Tom Gillis

Tom Gillis is Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Infrastructure & Security Group at Cisco, where he oversees the global security business and leads initiatives to build secure infrastructure within a unified framework, focusing on enabling customers to reduce risks, streamline management, and effectively adapt to modern threats. A respected industry leader with strong executive management skills, Tom has extensive knowledge in secure integrated networking and enterprise computing. Previously, he led Cisco’s Security Business Group, focusing on simplifying the security experience globally.

Before joining Cisco, Tom served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Network and Advanced Security Business Group at VMware, overseeing the endpoint, networking, load balancing, and network security businesses. He was also the CEO and co-founder of Bracket Computing, which was acquired by VMware.

Earlier in his career, Tom was the General Manager of the Security Technology Group at Cisco, where he managed security management, appliances, applications, and endpoint services. As part of the founding team at IronPort Systems, he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading the company to become a leading provider of antispam, antivirus, and antimalware appliances. Under his leadership, IronPort experienced an average growth of 100 percent year-on-year for seven years and was acquired by Cisco.

Tom's career also includes roles at iBEAM Broadcasting, Silicon Graphics, Boston Consulting Group, and Raytheon. He is a noted advisor to startups and venture capital companies, serving on several boards of directors. Tom holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University, an M.S.E.E. from Northwestern University, and a B.S.E.E. from Tufts University.