John Thompson Board’s Director at Virtual Instruments

Virtual Instruments, in virtual infrastructure optimization, announced John W. Thompson, former chief executive officer and current chairman of the board of directors for Symantec was appointed to Virtual Instruments’ board of directors. Thompson will join the board effective immediately.

 During his 10-year tenure as CEO of Symantec, Thompson transformed the company into a leader in security, storage and systems management solutions, delivering world class products to a global customer base, including both individuals and large-scale enterprises. Beyond his role at Symantec, Thompson served on the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC), making recommendations regarding the security of critical U.S. infrastructure, a role to which President George W. Bush appointed him. In addition, he was recently appointed to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the cause of the recent financial collapse and make recommendations to Congress on step to avoid or mitigate the impact of a reoccurrence.

“As Virtual Instruments continues to expand globally, the wisdom and experience of an industry veteran like John Thompson becomes an invaluable asset,” said Mark Urdahl, CEO of Virtual Instruments. “John’s extensive understanding of systems and storage, combined with his perspective on how technology policy affects the national and global stage, will be critical input to help propel Virtual Instruments into the next phase of growth.”

“Virtual Instruments is doing an incredible job helping Global 2000 companies lower the capital and operating expenses associated with their SANs and virtual infrastructure,” said Thompson. “It’s clear they play a critical part in improving the efficiency of every large IT organization by increasing overall asset utilization, improving IT productivity, and reducing unnecessary infrastructure expenditures. I look forward to serving on the board of directors, providing guidance and support as the company evolves.”

Before Symantec, Thompson held various senior executive positions in sales, marketing and software development at IBM Corporation, a career that spanned 28 years. In his last assignment at IBM, Thompson served as general manager of IBM Americas and as a member of the company’s Worldwide Management Council.

In addition to Virtual Instruments and Symantec’s board of directors, Thompson also serves on the board of directors for JovianDATA, Liquid Robotics, UPS and Seagate Technology.  His leadership expands beyond Silicon Valley, with Thompson serving on the national board of Teach for America, in addition to being inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame and recently awarded the David Packard Medal of Achievement by TechAmerica. Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in management science from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.