The Uptime Institute has a history of being focused on the enterprise data center, but service providers have begun embracing Uptime and getting their facilities certified with the group's Tier system. Today Uptime scored a major win on this front, as Digital Realty Trust announced it will have 20 of its facilities certified by Uptime.
Why is this a big deal and a big win for Uptime? Four years ago, Digital Realty might have been considered a critic of Uptime, with one of its executives publicly debating the merits of the Tier system as an industry benchmark. That's clearly changed, as the multi-tenant universe has warmed to the value of tier certification. Digital Realty says that five of its projects have achieved Tier III certification, including two projects in Sydney and two in Melbourne, and one data center in Trumbull, Connecticut.
"As a global developer, operator and long-term owner of enterprise-quality data centers, we have long since designed our Turn-Key Flex solution to meet rigorous engineering and reliability standards," said Jim Smith, chief technology officer for Digital Realty. "Working with Uptime Institute to obtain Tier III certifications for these new projects further demonstrates our commitment to meeting these high standards on behalf of our customers."
Tier Certification Making More Sense for Providers
With enterprise users more frequently choosing OpEx-friendly colocation deals over in-house data centers, a multi-tenant facility with a tier certification gives provides these enterprises some peace of mind. It tells enterprises that their provider meets rigorous uptime requirements. For multi-tenant data center providers, tier certification tells them that their facilities have an effective life beyond the current IT requirements, meaning it's more than just an attractive pitch to potential customers. The Uptime Institute is a knowledgebase of information culled over the years from numerous data center operators, so it’s a chance to leverage that collective knowledge.
In addition to Digital Realty Trust, several service providers have jumped on certification including ATAC, IO, ViaWest, Compass Datacenters, and CyrusOne.
Uptime Institute created the standard Tier Classification System to evaluate data center infrastructure in terms of a business' requirements for system availability. The Tier Classification System provides the data center industry with a consistent method to compare typically unique, customized facilities based on expected site infrastructure performance, or uptime. Furthermore, Tiers enable companies to align their data center infrastructure investment with business goals specific to growth and technology strategies.
