Have you thought about what makes the internet and apps available at all times? That is the responsibility of the data centers. However, not all data centers are made equally. Tier III and Tier IV data centers are designed with extra care to be safe, secure, and reliable. I have toured a few, and it is like experiencing a technology fortress.
• Additional sources of electricity: They have two separate lines of electricity.
• Additional cooling: They have a second cooling system of air conditioning to keep the servers cool.
• Maintanable: They can do maintance without shutting the server down.
I remember, in fact when I toured a data center, a technician changed equipment while the servers were still being serviced. Wasn't this the greatest thing ever? Think about it. Without this redundancy of sources for power or cool air, even a small outage of electricity would take away your app.
• Double all: Everything from power, cooling, to network paths are duplicated.
• Almost zero downtime: Designed to be operational 99.995% of the time. That's just a few minutes down in a year!
• Constant testing: Everything is tested constantly, so it does not fail.
I once visited a Tier IV center and observed all of the massive generators running in unison, and it was awe inspiring knowing that all of that redundancy was there to protect your data.
Next time your application works seamlessly or your browser renders a webpage quickly, consider the professionals hard at work at a Tier III or IV data center, maintaining and troubleshooting a steady state of the internet.
Have you ever imagined your Netflix viewing experience is safe because a big generator is humming somewhere? That is the allure of a high tier data center.
What Makes Tier III Unique?
Tier III data centers can remain operational and functional if something breaks. They have multiple power and cooling systems, but usually, only one is used at a time. Once that one fails, another kicks in.• Additional sources of electricity: They have two separate lines of electricity.
• Additional cooling: They have a second cooling system of air conditioning to keep the servers cool.
• Maintanable: They can do maintance without shutting the server down.
I remember, in fact when I toured a data center, a technician changed equipment while the servers were still being serviced. Wasn't this the greatest thing ever? Think about it. Without this redundancy of sources for power or cool air, even a small outage of electricity would take away your app.
Why Tier IV Is Even Better
Tier IV data centers represent the highest tier. They are purposely constructed to sustain failures without experiencing downtime. Even if two things were to fail simultaneously, everything would still work normally.• Double all: Everything from power, cooling, to network paths are duplicated.
• Almost zero downtime: Designed to be operational 99.995% of the time. That's just a few minutes down in a year!
• Constant testing: Everything is tested constantly, so it does not fail.
I once visited a Tier IV center and observed all of the massive generators running in unison, and it was awe inspiring knowing that all of that redundancy was there to protect your data.
Which Tiers is Right for You?
The highest tier of service isn't always the best choice for everyone. Tier III works for the majority of organizations; it is a dependable and reliable option that is also not too expensive. Tier IV is a safe it is but it is a costly option, meaning it is primarily for banks or major cloud providers.Next time your application works seamlessly or your browser renders a webpage quickly, consider the professionals hard at work at a Tier III or IV data center, maintaining and troubleshooting a steady state of the internet.
Have you ever imagined your Netflix viewing experience is safe because a big generator is humming somewhere? That is the allure of a high tier data center.
