Requirements
1 Star
1 Star
Requirements for a Typical 1-Star Data Center
- Basic air conditioning (n)
- Basic power supply (n)
- An UPS (perpetual quality power, overvoltage protection, etc.) designed with (n)
- 5 minutes hold-up time to shut down the operation systems
- Devices for the detection of fire (smoke alarm) and for fire fighting (fire extinguisher
- Architectural separation of the computer room from other spaces by the minimum F30/T30 (German-specific rating system for fire-resistance)
- Several fire sections in the data center are not necessary
- Heat dissipation performance: 220-320 W/m²
- Minimum physical access protection (steel doors/security locks/windowless room or secured window) and a warning system/break-in security
- Certified staff for the operation of the servers (network technology/operation system)
- Stable network connection (min. 1 internet access provider, 1 independent network connection)
- Basic supply routes
Evaluation Period: 1 Year
- Limited operation because of maintenance: 2 downtimes over 14 hours
- Availability of the data center: 99.2% per year
- 2-3 outages per year with a downtime of respectively 5 hours
2 Stars
2 Stars
Requirements for a Typical 2-Star Data Center
- Basic air conditioning (n)
- Basic power supply (n)
- An UPS (perpetual quality power, overvoltage protection, etc.) designed with (n)
- 8 minutes hold-up time to shut down the operation systems
- Devices for the detection (smoke alarm) and for fire fighting (fire extinguisher)
- Architectural separation of the computer room from other spaces by the minimum F30/T30 (German-specific rating system for fire-resistance)
- Several fire sections in the data center are not necessary
- Heat dissipation performance: 220-320 W/m²
- Physical access protection (steel doors/security locks/windowless room or secured window) with a mental identification feature and a warning system/break-in security
- Certified staff for the operation of the servers (network technology/operation system)
- Stable network connection (min. 2 internet access providers, 2 independent network connections)
- Basic supply routes
Evaluation Period: 1 Year
- Limited operation because of maintenance: 2 downtimes over 12 hours
- Availability of the data center: 99.671% per year, annual downtime 28.8 h
- 2-3 outages per year with a downtime of respectively 4 h
3 Stars
3 Stars
Requirements for a Typical 3-Star Data Center*
- Air-conditioning (n)
- Redundant power supply (n+1)
- Diesel generator
- An UPS (perpetual quality power, overvoltage protection, etc.) designed with (n)
- 8 minutes hold-up time to shut down the operation systems>/span>
- Devices for the detection (smoke alarm) and for fire fighting (fire extinguisher)
- Architectural separation of the computer room from other spaces by the minimum F30/T30 (German-specific rating system for fire-resistance)
- Several fire sections in the data center are not necessary
- Heat dissipation performance: 430-800 W/m²
- Process of an individualized authentication (biometrics or mental identification feature)
- ITIL process maturation grade 2 (mostly documented and adjusted to the ITIL model)
- Physical access protection with logging (steel doors/security locks/windowless room or secured window) and a warning system/break-in security
- Certified staff for the operation of the servers (network technology/operation system)
- Stable network connection (min. 2 internet access providers, 2 independent network connections)
- Basic supply routes
Evaluation Period: 2 Years
- Limited operation because of maintenance: 3 downtimes for 12 hours
- Availability of the data center: 99.671% per year, downtime 22 h
- 2 outages per year with a downtime of respectively 4 h
*) Please note that possibly technical aspects of the redundancy design and the process performance can be substantiated not only by the methods described here but also by alternative circuits and SLAs.
4 Stars
4 Stars
Requirements for a Typical 4-Star Data Center *
- Air conditioning (n+1) + UPS connection
- Redundant power supply (n+1) and 2 facility feedings
- Diesel generator
- An UPS (perpetual quality power, overvoltage protection, etc.) designed with (n)
- 8 minutes hold-up time to shut down the operation systems
- Devices for the detection (smoke alarm) and for fire fighting (fire extinguisher)
- Architectural separation of the computer room from other spaces by the minimum F30/T30 (German-specific rating system for fire-resistance)
- Several fire sections in the data center are not necessary
- Heat dissipation performance:430-1400 W/m²
- Process of an individualized authentication (biometrics or mental identification feature)
- Access to the data center: at least 2 door systems
- ITIL process maturation grade 2 (mostly documented and adjusted to the ITIL model)
- Physical access protection with logging (steel doors/security locks/windowless room or secured window) and a warning system/break-in security
- Certified staff for the operation of the servers (network technology/operation system)
- Stable network connection (min. 2 internet access provider, 2 independent network connections)
- Basic supply routes
Evaluation Period: 5 Years
- Limited operation because of maintenance: 2 downtimes for 4 hours
- Availability of the data center: 99.982% per year, downtime 1.6 h
- 2 outages per year with a downtime of respectively 4 h
*) Please note that possibly technical aspects of the redundancy design and the process performance can be substantiated not only by the methods described here but also by alternative circuits and SLAs.
5 Stars
5 Stars
Requirements for a Typical 5-Star Data Center*
- Air conditioning (n+2) + UPS connection (n+1)
- Redundant power supply (n+2) and 2 facility feedings (n+2 can be realized with a technical circuit and substantiated by service level agreements)
- 2 x diesel generator
- An UPS (perpetual quality power, overvoltage protection, etc.) designed with a minimum of (n+1)
- 20 minutes hold-up time to shut down the operation systems
- Devices for the detection (smoke alarm) and for fire fighting (fire extinguisher), VESDA system
- Architectural separation of the service room from other spaces by the minimum F60/T60 (German-specific rating system for fire-resistance)
- Several fire sections in the data center are necessary
- Heat dissipation performance: >= 1500 W/m²
- Process of an individualized authentication (biometrics or mental identification feature)
- Access to the data center: at least 2 door systems
- Optical turnstile for customer entrance
- ITIL process maturation grade 4 (completely documented and adjusted to the ITIL model)
- Documented Procedures (e.g. with the help of ISO 27001, ISO 20000, ISO 9001)
- Physical access protection with logging (steel doors/security locks/windowless room or secured window) and a warning system/break-in security
- Certified staff for the operation of the servers (network technology/operation system)
- Stable network connection (min. 5 internet access provider, 2 independent network connections)
- Supply routes doubled
Evaluation Period: 5 Years
- No limited operation because of maintenance
- Availability of the data center: 99.991% per year, downtime 0.8 h
- 1 outage per year with a maximum downtime of 4 h
*) Please note that possibly technical aspects of the redundancy design and the process performance can be substantiated not only by the methods described here but also by alternative circuits and SLAs.
Levels of Gratification
In considering the calculated performance grade (%) derived from the questionnaire’s responses and the inspection, the result can be assigned to one of the five Levels of Gratifiction (DC Stars).
| Gratifiction Level | Percentage | Stars |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 – 54% | |
| 2 | 55 – 64% | |
| 3 | 65 – 74% | |
| 4 | 75 – 89% | |
| 5 | 90 – 100% | |
RfI, GfC, GfI – Triad for Transparence und Clarity
The data center to be certified receives a questionnaire (RfI = Request for Information), instructions for answering the questions (GfC = Guide for Customers) and support by our auditors.
The eco Authorized Auditors are committed to strict guidelines (GfI = Guide for Inspection) when assessing and performing the audit. In considering the achieved points that are determined from the on-site inspection and the assessment of the questionnaire a data center can be classified into one of the five DCSA star categories.
