Ben Thomas (@NZ_BenThomas)
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ben.hybridby.design
Ben Thomas (@NZ_BenThomas)
@ben.hybridby.design
1.2K followers 1.1K following 990 posts
Senior Solution Engineer @ Veeam | Microsoft #MVP | #VeeamVanguard 23-25 | Pure Geek | #S2D #AzureStackHCI #Powershell #Azure #Veeam | All opinions are my own
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ben.hybridby.design
Quickly building a VM back in my homelab in NZ for a demo as Im on a train from Florence to Pisa 😂😂😂
November 2, 2025 at 8:34 AM
ben.hybridby.design
Kicking things off at the #VeeamOn Tour in Perth! The agenda looks solid, and honestly, I'm also here for the swag.
​Looking forward to catching up with everyone. Say hi if you're around!

#VeeamCommunity #Veeam #Perth
A close-up of several printed VeeamOn Tour agendas fanned out on a glossy black table. The agenda lists session times and topics for the event, with a white vase in the background. A tall, black VeeamOn Tour 2025 pull-up banner standing in a modern building lobby. The banner reads "Unwavering protection. Unparalleled recovery. Unlimited potential." and shows a map of Australia and New Zealand. An event attendee stands at the VeeamOn Tour "Swag" station, which is decorated with colorful geometric patterns. Veeam-branded tote bags and beanies are visible on the counter.
August 20, 2025 at 4:37 AM
ben.hybridby.design
The room is filling up and we're ready to go! Great to be at #VeeamOnTour Melbourne this morning. Looking forward to a packed day of backup and recovery talk. If you see me, come and say hi!
What's the one feature or update you're hoping to hear about from Veeam this year?
A wide shot of a modern conference hall during the VeeamOn Tour event in Melbourne. The room is filled with attendees seated in rows facing a stage, which has a large screen that reads "VeeamOn Tour". The room is lit with colorful pink and green architectural lighting.
August 13, 2025 at 3:11 AM
ben.hybridby.design
Early flight this morning. On my way to Melbourne for the VeeamON Tour! Looking forward to catching up with the ANZ tech community. Who am I going to see there?
#VeeamCommunity #VeeamOn
A view from an airplane seat looking forward at the in-flight entertainment screen. The dark cabin is illuminated by purple mood lighting.
August 11, 2025 at 6:29 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Happy to share I've been renewed as a Microsoft MVP for Hyper-V & Azure Hybrid & Migration. My drive is always solving problems & sharing insights. This is a cool recognition of that work, and I appreciate it!
#MVPBuzz #MicrosoftMVP
This image displays a certificate or award recognizing Ben Thomas as a "Most Valuable Professional" (MVP) by Microsoft. The design features a dark blue background with lighter blue accents and a large white diamond shape in the center containing the "MVP" acronym. The award is specifically for "Cloud and Datacenter Management" & "Microsoft Azure," dated July 10, 2025, and includes a stylized signature that appears to be "Satya N." with "Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer" printed next to it. A Microsoft MVP logo is in the bottom left, and a congratulatory message about contributions to technical communities worldwide is in the bottom center, with the Microsoft logo in the bottom right.
July 10, 2025 at 6:28 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Finally! The @veeam.bsky.social User Group is back in Christchurch, NZ! First meetup in a while. Jason and I are kicking things off with "Beer for Engineer". Come hang out, talk tech, and grab a cold one.
#VeeamVanguard #VeeamCommunity #Christchurch
A promotional banner for "Veeam User Group New Zealand" stands next to a fireplace with a TV displaying "Beer for Engineer By Jason & Ben".
June 26, 2025 at 4:11 AM
ben.hybridby.design
My internet felt slow tonight. Turns out I was just maxing it out pushing backups to Veeam Data Cloud Vault! 😂 Always fun when you're the bottleneck. Anyone else ever do this?

#VeeamVanguard #VeeamCommunity #Networking #homelab #Veeam100
Three graphs show real-time internet usage. Top left: Inbound bandwidth peaking at 300 Mbps, currently 13.67 Mbps. Top right: Outbound bandwidth frequently over 400 Mbps, currently 482.30 Mbps. Bottom: Session rate showing fluctuations, currently 33/s. Displays high network traffic.
June 23, 2025 at 8:41 AM
ben.hybridby.design
Quick reminder for Christchurch! This Thursday, June 26th, is our "Beers with Engineers" event. I'll be there talking Veeam, and yes, we'll have some cool Veeam NZ User Group stickers for attendees! Don't miss out.
Register: buff.ly/Xho2F5L
#VeeamVanguard #VeeamCommunity #Christchurch #VUG #Veeam100
June 23, 2025 at 12:42 AM
ben.hybridby.design
Post-#VeeamON airport wait. What else to do but deploy the new #Veeam Software Appliance v13 to the homelab? Excited for this! #VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity #HomeLab #ITPro
Screenshot of a virtual machine console displaying the Veeam Backup & Replication 13.0.0.126 installation progress screen, showing "Preparing to install". The screen includes the Rocky Linux and Veeam logos. Screenshot of a virtual machine console showing the GRUB boot menu for Veeam Backup & Replication version 13.0.
April 25, 2025 at 3:12 AM
ben.hybridby.design
Getting ready for the last session with @rickatron.bsky.social and Hannes on Veeam Hardened Repo updates!
#VeeamOn #VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity
Two speakers are on a stage at a conference, presenting in front of a screen that displays "VeeamON: Veeam Hardened Repository Updates and Deeper Dives" and their names and titles. An audience is visible in the foreground.
April 23, 2025 at 10:55 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Great to see @rickatron.bsky.social using Hyper-v in the Veeam Data Platform v13 Deep Dive session! 😁
#VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity #VeeamOn
A projector displays the Veeam Backup & Replication console with a Host Configuration Wizard open, showing settings for time synchronization including current time and NTP servers.
April 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Veeam knows that any good conference needs an afternoon sugar hit to keep up with all the content 😂
#VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity #VeeamOn
A table is filled with plates of desserts, including chocolate brownies with white sprinkles and stacks of cookies, with serving tongs on the plates.
April 22, 2025 at 10:00 PM
ben.hybridby.design
After an awesome keynote at #VeeamOn, now off to the partner exclusive kick off! Can't wait to hear what's next for the partner community!
#VeeamVanguard #Veeam100
A screen displays "veeamon Welcome to Partner Kickoff" with colorful abstract shapes in the background. A screen displays "veeamon Welcome to Partner Kickoff" with colorful abstract shapes in the background.
April 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Anton announcing timelines for the new #VBR V13 release, including the new software appliance!
#VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity #VeeamOn
A speaker on stage at a conference points to a large screen displaying "V13: What This Means for You" and details about software availability and "OPPORTUNITY". An audience is visible in the foreground.
April 22, 2025 at 4:52 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Anton talking new UIs at #VeeamOn
#VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity
Dark mode veeam Web ui Light mode Web ui New VBR console ui
April 22, 2025 at 4:37 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Check out the stats
A screen displays several statistics and achievements, including "$1.75B+ Total ARR", "550K+ Total Customers", and multiple "#1" rankings in market share and industry recognition.
April 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Here we go!
A speaker on a brightly lit stage at a conference, addressing an audience in front of a large screen displaying "veeamon WELCOME".
April 22, 2025 at 4:06 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Found a seat and getting ready for the #VeeamOn keynote to start!
#VeeamVanguard #Veeam100 #VeeamCommunity
A view from the back of a large conference room filled with people watching presentations on multiple screens on a stage at a VeeamON event.
April 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Enjoying a flat white before starting the trip to #VeeamOn in San Diego while my accent doesn't prevent people spelling Ben correctly 🤣
Looking forward to catching up with all the other #Veeam100 attending!
A close-up of a flat white coffee with latte art, sitting on a table next to a label showing the name Ben and details of the coffee order.
April 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Great to catch up with friends and make new connections at #MVPSummit last week! From insightful chats to fun events like minigolf at Flatstick and even a slightly controversial Whirlyball tourney (thanks CloudAssert!), the community is what makes it special. #MVPBuzz
Collage of four images from the Microsoft MVP Summit, including group photos, a badge pickup sign, and the Microsoft logo.
April 4, 2025 at 10:46 PM
ben.hybridby.design
MVP Summit is underway! Yesterday's pre-day was awesome, reconnecting with friends & learning. Ready for the keynote & deep dives today. #MVPSummit #MVPBuzz
A person at a conference smiling and holding a badge and a sign that says "Badge Pickup and Information" at the MVP Summit.
March 25, 2025 at 2:48 PM
ben.hybridby.design
In the line to collect my badge and have the essentials with me! #MVPSummit #MVPBuzz
A hand holding a paper coffee cup with a green lid and a cardboard sleeve with the Microsoft logo, in a blurry indoor setting.
March 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
ben.hybridby.design
Like many others, I'm starting my journey to Seattle for the #MVPSummit! Only 24 hours till I touch down 😂😂 safe travels to everyone! First stop, Auckland!
#MVPBuzz
Overhead view of an Air New Zealand plane at a gate, attached to a jet bridge, with another plane visible in the distance on the tarmac. Christchurch Airport, New Zealand.
March 22, 2025 at 1:20 AM
ben.hybridby.design
I needed an image for a blog post and AI delivered 😂😂
Cartoon of a stressed, old-fashioned hard drive being chased by a strong, modern SSD
March 17, 2025 at 8:23 AM
ben.hybridby.design
Apparently it wasn't done yet.....
Weather app showing outdoor temperature of 32.0°C, 35% humidity, sunrise at 7:28, and sunset at 19:47.
March 17, 2025 at 1:55 AM