2022 Veeam Vanguard Class Is Now Open! What Are the Members Saying?

Every year, before we announce the members of the new Vanguard class, we carefully review hundreds of applications. There’s a bit of a wait at first since we open nominations and renewal submissions in early December, keeping it open till early January so everyone has enough time to apply. Vanguards who are already members have their own application. Everyone who applies to join the program from outside can find the application link in the Veeam blogpost published prior to opening submissions in the beginning of December. After closing the submission process, we carefully evaluate all the applications, from existing Vanguards to new prospects submitting their application in hope to join this incredible Veeam advocacy program. The toughest part is selecting a limited number of experts, as our goal is to keep the size of this group of the best Veeam experts from all over the world small in comparison to other community programs. But why?

There are many reasons. One is to keep it personal rather than anonymous, so everyone knows the other members by name, which is not possible when you have hundreds of members. We also believe there is a benefit to understanding what every single unique professional within this community brings to the table and how they enrich the program with her or his knowledge and experience. At the same time, we can provide everyone opportunities to grow and engage throughout the year with Veeam´s events, projects, beta testing, feedback, event speaking opportunities, various learning options and the chance to support other Vanguards in attempt to learn and grow with each other.

To get a better idea of the Veeam Vanguard program, read what its members are saying about it. This year, we announced the 2022 Vanguard class at the very end of February, and more than 20 Vanguards wrote about their experience with the program:

1. Al Rasheed – 2022 Veeam Vanguard – https://alarasheedblog.wordpress.com/2022/02/28/2022-veeam-vanguard/
2. Chris Childerhose – VEEAM VANGUARD 2022 – YEAR FIVE – https://just-virtualization.tech/veeam-vanguard-2022-year-five/
3. Luciano Patrao – Nominated Veeam Vanguard 2022 for the fifth year – https://www.provirtualzone.com/nominated-veeam-vanguard-2022-for-the-fifth-year/
4. Ben Young – I am a Veeam Vanguard again in 2022 – https://benyoung.blog/i-am-a-veeam-vanguard-again-in-2022/
5. Matt Crape – Veeam Vanguard: 2022 Edition – https://www.42u.ca/2022/02/28/veeam-vanguard-2022-edition/
6. Stephen Seagrave – My First year as a Veeam Vanguard – https://frontline-backup.com/2022/03/01/my-first-year-as-a-veeam-vanguard/
7. Falko Banaszak – Veeam Vanguard 2022 Program Nomination and Review – https://www.virtualhome.blog/2022/03/01/veeam-vanguard-2022-program-nomination-and-review/
8. Jonah May – Veeam Vanguard Class of 2022 Renewal – https://jonahmay.net/2022/03/01/veeam-vanguard-2022-renewal/
9. Nico Stein – Veeam Vanguard class of 2022 – https://nicostein.com/veeam-vanguard-class-of-2022/
10. Thomas Maurer – Honored as a Veeam Vanguard 2022 – https://www.thomasmaurer.ch/2022/03/honored-as-a-veeam-vanguard-2022/
11. Paolo Valsecchi – Veeam Vanguard 2022 – https://nolabnoparty.com/veeam-vanguard-2022/
12. Christopher Glémot – Veeam Vanguard 2022 – Level 7! – https://original-network.com/veeam-vanguard-2022-level-7/
13. Joaquim Santos – Voltamos! – https://explainit.com.br/voltamos/ (in portugese)
14. Geoff Burke – Veeam Vanguards and Legends – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/veeam-vanguards-legends-geoff-burke/?published=t
15. Shane Williford – Veeam Vanguard 2022 Achieved! – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/veeam-vanguard-2022-achieved-shane-williford/?trackingId=pkDKNoi43tns%2Femc3msvzA%3D%3D
16. Andre Atkinson – Veeam Vanguard 2022 – https://lifesbackup.xyz/2022/03/12/veeam-vanguard-2022/
17. Elizabeth Souza – My approval in the Veeam Vanguard class 2022 – https://medium.com/@ec.desouza/my-approval-in-the-veeam-vanguard-class-2022-927ceaad7528
18. Maurice Kevenaar – Veeam Vanguard Class of 2022 – https://veeamug.nl/veeam-vanguard-klas-of-2022/ (in Dutch)
19. Paulo Sant´anna – Veeam Vanguard 2022 – https://paulosantanna.com/2022/03/01/veeam-vanguard-2022/ (in Portugese)
20. Victor Wu – 2022 Veeam Vanguard Class – https://wuchikin.wordpress.com/2022/02/28/2022-veeam-vanguard-class/
21. Rhys Hammond – Veeam Vanguard 2022 – https://rhyshammond.com/veeam-vanguard-2022/
22. Didier Van Hoye – I made Veeam Vanguard 2022! – https://blog.workinghardinit.work/2022/02/28/i-made-veeam-vanguard-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-made-veeam-vanguard-2022
23. Sander Berkouwer – I’m a 2022 Veeam Vanguard – https://dirteam.com/sander/2022/03/02/im-a-2022-veeam-vanguard/

We are grateful to see the Veeam Vanguard program members grow every year, not just professionally, but also from a personal perspective. This program is something you have to experience rather than read about, but I hope this post provides a pretty solid overview of how it feels to be one of our Vanguards. If you‘re interested in becoming a Veeam Vanguard, there are two things you need to know: you have to be active and visible through the year and then apply when we open the submission process for the 2023 Vanguard class in early December. Good luck, and if you´d like to get some inspiration from existing Vanguards, you can visit the program website and follow their Twitter via this list.