This provides an overview of five pivotal VMware conferences—VMworld and its successor, Explore, that have profoundly influenced the IT landscape from 2004 to 2024.

The 2004 VMworld saw the introduction of vCenter, which revolutionized server management and enabled features like vMotion.

By 2007, VMware released ESXi, a more secure and efficient hypervisor, and unveiled solutions for virtual desktops, disaster recovery (SRM), and high availability (FT).

The 2013 VMworld marked VMware's entry into software-defined storage (vSAN) and networking (NSX) through the acquisition of Nicira, forming the foundation of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). 

VMworld 2019 introduced Tanzu and Project Pacific, integrating Kubernetes for cloud-native application support.

Finally, Explore 2024 highlighted VCF 9's simplified architecture and enhanced integration for AI/ML and Kubernetes workloads, aligning with the strategic shift of moving workloads from public clouds back to the data center.

You can read more at https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2025/07/23/repurpose-your-windows-10-system.aspx