NetApp partner certifications are an important part of the NetApp partner program. A recurring complaint of NetApp partners when I advise them on the partner certifications is that they are difficult to understand. In this blog therefore a simple explanation of the basics of the NetApp partner certifications.
How is the certification program composed, which roles and levels are distinguishable and what is required of NetApp partners and their employees?
NetApp partners: why is certification necessary?
Let’s start at the beginning: why would NetApp partners care about certifications? For NetApp partners the answer to this question is different than from NetApp itself.
When a NetApp partner possesses the required certifications the organization will receive advantages like attention and rebates. The partner can furthermore service his clients by committing the knowledge that is present within the organization.
NetApp on the other hand has a different goal for partner certifications: more quantifiable knowledge in the market will lead to more sales and the realization of a bigger market share.
Plenty of reasons to explore the matter some more.
Different partner certifications
Several partner certifications exist within the partner program. This way both small and large NetApp partners are able to participate in the partner program. It goes without saying that NetApp will grant a higher status to partners who possess many certifications. But NetApp will also expect more from these partners. A higher revenue and more knowledge, for instance.
NetApp distinguishes 5 partner certifications:
- Star International
- Star
- PlatinumGold and Gold with PSC (Professional Services Certification)
- Silver
The hierarchy in this order is obvious.
Different roles
To function optimally the organization will need specialists in several areas. Therefore the certification program for NetApp partners distinguishes 3 different roles:
- Account Manager / Sales
- Systems Engineer
- Implementation Engineer
Different levels
The role of, for instance, a Systems Engineer at a start-up Silver partner differs from that of the System Engineer at a renowned Star partner. Besides roles, the certification program therefore distinguishes levels too:
- Professional
- Specialist
- Expert
At this time only the levels Professional and Specialist exist within the partner program.
Learning paths
Every role on any level requires a number of learning goals. These are defined in learning paths. A learning path consists of the following components:
- Assessments: these can be found at the NetApp Learning Center, as a free service for NetApp partners, or are included in training sessions.
- Web Based Training (WBT): these can be found at the NetApp Learning Center, as a free service for NetApp partners.
- Instructor-Led Training (ILT): these are organized by NetApp Learning Partners and can be paid with Training Units.
- Exams: exams can be booked at exam center Pearson VUE.
- Personal certifications
Personal NetApp certifications
A small detour to personal NetApp certifications. Personal certifications provide an employee with the possibility to showcase his or her expertise and skills. The arrival of Data ONTAP Cluster-Mode, E-Series and clustered Data ONTAP 8.3 has made the landscape of personal certifications a bit more unclear. An overview of the most important certifications:
| Certification | Operating System | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| NCSA | Data ONTAP 7-Mode and clustered Data ONTAP | NS0-145 |
| NCDA 7-Mode | Data ONTAP 7-Mode | NS0-155 |
| NCDA cDOT | clustered Data ONTAP | NS0-157 |
| NCIE SAN 7-Mode | Data ONTAP 7-Mode | NS0-502 |
| NCIE SAN cDOT | clustered Data ONTAP | NS0-506 |
| NCIE SAN E-series | E-Series | NS0-505 |
| NCIE Data Protection cDOT | clustered Data ONTAP | NS0-511 |
| Converged Infrastructure Cisco and NetApp FlexPod Design | FlexPod | NS0-170 |
| Converged Infrastructure Cisco and NetApp FlexPod Implementatioin and Adminstration | FlexPod | NS0-171 |
NetApp partner certifications: all components combined
Now that we have collected all components we can built a complete certification program for clustered Data ONTAP. Per status the minimum annual revenue in NetApp products and number of specialists is shown.
| Partnercertificering | Omzet | Rollen |
|---|---|---|
| Star International | € 16M | 6x Sales Professional |
| 3x System Engineer Professional | ||
| 3x Systems Engineer Specialist | ||
| 2x Implementation Professional cDOT | ||
| 1x Implementation Professional E-series (optional) | ||
| Star | € 10M | 6x Sales Professional |
| 3x System Engineer Professional | ||
| 3x Systems Engineer Specialist | ||
| 2x Implementation Professional cDOT | ||
| 1x Implementation Professional E-series (optional) | ||
| Platinum | € 4M | 4x Sales Professional |
| 2x System Engineer Professional | ||
| 2x Systems Engineer Specialist | ||
| 2x Implementation Professional cDOT | ||
| 1x Implementation Professional E-series (optional) | ||
| Gold PSC | € 500K | 2x Sales Professional |
| 1x Systems Engineer Professional | ||
| 2x Implementation Professional cDOT | ||
| 1x Implementation Professional E-series (optional) | ||
| Gold | € 500K | 2x Sales Professional |
| 1x Systems Engineer Professional | ||
| 1x NCDA cDOT | ||
| 1x Implementation Professional E-series (optional) | ||
| Silver | € 60K | 2x Sales Professional |
If you apply the above diagram and combine this with the learning paths in the NetApp Learning Center (logging in with a Support ID is obligated) it is quite simple to determine what requirements belong to which status. Together with NetApp, a NetApp Learning Partner, like Fast Lane, will be able to indicate exactly which components are still missing for the (continued) fulfilment of the demands NetApp requires of the partners.
If you have any questions about the certifications for NetApp partners, feel free to contact me. I’ll be happy to help!
