Category: Architecture Design & Strategy

In the last month I have been involved in a few VCDX mocks. One of the things I have been explaining to VCDX candidates is the importance of being knowledgeable about modern infrastructure design and being able to articulate the business value.

List of articles in my VCDX Deep-Dive series (more than 90 posts)

The way the VCDX blueprints are written, you are encouraged to design a “Build Your Own” solution, which is the antithesis of cloud and the SDDC. Which leads to VCDX candidates following the “BYO” route without considering and understanding how automation, cloud and the self-driving SDDC functions and adds value to a customer.

Am I saying you need to be an expert in VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware Cloud? No, but I am suggesting that you need to be aware of it and be able to describe how it works and articulate the business value realized.

What “modern” VMware solutions am I referring to? Solutions such as the entire suite in VMware Cloud (vRA Cloud, Log Insight Cloud, Cloud Health, Tanzu, etc.), VMware Cloud Foundation (including VCF on VxRail), VMware Cloud on AWS (and all other hyperscaler VMware variants: Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, GCP, etc.), VMware vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager, Horizon 7 on VMC on AWS/Azure, etc. And understand how the VMware Validated Design (VVD) framework relates to these solutions.

In my opinion, here are some suggestions on how you can weave this into your VCDX submission and the panel defense:

• Use the alternate design decision methodology in your VCDX submission to demonstrate your knowledge about a modern VMware design.
• As you are presenting your design to the panel, explain how a constraint stopped you from using a modern VMware solution, but elaborate on how it would work if that constraint was removed.
• Design a hybrid topology, where the public cloud technology is a data center extension or disaster recovery service, but keep the on-site component as “BYO” (the part that aligns to your VCDX track – e.g. DCV is vSphere).
• During the Design Scenario, blend modern VMware solution design elements into your talk track.

As you go through the VCDX process, you will get a lot of feedback from your study group and the VCDX mentors you have mock sessions with. That feedback is a gift, you need it to evolve and grow the skills to be successful as a VCDX and an Architect. The trick is to take that feedback and incorporate it into your style of talking and presenting and make it yours. This includes filtering that advice and discovering what is best for you and what is not. I think of it as finding your “Voice”, the thing that makes you unique and is at the core of your identity as a person. And we are all different, what works for me, may not work for you.

List of articles in my VCDX Deep-Dive series (more than 90 posts)

Finding your voice takes time and effort. And making major changes to how you do things at one time should be avoided. You want to improve your game one step at a time. If a minor change works, keep it, if not, discard it and then move onto the next improvement.

During the mocks I was involved with in the past month, one of the candidates was asking me about how much information to share during the defense to reduce the “attack surface”. On this subject I have changed my mind over the years. My current thinking: if you know a particular subject or technology in-depth, you should talk about it and showcase your knowledge to the VCDX panel. Let them ask all the questions they want and if you do not know, then say so; you are there to demonstrate your skills and knowledge. For me personally, I have always found the process of “stepping around” certain subjects interrupts and impedes my flow, so it is better to just go for it and let the chips fall where they may.