Physical Parameters that make Tier-III and Tier-IV Data Centers
Data centers are an important aspect to any IT enabled business. We’ve already discussed in our previous article as to why hosting in a data center gives numerous benefits over an on-premise IT infrastructure (Read DCaaS is the future of colocation). But, how does one know how to choose the best data center. It is not a herculean task to find a good data center since most will always specify that they are Tier-III and Tier-IV certified.
But, what really makes up for a tier-III and tier-IV certified data center? Well, there are a few parameters that are a standard in such data centers. We need to know that Tier-III and Tier-IV data centers are certified on independent parameters.
- Guaranteed Uptime: A Tier-IV data center cannot allow more than 26.3 minutes of downtime and a Tier-III data center cannot allow more than 1.6 hours of down time. A Tier-III and Tier-IV data center will always guarantee maximum uptime no matter what the circumstances are. Web Werks guarantees 99.995% uptime to its customers. Such guarantees are not given without the guarantee that they can really be exercised in reality. These data centers are equipped with the technology to hold their claims true, which brings us to the next point.
- Data Redundancy: Data redundancy is the technology that allows users to save the same piece of data in two separate servers. This is done deliberately to keep a backup of the data that goes through servers. Redundancy helps in recovering data during unexpected down times. Tier-III data centers offer N+1 availability, whereas Tier-IV data centers provide 2N+1 availability.
- Power Supply: A tier-Ii and Tier-IV certified data center will definitely invest in a generator, for when the power goes down. Since these data centers guarantee 99.995% uptime to their clients, it is necessary that they have backup options during power failures. A Tier-IV data centers cannot have any less than 96 Hours of independent power supply to qualify for the same, whereas Tier-III data centers have 72 hours of power outages covered during any kind of power outage situation.
- Security: Data security is of prime concern for any business whether big or small. Tier-II and Tier-IV data centers are equipped with the most advanced security features. If you walk into a data center facility like Web Werks you will find an FM200 Fire suppression system, Firewall Deployment, Six layered security, VESDA fire alarm system and trained personal that protect your data from any threat.
