Two weeks ago, the VMTN Blog was buzzing with exciting news, the Annual vExpert designation is upon us! What is a vExpert? I’m glad you asked, the VMware Technology Network recognizes “Experts” of virtualization each year in three categories: Evangelist, Customer and Partner. People can either nominate themselves or others during an application period, then vExperts are announced! That is way too simple of an explanation of what it is because there are a ton of benefits with the program, not to mention the honor of being recognized by your peers as a solid contributor to the amazing world of virtualization.

PKGuild has a very thorough breakdown of the vExpert program here.

Applications are being accepted until March 6th @ Midnight PST. If you know someone who has contributed above and beyond the call of duty and feel they should be considered nominate them, if you feel you are one of those contributors then go for it! There are some changes this year regarding quarterly nominations so read the blog post below for more details.

The vExpert membership is a high honor and recognition of those dedicated to serving the virtualization community.

The below information is from VMTN’s Blog Post regarding the vExpert 2014 program and application details:

vExpert 2014 applications are open

Each year, we bring together in the vExpert Program the people who have made some of the most important contributions to the VMware community. These are the bloggers, book authors, VMUG leaders, speakers, tool builders, community leaders and general enthusiasts. They work as IT admins and architects for VMware customers, they act as trusted advisors and implementors for VMware partners or as independent consultants, and some work for VMware itself. All of them have the passion and enthusiasm for technology and applying technology to solve problems. They have contributed to the success of us all by sharing their knowledge and expertise over their days, nights, and weekends.

vExperts who participate in the program have access to private betas, free licenses, early access briefings, exclusive events, free access to VMworld conference materials online, and other opportunities to interact with VMware product teams. They also get access to a private community and networking opportunities.

Changes for the 2014 vExpert Program
This year we are implementing two new changes to the vExpert program. The first change is fast track current vExperts into the 2014 program. If you are a current 2013 vExpert, your 2014 application process has been shortened. Since you are a proven vExpert all we want to know is what you have been doing since the May 2013 vExpert announcement. Simple, right?

The second change is quarterly nominations into the 2014 vExpert program. We will leave the application open year round and at the end of each quarter we will begin the voting process for new vExperts from the previous quarter. So even if you are not picked to become a vExpert 2014 right away, we will allow for quarterly voting and nominations.

Evangelist Path
The Evangelist Path includes book authors, bloggers, tool builders, public speakers, VMTN contributors, and other IT professionals who share their knowledge and passion with others with the leverage of a personal public platform to reach many people. Employees of VMware can also apply via the Evangelist path. A VMware employee reference is recommended if your activities weren’t all in public or were in a language other than English.

Customer Path
The Customer Path is for leaders from VMware customer organizations. They have been internal champions in their organizations, or worked with VMware to build success stories, act as customer references, given public interviews, spoken at conferences, or were VMUG leaders. A VMware employee reference is recommended if your activities weren’t all in public.

VPN (VMware Partner Network) Path
The VPN Path is for employees of our partner companies who lead with passion and by example, who are committed to continuous learning through accreditations and certifications and to making their technical knowledge and expertise available to many. This can take shape of event participation, video, IP generation, as well as public speaking engagements. A VMware employee reference is required for VPN Path candidates.

Apply for vExpert 2014
Current 2013 vExperts use the 2014 vExpert Fast Track application: http://bit.ly/1ikZ8hi
2014 vExpert application: http://bit.ly/LMJqB5
Recommend a colleague to apply for 2014 vExpert: http://bit.ly/1bobFfF

Questions & Updates

For questions about the application process or the vExpert Program, please send email to  vexpert@vmware.com. Be sure to follow @vExpert for updates on the 2014 vExpert program.

Thank you to all who have participated in years past,
Corey Romero & the vExpert Team