VMblog:  As a DockerCon 2017 sponsor, how can people find you this year?

Hedvig:  On the expo show floor, Hedvig is a silver sponsor located in booth S20. This year we'll be giving away the new Echo Dot daily, stop by our booth and watch the Hedvig Docker demo and you'll be entered to win. Enterprises using Docker Data Center get easy, self-service provisioning of persistent storage volumes directly from the Docker interfaces. Learn more about how we solve data persistence, test/dev and cloud storage for Docker and learn about our newly certified Docker Volume Plugin.

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

Hedvig:  Containers drive a multi-cloud world, attendees can drop by our booth and get a free copy of our Multi-Cloud for Dummies book. This book explores how the shift to containers makes applications truly portable across any private our public cloud boundary. We'll discuss how SDS (software-defined storage) is an enabler to ensure you have the data portability to match your application portability.

VMblog:  If an attendee likes what they see and hear at your booth... what message about your product can you send them back with to sell their boss on your technology?

Hedvig:  Hedvig helps you reduce cloud vendor lock-in and data costs as your organization deploys containers across cloud boundaries.

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

Hedvig:  Most companies start their containers efforts in AWS. But how do you effortlessly move AWS containerized apps to your private cloud? Or Google Cloud or Azure? Stop by our booth S20 and learn how the Hedvig's software-defined storage platform delivers data portability across private and public clouds. We'll show demos of Hedvig integrated natively with Docker Data Center and Kubernetes.

VMblog:  Why is this a must sponsor event for your company?

Hedvig:  DockerCon has become the go-to event for companies focusing on the technologies enabling modern applications, cloud-native architectures, and digital business. Attendees are looking for solutions to emerging container challenges and it's a great opportunity for Hedvig to dig in and show how we help manage, store, and protect data for containers.

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

Hedvig:  In our booth, we'll be demonstrating how the Hedvig Distributed Storage Platform helps with:

• Provisioning and orchestrating persistent, portable storage for stateful Docker containers.
• Customizing volume features to meet the needs of any container or microservice.
• A Docker Volume Plugin with support for provisioning within Docker Datacenter.

Attendees who drop by our booth and watch our Hedvig Docker demo will be entered to win the new Echo Dot daily and speak with Hedvig experts on-site for a deeper dive discussion.

VMblog:  Give readers a few reasons why your product or service is considered unique? 

Hedvig:  Hedvig is the only software-defined storage platform that provides programmable, per-container storage policies; replicates data natively to any private or public cloud; and integrates directly with container orchestration systems (Docker Data Center, Mesos, Kubernetes) as well as hypervisor orchestration systems (VMware, OpenStack). These capabilities are needed for large enterprises migrating to containers in test/dev or production.

VMblog:  How does your company and product fit within the Docker or container ecosystem?

Hedvig:  The Hedvig Distributed Storage Platform, a software-defined storage solution, is a perfect fit for companies running databases and stateful applications in Docker containers. We are one of only a handful of SDS vendors with a certified Docker Volume Plugin, which ensures we operate seamlessly with Docker Data Center, Docker Universal Control Plane, and Docker CLI. With Hedvig, we ensure that as you spin up and move containers, they will always have access to persistent underlying storage without any complicated technology in between Docker and Hedvig.

VMblog:  You've sponsored DockerCon before.  What keeps you coming back?

Hedvig:  We've attended DockerCon for the last three years. It's exciting to see the Docker community grow and the ecosystem of partners. We see striking similarities between container adoption with virtual machine (VM) adoption from 10-15 years ago. Specifically, we see that storage is a critical bottleneck to creating scalable and production-grade container environments. It's the perfect event to discuss those challenges with qualified attendees. DockerCon is a great partner and this event gives us an opportunity to connect and learn about how others are using the Docker platform and containers in innovative ways.

VMblog:  Do you remember your first DockerCon event?  What can you tell us about it?  What memories stand out?

Hedvig:  We attended the event in San Francisco and vividly recall how unbelievably crowded it was! The energy and enthusiasm was palpable. The interest level in Docker and containers has outpaced DockerCon, which is a great problem to have!

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

Hedvig:  It's a great opportunity for traditional enterprises to get lessons learned from early adopters and cloud-native companies. It's also a great place for cloud-native to get the latest-and-greatest Docker releases so they can remain on the cutting edge of containers.

VMblog:  What do you think we need to do collectively as an ecosystem to strengthen the industry?

Hedvig:  I think we need to shift focus beyond early adopters to what more mainstream enterprises need for containers to be successful. We see the need for more case studies to help enterprises understand best practices and business cases for container adoption. Additionally, there needs to be a greater focus on "full stack" validated reference designs so that customers can get end-to-end container solutions without as much of a "do it yourself" (DIY) look and feel.

VMblog:  What do you hope to come away with from exhibiting at this year's DockerCon?

Hedvig:  Check out all the innovations taking place at the show, attend some sessions and meet with potential customers who are looking for a storage for stateful containers.

VMblog:  As an alumni member, do you have any tips for first time attendees that you'd like to share?

Hedvig:  There's a great mobile app! Plan your days using the agenda planner, make a list of the vendors and partners you want to see and prioritize that list. Take advantage of the sessions and labs and wear comfortable shoes.

VMblog:  Finally, attendees always enjoy a good trade show tchotchke.  Are you guys giving away anything special or interesting this year?

Hedvig:  Indeed, we are giving away the new Echo Dot daily for those who stop by our booth and watch a demo. We'll also have our Dummies book and other fun giveaways for anyone that visits.

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Make sure to get Hedvig on your must see list and make sure to swing by their booth to learn more.  And don't to watch their demo and take home a new Echo Dot.  Also, grab one of those Dummies books.  Always filled with great information and easily digestible content.