IT guys feeling a little cold this winter?  Why not drop by at the Gillette Stadium for the 7th Annual VTUG Winter Warmer 2014, an event focused on virtualization that kicks off today. theCUBE will be there broadcasting live, interviewing thought leaders in the virtualization space. Watch the live show here or at SiliconANGLE.tv, and be sure to check out our archives on YouTube.

VTUG prides itself as being the only platform independent virtualization users group that lets its members learn about all technologies such as VMware, Microsoft, Citrix, Red Hat, and others.  VTUG offer both education and information as IT professionals need access and information to all technology options to be able to make informed decisions.

This year’s keynote sessions will be held at the West Side Club North, South and Center. Featured speakers include VTUG Leader Chris Harney, Rackspace Principal Architect and Private Cloud Cody Bunch, AWS Sr. Technology Evangelist Simone Brunozzi, The INI Group Founder and CEO Tony Asaro, VMware Sr. Product Line Technical Marketing Manager Chris Colotti, and Microsoft Corporate VP of Windows Server & System Center Brad Anderson.

Since it will just be one day, you can expect that the Winter Warmer will be fully packed, not only with keynotes but also Breakout Sessions, which will be held in the afternoon at the East Side Red & Blue Floors.

Beyond VMware

Virtualization has been a growing trend in the enterprise, enabling more cloud management tools for more organizations.  VMware’s been an undeniable leader in this market, but the trend has now been picked up by other service providers including Citrix and Microsoft.  Open source efforts are also moving the ball, broadening market opportunities and viable options for businesses.

We’re also seeing initiatives from hyperscale leaders like Amazon Web Services and Google enable more virtualization capabilities, better positioning themselves for the enterprise.

At today’s event we’ll be investigating top trends in the virtualization space, outlining key players and identifying the best tools for enterprise use.  The conversation about virtualization is becoming less about VMware and more about cloud, so determining things like the best tools for replicating apps in the cloud are the industry developments that will guide decision makers.

photo credit: RickChung.com via photopin cc