Network Appliance Named a ''Best Company to Work For'' by Fortune Magazine for Fourth Consecutive Year; Enterprise Storage Leader Receives High Employee Marks; Ranks Number 27 on Elite Top 100 Listing

Business Wire, Jan 9, 2006

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP), a leader in advanced network storage solutions, today was named by FORTUNE magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the fourth consecutive year. This year, NetApp(R) again ranked in the top half of the list, at number 27, reflecting the company's emphasis on attracting and retaining the best talent in the industry and continuing to demonstrate the values of what NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven calls a "model company." In the midsized company category, NetApp ranked number 11 out of 35 companies. The elite and prestigious FORTUNE listing is largely determined by employee feedback.

"It is a tremendous accomplishment to be recognized year after year as one of the nation's 'Best Companies to Work For' by FORTUNE magazine, and I am pleased that we have consistently ranked in the top 50 for four consecutive years," said Dan Warmenhoven, CEO of Network Appliance. "Building and maintaining a great company isn't just about delivering world-class products and solutions - it also includes creating an environment that fosters creativity, productivity, innovation, team building, and leadership for employees. Encouraging our employees to strive for excellence benefits our customers and partners by enabling us to continue to offer solutions that simplify data management and deliver unmatched customer satisfaction."

"At NetApp, we take creating and maintaining a unique work environment very seriously, and we work hard to develop programs and benefits that encourage and motivate our employees," said Gwen McDonald, senior vice president, Human Resources. "Feedback from our employees helps us earn this recognition each year, making this is an especially gratifying achievement and an important acknowledgement that we're meeting our objectives and creating a very special place to work."

FORTUNE magazine compiles and selects the "100 Best Companies to Work For" list every year from a pool of eligible U.S.-based applicants. This year, FORTUNE worked with the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, and final rankings were based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees. The latter is given more weight; two-thirds of the total score is based on employee responses to a 57-question survey, which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees from each company. It covers topics such as attitudes toward management, job satisfaction, and camaraderie within the organization. The remaining one-third of the score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs, and culture. Companies are scored in five areas: credibility (communication to employees), respect (opportunities and benefits), fairness (compensation and diversity), pride (employee engagement and corporate reputation), and camaraderie (teamwork and enjoyment).

The "100 Best Companies to Work For" list and related stories will appear in the January 23, 2006, issue of FORTUNE magazine, available on newsstands January 16 and at www.fortune.com on January 9, 2006.

About Network Appliance

Network Appliance is a world leader in unified storage solutions for today's data-intensive enterprise. Since its inception in 1992, Network Appliance has delivered technology, product, and partner firsts that simplify data management. Information about Network Appliance(TM) solutions and services is available at www.netapp.com.

NetApp is a registered trademark and Network Appliance is a trademark of Network Appliance Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.