Press Release todayfrom Digital Realty Trust: Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of data center solutions, today announced that it has contracted with Uptime Institute to achieve Tier III certification for 20 of its new data center projects worldwide. To date, five newly completed Turn-Key FlexSM data centers have received Tier III certification, including two projects in Sydney and two in Melbourne, Australia, 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.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Digital Realty, which has made this significant investment in the Tier III certification process. Many providers claim to build ‘tier III’ data centers, but few have the discipline to go through the rigorous process of seeking actual certification,” added Julian Kudritzki, chief operating officer of Uptime Institute. “The devil is truly in the details, including fuel systems, design temperatures for extreme weather conditions, as well as the integration of electrical and mechanical systems. Digital Realty has made this commitment because it understands its customers’ needs for highly reliable, resilient data center solutions that are designed to operate under the most challenging conditions today and in the future.”

Rigorous uptime requirements and long-term viability are usually the reasons for selecting strategic solutions found in Tier III site infrastructure. Tier III site infrastructure solutions also have an effective life beyond the current IT requirement and are typically utilized by organizations that know the cost of a disruption—in terms of actual dollars—and the impact to market share and continued mission imperatives.

Uptime Institute created the standard Tier Classification System as a means to effectively 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.

Digital Realty’s Turn-Key FlexSM solution is a modular approach to delivering secure, enterprise quality data center space to meet customers’ just-in-time requirements. Designed to provide maximum flexibility, reliability and efficiency, each Turn-Key Flex facility comes fully commissioned with its own dedicated electrical and mechanical infrastructure. Utilizing Digital Realty’s proprietary POD Architecture® and extensive supply chain, Digital Realty’s next generation Turn-Key Flex data center solution is designed for the future and ready today.

Colt recently earned Uptime Institute’s Tier III Certification of Design Documents for two halls inside its London 3 facility. The Tier III Design Certification is an independent assessment of the capability of the design to continue to sustain computer room operations during any maintenance activity.

Earlier this year Colt became the first data center operator in Europe to be accredited with Uptime Institute’s Management & Operations (M&O) Stamp of Approval which it was awarded for its London 3 site.

“This is great news not only for us, but for our customers as well,” wrote Victor Smith, Director of Product Development, Colt Data Centre Services. “Certification is an independent assessment of our data centres’ resilience and as such ensures that our customers can be assured they are getting the highest quality design available.”

The Malta Government’s new data center in Santa Verena recently earned Uptime Institute Tier III Facility Certification.

The Malta Information Technology Agency’s (MITA) new data center will provide online public services and IT services for Malta’s government, as well help the launch projects such as the national eLearning Platform which serves over 45,000 educators and students.

The site has static UPS systems, DX CRAC units, and diesel powered engine generators. The engine generators are very quiet to minimize the disturbance to the residents across the street. The site was certified at 200 kW, but has the ability to expand to 800 kW.

Matthew Mescall, Uptime Institute Consultant on the project, said the Tier III performance demonstration went very smoothly.

“Today’s announcement once again proves that public officers are able to deliver high quality results which are certified by international reputable entities to have reached outstanding levels,” said Dr. Godwin Grima, Chairman of MITA.