Atos Worldline awarded SAS70 type I certification

The SAS70 certification - the Statement on Auditing Standards n° 70 - is awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. SAS70 comprises an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control processes within companies that provide transaction services to their clients. It is not a binding legal requirement to obtain the certificate; it is awarded on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, it represents a major asset for Atos Worldline in its relations with its clients and with other partners.

The certification reflects the level of excellence that we require for all our operations and solutions, as well as the reliability of our systems and security rules. "We are particularly proud of this achievement, as it strengthens and confirms our commitment to deliver nothing but the best solutions to our clients," stated Vincent Roland, managing director of Atos Worldline Belgium.

Granting the type I certification followed a two-stage process. During the first stage, all our control activities were catalogued.  During the second, we underwent an external audit - carried out by Deloitte - of our processes and our control environment. In awarding us the certificate, Deloitte has confirmed both the fact that our control procedures exist, and that they are effective.

Obtaining a type I certificate is only a first phase, however. In 2008, Atos Worldline intends launching the type II certification. This involves an annual, independent audit that is carried out on our internal control procedures. In the case in point, the auditor looks in detail at whether the controls under investigation have effectively been applied systematically over the period in question (which can vary from six months to one year).

For Atos Worldline, obtaining a SAS70 certificate represents a substantial investment in terms of cost, time and resources. Nevertheless we consider that this is a profitable investment, as it guarantees our current and future clients that our company really has reliable control systems in place, and is able to provide them with the service that they have every right to expect. Moreover, this certification should help a number of our own clients meet the regulations to which they are subject.

As Vincent Roland summed it up: "SOX, Basle II, PCI, MIFID, LSF, SEPA....There is a whole host of laws and regulations that we hear mentioned all the time.  Nonetheless I am convinced that Atos Worldline has opted for the only approach that can genuinely bring us success. We need to use this regulation as a driver to force us to continually confront and improve our processes, services and products. The SAS70 report is just one facet of this compliance strategy."