Ranken Technical College Student Becomes the First NetApp Academic Alliance Student in the World to Earn New NetApp Certification

Online, November 26, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Matthew Hagan, a third semester Information Technology student attending Missouri-based Ranken Technical College, recently became the first NetApp Academic Alliance student to pass the new entry-level NetApp Certified Storage Associate (NCSA) certification program. The NCSA program is designed to familiarize students with storage technology and terminology, NetApp® products and solutions, and the skills to accomplish basic tasks with the NetApp Data ONTAP® architecture. NetApp Data ONTAP is the world's number one storage operating system.

NetApp designed the NCSA certification program for NetApp customers, partners, and IT professionals who have limited or no storage experience. Last spring NetApp donated 500 certifications to an application-based pilot program for qualified veterans as part of the President's Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force which is led by the Department of Defense and charged with identifying military specialties that readily transfer to civilian jobs.

"With the explosion in data and the growing importance of storage management, we regularly hear from our customers and partners that there are just not enough 'storage savvy' candidates to fill the jobs in demand," said Conway. "We developed the NCSA program as a rigorous entry-level certification that would give students foundational knowledge and skills, and an industry credential that would help them take the first step in a storage-related IT career. We are thrilled that our collaboration with Ranken Technical College afforded Matthew this opportunity."

In the future, Hagan plans to obtain the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert Certification in the Server 2012 and SQL Database Data Platform. He envisions himself starting his career as a server administrator within a larger corporation and eventually becoming a chief technical/information officer: "I am entirely overjoyed to have earned my NCSA! Getting it was a very difficult process, that involved spending a lot of time for study and lab work," said Hagan. "In the end, however, it not only helped me learn about NetApp storage and operating systems, but also about network/storage infrastructure in general. I look forward to using this knowledge and experience in the field!"

NetApp approached Ranken Information Technology Department Chair Charles Corrigan and Information Technology Instructor Ron Vaughn last summer while he was in the process of creating a Virtualization Technology curriculum. NetApp Sr. Program Lead Mark Conway, who directed the development and roll-out of NetApp's Academic Alliances Program, offered the NetApp curriculum to Ranken in hopes of expanding the pool of college graduates that are knowledgeable about storage and data management. Vaughn also recently became the first instructor in the world to earn the NCSA certification.

"As a Ranken instructor, I am always researching new, cutting edge technology to help benefit my students upon graduation. Current knowledge and skills are the key components when placing our graduates into a career," said Vaughn. "After a few meetings with Mr. Conway, we determined that the NCSA certification would be a good tool for our students after graduation and decided to provide their curriculum to our students who are enrolled in the Virtualization Technology portion of our program. It is very gratifying to have helped the first student pass the NCSA certification."

*NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further, faster, and Data ONTAP are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.