What Are Data Centre Tier Ratings?
Data centre tiers are a globally recognised classification system developed by the Uptime Institute to measure the reliability, redundancy, and uptime of a data centre’s infrastructure.
Facilities are ranked from Tier 1 (basic) to Tier 4 (fully fault-tolerant), based on their ability to handle power, cooling, and maintenance without downtime.
Fast2host Operates from a Tier 3 Data Centre
Our Tier 3 facility offers a strong balance of performance and cost-efficiency, ideal for businesses that require high availability and resilience.
- 99.982% uptime – less than 1.6 hours of downtime per year
- N+1 redundancy – all critical systems have at least one backup
- Concurrent maintainability – systems can be serviced without affecting operations
- Multiple power and cooling paths – ensures continuity during maintenance or failure
Tier 3 is the industry standard for enterprise-grade hosting, offering robust protection without the extreme cost of Tier 4.
Tier Comparison Overview
| Tier | Redundancy | Uptime | Maintenance | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | None | 99.671% | Requires shutdown | Small businesses, non-critical apps |
| Tier 2 | N+1 | 99.741% | Partial shutdowns | SMEs with moderate uptime needs |
| Tier 3 | N+1 | 99.982% | Concurrent maintainability | Enterprise hosting, SaaS, ecommerce |
| Tier 4 | 2N+1 | 99.995% | Fully fault-tolerant | Mission-critical infrastructure |
Want to know more about our data centre infrastructure? Contact our team for a technical overview or site tour.