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Computerworld - Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship, IT innovation, stock options -- it all seems so 1990s. But that's what you'd get today if you worked at Network Appliance Inc. in Sunnyvale, Calif.

And the employees at NetApp, as the provider of network storage hardware, software and services is known, say they wouldn't have it any other way.

"We look for people who are very motivated and entrepreneurial, who will work on their own without a structured blow-by-blow for each individual," says Ric McCormick, senior director of business process and systems.

Why They're Tops • Ranked No. 8 in retention • Ranked No. 8 in training • Training budget of $3,000 per IT employee per year • Eight training days offered per IT employee per year

The number of U.S. IT employees at the $1.2 billion company jumped from 114 to 148 in 12 months, while the number of offshore contract workers in IT zoomed from 50 to 125. That reflects the growth of the company, McCormick says, but there's more to it.

"There's a philosophy at NetApp to invest in the IT organization," he says. "It's not just looked at as a cost center, but as something that adds value to the business." That philosophy radiates down from the CEO, he adds.

NetApp is an avid user of its own data-storage products, and IT workers are frequently called on to meet with customers and sales prospects to explain how it all works.

"Sometimes in IT, it's hard to directly link what you are doing to what's occurring from a revenue standpoint," McCormick says. "But we know when a sale comes in, or when a customer problem that we were involved in gets resolved. We find that quite fulfilling."

"People love what they do, and that shows," agrees Kelvin Mayo, manager of systems infrastructure. "At a lot of other companies, you don't have the visibility or the direct impact on sales cycles as we do here. Top management understands that; they know IT is an asset to the business."

At a time when stock options are falling out of favor, NetApp still offers options to all new employees and then gives stock bonuses for superior performance. "We also have peer recognition awards for people who go above and beyond the call of duty," Mayo says.

Those things foster innovation, he says, adding, "Your ability to be an independent thinker and create new methodologies or tools is something we appreciate and focus on when we look for a new employee."

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Special Report Table of Contents

List of winners
Company Scorecard
Employee Scorecard
100 Best Places to Work in IT 2005
- Sidebar: Perks Plus
- Sidebar: Wish You Worked Here?
Profile: Quicken Loans Inc.
- Sidebar: Why Quicken Loans Tops the List
Profile: University of Miami
Profile: American Fidelity Assurance Co.
Profile: American Century Investments
Profile: Network Appliance
IT for Hire
Above the White Noise
- Sidebar: Raising Voices
Beyond the Suggestion Box
- Sidebar: Embracing Risky Business
How the 100 Best Places to Work in IT Were Chosen

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