How a UPS System Can Improve Your Data Centre Tier Rating

One of the key requirements to operate a successful data centre is to have the right infrastructure in place to achieve the highest tier rating. The top priorities for customers choosing a data centre include high levels of security, as well as outstanding uptime and availability.

To be able to offer all of these top priorities, a data centre must have a reliable, uninterruptible power supply (UPS). By maintaining reliable, constant power, a power cut or other power disruption will not affect availability or uptime, as the UPS ensures that there is an adequate back-up power supply.

Data centres that do not have a UPS for back-up power cannot guarantee that they will not lose data during a power disruption, which would eventually lead to a data breach. Due to this risk, any data centre without a UPS system will receive a lower tier rating.

Running and using a data centre with a high tier rating is more expensive than a lower tier but for many businesses, the uptime is more critical than keeping costs down.

What are the tier ratings?

Tier I

This is the lowest level of tier and is the least reliable with the highest amounts of downtime (minimum 99.671%). Due to there being no back-up power system in place, whenever there is a power cut or any type of power disruption, the data centre will be down. The capacity components are non-redundant and the data centre shuts down whenever there is maintenance carried out.

Tier 2

This tier is awarded when at least 99.741% of uptime per year is achieved. This type of data centre will usually be used by SMEs who want to keep costs lower but need to have more uptime than Tier 1. Planned maintenance does not affect uptime as capacity components are fully redundant.

Tier 3

With Tier 3, there is no more than 1.6 hours of downtime per year and there is a minimum uptime of 99.982%. Routine maintenance can be performed without affecting uptime and this type of data centre is a common choice for many small to medium sized businesses. All equipment is dual-powered and has multiple uplinks.

Tier 4

Tier 4 provides the highest level of uptime at a minimum of 99.995% and there can be no single points of failure at all. This is achieved by having an infrastructure that is supported by a UPS, which is able to carry the full critical load. There should be no interruption of service at any time. Tier 4 is the most expensive option but enables companies to operate with minimal disruption to productivity and avoid issues such as data breaches.

A top-quality UPS with regular maintenance in place is essential for achieving Tier 4 rating and eliminating the risks that go with losing power. A UPS allows you the time to safely save information and safely shut down equipment, or it can even provide continuous power to continue working until the power comes back on, depending on which size you choose.

There are different sizes of UPS to suit the exact requirements of your business and Secure Power can provide you with expert knowledge to determine which size UPS is the best fit for your business. Power disruption is one of the biggest problems a data centre can face but a UPS system removes all of the risks related to power disruption.

Contact us today to discuss your UPS requirements.