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Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

vmware experts - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

VMware has become a cornerstone of enterprise IT infrastructure, driven in large part by a community of exceptional technologists, architects, educators, and innovators.

These individuals have shaped the evolution of virtualization, cloud infrastructure, automation, and storage – both within VMware and across the broader ecosystem. From legendary blog authors and vExperts to certified design masters and CTOs, they’ve educated global audiences, pioneered critical tools like vSAN and NSX, and built thriving communities through mentorship and content. Below is a carefully curated list of the world’s most influential VMware experts – each selected for their deep technical contributions, leadership, and lasting impact on how organizations virtualize and scale.

  1. Duncan Epping
  2. Luc Dekens
  3. John Arrasjid
  4. William Lam
  5. Joe Baguley
  6. Chad Sakac
  7. Martin Casado
  8. Stephen Foskett
  9. Chris Wolf
  10. Eric Siebert
  11. Scott Lowe
  12. Eric Sloof
  13. Vladan Seget
  14. Rick Vanover
  15. Ivan Pepelnjak
  16. Raghu Raghuram
  17. Melissa Palmer
  18. Vaughn Stewart
  19. Christos Karamanolis

Now, let’s delve into their profiles and contributions:

Duncan Epping

YouTube Video

Nationality: Dutch

Duncan Epping is VMware’s Chief Technologist in the CTO Office for Cloud Infrastructure and a hugely influential voice in the virtualization community.

He has helped shape VMware’s future innovations in vSphere and vSAN, co-authoring the definitive vSphere Clustering Deep Dive and VMware vSAN Deep Dive books. Duncan founded the popular “Yellow Bricks” blog to share expert insights and best practices, and has been ranked the #1 virtualization blogger since 2008. With his deep technical expertise and tireless evangelism, Epping bridges VMware’s product strategy with customer needs, ensuring the community stays at the cutting edge.

Luc Dekens

Nationality: Belgian

Luc Dekens is a PowerCLI and automation legend in the VMware community. For over 15 years, Luc has devoted himself to helping others automate vSphere – answering over 30,000 forum posts and moderating VMware Communities since 2005.

He co-authored the VMware vSphere PowerCLI Reference book, cementing his status as an authority on scripting VMware with PowerShell. A vExpert for more than a decade and former PowerShell MVP, Dekens has presented at VMworld and VMUGs around the world, always sharing tools and best practices freely. He essentially built the VMware PowerCLI community forums from the ground up, mentoring countless admins in the art of automation. Humble and incredibly generous with his time, Luc exemplifies community spirit – his contributions earned him VMware’s “Community Warrior” award and the respect of experts globally.

John Arrasjid

Nationality: American

John Arrasjid is VMware’s VCDX #001 – literally the first person to earn VMware’s elite design certification, and a long-time principal architect and evangelist for VMware solutions.

As VMware’s Principal Architect in the early 2000s, Arrasjid developed much of the methodology behind VMware’s deployment best practices. He co-authored the official VCDX Boot Camp book to mentor others in enterprise VMware design. John has spent decades consulting on complex vSphere and vCloud deployments, and he continues to educate as an author and speaker (including recent sessions on hybrid cloud and even quantum computing applications for VMware). Highly respected for his standardized approach to datacenter design, Arrasjid remains a revered mentor figure helping the next generation of VMware architects achieve excellence.

William Lam

William Lam - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

Nationality: American

William Lam is a Distinguished Engineer at VMware (Broadcom) known for automating and innovating VMware solutions.

He leads technical strategy for VMware Cloud Foundation and is an expert in cloud-native integration and SDDC automation. William shares hundreds of scripts and insights on his famed “Virtually Ghetto” blog, empowering admins to push vSphere to new heights. A 17-time vExpert, Lam has been recognized as one of the most influential voices in cloud and virtualization. His contributions – from the ESXi-Arm fling to countless PowerCLI tools – have made complex tasks achievable for VMware users at all levels.

Joe Baguley

I didn’t think this would be a 12-year thing when I started… but I knew that whatever happened it was going to be fun. It certainly has been… Most importantly we’ve built a culture here that I’m deeply proud of. It attracts people, it makes them stay and even makes them come back when they leave – but most importantly it makes it a great place to work, truly.

Nationality: British

Joe Baguley is VP and CTO for EMEA at VMware (Broadcom), and one of the most prominent thought leaders in cloud and virtualization in Europe. A 25+ year industry veteran, he’s known for articulating VMware’s vision to customers, from VMworld keynotes to BBC interviews.

Baguley has been recognized as one of the world’s top CTOs (ranked #26 globally) and is celebrated for his advocacy of multi-cloud strategies and digital transformation. He played a key role in early CloudCamp events, and continues to advise VMware’s R&D and field teams on aligning innovations with real-world needs. Baguley’s influence and accessibility have made him a trusted source of guidance in the VMware community.

Chad Sakac

Chad Sakac - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

Nationality: Canadian

Chad Sakac is a legendary figure in the VMware ecosystem known for his energetic evangelism and industry leadership.

At EMC and Dell, he formed the “vSpecialist” team of VMware experts to accelerate virtualization in the enterprise. Sakac was a driving force in converged infrastructure and later led Dell’s VMware Tanzu (cloud-native) efforts. In 2021 he co-founded a new startup (Regatta) to tackle database virtualization challenges. Chad’s long-running “Virtual Geek” blog demystified VMware-integrated storage and is filled with his hallmark enthusiastic deep-dives. Frequently found on stage at VMworld, Sakac’s passion for technology and community has inspired thousands of VMware professionals.

Martin Casado

Nationality: American

Martin Casado is a pioneer of software-defined networking (SDN) and the co-founder of Nicira – the startup whose network virtualization platform became VMware NSX. At Nicira, Casado developed the OpenFlow protocol and overlays that transformed networking, leading VMware to acquire Nicira for $1.26B in 2012.

Post-acquisition, he served as VMware’s CTO for Networking & Security and GM of the NSX business, bringing virtual networking into the enterprise mainstream. In 2016 Martin transitioned to venture capital, but remains an active influencer in cloud and networking discussions. Casado’s contributions – from inventing the NSX architecture to advocating new cloud networking models – have fundamentally shaped how VMware environments do virtual networking. He is widely regarded as the “father” of modern network virtualization.

Stephen Foskett

Nationality: American

Stephen Foskett is a prominent tech analyst, event organizer, and IT generalist who has significantly contributed to the VMware and storage communities. He is the founder of Gestalt IT and the Tech Field Day event series, which brings together industry experts and companies (including many VMware teams) to discuss latest technologies.

Foskett has over two decades of enterprise IT experience spanning storage, server virtualization, networking, and cloud. He has authored numerous articles in industry publications and is a frequent speaker at conferences. Notably, Stephen is one of the few recognized by both Microsoft and VMware (vExpert) for his community contributions. Through Tech Field Day, he has amplified the voices of independent VMware experts and fostered open technical dialogue. Foskett’s broad perspective and community-first approach make him a unique expert who understands how VMware fits into the larger IT ecosystem.

Chris Wolf

Chris Wolf - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

Nationality: American

Chris Wolf is a global technology strategist who served as VMware’s CTO for the Americas and now leads AI and advanced technology programs at VMware (Broadcom).

With a career bridging industry and research, Wolf literally wrote the book on enterprise virtualization in its early days. He spent years as a Gartner analyst before joining VMware to shape its future-forward initiatives. Wolf’s expertise spans from hypervisor internals to multi-cloud architectures, and he has been an outspoken advocate for hybrid cloud best practices. He’s authored dozens of technical articles, is a popular event speaker, and helped steer VMware’s strategic direction and technology evolution over the past decade. Wolf’s blend of practical and visionary insight makes him one of VMware’s top experts and innovators.

Eric Siebert

Nationality: American

Eric Siebert is a veteran VMware expert and community builder, best known as the founder of vSphere-land.com – the site behind the popular “Top 25 VMware Bloggers” rankings.

With over 25 years in IT, Eric has authored books like VMware VI3 Implementation and contributed to VMware communities as a vExpert. He spent years at Hewlett-Packard as a solutions manager, where he specialized in VMware-integrated storage solutions. Siebert’s vSphere-land site has for over a decade shined a spotlight on bloggers and tips, fostering knowledge-sharing across the VMware world. He remains an active blogger, virtualization instructor, and frequent Tech Field Day delegate. Eric’s efforts in evangelizing VMware best practices and connecting experts have cemented his status as a top influencer in the virtualization arena.

Scott Lowe

Scott Lowe - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

Nationality: American

Scott Lowe is an internationally recognized author, architect, and virtualization guru. He has written four books on VMware vSphere (including the classic Mastering VMware vSphere series) that educated an entire generation of VMware admins.

Lowe started as an IT practitioner and rose to become a senior engineering architect at VMware focusing on network virtualization (NSX). He was an early champion of software-defined networking and storage integration, blogging prolifically at “Scott’s Blog” about NSX, vCloud, and Kubernetes. Scott has also held executive IT roles and co-founded ActualTech Media, bridging the gap between technology and education. Though he now works in cloud networking, Lowe’s pioneering work in vSphere design, documentation, and community content firmly establishes him among the top VMware experts.

Eric Sloof

Nationality: Dutch

Eric Sloof is a veteran VMware Certified Instructor and one of Europe’s most visible VMware trainers and bloggers. With 25+ years in IT and specialization in cloud and networking, Eric runs NTPRO.NL, which has been consistently ranked among the top VMware blogs in the world.

He delivers hands-on VMware courses (he was named VMware Instructor of the Year, EMEA in 2023) and shares a wealth of video tutorials on his YouTube channel. Sloof is also known for co-hosting “VMworld TV”, bringing a fun, accessible face to conference coverage. As a 17-time vExpert, Eric actively contributes to the community through forum support and speaking at VMUG events. His engaging teaching style and real-world lab expertise have helped thousands of professionals master vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation.

Vladan Seget

Nationality: French

Vladan Seget is an independent VMware consultant and the founder of ESX Virtualization, one of the longest-running VMware blogs. Based in France, Vladan has been sharing how-tos, lab setups, and product reviews since 2008 on vladan.fr, helping countless VMware admins with practical guidance.

He holds multiple advanced certifications (VCAP-DCA/DCD) and has been a vExpert for 17 years running. Vladan’s blog is especially known for its detailed walkthroughs of vSphere upgrades, backups, and homelab builds. He also contributes to other virtualization sites and remains hands-on as a systems engineer. By focusing on real-world challenges and solutions, Vladan Seget has earned a reputation as a go-to expert for VMware best practices in the field.

Rick Vanover

Rick Vanover - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

Nationality: American

Rick Vanover is a noted VMware vExpert and community manager known for bridging the VMware and data protection worlds. At Veeam Software, Rick serves as Senior Director of Product Strategy, where he focuses on VMware backup and cloud integration.

He’s been in IT since 1996, from systems admin to strategist. Vanover is a prolific blogger and podcaster – hosting the Veeam Community Podcast – and is affectionately known as “Rickatron” on social media. A frequent Tech Field Day delegate and VMUG speaker, Rick provides valuable insight on keeping VMware environments secure, backed up, and available. He has earned vExpert status multiple years for his contributions. With his approachable style and deep knowledge of VMware+Veeam best practices, Vanover remains a trusted expert for virtualization admins worldwide.

Ivan Pepelnjak

Nationality: Slovenian

Ivan Pepelnjak is a networking expert who has significantly impacted VMware NSX adoption through his independent analysis and education. Best known for his blog ipSpace.net, Ivan has decades of experience designing large-scale networks and was a pioneer in software-defined networking.

He delivered deep-dive NSX webinars and write-ups that helped demystify VMware’s network virtualization for network engineers. Ivan’s frank assessments of SDN solutions earned him respect as an objective authority. He has authored Cisco and network design books, and as a CCIE emeritus he brings rigorous networking chops to the VMware realm. By bridging traditional networking and VMware virtualization, Pepelnjak has trained countless professionals to understand and deploy NSX and overlay networks correctly.

Raghu Raghuram

Nationality: Indian

Raghu Raghuram is the Chief Executive (former CEO) of VMware and a driving force behind VMware’s evolution for over 18 years. Joining VMware in 2003, Raghu steered the company’s product strategy from core ESX virtualization through the software-defined data center (SDDC) era and into multi-cloud.

He led product management for ESX/vCenter in the early days, was pivotal in launching vSAN and NSX, and later as COO oversaw all products and cloud services. In 2021, Raghuram took the helm as CEO, guiding VMware’s vision in the multi-cloud and subscription era. Widely respected for his technical insight and business acumen, he has helped VMware’s customers navigate from on-prem virtualization to hybrid cloud architectures. Under his leadership, VMware continued to innovate in containers, Kubernetes (Tanzu), and edge computing – solidifying its role in modern IT infrastructure.

Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer - Top 19 VMware Experts You Can Hire

Nationality: American

Melissa Palmer is a VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX #236) and an influential voice in the virtualization community. She runs vMiss.net, a popular blog where she shares advanced guides on vSphere, vSAN, and data center design.

Melissa’s background as an infrastructure engineer and architect – including years at Veeam as a Technical Marketing Engineer – gives her a broad perspective from backup to cloud. She has written a book on IT disaster recovery and frequently presents at VMware User Groups and on podcasts, breaking down complex concepts for newcomers. As a mentor, she actively encourages and guides others to pursue VMware certifications and community involvement. Palmer’s mix of technical depth, communication skill, and community advocacy makes her one of the top VMware experts to follow.

Vaughn Stewart

Nationality: American

Vaughn Stewart is a veteran in the virtualization-enabled storage arena and currently the Chief Evangelist at Pure Storage. He made his mark at NetApp in the 2000s by integrating storage efficiency with VMware, earning recognition as a VMware vExpert from 2009–2012.

Vaughn co-authored the book Virtualization Changes Everything and has published numerous technical papers on storage for virtual environments. A regular presenter at VMworld and other industry events, he excels at explaining how flash storage, data reduction, and cloud architectures can solve data center challenges. Stewart holds a raft of certifications across VMware, Microsoft, and Cisco, reflecting his multi-disciplinary expertise. His blog and tweets (@vStewed) have long guided VMware admins on aligning storage performance and capacity with vSphere demands. In short, Vaughn Stewart’s advocacy and technical insight have helped drive the adoption of high-performance storage in VMware ecosystems.

Christos Karamanolis

Nationality: Greek

Christos Karamanolis is a VMware Fellow and storage visionary who was one of the original architects of VMware vSAN. In nearly 20 years at VMware, Christos led engineering for storage and availability, eventually serving as CTO of that business unit.

He holds 50+ patents in distributed systems and fault-tolerant storage, and was instrumental in turning vSAN from an idea into a core VMware product now used by over 20,000 customers. Karamanolis also drove VMware’s strategy in data protection and storage integration (such as VMware Virtual Volumes). Now part of VMware’s Cloud Infrastructure team at Broadcom, he focuses on evolving data infrastructure for the cloud era. With a Ph.D. in distributed computing and decades of R&D, Christos is the expert when it comes to storage innovations within VMware’s platform.

Wrap Up

These legends represent exceptional talent, making them extremely challenging to headhunt. However, there are thousands of other highly skilled IT professionals available to hire with our help. Contact us, and we will be happy to discuss your hiring needs.

Note: We’ve dedicated significant time and effort to creating and verifying this curated list of top talent. However, if you believe a correction or addition is needed, feel free to reach out. We’ll gladly review and update the page.

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