The Data Center Tier Performance Standards and Their Importance to the Owner's Project Requirements

Overview

The data center industry has experienced several evolutions over the past 20 years. One of the principal changes has been the development of the Tier Performance Standards. Tier Levels provide an objective basis for comparing the capabilities of a particular design topology against other designs as well as the associated site availability metrics for the various levels. The requirements of each Tier Level are clearly defined and provide a road map used in the design and management of the data center. This paper present a brief history of data center infrastructure topologies and their evolution, as well as a summary of the Tier Performance Standards and expectations, and endeavor to normalize several of the commonly used standards referenced in the industry today.