Tier Certification

Data Center Design Document Certification


When you’re putting millions of dollars into building a new data center, you want to ensure that the facility is going to provide the level of IT performance and reliability that satisfies your business objective for 24 x 7 availability. At the same time, the project has to balance risk management, energy efficiency, and cost considerations, and ultimately deliver ROI.

Designing a data center requires significant planning. Businesses must establish the locations of servers, prime and contingency power sources, network routes, cooling equipment, cable management, and required safety measures. This process is an undertaking that a majority of businesses cannot reliably perform in-house, creating worrisome financial risks to investors should any design mistakes slip past.

Tier Certification of Design Documents positions data center projects for success from the earliest stages by applying standardized goals and methodology. Uptime Institute offers professional data center design certification to businesses looking to maximize the effectiveness of their facilities.

Tier Certification of Design Documents

Tier Certification of Design Documents ratifies the functionality and capacity evidenced in the engineering and architectural specifications of your facility design. Before breaking ground on a major capital construction project, make sure that the plans are configured to meet your uptime goals and provide the sustainable business-critical infrastructure that your organization requires.

Uptime Institute Professional Services is the only entity licensed to rate and Certify data center designs according to the Tier Classification System. Independent of any Engineer-of-Record or manufacturer affiliation, Uptime Institute Professional Services consulting teams provide the unbiased third-party validation recognized as the preeminent data center credential for more than two decades.

Tier Certification of Design Documents is based on a rigorous set of criteria covering mechanical, electrical, structural, and site elements, as defined in Tier Standard: Topology. Our experts will review your design documents and provide consulting support to guide a final design compliant with your desired Tier rating. Additionally, you’ll receive recommendations to enhance Operational Sustainability for long-term robust performance.

Our team studies your specifications meticulously against our robust design standards to identify potential gaps in data center efficiency and reliability. The Tier Certification of Design Documents accommodates your local building codes and regulations and is an assessment independent of available technology, chosen vendors, or contractors. Data center design plans that meet the Topology criteria specifications and objectives are awarded a building design certification, signifying best practices to all stakeholders.

Tier Certification Benefits

Achieving a Tier rating signals to investors, customers, and the marketplace, that your facility meets the highest standards for infrastructure (Topology) functionality and capacity as demonstrated on the design documents. It validates that the system design is consistent with your uptime objectives. Tier Certification helps align the infrastructure design with the business mission, ensuring that your organization’s significant capital investment yields the desired result. 

This comprehensive data center design certification demonstrates that your organization has a plan to minimize unplanned downtime and unnecessary spending in your data facility. It also assures all parties involved that your system strategy is well-defined and passes the most thorough assessments from outside industry experts.

All Tier Certification of Design Documents awards issued after 1 January 2014 will expire two years after the award date. This does not impact Tier Certification of Design Documents issued or contracted prior to that date.

Tier Certification of Design Documents is a prerequisite for Tier Certification of Constructed Facility.

Learn More About Tier Certification From Uptime Institute

Uptime Institute first developed the Tier Standards over two decades ago. Today, these guidelines remain as the global standard for data center infrastructure and operations. Our expertise in comprehensive data center design processes grants your organization assurance that your facility is prepared to meet the demands of your workers and customers.

Contact our team today to learn how to achieve expert data center design certification. 

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