Are you attending DockerCon 2017 in Austin, TX next month?  If so, I invite you to add HPE to your MUST SEE list of vendors.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is innovating across its entire data center portfolio to help customers transform and modernize their data centers to benefit from a more agile environment. Together with Docker, they are making it easier for IT to deploy and manage containers, while giving organizations solutions that optimize their investments and power a new generation of applications that are the business.  

Read VMblog's exclusive pre-show interview with HPE to learn what they have planned for the upcoming event.

VMblog:  HPE is sponsoring the upcoming DockerCon 2017 event.  How can people find you?

HPE:  This year, we have a Gold sponsorship and a 10x20 booth, with 30+ employees in attendance.  DockerCon attendees can find us at booth #G22. 

VMblog:  Is there anything unique about this year's booth setup?  Do you have a theme?

HPE:  This year's theme is "HPE and Docker - the Right Mix for Your Container Journey."  And we'll have a graffiti wall with a live graffiti artist creating art during show hours; we'll have cool demos featuring Docker InfraKit and enterprise use cases for Docker; and we'll have a whale cake during lunch hour on Wed - come by and share a slice of cake with us!

VMblog:  What message about your product can you send an attendee back with to sell their boss on your technology?

HPE:  HPE is the only vendor that delivers an end to end solution for your container journey, from hardware, to software to services, including enterprise support for Docker's software solutions, and Docker on Demand - pay as you go services for Docker.

VMblog:  And why should a DockerCon attendee add you to their MUST SEE list?

HPE:  We're the true one stop shop.  And of course, who wouldn't want to see live graffiti art in action, kick it with our Docker architects and take a bite out of Moby, :P

VMblog:  What do you like most about sponsoring DockerCon? 

HPE:  We love the audience, the enthusiasm.  DevOps and Containerization is a big trend for most of HPE's customers, and we want to help them throughout this transformation journey, be there every step of the way, in whatever capacity they need.

VMblog:  Can you give VMblog readers a sneak peek as to what you will be showing off at your booth this year? 

HPE:  We're showing two demos, one is about leveraging HPE's composable infrastructure and manage infrastructure as if it's code, fluid resource pools, seamlessly integrated with Docker containers. The other is about large scale use of Docker at HPE, serving 20,000 developers and thousands of projects, the workflows we've built and optimized, by working directly with Docker R&D. You can also talk to services experts about Strategy Workshops, our Docker Accelerator, Level 1 and 2 Docker Support directly from HPE (so it's truly one phone call to support your entire Docker environment), and our Docker on Demand services, pay as you go, cloud like economics, but in your own data center.

VMblog:  If you would, please explain what's unique about your offering?

HPE:  We offer the industry's only Docker ready server.  Our Docker integrated storage and networking products are enterprise grade and proven, we have many unique services (see above) and the expertise to handle any scale Docker deployment.

VMblog:  How do you fit within the Docker or container ecosystem?

HPE:  HPE is a strategic partner to Docker - We resell their software solution, we provide direct support for their enterprise software, and we optimize our own end to end stack for our customers' container environments.

VMblog:  How many times have you sponsored DockerCon?  And what brings you back?

HPE:  This is our 2^nd year, but our 3^rd sponsorship (we also sponsored Barcelona). We are excited about Docker's new product announcements (Enterprise Edition) and the work we're doing together on modernizing legacy applications and transforming to a hybrid infrastructure.

VMblog:  Do you remember your first DockerCon event? 

HPE:  Yes, DockerCon Barcelona. I remember the announcements on the main stage were exciting, the event app was very engaging and social, and the maritime museum was a fun and unique venue for a conference party.

VMblog:  So what are you looking forward to most at this year's event?

HPE:  Our joint customer, Hudson Alpha, speaking at a session - discussing how Docker and HPE help accelerate genomics research and literally saves lives!

VMblog:  What would you say to prospective attendees who are thinking about attending DockerCon but aren't sure if it's worth it or not?

HPE:  It's a must see event and a chance to meet some of the brightest minds in the industry today.

VMblog:  Any advice on what we need to do collectively as an ecosystem to strengthen the industry?

HPE:  Get more young people interested in it, especially young women - a tech career can be very rewarding, as you get to help design the future and make it a better world, one line of code at a time.

VMblog:  What do you hope to come away with from exhibiting at DockerCon? 

HPE:  That people remember HPE as the one stop shop for Docker, and the #1 provider of enterprise solutions for Docker.

VMblog:  Do you have any tips for first time attendees that you'd like to share?

HPE:  Yes, download the event app, it's super useful.

VMblog:  Attendees always like a good trade show tchotchke.  Are you guys giving away anything interesting this year?

HPE:  We're giving away sprockets - wireless mobile photo printers the size of a cell phone where you can print right from your smartphone, or create your own photo stickers!

VMblog:  Any speaking sessions at this year's show?

HPE:  Yes, remember, we have our joint session about Hudson alpha.  It'll be in the Ecosystem Track on Tuesday, April 18th from 3:15-3:35pm in Ecosystem A.

VMblog:  Finally, are you guys throwing any type of party during the event?

HPE:  No, but we'll see you at the conference party for sure!

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