10 Questions with Troy Davies

The cybersecurity expert at Cape Cod Healthcare blends tech, talent and a lifetime of stories.

If you’ve ever met Troy Davies, you know immediately that there’s more to this cybersecurity professional than meets the eye. The senior analyst in IT security and new technology for Cape Cod Healthcare plays a crucial role in keeping our network, email systems and multi-factor authentication running safely. But behind the technical expertise is a quick-witted storyteller, lifelong performer, improviser and former hockey hopeful whose journey has zigzagged from Canada to Michigan to Cape Cod.

Troy grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, where he once dreamed of a future on the ice before eventually studying both computer science and theater. After early career roles with engineering firms in Detroit and cybersecurity companies like Barracuda Networks, Troy also immersed himself in the performing arts. He trained at Second City Detroit, studied under actor and playwright Jeff Daniels at the Purple Rose Theatre and performed in countless improv shows and stage productions. Along the way, he crossed paths with everyone from Ben Stiller’s sister, Amy, and actress Alfre Woodward, to directors who cast him in background roles in the film “Little Women,” and on HBO’s “Julia” and “Castle Rock.”

Troy eventually made his way to Cape Cod when a new opportunity brought him east, and he soon found himself immersed in both the local arts scene and the region’s close-knit tech community. At Cape Cod Healthcare, he manages everything from cybersecurity monitoring to access management, often using his improv skills to help defuse tense tech situations.

And while his days revolve around security logs and system alerts, he still picks up his ukulele nearly every day and has more entertaining stories than anyone you might ever meet. We recently sat down with Troy at his office on Communication Way in Hyannis, where we learned more about the man behind the monitor.

1. What was your very first job, and what did it teach you? 

Troy portrayed “Scrooge” in Cape Symphony’s annual “Holiday on the Cape” show.

My very first job was picking fruit on a farm in Canada, right on the lake. I picked cherries and peaches when I was about 10. After that, I sold programs for the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A farm club in St. Catharines. The farm work was amazing because it was me and workers from all over, including Mexico, Jamaica, lots of different places. I learned how to get along in a very multicultural environment. Selling programs was basically my first improv job: you’re out there trying to convince people to buy something, joking around with them. Both jobs taught me people skills early on.

2. How did you first get into acting and improv?

Computer science can be very dry, and IT can be, too. While in college, I realized I needed a creative outlet. At the time, there were essentially zero women in my computer science classes, and the guidance counselor joked, “They’re all over in arts.” So, I signed up for an acting class, loved it and ended up double majoring in computer science and theater at the University of Waterloo. 

3. What’s one skill that’s essential in both cybersecurity and improv? 

Thinking fast on your feet and staying calm. In improv, something always goes wrong: someone drops a line, a prop breaks, a head falls off a dummy and rolls across the stage. You learn to react quickly but calmly and turn it into something funny instead of panicking. Cybersecurity can feel very reactionary, too. The world is full of hackers, alerts and noise. You have to pause and ask, “What’s really happening here? Is this worth freaking out about?” That ability to respond quickly is crucial in both worlds. 

4. Can you give us a “wow” cybersecurity stat and what your day looks like?

In the film “Little Women,” Troy played the role of Man About Town/Newspaper Man.

We get roughly 5 million emails a month at Cape Cod Healthcare. Out of those, only about 350,000 are legitimate.  A priority focus of my day is monitoring the systems that protect us from spam, malware or viruses.

5.  What’s your go-to coffee order? 

A non-fat decaf mocha. The baristas at Nirvana usually draw little cartoons on the cup, and I get a lot of free ones because I help them with their computer issues. I even installed their last cash register despite knowing absolutely nothing about cash registers.

6. What’s a quote or mantra you live by from your improv days?

At Second City, they drilled two big ideas into us. One was learn to let go of your babies. Tina Fey wrote about this, too. It means if you’ve written a sketch you absolutely love, but everyone else says, “This doesn’t work,” and you have to be willing to let it go. You can’t cling to something just because you’re attached to it. The other is “learn to fail.” Improv is all about failing. They say you’ll learn more from failure than you ever will from success. Try, fail, try harder, fail harder until you realize it doesn’t kill you. That mindset has helped me in IT as much as on stage.

7. What might your coworkers be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a pretty good ukulele player. I play almost every day. I also draw a lot, mostly cartoons. I’ve also had all these odd little brushes with film and TV, but because I’m often in the background, people only notice if they pause the screen and squint. I might play a man running in the rain or simply a man wearing a hat as an extra.

8. How would your teammates describe you in three words?

One coworker answered: Funny, dependable and friendly. I’d add “goofy” to that list. But I’m also very committed. I’ll answer my phone 24 hours a day if something is going on. 
(Bonus: Waiterly, because people joke that I dress like a waiter: jeans, black shirt with a collar and black shoes. I’ve been asked “How long have you worked here?” in restaurants more than once.)

9. What’s your favorite way to unwind on Cape Cod? 

I live in a little condo complex in Dennis, and I love my neighbors. They’re all over 80, so it’s like having a building full of grandparents. I genuinely enjoy chatting with them. I also like going to see friends play music, especially my friends Josh and Melissa Ayala, George Smith, Aaron Jackson, Keb Hutchings and Leo Ludwig. I spend time at coffee shops like Nirvana Coffee Company—I worked in the kitchen there for two years, actually—and I like Encore Bistro and the Woodshed, especially on “industry nights” when all the restaurant folks go.

I also like the beach, running, and, when I can, teaching improv. I’ve taught at Cotuit Center for the Arts, the Cape Cod Conservatory, the Osterville Village Library and the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre. Kids already know how to improvise; I love making adults act silly again.

10. You’ve had some incredible brushes with fame. Do you have a favorite “you’re not going to believe this” story? 

I’ve been weirdly lucky. In one improv and music scene, there was a guy named Jack White who played between our sets; he later formed The White Stripes. Another musician from that production went on to play guitar for Bruno Mars. One of my favorites, though, is doing improv with Amy Stiller on Nantucket, then realizing later she’s Ben Stiller’s sister. She introduced me to Ben, and I even met their parents Ann Meara and Jerry Stiller. At a party afterward, I found myself sitting near the script for “Zoolander 2.” I couldn’t resist: I wrote my name and phone number next to one of the character names. Somewhere out there is a “Zoolander 2” script with my name in it!