetApp, Commvault, etc. How is that good for everyone? It's not like everyone runs VMware only on Dell servers and network. Heck they already booted the Nutanix folks which were very involved and useful because they weren't towing the DellEMC line. If they want to have meetings to sell Dell equipment, they should rent a steakhouse like they always did and feed a bunch of admins/architects while they stare at the Powerpoint slides.
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