The email said “Tier1.” The formal data-center term is Tier I.
Tier I is the basic-capacity level in a system that runs from Tier I through Tier IV. But the label was not the important part of my note.
The note described Tier I as a single, non-redundant distribution path with non-redundant capacity components. The useful distinction was simple: Tier I was the basic end of the formal classification, not “number one” as a marketing superlative.
The important part was the plan: use the data center as a physical presence and build our own infrastructure on top to raise availability.
That did not mean we had selected a facility. I had a working list of providers that operated in the range we were considering. I wanted feedback for or against them and insight from technical executives who had already worked with those companies.
I sent Shutterstock leadership a list of possible providers and asked for preferences, warnings, and any other technical executives who might have useful experience to share.
The first response was that the list looked good. Before going further, we still needed internal buy-in and approval. I also needed to bring back one more storage number.
That request for a number is a useful check on how early this was. We were not negotiating a finished deal. We were still collecting the information needed to make the case and decide what scale the conversation should cover.
The provider names, private feedback, and internal storage estimate do not need to be here. The state of the work does: list assembled, strategy stated, approval not yet secured.
“Great will work on getting that number.”
That was where the search stood. A provider list, a direction, and more work before any decision.