Professionals worldwide are turning to this certification because organizations now rely heavily on storage engineers, NetApp ONTAP administrators, and data specialists who can keep mission-critical environments running with performance, security, and reliability. Whether you are early in your IT journey or looking to upgrade your career trajectory, the NS0-164 certification positions you directly in the center of high-demand, high-salary roles.
This guide explores how to leverage the NS0-164 certification to build a profitable and future-proof career, what job opportunities it can unlock, salary expectations, and the exact roadmap to maximize your growth after passing the exam.
The NS0-164 certification validates your ability to administer and support NetApp ONTAP storage systems. This includes configuration, troubleshooting, data protection, performance optimization, and day-to-day operations inside enterprise storage networks.
According to NetApp Learning Services, ONTAP administrators play a critical role in modern infrastructure that blends hybrid cloud storage, virtualization environments, and scalable enterprise-class data systems.
As digital transformation accelerates across industries, organizations need certified administrators who can guarantee data availability, optimize performance, and enforce protection standards. This is where NS0-164 holders stand out—your skill set becomes indispensable.
Professionals certified in NS0-164 bring a combination of technical skills and real-world storage expertise that employers rely on. Companies choose NS0-164-certified candidates because they demonstrate:
You can manage complex storage infrastructures, enabling enterprises to maintain uptime and data integrity.
ONTAP systems often integrate with cloud platforms. NS0-164 holders understand hybrid storage behavior, replication, and secure connectivity.
Downtime affects revenue directly. Certified professionals specialize in spotting bottlenecks and optimizing systems for high-performance workloads.
Skills like SnapMirror, SnapVault, RAID, and recovery processes allow you to protect data in critical business operations.
Certification ensures that your knowledge aligns with NetApp’s official standards, providing employers confidence in your technical depth.
When these strengths combine, they place you miles ahead of non-certified storage and infrastructure engineers.
Organizations across finance, healthcare, telecom, e-commerce, and government are urgently hiring professionals who can manage structured storage systems. After earning the NS0-164 certification, you can confidently pursue roles such as:
Responsible for managing ONTAP environments, implementing policies, and troubleshooting storage issues.
You’ll design, deploy, and maintain enterprise storage architectures with scalability and reliability.
Focused on ONTAP cluster operations, upgrades, replication, and system health.
Organizations need specialists who combine general system administration with storage expertise.
As companies shift to hybrid and multi-cloud setups, skilled ONTAP professionals become critical assets.
You help organizations maintain accessibility, governance, and integrity for large data volumes.
Ideal for professionals with SnapMirror, SnapVault, and disaster recovery experience.
Each of these roles offers strong compensation and long-term growth potential.
Professionals holding the NS0-164 certification consistently report higher than average salaries due to the complexity of storage environments and the limited global talent pool.
Here’s a breakdown of typical salary ranges across job roles:
Annual Salary Range: USD 85,000 – 125,000
Annual Salary Range: USD 90,000 – 135,000
Annual Salary Range: USD 95,000 – 145,000
Annual Salary Range: USD 75,000 – 110,000
Annual Salary Range: USD 130,000 – 165,000+
In regions such as the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Singapore, and Australia, salaries for skilled NetApp administrators can exceed these ranges due to demand and cost of living.
The NS0-164 certification contributes directly to long-term career advancement—technically and financially—across multiple stages of your professional journey. Its benefits include:
Data remains the core asset of any digital enterprise, and certified administrators ensure the systems protecting that data stay operational.
Recruiters actively seek NS0-164 candidates when building cloud, virtualization, and enterprise infrastructure teams.
NetApp integrates with AWS, Azure, and GCP, helping you transition into cloud-focused roles.
With experience, NS0-164 professionals often become lead storage engineers, architects, or team managers.
The certification opens doors to fields like:
Disaster recovery
Backup engineering
Hybrid cloud storage
Virtualization
Data protection architecture
The NS0-164 serves as the foundation for:
NCIE (NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer)
Specialist-level certifications
Architect-level roles
Your learning journey does not stop here—this certification kickstarts a career-long growth cycle.
To maximize the value of your NS0-164 certification, follow this structured roadmap:
Ensure you master:
ONTAP architecture
Storage virtual machines (SVMs)
RAID policies
Disk management
Snapshot and replication technologies
NAS and SAN protocols
Performance tools and logs
These are core pillars of enterprise storage administration.
Hands-on practice drastically improves your skills. Use labs to configure:
Clusters
Aggregates and volumes
Replication between systems
SnapMirror and SnapVault
Network and security settings
NFS, SMB, and iSCSI workloads
Real-world exposure turns theoretical knowledge into confidence.
More companies now use NetApp Cloud Volumes or ONTAP integrations with:
AWS
Azure
Google Cloud
Learning these systems improves your chances of landing high-value roles.
Enterprises rely heavily on data protection policies. Deepen your knowledge in:
Backup technologies
Data lifecycle management
Compliance frameworks
Encryption and access controls
This is vital for regulated industries.
With time and experience, aim for advanced responsibilities:
Designing multi-site storage topology
Implementing DR strategies
Performance engineering
Storage automation using scripts
Leading infrastructure modernization projects
This is where six-figure salaries become standard.
Preparing for NS0-164 can feel overwhelming, especially when balancing work or transitioning from another IT domain. To streamline your preparation, rely on structured study plans and practice resources that simulate the real exam.
One of the most effective preparation tools is the NS0-164 practice exam, available at NWExam.
These practice tests help you:
Identify weak topics
Improve time management
Understand question patterns
Boost confidence before exam day
Candidates who consistently use practice tests perform significantly better in the actual certification environment because they gain exam familiarity and reduce anxiety.
Unlike some high-level certifications that require years of background knowledge, the NS0-164 certification is accessible yet powerful enough to impact mid-career growth.
This certification provides a strong technical foundation in data storage, one of the most stable and high-demand domains in IT.
You can leverage NS0-164 to transition into enterprise roles, gain credibility, and move toward leadership or cloud-focused career paths.
Its versatility makes it suitable for professionals across networking, virtualization, cloud engineering, and system administration.
Building a high-paying career in IT becomes easier when you choose certifications that align with long-term industry demand. The NS0-164 certification opens doors to premium job roles, strong salary potential, and long-term professional stability in enterprise storage and data administration.
Whether you want to specialize in ONTAP, transition into cloud storage, or architect large-scale enterprise environments, this certification places you at the center of one of the most critical and well-compensated areas in IT.
If your goal is to accelerate your career and stand out in competitive hiring markets, combine dedicated study with reliable practice tools like the NS0-164 practice test and follow the learning path provided by NetApp Learning Services. Your next step toward a high-paying IT role could begin today.