.NEXT 2026 Chicago

.NEXT 2026 Chicago

Introduction

As .NEXT 2026 is slowly but certainly approaching, I am really counting down to this event. This will be my first major event abroad, so besides the fact that it will be an interesting event already on its own, these factors make it even more exciting.

Expectations

As all of us, I do have some major goals and expectations from this event and what I am mainly looking forward to. Some of them are, but not limited to.

  • Networking (obviously), which includes meeting folks from all over the world, sharing the same energy and passion.
  • Renewing some existing certifications and obtaining new ones that I've been willing to achieve.
  • Attending interesting keynotes and breakout sessions from specific vendors, persons, and topics.
  • Goodies, duh 🤩
  • And so much more

Networking

As we all know, these kinds of events are the optimal moment to network with fellow IT enthusiasts, from customers to partners and, of course, Nutanix personnel itself.

It's the exact moment to create new bonds, exchange ideas, spot opportunities, and, just in general, have a great time. So I am really looking forward to sharing and exchanging my perception and listening to others perceptions and experiences.

Certifications

The .NEXT events are a great time to renew some of your certifications that are nearly expiring or, just in general, keeping them up-to-date, which never hurts. Moreover, it is also a good moment to attempt some certifications you've been pursuing to obtain for a longer period but were unconfident about whether you're well prepared for them. You can just do these certifications on demand, and it will give you a good idea of whether you're ready for them, or which sections might have some room for improvement.

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Do notice, for the practical exams, such as NCM-MCI, you'll need to register upfront online, or at the certifications booth no less than 24 hours early. They'll assign you a slot at which you can perform the exam.
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For theoretical exams with multiple choice, this is not a requirement, but is highly recommended, to ensure you'll have a spot, as the amount of spaces is not unlimited. There are, however, certain timespans during the day in which you (free choice when) need to take your exam.

Keynotes & Break-out sessions

Another thing that's, of course, always a part of these kinds of gatherings is the extensive amount of interesting sessions and latest tech news topics the experts are sharing with the audience.

For me personally, there are a few I'm especially looking forward to attending, which I will list below.

  • Beyond the Firewall: A Deep Dive into Microsegmentation with Flow
    • As microsegmentation has become more important than ever before, with today's kinds of workloads and environments, making sure you're up to date with the latest enhancements, best practices, and methodologies on how to implement this is not just an option. With this session we'll delve deeper into how to truly leverage Zero Trust and ensure we're able to meet the latest demands on ensuring a secure environment and leverage Nutanix Flow Network Security to its full capacity.
  • Flow at Scale: Production-Ready Networking and Security
    • To add on top of what was described up here, with this session we'll even broaden the scope and portfolio of Nutanix Flow. We'll also discuss how to leverage and simplify operations with Flow Virtual Networking to ensure consistency across multiple cloud or on-premise environments.
  • From VMware to Nutanix: A Complete Blueprint for Migrating VMs, NSX Rules, and Policies
    • Since the IT landscape has shifted quite a lot ever since the acquisition of Broadcom happened, numerous companies are considering alternative options. Unfortunately, migrations take time and involve a lot of uncertainty. Nutanix has been actively improving methods to make the migrations happen more and more seamlessly. For VMs, this has been in place for quite some time already. However, since quite a lot of customers utilize microsegmentation already, like NSX-T, migrating these comes with its own complexity. Since more recent versions of Nutanix Move, there have been great enhancements overcoming and simplifying this specific challenge.
  • 5 Smarter Ways to Run Modern Workloads in the Public Cloud
    • With the current hardware prices increasing due to the AI focus, we're currently experiencing a lot of delivery delays or constraints, making companies rethink their strategy. Investing in cloud alternatives, therefore, can be a very interesting step. In this session we're learning more about how the Nutanix Cloud Platform allows you to run modern workloads more efficiently across public clouds and see this as a true game changer.
  • ...

There are quite some other sessions I'll try to attend, but listing them all here in depth would become too long, therefore, I've limited it to a few important ones for me.

Goodies

Like with every kind of vendor event, there are also some goodies and gear to be included. Because, why not? ;D I'll definitely be going after some to add to a growing collection.

Others

Of course, there's tons of other things why .NEXT is worth attending and which I'm looking out for, such as the Solutions Expo, .NEXT Party, and Sponsor Sessions. In general, it will be a super nice event and a unique experience to add to my list.

Conclusion

.NEXT is one of these epic events you'd definitely not want to miss and therefore should put on your bucket list. I am already counting down to the endless opportunities and meeting certain folks.

If you have been tempted to go but were still a bit hesitant. It is not too late yet. This is your opportunity to still register for this event and be a part of the experience. You can register yourself here.

That's it, for now, and I hopefully see you over there 😊