What Are Data Center Tiers?

Data center tiers are sets of standards for data center design and construction. The two organizations whose standards are referred to most in the industry are TIA (Telecommunications Institute of American) and the Uptime Institute. Both organizations categorize their standards in four tiers. However, standards differ between the two.

Myth: Choosing a Data Center by Tier Rating Is the Best Way to Find a Data Center

Tier rating isn’t the best way to choose a data center for multiple reasons. One, many data center providers claim to be one tier or another, but they did not actually follow all of the requirements put forth by the standard-setting organizations. Second, choosing a tier puts your needs in a predetermined box. You may end up paying for more than what your business requires, or paying less for a lower tier that does not meet all your compliance requirements.The data center tier standards contain many more specifics in addition to availability. Some of these include:

• Distance and separation from parking lot
• Distance from bodies of water
• Number of staff members on site
• Power and cooling redundancy
• Wall and roof thickness
• Proximity to highways and airports
• Wind rating