Hey tech folks! If you’re a VMUG Advantage member (or thinking about becoming one), there’s a seriously cool update you need to know about. You can now get free personal-use licenses for some of VMware’s advanced networking and security tools—yep, totally free—as long as you’re certified.
So, if you’ve passed the VCP-VCF exam, this perk is made for you. Let’s break it down!
What You’re Getting (For Free!)
Once you’ve got your certification in hand, here’s what Broadcom is offering:
- vDefend License
A personal-use firewall license with Advanced Threat Prevention, valid for 128 cores — good for a whole year! - Avi Load Balancer License
You also get 12 service units of Avi — again, free for one year!
These aren’t limited trials — they’re full-featured personal-use licenses you can use in your home lab, test environment, or to just sharpen your skills.
How to Get Access
Here’s what you need to do:
- Pass the VCP-VCF certification exam
- Be a VMUG Advantage member (you can join anytime)
- That’s it — you qualify for the licenses!
You’ll get one year of access, and the best part? You can extend it up to 3 years if you just stay an active member and pass a short refresher exam each year.
What Can You Actually Do With This?
Honestly, a lot!
- Try out vDefend’s threat protection features like IDS/IPS and firewall rules
- Set up Avi Load Balancer to see how it handles real traffic
- Experiment and build your own lab setup without spending a dime on licenses
- Prepare for more advanced certs like VCP-Avi and VCP-vDefend
- Or just play around with some super cool enterprise-grade tech at home
Where Do You Get the Licenses?
Once you’re certified, Broadcom is your go-to for license access. You can check their blog for full instructions, or email them directly if you’ve got questions:
How the License Extension Works
- Year 1: Pass VCP-VCF + be a VMUG Advantage member = get license
- Year 2 & 3: Stay a member + pass a short refresher = renew for another year
So yep — you can have these tools in your lab for up to 3 years.
This is honestly a best way to get hands-on for folks in the VMware community.
So if you’ve got that VCP-VCF cert (or it’s on your to-do list), now’s the time to level up. Thank you!
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