Since April 1992, the U.S. Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 (SAS 70) has been the leading standard for guidance regarding assurance reports for service organizations. For almost 20 years, service organizations, user organizations and auditors have relied on SAS 70 reports to understand and gain assurance that proper controls relevant to user entities’ internal control over financial reporting are in place at service organizations.
Connectria Hosting adheres to SAS 70 standards and has successfully completed SAS 70 Type II Audits for years. Beginning in 2011, however, the SAS 70 standard will be replaced by a newly released standard, SSAE 16 (Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16). As with SAS 70, Connectria is SSAE 16 certified.
SSAE 16 was primarily created to:
| SAS 70 | SSAE 16 | |
| Management’s written assertion is required to accompany auditor’s report | No |
Yes |
| Management’s assertion must include the suitable criteria used for its assessment | No |
Yes |
| Subservice organizations’ assertions must accompany the auditor’s report even if inclusive method used | No |
Yes |
| For Type II reports, the opinion on fair presentation of the system and suitability of design is for the period covered by the report (as opposed to a point in time) | No |
Yes |
SSAE 16 is expected to deliver tangible benefits to those who utilize the services of an accredited organization. Anyone who obtains a Service Auditor's Report from their service organization(s) receives valuable information regarding the service organization's controls and the effectiveness of those controls. They also receive a detailed description of the service organization's controls and an independent assessment of whether the controls were placed in operation, suitably designed, and operating effectively (in the case of a Type II report).
We are committed to the evolving standards and will continue to demonstrate our compliance, quality of service and assurance so your organization can feel confident in choosing Connectria.
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