From the QTS website, a view from inside one of the company's data center facilities
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Data center operator and hosting firm Quality Technology Services announced on Wednesday that all of the company’s data center facilities have made the transition from auditing their processes and procedures via the SAS 70 auditing standard to the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16, or SSAE 16.
The SSAE 16 audit is broadly considered a replacement for the SAS 70 report, which many consider to be a flawed reporting system, since data centers are audited against standards and procedures laid out by the company being audited. SSAE 16 measures a facility’s processes against a set of standardized best practices.
Data center auditing is an important component of the compliance requirements of many hosting customers, enterprise and otherwise. Several data center operators have announced the completion of their SSAE 16 reports in the last few weeks (after the conclusion of a months-long auditing process, in most cases).
QTS says independent SSAE 16 Type II audits were performed at its facilities in Miami, Florida, New York City, Jersey City, New Jersey, Overland Park, Kansas and Atlanta and Suwanee, Georgia, as well as the two facilities on its Santa Clara, California campus, for the calendar year 2011. The company had previously completed 29 SAS 70 Type II reports in eight of its data centers during the past four years.
According to QTS, the company operates data centers at 12 locations in seven states, and manages a total of 3.1 million square feet of data center space.
QTS expects a SSAE 16 report for its Richmond data center by March 1 of 2012. The company’s newest facility, the Richmond data center was on a different audit calendar in 2011 from the rest of its facilities.
“Our transition from the SAS 70 program to SSAE 16 is an evolution that mirrors the expanding assurance needs of QTS management, our customers and their external auditors,” says Darryl Cox, director of audit at QTS, quoted in the announcement. “The transition to SSAE 16 will benefit QTS’ customers by further detailing and clarifying the important role that our audit and control team plays in supporting our customers’ risk management activities.”
Back in September, QTS announced that its data center services had become PCI compliant.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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