Data Centre Certification
TIA-942 infrastructure certification for data centres of every scale. From basic facilities to fault-tolerant operations, we validate your infrastructure against the industry's gold standard.
The TIA-942 Standard
TIA-942 is the Telecommunications Industry Association standard for data centre infrastructure. It provides a comprehensive framework for planning, designing, and operating data centre facilities with defined performance tiers.
The standard covers four critical subsystems — architecture, electrical, mechanical, and telecommunications — each evaluated independently to determine your facility's overall tier rating. Certification provides an objective, third-party validation of your data centre's resilience and availability capabilities.
DTA's data centre specialists have assessed facilities across Africa, helping operators achieve tier certifications that unlock new customer segments and demonstrate operational excellence.
Tier Classification
Four Levels of Resilience
Each tier builds on the previous, adding layers of redundancy and fault tolerance to meet increasingly demanding availability requirements.
Tier 1
Basic Site InfrastructureSingle path for power and cooling distribution with no redundant components. Provides a basic level of protection against physical events but is susceptible to disruptions from planned and unplanned activity.
Tier 2
Redundant Site InfrastructureSingle path for power and cooling distribution with redundant components. Provides additional protection against disruptions while still depending on single distribution paths.
Tier 3
Concurrently MaintainableMultiple active power and cooling distribution paths with redundant components. Any component can be removed from service for planned maintenance without impacting IT operations.
Tier 4
Fault TolerantMultiple active power and cooling distribution paths with redundant components. Provides the highest level of availability with full fault tolerance and zero single points of failure.
Certification Areas
TIA-942 evaluates four critical infrastructure subsystems. Each domain is assessed independently against tier-specific requirements.
Architecture & Structure
Site selection, building construction, floor loading, ceiling heights, room layout, fire protection, physical security, and environmental controls assessment.
Electrical Systems
Power distribution topology, UPS systems, generator infrastructure, transfer switches, power density, and grounding and bonding evaluation.
Mechanical Systems
HVAC design and capacity, cooling distribution, humidity control, environmental monitoring, and water detection systems review.
Telecommunications
Cabling infrastructure, entrance pathways, telecommunication rooms, cable management, and network redundancy assessment.
Tier III & Tier IV
Tier III and Tier IV certifications from the Uptime Institute are globally recognised benchmarks for data centre performance and resilience. Tier III (concurrently maintainable) ensures that any component can be taken offline without impacting operations, while Tier IV (fault tolerant) guarantees continuous operation even in the event of a system failure.
Certifications span design (TCDD), construction (TCCF), and operations (TCOS) — validating that the data centre meets the highest standards of availability, redundancy, and operational sustainability.
TCDD
Tier Certification of Design Documents
TCCF
Tier Certification of Constructed Facility
TCOS
Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability
Benefits of TIA-942 Certification
International Recognition
TIA-942 is a globally recognized standard that demonstrates your data centre meets rigorous infrastructure requirements.
Risk Mitigation
Systematic evaluation identifies vulnerabilities in power, cooling, and connectivity before they cause costly outages.
Customer Confidence
Tier-rated certification gives colocation customers and tenants quantifiable assurance of availability and resilience.
Operational Benchmarking
Compare your facility against industry best practices and identify opportunities for infrastructure optimization.
Competitive Differentiation
Stand out in the data centre market with independently verified certification that validates your infrastructure claims.
Regulatory Alignment
Meet data protection and uptime requirements imposed by financial, healthcare, and government regulations.
Validate Your Data Centre Infrastructure
Our TIA-942 specialists will assess your facility across all four subsystems and guide you to your target tier certification.