Cap.2 - Estándares y Normas: Conceptos, Diferencias y Tipos ☝🏻

Differences Between Standards and Norms in Data Center Design

Understanding Standards vs. Norms

• A norm is a legal regulation or rule, while a standard represents a consensus of best practices.

• Norms are mandatory for safety and energy efficiency in data centers, whereas standards provide agreed-upon methods that yield superior results.

• Compliance with norms ensures minimum safety requirements, but they may not always reflect the best practices for data center design.

Global Standards and Their Variations

• There is no single globally recognized standard or norm for data centers; however, various international organizations issue multiple standards (e.g., TIA 942, PIXIE 002).

• Local regulations often take precedence over international standards, necessitating compliance with national laws to avoid legal issues.

Classification Systems in Data Centers

• The Uptime Institute pioneered the classification system using Roman numerals (Tier I to IV), offering both free resources and paid certification services.

• The TIA 942 initially adopted similar classifications but later changed to "rating" levels to prevent confusion with Uptime's terminology.

Key Takeaways on Certification

• Different standards have varying purposes: some are profit-driven while others focus on certification capabilities.

• Uptime has fewer certified data centers compared to others due to its narrower scope; as of now, there are over 1,700 certified facilities worldwide.

Essential Concepts from This Chapter

• It’s crucial to understand that norms differ from standards; this distinction often arises from translation issues between languages.