Tier III Certification Difficult, But Attainable- MainOne

Mr. Gbenga Adegbiji, general manager of the MainOne Data Center subsidiary, MDX-I, has responded to a news report published in The Guardian that it was difficult for banks or telecommunications operators in Nigeria to attain Tier III standards for their Data Centers.

While speaking to journalists at MainOne’s Corporate Office in Lagos, Adegbiji shed light on the mandate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for banks in the country to adopt Tier III Data Centers, and the perception by some industry experts that it was impossible for operators to build such facilities.

According to him, it was difficult to build a Tier III Data Center, but not impossible.

He stressed that the Uptime Institute’s Tier Certification is a performance based evaluation of a data centre’s specific infrastructure, and said that MainOne and a few other operators had already been able to attain the rigorous Tier III certification for their data centre facilities.

“The Tier III certification implies that the Data Centre is concurrently maintainable, which means the facility requires no shutdowns for equipment replacement and maintenance.

A redundant delivery path for power and cooling is added to the redundant critical components of Tier I and II; dedicated site infrastructure, IT space, interruptible power and cooling.

Data centre infrastructure costs and operational complexities increase with the Tier Level which is why some people say it is difficult for banks and telecoms companies to operate.

"But MainOne has built its MDX-I Lekki Data Centre to Tier III standards and received the certification from Uptime Institute, The Global Data Centre Authority®”.

Adegbiji maintained that Data Centre construction and management are better handled by experts who are trained in its operations. “Enterprises, including banks and manufacturing companies should focus on their core competencies and allow providers such as MainOne to provide the enabling infrastructure for business development and growth”, he said.

MainOne is a leading provider of innovative telecom services and network solutions for businesses in West Africa.

The world-class infrastructure enhances the productivity and profitability of our customers online.

Since its launch in 2010, MainOne has developed a reputation for highly reliable services to become the preferred provider of wholesale Internet services to major telecom operators, ISPs, government agencies, large enterprise, and educational institutions in West Africa.

MainOne’s world class submarine cable system running down the coast of West Africa, state of the art IP NGN network, growing regional and metro terrestrial fibre optic networks, and data centre facilities enable broadband services for businesses needing solutions in West Africa.

The network is interconnected and peers with leading operators and internet exchanges worldwide to provide global reach to our customers.