Storage patching SME

ROLE SUMMARY

The Storage Patching Tower Lead (Onshore) is the primary storage interface to client L2/L3 and vendor liaisons during Canada hours. This role owns the full storage firmware/microcode patch lifecycle across an 811 PB estate spanning IBM (DS8000/SVC/Storwize), Dell EMC (PowerStore/VMAX/VNX), NetApp (ONTAP), and HPE (3PAR/Primera) platforms — planning non-disruptive upgrades (NDU), validating multipathing and failover health, and owning tower compliance reporting.

ROLE IN THE OPERATING MODEL

▸ Tower/pod lead and SME for storage patching — primary storage interface to client L2/L3 and vendors-via-client during Canada hours and weekend windows

▸ Coordinates NDU windows with client L2/L3 and application teams; owns Storage tower compliance reporting

▸ Operates as storage execution layer under client direction; storage architecture/design remains client L2/L3 owned

▸ Directs offshore storage SMEs during onshore hours; manages escalation within agreed SLTs

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

▸ Plan and execute controller firmware/microcode, array OS (e.g., NetApp ONTAP), and HBA/driver patching across IBM, Dell EMC, NetApp, and HPE arrays

▸ Plan non-disruptive upgrades (NDU); validate multipathing, failover, and health pre-checks before each window

▸ Coordinate SAN/NAS and switch firmware (Brocade/Cisco MDS) cycles with client L2/L3

▸ Maintain EOL/EOS lifecycle tracking, capacity/health pre-checks, and compliance posture; update CMDB

▸ Perform RCA and rollback; escalate hardware/microcode issues to vendor (via client)

▸ Author RFC/CAB submissions for storage firmware windows; align with application teams for I/O freeze scheduling

▸ Own Storage tower compliance reporting; present KPIs to the Patch Service Lead for governance reviews

TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE SCOPE

▸ Execute controller firmware/microcode and array OS patches across IBM, Dell EMC, NetApp, and HPE platforms

▸ Plan and validate NDU procedures — multipathing health, controller failover, LUN snapshot pre-checks

▸ Manage NetApp ONTAP ANDU upgrades — cluster-wide non-disruptive upgrade procedures

▸ Execute IBM SVC/Storwize rolling node-by-node code upgrades; validate I/O continuity post-upgrade

▸ Coordinate SAN switch firmware (Brocade/Cisco MDS) cycles; validate fabric health pre/post-change

▸ Update CMDB firmware levels; close vulnerability tickets; maintain KEDB for recurring firmware issues

▸ Track vendor firmware advisories (IBM Fix Central, NetApp ONTAP release notes, Dell EMC security advisories)

SKILLS, TOOLS & COMPETENCIES

Primary Skills

Secondary Skills

▸ SAN switch (Brocade/Cisco MDS) firmware management and zoning awareness

▸ Backup infrastructure patching and storage automation/scripting

▸ Virtualisation datastore (VMware VMFS, vSAN) awareness

CERTIFICATIONS

Mandatory

▸ ITIL 4 Foundation

Preferred (one or more)

▸ NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA) or NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer (NCIE)

▸ Dell EMC Proven Professional — Information Storage and Management (EMCISA)

▸ SNIA Storage Networking certification (SCSN-E) — plus

▸ Broadcom/Brocade (BCFP/BCFA) for SAN fabric — advantageous

NICE TO HAVE

▸ Experience with large enterprise SAN environments (>500 TB / 811 PB scale)

▸ Dell EMC Unity/PowerStore administration exposure

▸ Financial services storage patching with regulatory compliance requirements

WORK MODEL & COMMITMENT

Compensation: We are offering between $60,000 – $85,000. Applications will be accepted until Aug 21, 2026.Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in Canada without requiring employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

*Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future*

Acerca de Cognizant  
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) es un creador de soluciones de IA y proveedor de servicios tecnológicos que conecta la inversión en IA con el valor empresarial mediante el desarrollo de soluciones de IA full‑stack para sus clientes. Su profundo conocimiento de la industria, junto con su experiencia en procesos e ingeniería, permite incorporar el contexto único de cada organización en sistemas tecnológicos que amplifican el potencial humano, generan resultados tangibles y mantienen a las empresas a la vanguardia en un entorno en constante cambio. Más información en cognizant.ai o @cognizant.

Información adicional sobre el empleo
La información sobre la compensación es exacta en la fecha de publicación de este anuncio. Cognizant se reserva el derecho de modificar esta información en cualquier momento, de conformidad con la legislación aplicable.
Es posible que se solicite a los solicitantes que asistan a entrevistas de forma presencial o mediante videoconferencia. Asimismo, durante cada entrevista, los candidatos podrán estar obligados a presentar un documento de identidad válido emitido por el estado o por el gobierno.
Cognizant es un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades. Su solicitud y candidatura no se evaluarán en función de la raza, el color, el sexo, la religión, el credo, la orientación sexual, la identidad de género, el origen nacional, la discapacidad, la información genética, el embarazo, la condición de veterano ni cualquier otra característica protegida por las leyes federales, estatales o locales.