About the Authors

Andy Daniel is a Senior IT Engineer at TIAA-CREF, specializing in virtualization, networking, and IP-based storage area networks. He is VCAP-DCA #29, and before joining TIAA-CREF, he worked as a Senior VMware Consultant where he architected and provided pre-sales support for VMware solutions utilizing Cisco UCS servers, Nexus 1kv, 2k, 5k switches, and NetApp FAS storage systems. Andy has designed, implemented, and managed multisite, multitenant virtual environments and large multisite VMware SRM-protected vSphere deployments. He’s an avid blogger at his site, vnephos.com, and is leader of the Richmond, Virginia VMware User Group.

Christopher Kusek is the Global Virtualization Lead for EMC, where he leads a global team of Cloud and Virtualization Professionals. Personally, he has a hardened focus on Virtualization, Applications, Security, and Cloud, both from an overarching strategic standpoint as a technology evangelist, as well as a practical and tactical standpoint with a direct focus on customers. Christopher is founder of multiple user groups and maintains an active role within the technical communities, both locally and globally. Working with x86 Virtualization going back to VMware’s roots, Christopher also has been actively involved with Citrix and Microsoft Virtualization solutions over the past 15 years. Recognized as a VMware vExpert, Christopher maintains an active profile on both where Virtualization is from a here-and-now strategy but also looking forward years in advance to the future of IT. Two common misconceptions are that Christopher doesn’t sleep and that he is a cat. Only one of those statements is correct. Maintaining an industry active social profile, Christopher is also an official EMC Blogger posting on EMC and Industry at his blog, PKGuild.com, and has heavy interaction within social media and Twitter via @CXI. A frequent presenter at conferences, he is comfortable leading the vision from high with the executives while also earning the respect of the troops deep in the trenches.

Van V. Van Noy has worked for over 16 years with a variety of different operating systems, including more than six years experience working with VMware in an enterprise IT environment. He is currently a Systems Engineer for one of the nation’s largest department store chains and consults for other businesses during his free time. In 2009 and 2010, Van was awarded VMware’s vExpert Award for his work in Arkansas promoting VMware. Van is the chair of the Central Arkansas VMware User Group and continues to promote VMware whenever possible.