Though vendor-specific storage platform certifications clearly lead the pack among IT managers in terms of desired certifications, IT managers prioritize the other certifications in the top five differently depending on the environments and needs of their specific shops.

Fischer says that because of his company's continuing data growth, his shop will always need individuals trained and certified in backup software. Since his company uses Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM), he gives preference to individuals holding the IBM Certified Deployment Professional -- Tivoli Storage Manager V5.3 certification when hiring or promoting. However, he also views other backup software certifications, such as Symantec Corp.'s Veritas Certified Data Protection Administrator, as viable alternatives if no candidates with the desired TSM certification are available.

At his site, Olson places a high level of value on volume management certifications such as Veritas Storage Certification Specialist or Sun Microsystem's Certified System Administrator. Olson says that administrators have to understand volume management to manage servers. Knowing that an individual holds a system administrator or volume management certification reassures him that the individual understands some of the finer points associated with managing storage, such as what a SCSI-3 reservation bit on a LUN means.

One certification that IT managers are warming up to is SNIA's vendor-neutral storage certification. Fischer lists obtaining a SNIA certification as one of his goals for 2007. He views a SNIA certification as increasingly valuable since he works in a heterogeneous storage environment with multiple operating systems, vendor storage platforms and Fibre Channel switches.

Though he finds that his EMC Proven Professional certification has given him much of the necessary knowledge he needs to pass the SNIA certification test, everyone on his team needs to know something about everything. Fischer says, "Though we are storage generalists, we are very deep in each skill set and the SNIA certification will help me to deepen my personal storage knowledge base."

Luchs says that a recent survey completed by his organization indicates that end-user interest in the SNIA storage certification is rising. According to Luchs, pursuing vendor-specific certifications takes people out of the office, and the user has to complete each vendor's foundational storage course before pursuing any advanced courses. "At SNIA, we want our SCP certification to satisfy every vendor's foundational requirements for basic storage knowledge," Luchs says.

As part of that survey, SNIA also discovered that 40 percent of those who took the test did it for career advancement while another 40 percent took the test to get into the storage field. Those who did pass the test indicate that it is paying off as SNIA reports that the typical SNIA certificate holder experienced an 8 percent increase in pay in 2006.

A Brocade Communications Systems Certified Fabric Professional or Cisco Systems Certified Network Associate certification rounds out the top five as storage certifications that will help users advance their career in 2007. However, the value of a storage networking certification varies by company, and it lacks the wider appeal that other storage certifications possess with the largest companies finding these certifications the most appealing.

Foote indicates that the key to translating a certification into a promotion is a user's ability to apply it. "The ability to design, configure, administer and optimize a SAN without impacting the current infrastructure or applications is paramount," he says. "Most employers have to grow these capabilities in-house because they cannot find this talent on the open market."

Storage certifications still do not, and probably never will, equate to on-the-job experience. But more IT managers are encouraging internal staff to pursue storage certifications and are making it worth their while once they receive them. Olson says, "I am making storage certifications a job requirement, paying for them to complete the certifications and then rewarding them when they finish it."

(See related article: What's in a certification?)