Data center are not created equal and a feature that stand out the most is its uptime. Data centers in general are classified by the Uptime Institute’s tier ratings; their tier standards can help you distinguish between data centers ability to deliver quality and reliable hosting services. This rating system begins with Tier I data centers, which are basically warehouses with power, and ends with Tier IV data centers, which offer 2N redundant power and cooling in addition to a 99.99% uptime guarantee.

• A Tier 1 data center is mostly use by small business; it features 99.671% uptime, no redundancy and 28.8 hours of downtime per year.
• A Tier 2 data center is the one that offers 99.749% uptime, partial redundancy in power and cooling and experience 22 hours of downtime per year.
• A Tier 3 data center is prefer by large businesses because it features 99.982% uptime, no more than 1.6 hours of downtime per year and N+1 fault tolerant providing at least 72 hours power outage protection.
• A Tier 4 data center use by corporations provide 99.995% uptime, 2N+1 fully redundant infrastructure, 96 hour power outage protection and 26.3 minutes of annual downtime.

Now that you know how data center are classified ask your provider the tier standard it belongs to, to know if you are part of a certified organization.