With mind-boggling quantities of data, complex security and accessibility needs, and heavy government oversight, health care was one of the first industries to make storage a priority.

"It was tough to find storage people, because it's such a new specialty," says Gary Foote. He adds that many Unix administrators, who had experience managing large numbers of servers, transitioned well into the storage arena. Asked about finding IT workers experienced with SANs, he laughs. "Impossible," says Foote. "We had to send [new hires] to vendor-provided classes and make sure our experienced people gave them a lot of help."

Certification push

Research shows that certifications don't necessarily lead to higher pay in the storage field. That's partly due to the fact that such certifications tend to be for a single vendor only.

The Storage Networking Industry Association is trying to change that. For two years, SNIA has offered, through partners, a "vendor-neutral certification program so IT [workers] can learn storage as a discipline without being tied to a vendor product," says Ralph Luchs, the association's education director.