Community at .conf25: SplunkTrust Stories Series (Part 3)

Welcome back to our .conf25 SplunkTrust Journey series! In this third installment, we shine a spotlight on a familiar face within the Splunk community, a veteran attendee, and a cornerstone of the SplunkTrust: Charlie Huggard (acharlieh). Charlie's journey with Splunk is a testament to the power of community, collaboration, and a genuine passion for the product, a passion that began, quite unexpectedly, with a t-shirt.

Charlie's very first encounter with Splunk was, as he puts it, "quite appropriately, a T-shirt." He recalls receiving a "More JSON, Less Freddy" shirt with "Splunk> dev" on the back at a conference around 2011 or 2012. Little did he know then that he would one day work for the company whose quirky swag he was sporting.

The real deep dive began in 2013. His employer, building its first multi-tenant cloud services, turned to him: "Hey Charlie, you're kinda into that whole Operations thing... in 2011 we bought and have folks running this thing called Splunk, could you look into it and help us operationalize it?" This mandate, which also included Chef and Zabbix, set Charlie on a path of discovery.

He eagerly sought to attend .conf2013 but was "shot down," instead attending AWS re:Invent. Undeterred, he found his way to Splunk Live in Kansas City, soaking in stories from other local customers. He immersed himself in the Splunk community, discovering Splunk Answers and the IRC channel (a precursor to today's Slack). "I learned about Splunk's search language, conf system, RBAC, licensing, indexes, and take classes, and get really pumped up because look at all this cool data that I can see and explore extremely easily," he recounts.

Over the next year, Charlie and his team undertook a monumental task: migrating their Splunk environment from version 4.3 to 6. This wasn't just an upgrade; it was a complete overhaul, moving from an "admin-for-everyone" setup that "toppled over every day" to a robust, clustered environment with proper team segregation and controlled access. They achieved this "without dropping any of our data, and minimal downtime for cutovers." This successful migration, heavily leveraging a Chef cookbook based on Best Buy's work, became the foundation for his first public speaking engagements.

A last-minute need for a customer speaker at Splunk Live Detroit 2014 saw Splunk flying Charlie out to share his team's journey and wins. This talk, which began his tradition of featuring "Brown Bear" in his presentations (his bear fez is also modeled after Brown Bear), expanded into his acceptance to speak at .conf2014. He and his manager presented their successful Splunk migration and upgrade, complete with "memes, bad jokes, and some good natured ribbing." Crucially, they open-sourced their Chef cookbook at the conference, sharing their work with the wider community.

".conf2014 was amazing," Charlie recalls, emphasizing that while learning was abundant, "the best part really was getting to connect in person with all the folks of the Splunk Community who helped me get started with Splunk." It was here that Rachel Perkins (then Community Manager) gifted him one of the original Splunk Answers branded fezzes. It was also the year of capes, where he and others famously "trolled" Clint Sharp's "Splunk makes you a Superhero" keynote segment. He even played Minecraft for the first time, marveling at how game data could be analyzed in Splunk.

One particularly memorable moment from .conf2014 involved meeting Godfrey Sullivan, then Splunk CEO. At a happy hour for community members and award winners, Charlie and a few others, emboldened by the festive atmosphere, decided they "needed a picture with Godfrey" wearing fezzes. Godfrey graciously obliged, even as Rachel, their community manager, was "horrified to realize we hadn't actually asked him yet." From that point on, Charlie consistently wore his Splunk cape (and fez) at every .conf event, a visible symbol of his dedication.

For Charlie, .conf isn't about a single grand event, but rather a collection of cherished interactions and experiences. "For me it's not any one major moment… they're bunches of little moments that add up to the general amazing feeling," he shares. Among these moments, being honored with a Splunk Ninja Revolution award and his induction into the inaugural Splunk Trust class in 2015 stand out. The annual SplunkTrust induction remains a highlight, a time to celebrate the community that supported him and which he now strives to give back to.

Beyond the accolades, Charlie fondly recalls the lighter side of .conf: the unforgettable parties at Disney (2016) and Universal (2018), and even the playful Erik Swan Splunk Live Action Role Play game. His passion extends to the intense learning environment of BOSS of the SOC, where he's participated both as a player and on the operations/coaching side. He emphasizes, "That event has so much passion put into it, it's an amazing experience, I would recommend it to everyone."

The true magic, however, often lies in the connections. Charlie cherishes the open and honest conversations he's had with Splunk leadership, feeling truly heard. He also recounts the fun of collaborating with fellow Trust members like Dawn Taylor and Jason Timlin to build the extensive Splunk Gallery of t-shirts and swag, and the joy of seeing a coworker meet Andy Mera, realizing he's just met "Shelly Kornbloom" of Splunk T-Shirt company fame. Even walking fellow Trust members home from a party while they leave "wookie impressions on their voicemail" adds to the rich tapestry of his .conf memories.

For Charlie, the Splunk community isn't just a part of .conf; it is the reason he attends. "These days, it is the largest part of the decision, seeing and catching up with friends from around the world who have this shared ideal of helping others with their Splunk and IT journeys," he explains. He likes the feeling of being at .conf to "coming back to nerd summer camp," a place where old friends are reunited and new connections are forged. While some might use the "family" analogy, Charlie prefers to describe the community as "friends, both familiar old faces, and ones whom we're just meeting for the first time."

As a SplunkTrust member, Charlie is a visible and approachable figure at .conf, often found in his signature cape and humorous hats, ready for a live "Ask me Anything / Stump the Chump" session. He embodies the SplunkTrust ethos, as perfectly encapsulated by Rachel's words: "The SplunkTrust are not necessarily the smartest in the room, but they're always the most helpful." For Charlie, being part of the Trust means being an ambassador, always open to honest conversations about Splunk, its capabilities, and its values-especially "Passionate, Open, and Fun."

At .conf25, Charlie was most excited about reconnecting with the community. Beyond catching up with friends and participating in BOSS of the SOC, he also enjoyed that pivotal moment "when the concepts behind the solutions just click into place for someone new to Splunk." He felt inspired by new customer and partner innovations and hearing directly about their struggles, using that feedback to advocate for the customer voice within Splunk.

For first-time attendees, Charlie offers invaluable advice: "Be inspired by what you see, but don't stress too much about retaining everything. Slides and recordings will be posted online." He strongly encourages new attendees to sign up for and play BOSS of the SOC, and most importantly, to "Meet new people… Expand your horizons… While the talks and events can be quite informative, the hallway .conf is often where many interesting discussions happen." And, in true Splunk spirit, he advises, "keep .conf (and Splunk) weird."

Charlie's message to anyone considering joining the Splunk community and attending .conf is clear: "The community is only as good as the people who keep it going." It's a place of mutual learning and support, where collective problem-solving thrives, and where individuals can provide direct feedback to Splunk. .conf25 is not just a conference; it's the ultimate user event, a place to connect, learn, and be inspired by the collective ingenuity of the Splunk ecosystem. Don't miss your chance to be part of this incredible experience!

Thank you Charlie for being a pillar for the Splunk Community, we are so glad to have you as a part of the SplunkTrust and this amazing Community!

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