As everyone is our market is talking about the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;tbm=nws&amp;authuser=0&amp;q=VMworld&amp;oq=VMworld&amp;gs_l=news-cc.3..43j43i53.42534.43599.0.43735.7.2.0.5.5.0.67.129.2.2.0...0.0...1ac.1.rcs8WuhVo6I" target="_blank">news from VMworld</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=vmworld&amp;src=typd" target="_blank">Twittering on about buzz</a> happening from the show floor, we polled a few of our team members for their thoughts. Here you go!

<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=31347442&amp;authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=0Nc9&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=149251911377575759327&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=2747&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A149251911377575759327%2CVSRPtargetId%3A31347442%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary"><b>Ian Jones</b></a><b> </b>

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<b>(Profile: Ian manages a diverse team of </b><a href="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/what-we-do/services/application-services/"><b>Application &amp; Data Services</b></a><b> Engineers focused on BI, Data Warehousing &amp;Data Analytics at eGroup. Ian will be presenting at VMworld this year.)</b>

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<b>- Ian, this is your second consecutive trip to SF for VMworld. How does this year compare to last years event?</b>

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<i>VMware dedicated a lot of time to explaining the vision for the software defined data center (SDDC) last year, but this year there is greater substance around the specifics and how that vision will play out. The acquisition of Nicira provided a catalyst for VMware in the software defined networking (SND) space and has accelerated the advancement for VMware in the area of heterogeneous infrastructure environments and clouds. Expect to see similar advancements and acquisitions in storage.</i><b><i></i></b>

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<b>- Tell us about your speaking session with </b><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=11351285&amp;authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=vnfG&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=149251911377575926429&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=182&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A149251911377575926429%2CVSRPtargetId%3A11351285%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary"><b>Ed Ricks</b></a><b> (CIO at Beaufort Memorial Hospital) scheduled for later today … </b>

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<i>EUC5369 -</i> <a href="https://vmworld2013.activeevents.com/connect/sessionDetail.ww?SESSION_ID=5369"><i>Beaufort Memorial Hospital Enhances Patient Care with Secure Mobile Solutions</i></a><i> </i>
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	<li><i>o</i><i>   Moscone 2005 – 8/27 4pm PST</i></li>
	<li><i>o</i><i>   Attend this session to learn how secure, one-touch roaming sessions helped to encourage use of electronic medical records (EMR) and pave the way for CPOE at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. The move to EMR was a foregone conclusion from the start at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Yet, while the long-term benefits that a paperless environment would have on hospital efficiency, PHI security and improved patient outcomes were substantial, the immediate impact on caregiver workflow had the potential to turn clinicians away. New online systems would introduce more complex passwords to users already overburdened with remembering credentials. Multiple log ins/out, user lock-outs and time spent calling the help desk could frustrate users and jeopardize the EMR project. Any technology that reduced the amount of time spent caring for patients would be resisted by clinicians, and it was clear that electronic engagement was going to be a challenge, particularly with physicians. For Ed Ricks, Beaumont Memorial Hospital’s VP and CIO, understanding the physicians’ requirements and presenting a flexible solution that actually improved their productivity - while at the same time securing patient data - was key to their engagement, and ultimately attesting for Meaningful Use. By rethinking the way clinicians access the data they need, the IT team was able to develop an electronic system that delivered faster workflows and higher efficiency. Through a combination of virtual desktops, single sign-on and strong authentication, clinicians today have secure, one-touch access to roaming sessions that follow them throughout their shifts. Users access data at standalone office PCs, generic shared workstations, and virtual roaming desktops. They log in once at the start of their shifts, and move throughout their day during a predefined grace period, logging in and out of their sessions with a simple tap of their employee ID badges. In this presentation, Ricks will describe the path that his team took to reach Stage 1 Meaningful Use and how they won over doctors and nurses by redefining the parameters of access to PHI.</i></li>
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<b>- What session are you looking forward to the most &amp; why?</b>

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<i>As a member of eGroup’s leadership team, I don’t spend a lot of time attending sessions, but do dedicate the majority of my time to speaking with key customers, vendors, and partners. The relationships that are fostered and strengthened at VMworld are invaluable to eGroup’s success. I very much enjoyed the time spent with Pat Gelsinger and other senior VMware leadership in several meetings during VMworld in that it helps to understand the vision and direction of VMware in the years to come. The partner ecosystem is strong and a valuable part of eGroup’s offering.</i>

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<b>- Ian, where have you been so far? What places would you recommend for others at the event this week or planning future trips to the Bay?</b>

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<i>San Francisco offers a wide variety of world-class restaurants. eGroup organized several dinners for valued customers and partners while at VMworld that included venues in the SOMA, Financial District, and Fisherman’s Wharf areas. A particular favorite is The House of Shields which has existed in its current location since 1908. It has a fun and relatively quiet atmosphere that allows for great interaction.</i><i></i>

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<b>*</b><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=66145774&amp;locale=en_US&amp;trk=tyah"><b>Daniel Navarro</b></a><b> </b>

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<b>(Daniel has been with eGroup for 3.5 years. Daniel began his career working with VMware in 2010 on the eGroup Inside Sales Team and now works as a territory Account Executive covering the SC &amp; Eastern NC markets). </b>

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<b>- I believe this is your first VMworld, correct? Imagine all of us have never been before... How would you describe the event, the venue and the crowd? </b>

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<i>Yes, this is my first time to VMworld! I am pumped.  The event is filled with a wealth of knowledge around the VMware technology, strategic vision &amp; partner ecosystem.</i>

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<i>There are ample events &amp; sessions constantly running outside of the main exhibitor floor.   Until now, I haven't experienced many events yet other than the welcome reception on Sunday night, which was very cool!  Numerous booths with many companies I have never heard of.  I learned a lot and even ran into one of our valued customers (Phillip from Williams and Fudge) and I somehow managed to spill some beer on his shirt! Haha! Events I am going to this week include – Trend Micro Data Protection on Monday, EMC - Cisco focused sessions on Tuesday &amp; VMworld 2013 main party Wednesday!</i>

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<b>- What session are you looking forward to the most &amp; why?  </b>

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<i>Attacking the high cost of Desktop Virtualization . The speaker is Gartner Analyst, Gunner Berger (Gunner used to work at eGroup as an Engineer) </i>

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<a href="https://vmworld2013.activeevents.com/connect/sessionDetail.ww?SESSION_ID=5369"><i>Beaufort Memorial Hospital Enhances Patient Care with Secure Mobile Solutions</i></a><i> - speakers Ed Ricks (CIO) and Ian Jones (eGroup Application/Data Services Manager)</i>

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<i>I am really interested in sessions around cloud (building a hybrid cloud) and how that will apply to eGroup and our offerings…</i>

<i>Self service backup and DR for IaaS : the service you can not live without. How to build your hybrid cloud and consume the public cloud</i>

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<b>- You mentioned big plans to explore The Bay Area. Where do you think you will spend most of your free time? Any recommendations for others that will be in San Fran this week?  </b>

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<i>The only exploring I have done thus far is the area surrounding the </i><a href="http://www.moscone.com/site/do/index"><i>Moscone Center</i></a><i> &amp; </i><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/marina/"><i>the Marina District</i></a><i> – I definitely recommend the Marina District.  I really would like to visit Fisherman’s Wharf!

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<b>*</b><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=183782044&amp;authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=xn95&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=149251911377575801025&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=1653&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A149251911377575801025%2CVSRPtargetId%3A183782044%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary"><b>Chris Ermis</b></a><b> – </b>

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<b>(Chris recently joined the eGroup team in early 2013 and works out of the eGroup HQ office in Mt. Pleasant, SC as aCoastal SC Technical Consultant providing Pre-Sales Engineering, Design and Architecture Support for the field sales teams.)</b>

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<b>- Chris, You have years of experience working with VMware's technology dating back to your time working in the Public Sector with SunGard. What is the single most important takeaway you are trying to obtain while at VMworld this year?</b>

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<i>I am looking forward to seeing what new and innovative ideas startups are implementing in order to simplify data center administration. </i>

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<b>- What session are you looking forward to the most &amp; why?</b>

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<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/virtualization/vmware-launches-software-defined-data-ce/240160406"><i>NSX. Software Defined networking</i></a><i>. One of the last untamed frontiers of Virtualization. </i>

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<b>- Tell us the most interesting fact, story or piece of the Bay Area during your time there so far.</b>

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<i>I have been most impressed with the public transportation system – design &amp; architecture... Trains, busses, trams, and bicycles. Very well thought out and executed!</i>

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<b>*</b><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92525439&amp;authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=Azgf&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=149251911377575826164&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=1367&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A149251911377575826164%2CVSRPtargetId%3A92525439%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary"><b>Dave Strum</b></a><b> – </b>

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<b>(Dave works out of the Columbia, SC office as an Application Services Engineer specializing in End-User Computing and Virtual Environments. Previously, Dave worked as a Distributed Support Engineering Lead for Aetna.)</b>

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<b>- Dave, what events have you attended previously in your career that compare to VMworld?</b><b></b>

<a href="http://www.citrixsynergy.com/">Citrix Synergy</a> in 2011.

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<b>- What session are you looking forward to the most &amp; why?</b>

<a href="http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/features-drs-dpm"><i>DRS</i></a><i>: New Features, Best Practices and Future Directions - DRS is awesome because of what it does. It has the ability to monitor your clusters in order to optimize host and vm performance.  DRS/vMotion technology is what made me fall in love with virtualization technology. </i>

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<b>- Being a long distance runner... Help us understand the best running routes that you have mapped throughout the city for this week.</b>

<i>I have a few maps made up for this week. The coolest is the route from Moscone Center to the </i><a href="http://www.golden-gate-park.com/"><i>Golden Gate Park</i></a><i>. If I feel adventurous, I might take the challenge to cross the bridge!</i>