Today’s technology is growing at an extraordinary pace, so it is important to follow industry influencers and thought leaders to stay in the loop and learn new trends and best practices. Keeping on top of things in the industry is a great way to make sure you are functioning most effectively every day.
We have compiled a list (in no particular order) of tech geeks from system, virtualization, storage, database, network, and security management domains, who we think are the top influencers and thought leaders you should follow.
Top Systems Management, Virtualization, and Storage Experts
Ethan Banks
Co-founder, Packetpushers.net
He is a 20+ year IT veteran with hands-on experience as a network architect; CCIE #20655, serial podcaster, writer, and tech analyst. He speaks frequently at the Interop, co-hosts Packet Pushers, and writes various articles for many tech websites.
http://packetpushers.net/
Rob Bogue
Owner, Thor Projects LLC
He is a global speaker, author, and consultant. He helps organizations successfully implement Microsoft® SharePoint®, designing knowledge management solutions, creating flexible information architectures, etc. He has written 25 books, authors articles in Thor Projects, and offers consulting services.
Lance Boley
Technical Marketing Manager
He is a technology enthusiast, works as a Technical Marketing Manager, and likes to share and talk about anything related to computers, IT, and data center technology. He was a VMware® vExpert™ in 2014 and 2015. He writes blogs on datacenterchic.weebly.com and also hosts the Data Center Chic podcast.
Paul Braren
Founder, TinkerTry IT
He has over 12 years of VMware experience, including project-managing and first-hand implementing a data center consolidation project. He is a VCP5-DCV, VMware vExpert 2014, 2015, and 2016. His specialties include storage, RAID, iSCSI, and SAN technologies, Remote Control, including Terminal Services, BladeCenter AMMs, and KVM-over-IP Remote solutions. He has produced over 500 articles and 250 training videos on topics that include efficient virtualization, storage, backup, and more.
Duncan Epping
Chief Technologist, VMware
He is a VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX007) and the main author and owner of VMware/Virtualization blog Yellow-Bricks.com. Duncan is currently the Chief Technologist working for VMware Office of CTO. In that role, he serves as a partner and trusted adviser to VMware’s customers, primarily in EMEA. His main responsibilities are ensuring that VMware’s future innovations align with essential customer needs and translating customer problems to opportunities.
Eli Etherton
Eli the Computer Guy
He has 16 years of experience in technology, including time spent in the Army, building out new satellite offices for the enterprise, and running his own shop with nine full-time employees. He has real-world experience with almost all systems that technicians will be working with. He has a B.A. in Criminal Justice and 1600 hours of formal technical content training in technologies ranging from Avaya PBX/ Audix to Microsoft®, Red Hat®, Linux®, MySQL®, Cisco®, and much more.
Steven Foskett
Owner, Foskett Services
Stephen Foskett is an active participant in the world of enterprise information technology, currently focusing on enterprise storage, server virtualization, networking, and cloud computing. He organizes the popular Tech Field Day event series for Gestalt IT and runs Foskett Services. A longtime voice in the storage industry, Stephen has authored numerous articles for industry publications, and is a popular presenter at industry events.
Richard Hay
Owner, WindowsObserver.com
He is a Microsoft MVP since 2010; hosts observed Tech PODCAST, a weekly look at all things tech with a decidedly Microsoft angle, where he discusses various topics, including security, social media, hardware, software, and more.
Chuck Hollis
Technologist, Blogger, SVP at Oracle Converged Infrastructure Systems
Currently working for Oracle®, Chuck previously spent two years at VMware and 18 years at EMC®. He writes blog posts about a variety of technology topics on chucksblog.
William Lam
Staff Engineer II, VMware
He works in VMware’s R&D organization, where he focuses primarily on the automation, integration, and operation of VMware’s Software Defined Datacenter (SDDC). William works closely with various engineering teams within VMware to help provide early feedback on usability, design, and architecture. He provides many tips and tricks for the various VMware products on his blog.
Thomas A. Limoncelli
Blogger, EverythingSysAdmin.com
He is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and system administrator. His best known books include Time Management for System Administrators and The Practice of System and Network Administration. He blogs at EverythingSysAdmin.com and has worked at Google®, Bell Labs / Lucent, and AT&T®.
Scott Lowe
Engineering Architect, VMware
He is a 20-year veteran of the IT industry and a focused technologist that specializes in virtualization, VMware ESX®/ESXi, VMware Infrastructure, VMware vSphere®, KVM, Open vSwitch, OpenStack, SANs, Storage, NFS, iSCSI, Networking, SDN, and OpenFlow. A former contributor to SearchVMware.com, a VMware-focused website with technical articles, how-tos, tips, and news, Scott also has six traditionally published books to his credit.
Scott D. Lowe
Co-founder, ActualTech Media
Scott is a vExpert, MVP Hyper-V®, MCSE and co-founder of ActualTech Media and serves as Senior Content Editor and Strategist. He is an enterprise IT veteran with nearly 20 years of experience in senior and CIO roles across multiple large organizations. Scott is also a micro-analyst for Wikibon, and an InformationWeek Analytics contributor, having written thousands of reviews, articles, and technical blog posts.
Roger Lund
President, vBrainstorm
He is a vExpert, VMUG leader, and tech field day delegate who blogs on VMware and cloud technology. He won the VMware VMUG award in 2013, and his specialties include managing EMC®, Dell® Compellent® Storage, VMware vSphere, VMware View® , VMware vCloud® , Veeam, Windows Server®, and Linux® servers.
Bob Plankers
Virtualization and Cloud Architect and Blogger
With over 25 years of working experience in IT, he wears multiple hats as virtualization architect, system administrator, storage administrator, network administrator, end-user, project manager, and developer. He is an IT generalist who writes for various technology outlets. He also serves as an analyst with The Virtualization Practice.
Phoummala Schmitt
Exchange Goddess
She is a Systems Engineer with a focus on messaging and collaboration, virtualization, storage, and smartphones. She was a VMware vExpert in 2014-2015. She co-hosts Current Status Podcasts and writes technical articles for the Petri IT Knowledgebase and blogs for 24x7ITConnection, Exchangegoddess.com, WeBreakTech.com, and The Register.
Eric Shanks
Consultant and Blogger
He is a solutions architect with over 10 years of experience using a wide variety of data center technologies. He’s a certified VMWare vExpert, Cisco champion, PernixPro, Microsoft IT professional, NetApp® data management administrator, and more. His background includes expertise in Microsoft operating systems, networking, storage, virtualization, automation, and software monitoring.
Larry Smith Jr.
Virtualization Expert
He has over 11 years of everyday real-world experience in virtualization, specifically VMware. A VMWare vExpert from 2013-2016, he owns the website Everything Should Be Virtual, where he blogs about technologies, including virtualization, cloud, automation, and DevOPS.
Michael Stump
CTO at Holden Information Services, LLC
He has over 24 years of experience in engineering and administration roles. He was a vExpert in 2014, and a PernixPro, VMWare, and SolarWinds certified professional. You can find his blog posts on various topics in #eager0.
Jon Toigo
Business Information Technology Advisor and Author
He is an IT veteran with over 35 years of experience in progressively responsible internal IT positions in the financial industry, then as a senior consultant for two international systems integrators. He has authored 17 books on business technology, over 2000 articles, and writes seven ongoing columns in the technology trade press that garner a readership of over a half million monthly.
Keith Townsend
The CTO Advisor
He is an IT architect with 18 years of experience helping organizations achieve their mission through optimized IT infrastructures. He is a recognized technology thought leader, whose articles have been published in TechRepublic and TechTarget. He has been quoted by leading online publications such as ZDNet, GigaOM, and TechCrunch.
Matt Vogt
Solutions Architect
He is actively involved in the virtualization and storage communities as a Minnesota VMUG (VMware User Group) member and VMware vExpert. His specialties include VMware ESX(i) – VCP5-DCV, VCAP5-DCD (vExpert 2012, 13, 14), EqualLogic iSCSI/NFS/CIFS SAN, Active Directory®, Group Policy, Windows Server® 2000 – 2008R2, Windows 95 – 7, Mac OS X®, MS Office®, and networking.
Chris Wahl
Tech Evangelist, Rubrik
Chris holds two VCDX certificates (Data Center Virtualization and Network Virtualization) and has over 10 years of IT experience in enterprise infrastructure design, service orchestration, and building policy-based automation tasks. He co-authored Networking for VMware Administrators for VMware Press, and has published hundreds of articles. Chris hosts the Datanauts podcast, which covers all things virtual.
Top Network Management Experts
Mitchell Ashley
President and General Manager of Kyrio, Inc.
He has co-founded startup ventures serving network security, SaaS, Internet applications, telecommunications, and IT services industries. He has written for industry publications, including USA Today, NetworkWorld, ComputerWorld, InfoWorld, CIO Magazine, InformationWeek, CRN, and others. He writes blogs on Converging Network, Network World Microsoft Subnet, DevOps.com, and has co-hosted the StillSecure After All These Years podcast.
Lee Badman
Network Engineer and Wireless Technical Lead
Lee is a wireless network architect for a large private university, and authors articles at Network Computing. He has also taught classes on networking, wireless network administration, and wireless security. He helped organize and has presented at several higher education and industry conferences, and has written for a number of IT, low voltage, and communications periodicals.
Ryan Booth
Network Engineer
Most of his 10 years of experience has been focused on routing and switching (R&S). He is a Cisco Champion 2015 who currently holds a CCIE in RS and several CCNP certifications (R&S and Design). He writes on a wide range of topics in the networking realm for the blog, Moving Ones & Zeros.
Teren Bryson
Network Geek
He has over 22 years of professional experience in computer networks. He has various certifications, ranging from Cisco certifications to Microsoft™ MCSE. He’s also a VMWare and UNIX™ geek who writes blog posts on various topics in packetqueue.net.
Nick Buraglio
Principal Network and Security Architect, ForwardingPlane, LLC
He is a network engineer and architect with practical knowledge of a broad range of network hardware, software, and security tools. He has published articles in TechTarget and blogs for ForwardingPlane.net about the security and networking industry. His specialties include FTTP, FTTC, Metro networks, community fiber projects, BGP, DNS, security, and network analytics, including flow data, IDS, capacity planning, and IPv6 integration.
Wesley David
The Nubby Admin
He’s a system administrator specializing in Windows Server and Linux platforms communicating over wired and wireless networks. He writes blog posts for The Nubby Admin and various other tech sites, including Simple Talk, SysAdmin Talk, Royal Pingdom, Petri, and more.
Jeffrey Fry
Network Guru
He has over 25 years of experience in computers and networks. He’s a Cisco CCIE in Routing and Switching #22061, and authors Fryguy’s blogs on various tech topics. His specialties include Cisco IOS®, Cisco IOS XR, Cisco NX-OS, Juniper® Junos, OpenFlow®, SDN, MPLS, Service Provider Networks, ASA Firewalls, Juniper EX Switches, Juniper Q-Fabric, MPLS Core Networks, and Nexus data centers.
Tom Hollingsworth
The Networking Nerd
He has 12 years of experience in the IT industry working with enterprise networking and wireless, server virtualization, and unified communications. He’s a CCIE #29213 and holds a variety of certifications from Novell™, Microsoft, VMware, and ISC2. He currently organizes Tech Field Day event series, focusing on networking and wireless events.
Patrick Hubbard
The IT Management Head Geek
He has over 20 years of IT experience, and is involved in product management and strategy, technical evangelism, sales engineering, and software development, all with a focus on application and service delivery for startups and Fortune 500 companies. He runs customer education and training programs to empower IT pros to resolve their IT management problems quickly and easily. He is also a Cisco NetVet and a regular speaker at technology conferences for Ethernet, IPv6, and SDN.
Amy Renee
Senior Network Engineer
She’s a network engineer and authors the blog amyengineer.com. She’s certified in CCNP/DP, CCNP- voice, CCNA wireless, CCNA – voice, CCNA, LPIC- 1, MCSE, and PMP.
Top Security Experts
Dr. Anton Chuvakin
Security Expert
Dr. Anton Chuvakin is a Research Vice President at Gartner’s Gartner for Technical Professionals (GTP) Security and Risk Management Strategies team. He is a recognized security expert in the field of log management, SIEM, and PCI DSS compliance. He authored Security Warrior, Logging and Log Management: The Authoritative Guide to Understanding the Concepts Surrounding Logging and Log Management, and contributed to Know Your Enemy II, Information Security Management Handbook, and others. Before joining Gartner in 2011, Anton was running his own security consulting practice www.securitywarriorconsulting.com, focusing on SIEM, logging, and PCI DSS compliance for security vendors and Fortune 500 organizations.
Graham Cluley
Independent computer security analyst
Graham Cluley is an award-winning security blogger, researcher, and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s when he worked as a programmer, writing the first version of Dr. Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Graham has spoken at events around the world, such as RSA, InfoSec, Web Summit, Microsoft Future Decoded, EICAR, AVAR, ICSA, ISSA, Virus Bulletin, Ja.net, Campus Party, and the European Internet Security Forum. He has worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and regularly appears on TV and radio explaining computer security threats.
Jack Daniel
Technologist and Security Professional
He is a network and security systems engineer focusing on practical information security for the small enterprise, now focusing on enterprise security and integration of emerging technologies. He holds several leadership positions in the community, including board positions on three Security BSides 501(c)(3) corporations. He is a Microsoft MVP for Enterprise Security, CCSK, Increasingly Reluctant CISSP, and is a frequent speaker at major conferences, including ShmooCon, SOURCE Boston, DEFCON, RSA, and many BSides events.
Rob Graham
CEO, Errata Security
He writes blog posts about cyber rights, Internet security, and other security-related topics. He’s the CEO of Errata Security, an online community of security researchers who are engaged in practicing offensive security. The insight gained from research is delivered to clients through Hacker Eye View reports that cover a variety of topics and real-world scenarios.
Andrew Hay
CISO at DataGravity, Inc.
He is a security expert who is frequently approached to provide expert commentary on security industry developments, and has been interviewed by Forbes, Bloomberg, Wired, USA Today, International Business Times, Sacramento Bee, Delhi Daily News, Austin Business Journal, Ars Technica, RT, VentureBeat, Le Monde Informatique, eWeek, TechRepublic, Infosecurity Magazine, The Data Center Journal, TechTarget, Network World, Computerworld, PCWorld, and CSO Magazine. He also has written articles for several trade publications, such as Information Week Magazine, DarkReading, and Network Computing on various security-related topics. He has authored four books on security.
Troy Hunt
Troy is a Pluralsight author and Microsoft MVP for Developer Security. Troy focuses on online security, technology, and the cloud. He is the creator of @haveibeenpwned. He speaks at technology events around the world, usually on security topics. He enjoys showing people how easy it is to break software on the Web today.
Brian Krebs
Investigative Reporter
He has been writing Internet security-related stories for the past decade and maintains KrebsOnSecuriy.com, a blog focused on computer security and cybercrime. He wrote NYT bestseller Spam Nation, 1,300 blog posts for the Security Fix blog, as well as hundreds of stories for WashingtonPost.com. In 2014 he was profiled in The New York Times, Business Week, and by Poynter.org.
Jason Pubal
Director, Visa
He is an accomplished information security professional with a decade of experience in diverse technical environments. He owns the blogging website Increased Visibility, where he shares his thoughts on security events, technology news, and ideas and tips to security personnel.
Bruce Schneier
Security Guru
He is an internationally renowned security technologist, dubbed a security guru by The Economist. He is the author of 13 books, including Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World, as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter, Crypto-Gram, and his blog, Schneier on Security, are read by over 250,000 people.
Randy Franklin Smith
Windows Security Expert
Randy Franklin Smith is an internationally recognized expert on the security and control of Windows and Active Directory software. He performs security reviews for clients ranging from small, privately held firms to Fortune 500 companies, and national and international organizations.
Christophe Veltsos
Cyber Risk Strategist | Digital Trust Advisor
Chris, aka Dr.InfoSec, is passionate about helping organizations take stock of and manage cyber risks across the intricate landscape of technology, business, and people. He enjoys working with business leaders to improve their organization’s cyber risk posture. Dr. Veltsos regularly teaches Information Security and Information Warfare classes and authors Dr.InfoSec blogs.
Top Database Experts
Denny Cherry
Owner, Denny Cherry and Associates Consulting
He is the owner, founder, and principal consultant for Denny Cherry and Associates Consulting. He has over a decade of experience in the IT field. He started working first with SQL Server™, then he branched out into VMware’s vSphere and Microsoft’s Hyper-V platforms. He holds an impressive set of credentials, including being a Microsoft MVP award winner since 2008, VMWare vExpert, Microsoft Certified Master for SQL Server 2008, and more.
Joey D’Antoni
The SQL Herald
He is a Microsoft MVP and VMWare vExpert who has strong understanding of technologies, including Microsoft SQL Server, VMWare Virtualization, Oracle, Microsoft Clustering, and Red Hat Linux. He has given technical presentations at various events on a range of topics, such as High Availability and Disaster Recovery with AlwaysOn in SQL Server 2012, Virtualization for DBAs, Building Your First SQL Server Cluster, and more.
Pinal Dave
Technology Evangelist
He has been a part of the IT industry for more than 13 years. He received his Master of Science from the University of Southern California, a Bachelors of Engineering from Gujarat University, and holds many Microsoft certifications. Pinal writes frequently on his blog http://blog.SQLAuthority.com about various subjects concerning SQL, NoSQL, and Business Intelligence. Known for translating complex subjects into simple context and applications, Pinal attracts over a million visitors a month to his site. His passion for helping the community drives him to share his training techniques and professional knowledge. When he is not in front of a computer, he is usually traveling to explore hidden treasures in nature with his family.
Argenis Fernandez
Field Solutions Architect
He is a SQL Server Solutions Architect, certified master on SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Data Platform MVP, and MCM. He authors articles in Pure Storage™ and SQLblog.com.
Tim Gorman
Technical Consultant
He is a technical field consultant for storage virtualization of databases based on Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL™, Sybase™, and applications based on file-systems on UNIX/Linux, and Windows platforms. He has co-authored six books, performed technical review on eight more books, has been an Oracle ACE since 2007, and an Oracle ACE Director since 2012.
Kyle Hailey
Technical Evangelist
He is a specialist in data virtualization technology, databases, and DevOps. He shares his expertise by presenting at conferences, blogging, giving webinars, meeting with analysts, organizing events, and so on.
Kathi Kellenberger
SQL Server Consultant
She is an independent SQL Server consultant and Teammate at Linchpin People. She wrote Beginning T-SQL 2008 and co-authored Professional SQL Server 2005 Integration Services, Beginning T-SQL 2012, and SQL Server MVP Deep Dives.
David Klee
Founder and Chief Architect of Heraflux Technologies
He is a Microsoft MVP, VMware vExpert, and SQL Server and infrastructure performance tuner. He is the founder of Heraflux Technologies and regularly contributes to the PASS Virtualization, Performance, and High Availability and Disaster Recovery virtual chapters. He also helps the Maine SQL Server Users Group.
Thomas LaRock
The Database Management Head Geek
He is a Head Geek at SolarWinds and a Microsoft Certified Master, SQL Server MVP, VMware vExpert, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He has over 15 years of experience in the IT industry as programmer, developer, analyst, database administrator, and more.
John Sterrett
Group Principal, Linchpin People
John is a consultant who specializes in SQL Server performance tuning, high availability, disaster recovery, database design, development, and database administration. He is a Microsoft Technology Specialist – SQL Server 2005 and 2008, and was nominated for Microsoft MVP Award for SQL Server in 2012 and 2013.
Jason Strate
Database Architect
He is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and a highly skilled database administrator with a strong background in database/data warehouse architecture and best practices, business analysis, mentoring, and leadership. His specialties include performance tuning, architecture design, environment assessments, data processing (ETL/ELT), business analytics and resource management/mentoring.