Davis began his security career in 1991, as part of a two-person team tasked with protecting IU’s mainframe computer. “There wasn't a lot of worrying about Chinese or Russian hackers trying to break into systems,” Davis recalled. “Back then, I could actually follow a cable from the back of my computer terminal down to the mainframe in my building. That’s pretty secure.” 

“Tom Davis was an excellent partner to me for 30 years,” said Mark Bruhn, who retired in July 2020 as head of IU safety and security. . . "The tremendous success that we have had in this space has Tom’s fingerprints all over it.” 

Over the years, he became a key member of IU’s impressive cybersecurity force. 

In 2017, he was named executive director and chief information security officer for OmniSOC, and in January 2019, he began his tenure as associate vice president for information security for the IU Office of the Vice President for IT and CIO. His responsibilities included oversight of the Research and Education Networking Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the University Information Security Office, and University Information Policy Office. (Read more about Davis in “Guardian of the data.”) 

“Tom Davis was an excellent partner to me for 30 years,” said Mark Bruhn, who retired in July 2020 as head of IU safety and security. “He has been the tactical front for cybersecurity operations at IU for 30 years, starting with business systems in 1990 and for all university systems since 1998. The tremendous success that we have had in this space has Tom’s fingerprints all over it.” 

In commemoration of his retirement, Davis earned an IU Bicentennial Medal, which is “awarded to organizations and individuals who, through their personal, professional, artistic, or philanthropic efforts, have broadened the reach of Indiana University around the state, nation, and world.” 

Congratulations on a fantastic career, Tom!