Session 1: VMware Alternatives

With IT budgets tighten and infrastructure strategies shifting, many organizations are re-evaluating their virtualization environments in search of greater efficiency and cost savings. This session will guide attendees through the current hypervisor landscape and explore strategic transformation options that align with operational and financial goals. From understanding licensing trends to evaluating emerging alternatives and open-source solutions, participants will gain insights into how to modernize their virtualization approach without compromising performance or security. The discussion will also review the future of virtualization, including containerization, cloud-native platforms, and automation, as key enablers of long-term cost optimization and agility.

  • Phil Fisichella, Executive IT Architect, Evolving Solutions
  • Jim Pross, Senior Solution Architect – Open Systems, Evolving Solutions 

 

Session 2: Operationalizing Kubernetes

As organizations transition from traditional virtualization platforms like VMware to modern infrastructure, Kubernetes has emerged as a powerful alternative, particularly for bridging legacy virtual machine (VM)-based applications and cloud-native, containerized workloads. This session explores the operational strategies and best practices for adopting Kubernetes-based solutions, such as Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) with Virtualization or SUSE Rancher/Harvester, in the datacenter. Building on the discussion of VMware alternatives, this session will dive into the practical steps datacenter administrators can take to integrate Kubernetes as a robust virtualization platform. Attendees will learn how to leverage Kubernetes to maintain operational familiarity while enabling scalability, flexibility, and efficiency for both legacy and modern applications in a DevOps and AI-driven world.

  • Andy Schulte, Delivery Consultant – Networking, Evolving Solutions
  • Jim Pross, Senior Solution Architect – Open Systems, Evolving Solutions
  • Nic Boet, Security Solution Architect, Evolving Solutions

 

Session 3: Infrastructure for AI

AI adoption is growing rapidly across industries, driving an increased need for infrastructure that meets the specific demands of AI workloads. This session explores what different types of AI workloads look like from model training and inferencing to data preprocessing and how they shape requirements across compute, storage, and networking. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of where GPU acceleration is critical, how AI networking should be architected for high-speed, low-latency, and parallel I/O, and what types of storage best support various data-intensive workloads. We will also feature practical examples of reference architecture that strike the right balance between performance, simplicity, affordability, and security. Attend to gain actionable insights on how to design AI infrastructure that is scalable, repeatable, and optimized for real-world performance.

  • Nic Boet, Security Solution Architect, Evolving Solutions
  • Ted Letofsky, Executive IT Architect, Evolving Solutions
  • Julian McRoy, Solution Architect – Networking, Evolving Solutions