Data Center Tiers

Data Center tiers are classification levels used to identify the complexity and redundancy of a Data Center infrastructure being used. They comprise of 4 performance levels that indicate the reliability of Data Center infrastructure (Tier 1 to Tier 4). Each tier includes the required components of all the tiers below it.

Data Center redundancy is the level of backup equipment a Data Center has that can be used when the primary equipment or infrastructure fails. Having duplicate components means operations can continue if the primary component fails. The more redundancy a Data Center has, the more resilient it is to disruptions, and the less downtime there is.

Downtime in a Data Center is an interruption to the Data Centre’s availability. Downtime is bad for business. However, it can be reduced by building redundancy into the infrastructure of a Data Center.

According to Uptime Institute, the international standard for Data Center Tiers is as follows:

A Tier 1 Data Center is the basic capacity level with infrastructure to support information technology for an office setting and beyond. Tier 1 protects against disruptions from human error, but not unexpected failure or outage.

A Tier 2 facility covers redundant capacity components for power and cooling that provide better maintenance opportunities and safety against disruptions. The distribution path of Tier 2 serves a critical environment, and the components can be removed without shutting it down. Like a Tier 1 facility, an unexpected shutdown of a Tier 2 data center will affect the system.

A Tier 3 Data Center is concurrently maintainable with redundant components as a key differentiator, with redundant distribution paths to serve the critical environment. Unlike Tier 1 and Tier 2, these facilities require no shutdowns when equipment needs maintenance or replacement. The components of Tier 3 are added to Tier 2 components so that any part can be shut down without impacting IT operations.

A Tier 4 Data Center has several independent and physically isolated systems that act as redundant capacity components and distribution paths. The separation is necessary to prevent an event from compromising both systems. The environment will not be affected by a disruption from planned and unplanned events. However, if the redundant components or distribution paths are shut down for maintenance, the environment may experience a higher risk of disruption if a failure occurs. Tier 4 facilities add fault tolerance to the Tier 3 topology.

In summary, a Tier 1 is a basic infrastructure whilst Tier 4 has the most complex and redundant components. The higher the Tier, the more redundancy a Data Center has, and the more resilient it will be to disruptions. The type of Data Center a business uses will depend on its business requirements. If you are using a third-party Data Center, you need to understand its Tier level and the redundancy model it uses, to understand whether it is suited to your business needs.

Whatever tier a Data Center is, it must have the correct cooling system. Cooling solutions are vital to ensure that a Data Center remains at a safe temperature. Overheating can be very damaging to the equipment. Equipment that is overheating can also pose a fire hazard, so it is important to prevent this for health and safety reasons. Keeping the temperature of a Data Center carefully regulated can prevent problems before they happen and keep everything running without an issue.

USystems and ColdLogik provide modern Data Center cooling solutions for a range of different types of Data Centers. USystems understand the importance of Data Centers and continue to provide innovative Data Center solutions.