QTS Realty Trust has announced the completion of its annual American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Service Organization Control 1 Type II (SOC 1® Type II) and Service Organization Control 2 Type II (SOC 2® Type II) audit reports. Based on an examination of QTS' internal controls and procedures, a Big Four public accounting and auditing firm issued the successfully completed audit reports for 2016.
QTS is committed to exceeding critical compliance standards for its customers — from the security of its systems to confidentiality and availability. QTS' SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II reports ensure QTS clients that the company meets the suitability of design and operating effectiveness of applicable controls. Completing the SOC reports, as well as critical compliance requirements such as HIPAA, FedRAMP, FISMA, and PCI, demonstrates QTS' ability to deliver secure, available, and confidential services.
"Security, availability, and confidentiality are paramount to all of QTS' growing data center products and services. Successful completion of our SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliance reports again this year provides confirmation of our continued commitment to delivering secure and compliant services to enterprise, medium and small business clients," said Oliver Schmidt, who leads QTS' dedicated in-house compliance team as chief audit executive.
The QTS SOC 1 Type II audit report is prepared in accordance with the AICPA's Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No.16 Reporting on Controls at a Service Organization and covers the period from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016 and included controls relative to QTS' colocation and custom data center services.
The QTS SOC 2 audit report is prepared in accordance with the Trust Services Principles and Criteria for security, availability and confidentiality and covers the period from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016 for QTS systems and controls and provides users with operational assurance across QTS' integrated platform.
QTS first established its dedicated in-house compliance team several years ago in response to a growing need for compliance expertise. The team now consists of nine professionals that are committed to overseeing QTS' unique approach to compliance. Building on its un-siloed method, the QTS team oversees over 350 controls within several compliance standards to ensure the company is providing the highest level of compliance to its customers.