When your business has the intention to use data centers, there will be several things that must be learned in order to find the service that best suits your needs. One of them is Tier.

Tier itself is a word that comes from English which means “Levels”. But what is Tier in Data Center classification? To get a clear answer, please refer to our article below.

What is a Tier in a Data Center?

Data Center Tiers are a standard used to describe the types of infrastructure in a data center to assess the reliability of the Data Center. The tier can also explain the differences in technology used in the data center infrastructure.

Data Center Tiers have 4 tiers, namely Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4.

Tier 1 is the basic tier with very simple infrastructure. While tier 4 is the advanced level with a very complex infrastructure and many redundant components.

The purpose of the redundant component here is a backup component that will be a backup if the main component has an error.

Data Center Tier Level

Next, let’s discuss the meaning or specifications of each tier to find out the difference.

Tier 1

Tier 1 is a standard data center infrastructure that has a non-redundant distribution channel, where there is only one uplink for one server. Generally, Tier 1 is made by companies that want to build their own data center with the aim of managing data during working hours.

Here are some things to know about data center tier 1:

• The uptime availability is 99.671% with a maximum downtime tolerance of 28.8 hours per year.
• Maintenance requires a shut down on the power path.
• The level of security is quite vulnerable.

Tier 2

Tier 2 is actually almost similar to tier 1, but at this level, it has added redundant components and also has spare resources. And here are some things to know about tier 2 data centers:

• The uptime availability is 99.741% with a maximum downtime tolerance of 22 hours per year.
• Have a backup generator and UPS for safety when the power goes out.
• It has an N+1 redundant infrastructure.
• Maintenance requires a shut down on the power path.

Tier 3

Data Center Tier 3 is a data center where the infrastructure, facilities, and security systems already use international standards. At this level, the data center has implemented the “no shutdown” requirement so that this level requires more than one network or power source. Here are some things to know about Tier 3:

• The uptime availability is 99.982% with a maximum downtime tolerance of 95 minutes per year.
• Have a backup generator and UPS for safety when the power goes out.
• Have backup cooling as security in ongoing IT operations.
• Has a comprehensive 2N and 2N+1 redundant infrastructure.
• Maintenance requires no shutdowns without impacting IT operation.

Tier 4

This is a data center with the best infrastructure equipped with many components. At Tier 4, the server has an uptime availability of 99.995% which means it has a downtime tolerance limit of only 26 minutes a year. Here are some things to know about data center tier 4:

• 99.995% uptime availability with downtime tolerance max 26 minutes per year.
• It has two backup generators and a UPS for safety in the event of a power outage.
• Have a backup power source and cooling as security in ongoing IT operations.
• Has a comprehensive 2N and 2N+1 redundant infrastructure.
• Maintenance is done by activating the backup system.

Conclusion

The points to be highlighted are the definition and benefits of Tier itself are set in a standard topology and focus on data center infrastructure. Tier data center actually adapts to business requirements, and each company certainly has different needs. This means data center Tier IV is not necessarily better than other Tiers.

Thus, the tier levels meanings for a data center classification. Along with the various scale of the company needs to start using technology to improve its services efficiency, utilization of data centers is almost inevitable. It can bolster the digital transformation and open new business opportunities for companies that use suitable data center services.