The Data Storage Job Market

As companies create more data, the need for workers who specialize in storage systems is increasing.

Data storage roles are expected to grow 5% across the U.S. from 2018 to 2028, creating  18,200 job opportunities across, according to Zippia.

See below to learn about the data storage job market:

See more: Top Data Storage Companies

Data storage market

The data storage market was estimated to be valued at $58.4 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $128.94 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% from 2022 to 2030, according to Verified Market Research.

Geographically, growth in the data recovery market is being driven the most in North America, followed closely by Europe and Asia-Pacific. 

Industry-wise, several sectors are driving demand for data storage:  banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI); IT; telecom; government; and health care.

Data storage job types

A variety of roles in data engineering, data administration, and IT are tied to data storage, according to Zippia:

• Systems engineer: Design storage-area-network solutions, generates and oversees systems related to production and manufacturing of company products, addresses needs, and creates plans to fix any technical difficulties
• Storage engineer: facilitates and leads the processes of data storage and plan storage strategies
• Storage administrator: manages the storage platform and solves any problems, such as security breaches and installation of storage systems, and retrieval of data and information
• Storage specialist: manages storage infrastructure, creates reports, provides technical guidance to staff, optimizes storage infrastructure to achieve the best results, and addresses critical issues
• Storage consultant: knows all types of storage hardware and software available and their benefits and advises solutions

Data storage education

A total of 55.5% of data storage pros have a bachelor’s degree and 6.7% have master’s degrees, according to Zippia.

However, it is possible to achieve a storage-related position with a high school education or certificate alone.

Recommended bachelor’s degrees are computer science, engineering, information security, cybersecurity, and software development. The master’s degrees recommended are data science and cloud computing.

Certificates

• Hitachi Vantara Qualified Professional Storage Administration
• NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA), ONTAP
• Dell Technologies Certified Associate, Information Storage and Management v5
• HPE Master ASE: Storage Solutions Architect v3

For more: Top 10 Data Storage Certifications

Data storage job openings

There are thousands of positions tied to data storage that are listed at various job sites, including:

• 40,000 jobs at LinkedIn 
• 97,000 jobs at Indeed 
• 162,000 jobs at ZipRecruiter 

Many top technology companies are hiring for roles related to data storage roles, including:

IBM

• Storage software sales specialist
• Commercial storage specialist
• zOS/MVS storage specialist

HPE

• Storage and backup consultant
• Storage pre-sales
• Storage category manager

AWS

• Front-end engineer, AWS storage gateway
• Storage solutions architect, energy accounts, WWSO Storage
• Solutions architect, storage

Data storage salaries

The table below shows the estimated median annual salaries for a selection of data storage positions, according to Glassdoor:

Conclusions

The fast-growing field of data storage is creating job opportunities across the tech industry. Several specialized data storage roles focus on different phases and types of storage, from a storage engineer leading storage processes to a storage consultant being responsible to advise on solutions. Leading tech players are among the many organizations looking to fill jobs in data storage, as companies work to better store and manage their growing data volumes. 

See more: Top 10 Companies Hiring for Data Storage Jobs