Cohesity, a pioneering startup based in Silicon Valley that offers hyperconverged secondary storage, has announced that Dan Warmenhoven has joined its board of directors. Warmenhoven is the former NetApp executive chairman and CEO.

Coming from Net App, a data management and storage company, Warmenhoven brings much relevant knowledge, insight and experience from the storage industry to the board. He will play a strong role in strategically guiding and accelerating Cohesity’s expansion and success. The company offers a storage device that does not require backup software, an innovative approach to managing data, which continues to increase.

Warmenhoven, who holds a BSE in electrical engineering from Princeton in 1972, was CEO of NetApp from 1994 to 2009 and executive chairman from 2009 to 2014, overseeing its growth to a multibillion-dollar company. He has also served as a board member of Aruba Networks from 2006 to spring 2015, when it was acquired by Hewlitt Packerd Enterprises, and Palo Alto Networks since 2012.