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NSX MINDSET
CHRIS MCCAIN, DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION, NETWORKING AND SECURITY, VMWARE
The NSX Mindset represents a new paradigm in the IT industry. Overall, it represents the monumental changes occurring as network virtualization rapidly rises to the forefront of datacenter architecture.
To VMware, as a company, the NSX Mindset is symbolic of the com- pany’s growth, innovation and leadership in the industry. Much like VMware ESX began as ripple and became a tidal wave in a global industry, the stone of NSX has been cast into the pond. Only this time the stone is much bigger and being thrown by a much stronger arm. With more than 500,000 VMware vSphere customers and a dominant market share in the compute virtualization space, VMware is immediately in the most strategic position to bring customers a next-generation networking and security platform that solves busi- ness problems with integrated technology.
To the small, midsize and large enterprises that have a digital footprint of any size, the NSX Mindset has a different meaning. Organizations with an NSX Mindset are focused on agility, scale, efficiency, security, automation and optimization. The business impact of VMware NSX is quantifiable while its immediate challenge to IT operations is equally undeniable. In an industry traditionally built on silos and pods of independent jobs, roles and workforces, VMware NSX breaks down the natural lines that separate IT organizations. Outdated, compart- mentalized operations are eliminated when NSX Mindset begins to dominate the enterprise. The ONE TEAM strategy will prevail and lead IT organizations into building cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams of individuals that work in unison with one another.
To you, the engineer, the administrator, the architect, the individual, the NSX Mindset takes on yet another, different meaning. The NSX Mindset is most certainly about opportunity for personal growth and success. People of all occupations, races, religions and geographies understand clearly the rate at which technology has impacted our lives. Much like a business looks at business problems and turns to technology to solve them, we humans do the same. The rapid rise and constant evolution of smartphones and respective applications is enough evidence to show that, as human beings, we are open to making our personal lives easier, efficient, agile, automated and more. This open mindset toward personal devices is often contradictory to the mindset we have toward our own careers. When it comes to our
jobs we are commonly bound to a fixed mind- set. We get stuck in patterns and rhythms and routines that allow us to move through the days in a manner that makes earning a paycheck comfortable. We know what to do. We know how to do it. Why should we intro- duce something new that will impact the status quo? This fixed mindset is an obstacle to experiencing the personal career growth that we tell ourselves we want. It’s easy for actions and words to contradict when a fixed mindset dominates. It’s easy for fear of failure to facilitate fear of change when a fixed mind- set dominates. The NSX Mindset symbolizes a growth mindset. A growth mindset person is not only open to change and challenge, but will embrace it. A growth mindset person doesn’t blindly accept or welcome change. The growth mindset person is, however, will- ing to investigate, learn and try. The growth mindset person is willing to persist even through failure. VMware NSX undoubtedly represents change. This change undoubtedly represents opportunity for you to grow.
The efforts of VMware and VMUG that began on April 1, 2017, have intensified on May 1, 2017, and will continue to persist so that you can investigate, learn, try, fail, persist and grow. Join the VMUG NSX community and be active. Join the VMUG Advantage program and install the software. Buy the discounted NSX education package and use it. The goal is to provide you with the tools you need to get trained and certified on VMware NSX and with that new knowl- edge you will be a catalyst for change as your organization evolves into ONE TEAM. It starts with a growth mindset. It starts with the NSX Mindset.
NSX Mindset
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