Keith Townsend @CTOAdvisor
@thectoadvisor.com
Principal The CTO Advisor LLC
Why pay for my advisory services when you can get it for free?
Https://virtual.thectoadvisor.com
Https://virtual.thectoadvisor.com
September 15, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Why pay for my advisory services when you can get it for free?
Https://virtual.thectoadvisor.com
Https://virtual.thectoadvisor.com
I'll be hiring my first AI Agent this week. I'm not an analyst, but it will be one. We'll see if it can keep its job.
September 8, 2025 at 9:59 PM
I'll be hiring my first AI Agent this week. I'm not an analyst, but it will be one. We'll see if it can keep its job.
Announcing The CTO Advisor's Guide to VMware Alternatives
- What type of Software-defined Data Center customer are you?
- Can you reasonably migrate within your defined period of time?
- What gaps do you need to fill?
- What are the products for each of your path?
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- What type of Software-defined Data Center customer are you?
- Can you reasonably migrate within your defined period of time?
- What gaps do you need to fill?
- What are the products for each of your path?
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The CTO Advisor's Guide to VMware Alternatives. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
VMware's acquisition by Broadcom has created a new inflection point for enterprise IT. While VMware's vSphere remains a dominant and "sticky" technology in the private data center, its percentage of t...
us02web.zoom.us
September 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Announcing The CTO Advisor's Guide to VMware Alternatives
- What type of Software-defined Data Center customer are you?
- Can you reasonably migrate within your defined period of time?
- What gaps do you need to fill?
- What are the products for each of your path?
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- What type of Software-defined Data Center customer are you?
- Can you reasonably migrate within your defined period of time?
- What gaps do you need to fill?
- What are the products for each of your path?
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Nice webinar session on VMware Cloud Foundation... The #vCommunity came with their questions! Well worth my time. If you want to catch this on replay - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: VMware Cloud Foundation 9 – Strategic Considerations for Enterprise Platforms. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the we...
VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) represents more than just the next version of VMware’s flagship hybrid cloud platform—it’s a major architectural and operational inflection point for enterprise IT. W...
us02web.zoom.us
September 4, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Nice webinar session on VMware Cloud Foundation... The #vCommunity came with their questions! Well worth my time. If you want to catch this on replay - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
I built another thing. My AI-powered RSS Reader that covers roughly 17 of the largest enterprise IT vendors' blogs. cto-scanner.web.app
CTO Signal Scanner
cto-scanner.web.app
September 3, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I built another thing. My AI-powered RSS Reader that covers roughly 17 of the largest enterprise IT vendors' blogs. cto-scanner.web.app
Did I just waste two weeks building #VirtualCTOAdvisor when I could have just paid Delphi.AI for a strikingly similar solution? I unpack the build vs. buy decision in the modern enterprise. ctoadvisor.substack.com/p/build-vs-s...
Build vs. SaaS: Lessons from Building Virtual CTO Advisor
Did I waste time and money building Virtual CTO Advisor?
ctoadvisor.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Did I just waste two weeks building #VirtualCTOAdvisor when I could have just paid Delphi.AI for a strikingly similar solution? I unpack the build vs. buy decision in the modern enterprise. ctoadvisor.substack.com/p/build-vs-s...
After a coding sprint, I finally got Vertex AI Search to index 7,000 pieces of my IT insights. Now it’s wired back into virtual.thectoadvisor.com. 🚀
This is just phase one—next comes smarter retrieval, context-aware answers, and deeper advisory automation.
👉 What would you want Keith to answer?
This is just phase one—next comes smarter retrieval, context-aware answers, and deeper advisory automation.
👉 What would you want Keith to answer?
Virtual CTO Advisor
virtual.thectoadvisor.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
After a coding sprint, I finally got Vertex AI Search to index 7,000 pieces of my IT insights. Now it’s wired back into virtual.thectoadvisor.com. 🚀
This is just phase one—next comes smarter retrieval, context-aware answers, and deeper advisory automation.
👉 What would you want Keith to answer?
This is just phase one—next comes smarter retrieval, context-aware answers, and deeper advisory automation.
👉 What would you want Keith to answer?
I'm listening to Kendrick and Vibe-coding at #VMwareExplore. If you see my cowboy hat bobbing up and down, you know I'm in that zone. - They ain't talkin about nuthin
August 25, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I'm listening to Kendrick and Vibe-coding at #VMwareExplore. If you see my cowboy hat bobbing up and down, you know I'm in that zone. - They ain't talkin about nuthin
Will this ever be a place to talk enterprise tech?
August 23, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Will this ever be a place to talk enterprise tech?
How long did it take me to fine-tune Gemini Flash 2.5 Pro on my 470 blog posts?
August 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
How long did it take me to fine-tune Gemini Flash 2.5 Pro on my 470 blog posts?
Webinar: A CTO's Guide to VMware Alternatives
When: September 10th, 2025 11:00 AM CDT
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
When: September 10th, 2025 11:00 AM CDT
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The CTO Advisor's Guide to VMware Alternatives. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
VMware's acquisition by Broadcom has created a new inflection point for enterprise IT. While VMware's vSphere remains a dominant and "sticky" technology in the private data center, its percentage of t...
us02web.zoom.us
August 22, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Webinar: A CTO's Guide to VMware Alternatives
When: September 10th, 2025 11:00 AM CDT
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
When: September 10th, 2025 11:00 AM CDT
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
I built my first public facing app. And it may take my job. virtual.thectoadvisor.com
Virtual CTO Advisor
virtual.thectoadvisor.com
August 22, 2025 at 10:35 AM
I built my first public facing app. And it may take my job. virtual.thectoadvisor.com
We are officially a week out from my VCF 9 webinar. I've submitted all the questions to @vmware.bsky.social that I need answered to create the content. I just have this little thing called #VMwareExplore in my way. Register us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: VMware Cloud Foundation 9 – Strategic Considerations for Enterprise Platforms. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the we...
VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) represents more than just the next version of VMware’s flagship hybrid cloud platform—it’s a major architectural and operational inflection point for enterprise IT. W...
us02web.zoom.us
August 21, 2025 at 7:07 PM
We are officially a week out from my VCF 9 webinar. I've submitted all the questions to @vmware.bsky.social that I need answered to create the content. I just have this little thing called #VMwareExplore in my way. Register us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Oh... That's why Google Cloud Vertex AI has a Prompt Management system. open.substack.com/pub/cloudeve...
I Lost My Voice
How burying prompts in app code left me speechless—and why platform teams need prompt management.
open.substack.com
August 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Oh... That's why Google Cloud Vertex AI has a Prompt Management system. open.substack.com/pub/cloudeve...
The SMB VMware vacuum is real.
Broadcom’s exit left a crater—and now every vendor with a hypervisor or container runtime is rushing in.
SMBs aren’t choosing—they’re freezing.
Too many options, not enough clarity.
It’s not just a tech decision anymore; it’s survival strategy.
Broadcom’s exit left a crater—and now every vendor with a hypervisor or container runtime is rushing in.
SMBs aren’t choosing—they’re freezing.
Too many options, not enough clarity.
It’s not just a tech decision anymore; it’s survival strategy.
August 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The SMB VMware vacuum is real.
Broadcom’s exit left a crater—and now every vendor with a hypervisor or container runtime is rushing in.
SMBs aren’t choosing—they’re freezing.
Too many options, not enough clarity.
It’s not just a tech decision anymore; it’s survival strategy.
Broadcom’s exit left a crater—and now every vendor with a hypervisor or container runtime is rushing in.
SMBs aren’t choosing—they’re freezing.
Too many options, not enough clarity.
It’s not just a tech decision anymore; it’s survival strategy.
Me: Why did you fabricate a reference that's not in the dataset I provided?
ChatGPT: My bad.
This is the OpenAI custom GPT builder experience. But AGI is right around the corner.
ChatGPT: My bad.
This is the OpenAI custom GPT builder experience. But AGI is right around the corner.
August 15, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Me: Why did you fabricate a reference that's not in the dataset I provided?
ChatGPT: My bad.
This is the OpenAI custom GPT builder experience. But AGI is right around the corner.
ChatGPT: My bad.
This is the OpenAI custom GPT builder experience. But AGI is right around the corner.
Should you go all-in on VMware Cloud Foundation 9 or pick, pick, and choose what parts to adopt, or skip it altogether?
I'm conducting a webinar where I break down what's important and to which type of customer.
August 28th
1:00 PM CDT
Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
I'm conducting a webinar where I break down what's important and to which type of customer.
August 28th
1:00 PM CDT
Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: VMware Cloud Foundation 9 – Strategic Considerations for Enterprise Platforms. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the we...
VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) represents more than just the next version of VMware’s flagship hybrid cloud platform—it’s a major architectural and operational inflection point for enterprise IT. W...
us02web.zoom.us
August 15, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Should you go all-in on VMware Cloud Foundation 9 or pick, pick, and choose what parts to adopt, or skip it altogether?
I'm conducting a webinar where I break down what's important and to which type of customer.
August 28th
1:00 PM CDT
Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
I'm conducting a webinar where I break down what's important and to which type of customer.
August 28th
1:00 PM CDT
Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
This post has been a long time in the making... I consistently get the question about my thoughts about VMware alternatives.
Here's my response:
thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
Here's my response:
thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
Thinking About VMware Alternatives? - The CTO Advisor
Thinking About VMware Alternatives? It’s an API and Automation Problem, [...]
thectoadvisor.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:53 PM
This post has been a long time in the making... I consistently get the question about my thoughts about VMware alternatives.
Here's my response:
thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
Here's my response:
thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
Rebuilt my basement stairs once.
Got to the joist… had no idea how to connect it.
I hit the same problem in AI.
Told my custom GPT: “Always search all datasets.”
It didn’t.
The flaw wasn’t in the plan — it was in what the plan forgot to plan for.
Full story → open.substack.com/pub/ctoadvis...
Got to the joist… had no idea how to connect it.
I hit the same problem in AI.
Told my custom GPT: “Always search all datasets.”
It didn’t.
The flaw wasn’t in the plan — it was in what the plan forgot to plan for.
Full story → open.substack.com/pub/ctoadvis...
The Joist, the GPT, and Why Good Plans Fail
When the Flaw Isn’t in the Plan — It’s in What the Plan Forgot to Plan For
open.substack.com
August 13, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Rebuilt my basement stairs once.
Got to the joist… had no idea how to connect it.
I hit the same problem in AI.
Told my custom GPT: “Always search all datasets.”
It didn’t.
The flaw wasn’t in the plan — it was in what the plan forgot to plan for.
Full story → open.substack.com/pub/ctoadvis...
Got to the joist… had no idea how to connect it.
I hit the same problem in AI.
Told my custom GPT: “Always search all datasets.”
It didn’t.
The flaw wasn’t in the plan — it was in what the plan forgot to plan for.
Full story → open.substack.com/pub/ctoadvis...
Started building KeithGPT.
First thought: “Oh crap, this might kill billable hours.”
Second thought: “Wait… it’s actually leveling up my clients before we even start.”
The right clients show up sharper.
The work goes deeper.
The value climbs.
Turns out, the “threat” was just a filter.
First thought: “Oh crap, this might kill billable hours.”
Second thought: “Wait… it’s actually leveling up my clients before we even start.”
The right clients show up sharper.
The work goes deeper.
The value climbs.
Turns out, the “threat” was just a filter.
August 13, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Started building KeithGPT.
First thought: “Oh crap, this might kill billable hours.”
Second thought: “Wait… it’s actually leveling up my clients before we even start.”
The right clients show up sharper.
The work goes deeper.
The value climbs.
Turns out, the “threat” was just a filter.
First thought: “Oh crap, this might kill billable hours.”
Second thought: “Wait… it’s actually leveling up my clients before we even start.”
The right clients show up sharper.
The work goes deeper.
The value climbs.
Turns out, the “threat” was just a filter.
Hat tip to @stevendickens3.bsky.social for putting AWS EVS back on my radar.
This isn’t just a new VMC-on-AWS service — it’s AWS’s move in Broadcom’s VCF-everywhere strategy and a bid to hold ground against Oracle, Google & Azure.
Here’s my take on what it means: thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
This isn’t just a new VMC-on-AWS service — it’s AWS’s move in Broadcom’s VCF-everywhere strategy and a bid to hold ground against Oracle, Google & Azure.
Here’s my take on what it means: thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
AWS EVS: A Step Toward VCF Everywhere - The CTO Advisor
Broadcom has ended sales of VMC on AWS. This isn’t [...]
thectoadvisor.com
August 13, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Hat tip to @stevendickens3.bsky.social for putting AWS EVS back on my radar.
This isn’t just a new VMC-on-AWS service — it’s AWS’s move in Broadcom’s VCF-everywhere strategy and a bid to hold ground against Oracle, Google & Azure.
Here’s my take on what it means: thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
This isn’t just a new VMC-on-AWS service — it’s AWS’s move in Broadcom’s VCF-everywhere strategy and a bid to hold ground against Oracle, Google & Azure.
Here’s my take on what it means: thectoadvisor.com/blog/2025/08...
I shrugged at the AWS EVS announcement.
Another VMware-in-AWS SKU? Sure.
But dig deeper: it’s less about cost savings and more about Broadcom pushing VCF everywhere — across public, private, and even inside hyperscalers’ own data centers.
And that changes the game.
Another VMware-in-AWS SKU? Sure.
But dig deeper: it’s less about cost savings and more about Broadcom pushing VCF everywhere — across public, private, and even inside hyperscalers’ own data centers.
And that changes the game.
August 13, 2025 at 12:20 AM
I shrugged at the AWS EVS announcement.
Another VMware-in-AWS SKU? Sure.
But dig deeper: it’s less about cost savings and more about Broadcom pushing VCF everywhere — across public, private, and even inside hyperscalers’ own data centers.
And that changes the game.
Another VMware-in-AWS SKU? Sure.
But dig deeper: it’s less about cost savings and more about Broadcom pushing VCF everywhere — across public, private, and even inside hyperscalers’ own data centers.
And that changes the game.
I re-launched cloudeveryday.dev as daily insights into cloud platform engineering.
Cloud Everyday | Keith Townsend (@CTOAdvisor) | Substack
Learn about a different Cloud product Every Day. We'll explore the opensource software angle of cloud products. What value is the cloud provider adding over that of the project. Click to read Cloud Ev...
cloudeveryday.dev
August 12, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I re-launched cloudeveryday.dev as daily insights into cloud platform engineering.
🚀 New: Ask Keith Townsend – The CTO Advisor 🚀
An AI trained only on my published blogs, articles, podcasts & talks.
Get real answers on enterprise IT, hybrid cloud & AI infra — all based on what I’ve actually said.
chatgpt.com/g/g-uzALHlat...
An AI trained only on my published blogs, articles, podcasts & talks.
Get real answers on enterprise IT, hybrid cloud & AI infra — all based on what I’ve actually said.
chatgpt.com/g/g-uzALHlat...
ChatGPT - Ask Keith Townsend - The CTOAdvisor
Tap into Keith Townsend’s expertise on enterprise IT, hybrid cloud, and AI infrastructure — all based on his published blogs, articles, and talks. Get clear, actionable guidance for your IT strategy.
chatgpt.com
August 11, 2025 at 7:09 PM
🚀 New: Ask Keith Townsend – The CTO Advisor 🚀
An AI trained only on my published blogs, articles, podcasts & talks.
Get real answers on enterprise IT, hybrid cloud & AI infra — all based on what I’ve actually said.
chatgpt.com/g/g-uzALHlat...
An AI trained only on my published blogs, articles, podcasts & talks.
Get real answers on enterprise IT, hybrid cloud & AI infra — all based on what I’ve actually said.
chatgpt.com/g/g-uzALHlat...