The Lighter Side of Symantec

LAS VEGAS -- Strange times here today, where a funky band welcomed bleary-eyed IT managers and journalists to Symantec Vision early this morning.

The musicians, it soon transpired, are a big part of this years conference, which is being run along the lines of a TV talk show, complete with comfy couch, presenter’s desk, and wise-cracking house band.

Stranger still, Steve Trilling, Symantec’s vice president of security technology, is the "Conan O’Brien" of this geeky alternate universe, where his guests will include his boss, John Thompson, and various other Symantec luminaries.

After some initial awkwardness, the Symantec exec seemed to warm to his new role as storage’s king of comedy. At one point Trilling showed a video where he chases unsuspecting people down the street, while shouting questions about information security and data centers through a bullhorn.

”To be honest, I was just happy to get through shooting that video without getting arrested or punched in the face,” he admitted, adding dryly that “it’s great to work for a company that offers such a range of diversity” in job tasks.Safely installed behind his massive onstage desk, Trilling started bantering with his stage manager and band, even poking fun at the massive broadcast screens providing conference information for attendees.

“There’s a lot of text here, keep scrolling, keep scrolling,” he said. “Have a piece of fruit so that you don’t get scurvy.”

The Yale and MIT grad actually spent 10 years as a stand-up comedian when he was younger, although it seems unlikely that his previous material will be making an appearance at Symantec Vision.

All credit to Symantec, though -- there was not a PowerPoint presentation in sight during the first couple of hours of the show, a welcome change from the usual slideware overload that accompanies this type of gathering.

Whether Steve Trilling leaves his day job, though, is another matter altogether.Have a comment on this story? Please click "Discuss" below. If you'd like to contact Byte and Switch's editors directly, send us a message.