My experience at Nutanix Next 2024

The Nutanix Next 2024 is ready to kick off starting on the 21 May to 23! You can register https://www.nutanix.com/next

I was lucky to get the invitation to this great event organized by the led HCI company Nutanix in EMEA, to be more precise in Barcelona, at the Fira Gran Via Hall 8. (Same location used also for other major IT Events in the Europe area)

My plan was to join the event with the aim to understand as much I can regarding Nutanix and their ecosystem. To be honest me was not the first time, our paths basically crossed multiple times some years before when I was working as a consultant (during that job I got a great course made by Samuele Cerutti) and I supported an installation for a customer together with a Nutanix Distributor/Partner. Since then I got my hands dirty as you can see on my blog with another technology. I always been fascinated about virtualization technology and how other companies are developing and shaping their solutions around it and this is also the case of Nutanix but back 5 years ago (basically decades in the IT), I can say something definitively changed, the whole solution evolved following the request of the market and customers.

The Event

It ran for 3 days from 21th to 23rd May, of course packed with Keynotes, Expo, Sessions, Hands on Labs, Exam Courses and Exam. The connection with peers was massive, I got in touch with people I just saw years ago, ex-colleagues, experts, vendors and so on, so something that is basically unvaluable and great.

I also had the possibility to get in touch of course with Nutanix people, even the CTO for a quick chat during a fast walk from a room to another. (He was busy and I just bother him of course)

The Nutanix .NEXT conference is an annual event that brings together industry leaders, IT professionals, and technology enthusiasts. Here are some highlights from the recent conference:
– a partnership with Dell for hybrid multicloud (https://www.nutanix.com/press-releases/2024/nutanix-and-dell-technologies-collaborate-on-new-joint-solutions)
– GPT in a Box for quickly adopt the GenAI (https://www.nutanixbible.com/20b-gpt-in-a-box.html)
– NKP or Nutanix Kubernetes Platform aimed to help on the app modernization giving to the administrator a CNCF compliant solution ready to use (https://ir.nutanix.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nutanix-simplifies-management-and-operations-kubernetes-clusters)
If you are interested on knowing more about you can go here on the official event top news page.

My Experience

As I mentioned before, this kind of event are great because you get in touch in a “relaxed” atmosphere with peers, vendors, experts and so on, so it opens possibility to learn and discuss techy topics. (I’m not say work, I just say nerd IT things!)

Following all the sessions and doing everything is also quite tricky because you will have concurrent interesting things running at the same time, but in one way or another I got used to managed it with some priorities. Of course the best thing to do is get used immediately with the venue map so you know where find the breakouts, where the expo and so on.
My suggestion is take it easy, prioritize 3/4 things that you want for sure follow per day and then try to organize the rest on the spare time. The Next app that comes handy, it helps on organize yourself with a native calendar with all the major and breakout sessions you booked. You can even connect your personal calendar if you need an extra notification!

Why I also recommend to participate is the possibility to take free, yes you are reading right “completely for free” the Nutanix Exams using the PSY platform that is handling everything. You can even schedule it in advance in the whole 3 days of the event, so you can plan your experience and take the time for be ready for the exam without losing other interesting session or event you want to attend.

Check also this great blog post from the Nutanix Community Manager, Angelo Luciani:
https://next.nutanix.com/community-blog-154/5-essential-tips-for-maximizing-your-experience-at-nutanix-next-for-bloggers-42910

Useful links:
– Test Drive: https://www.nutanix.com/one-platform
– Nutanix Community Edition: https://www.nutanix.com/products/community-edition/register
– Nutanix User Group: https://www.nutanix.com/nutanix-user-group
– Nutanix University: https://www.nutanix.com/support-services/training-certification/training

I can’t close this blogpost without writing some special thanks to whole Nutanix Marketing and Sales team (Dinah, Carmen, Patrick, Chris, Bas, if I miss someone sorry for that), Grazie!!!

Last but not least, I come at home with a great prize, I was able to Won the Medalist challenge that was a game inside the Event Application based on scanning different QR Codes present on basically every booth present on the EXPO Area.

What I took at home is a Meta Quest 3!

In summary, the Nutanix .NEXT conference is a must-attend event for anyone interested in cutting-edge technologies, cloud management, and networking with industry experts!