Technology & Computing

3TIER owns and operates a large, state-of-the-art, Linux-based computing cluster and large amounts of dedicated storage. This infrastructure provides the computational horsepower required to run complex models on a global scale as well as deliver custom wind, solar, and hydro studies. It also supports our operational forecasting services, which range from hourly to monthly, and from site-specific to region-wide.

Our headquarter's location in the Westin Building in Seattle provides us with dedicated, climate-controlled server rooms, which are backed up by on-site generators. The Westin building is also the major Internet hub of the Pacific Northwest and home to the Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX), the Pacific Northwest Giga-Pop (PNWGP), and the Pacific Wave Exchange. This provides 3TIER with extremely fast and reliable Internet access, as well as a highly secured location.

This infrastructure ensures that we have the computational resources to take on the largest, most complicated projects, as well as deliver our on-going services in the most reliable manner possible.

3TIER's innovative IT group is also continually enhancing our technology platform. For example, in mid-2011 we deployed an EMC Isilon system for storage and big data management that has dramatically improved performance and reduced costs. This effort won 3TIER’s IT Director, Paul English, a profile in IT Leadership.