The Top Tier Products awards recognizes manufacturing excellence in mission critical equipment that embraces safety, energy efficiency, and innovative solutions to ensure reliable uptime for the data centers of today and tomorrow.

Data centers garnered a lot of attention in 2020 as many companies shifted to an entirely remote workforce and stay-home orders increased user demand. Let’s take a look at the top 20 articles of the year to see which topics drew the attention of our readers.

Seven manufacturers stepped into the inaugural winner’s circle, and, together, they are raising the bar when it comes to mission critical equipment and what to expect.

Like the company says it will, the S-Series enables efficient, cost-effective, and secure IT infrastructure deployment in nearly any environment, at nearly any density, and all for less than $1 per watt. 

CleanAdvantage eliminates the need to clean and scope MTP and LC connectors prior to the first mating connection. 

The commercially-available, solid-state circuit breaker controls the flow of power completely digitally via silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors and software instead of traditional mechanical switches.

Capable of holding up to 400 pounds in its compact footprint, the MiniRaQ by Eaton provides a reliable enclosure that fits in confined spaces. 

This all-in-one solution includes its own enclosure, power supply, surge protection, and more, making it quick, easy, and cost-effective to deploy new IP devices or extend networks in security and surveillance networks.

Software-defined data centers previously focused only on virtual servers, storage, and networks, but the fourth pillar — power — has been introduced.

Compared to the original 5P platform, the 5P lithium-ion UPS boasts enhanced capabilities, including an advanced, on-board battery management system (BMS) that provides up-to-date insights into battery performance, charge cycles, health status, and active temperature monitoring to keep users informed.