VMworld 2017 is just around the corner.  The premier virtualization conference will be returning to the Mandalay Bay convention center in Las Vegas at the end of August. 

There is one major addition to the EUC content at VMworld this year.  VMware has decided to move the Airwatch Connect conference, which cover’s VMware’s offerings in the mobility management space, from Atlanta and colocate it with VMworld.  So not only do attendees interested in EUC get great expert content on VMware’s Horizon solutions, they’ll get more content on Airwatch, mobility management, identity management, and IoT as well.

My top 10 EUC sessions for 2017 are:

1. ADV1594BU – Beyond the Marketing: VMware Horizon 7.1 Instant Clones Deep Dive – This session, by Jim Yanik and Oswald Chen, is a technical deep dive into how Instant Clone desktops work.  This updated session will cover new features that have been added to Instant Clones since they were released in Horizon 7.  I’m often wary of “deep dive sessions,” but I’ve seen Jim give a similar presentation at various events and he does a great job talking through the Instant Clone technology in a way that all skill levels can understand it.  If you’re interested in VMware EUC, this is the one session you must attend as this technology will be relevant for years to come. 
2. ADV1609BU – Deliver Any App, Any Desktop, Anywhere in the World Using VMware Blast Extreme – Blast Extreme is VMware’s new protocol that was officially introduced in Horizon 7.  Pat Lee and Ramu Panayappan will provide a deep dive into Blast Extreme.  Pat does a good job talking about Blast Extreme and how it works, and attendees will definitely walk away having learned something.
3. ADV1681GU/ADV1607BU – Delivering 3D graphics desktops and applications in the real world with VMware Horizon, BEAT and NVIDIA GRID – VMware’s Kiran Rao and NVIDIA’s Luke Wignall talk about how Blast Extreme utilizes NVIDIA GPUs to provide a better user experience in End-User Computing environments.  This session was actually listed twice in the Content Catalog, so don’t worry if you miss one.
4. ADV1583BU – Delivering Skype for Business with VMware Horizon: All You Need to Know – Official support for Skype for Business GA’d with Horizon 7.2.  This session will dive into how that the new Skype for Business plugin works to provide a better telephony experience in EUC environments.
5. ADV3370BUS – DeX Solutions: How Samsung and VMware are Pioneering Digital Transformation – Samsung DeX is a new cell phone from Samsung that, when placed in a dock, can utilize a keyboard, mouse, and monitor to act as a virtual thin client endpoint while still having all the capabilities of a phone.  DeX has the potential to revolutionize how businesses provide endpoints and cellular phones to users.
6. ADV1655GU – CTOs perspective on the Workspace 2020 and beyond: time to act now! – End-User Computing expert and technology evangelist Ruben Spruijt talks about the future of the end-user workspace and strategies on how to implement next-generation workspace technology.
7. UEM1359BU – Best Practices in Migrating Windows 7 to Windows 10 – Windows 10 migrations are a hot topic, and almost every business will need a Windows 10 strategy.  This session will explore the best practices for migrating to Windows 10 in any type of organization.
8. SAAM1684GU – Ask the Experts: How to Enable Secure Access from Personal/BYO Devices and All Types of Users with Workspace ONE – How do you enable secure remote access to company resources while allowing employees, contractors, and other types of workers to use their personal devices?  This group discussion will cover best practices for using VMware Workspace ONE to provide various levels of secure access to company resources from personal devices based on various context settings.  Unlike most sessions, this is a group discussion.  There are very few slides, and most of the session time will be devoted to allowing attendees to ask questions to the discussion leaders.
9. ADV1588BU – Architecting Horizon 7 and Horizon Apps – A successful EUC environment starts with a solid architecture.  This session covers how to architect an integrated Horizon environment consisting of all components of the Horizon Suite. 
10. vBrownbag TechTalks on EUC – There are three community driven vBrownbag Tech Talks focusing on EUC led by EUC Champions.  These talks are:
1. GPU-Enabled Linux VDI by Tony Foster – Tony will cover how to build GPU-enabled Linux virtual desktops in Horizon and some of the pain points he encountered while implementing this solution at a customer.
2. Windows 10 and VDI – Better Come Prepared – Rob Beekmans and Sven Huisman will cover lessons they’ve learned while implementing Windows 10 in VDI environments.
3. Leveraging User Environment Manager to Remove GPOs – Nigel Hickey will cover how to use VMware UEM as a Group Policy replacement tool.
11. ADV1605PU – Ask the Experts: Practical Tips and Tricks to Help You Succeed in EUC – So this top 10 list will actually have 11 entries, and this one is a bit of shameless self-promotion.  This session is s a repeat of last year’s EUC champions session featuring Earl Gay, VCDX Johan van Amersfoot, moderator Matt Heldstab, and I.  We’re answering your questions about EUC based on our experiences in the trenches.  Last year, we also had some prizes. 

Bonus Session

There is one bonus session that you must put on your schedule.  It’s not EUC-related, but it is put on by two of the smartest people in the business today.  They were also two of my VCDX mentors.  The session is Upgrading to vSphere 6.5 the VCDX Way [SER2318BU] by Rebecca Fitzhugh and Melissa Palmer.  You should seriously check this session out as they’ll provide a roadmap to take your environment up to vSphere 6.5.