Atos Worldline receives the SAS 70 type II report

Brussels, 7 April 2009 – Atos Worldline, a subsidiary of Atos Origin, has received the SAS 70 type II report for its activities in Belgium. SAS 70 is an internationally recognized standard for evaluating the effectiveness of a company’s internal controls and quality of service.

SAS 70 stands for Statement on Auditing Standards n°70 and is a standard issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In order to be awarded a SAS 70 report, the company's internal control processes must be evaluated by an independent company auditor. There is no legal requirement associated with this evaluation, but it is a voluntary way in which an organisation can evaluate the integrity, availability and reliability of its service, in this case, of the electronic payment transactions. However, Atos Worldline also regards undergoing the evaluation process to obtain the report as an asset for their clients and other stakeholders.

"Achieving a report of this type is proof of the exacting standards we bring to the control and audit of our systems. This label of quality acknowledges the efforts made by all of our staff to provide the best solutions to our clients at all times," explains Dirk De Cock, CEO of Atos Worldline in Belgium.

The type II report is an annually recurring independent audit on the effective functioning of the internal control processes. This involves detailed verification by the auditor as to whether the defined controls have been systematically applied in 2008.

Obtaining a SAS 70 type II report involves considerable investment of time and expense for Atos Worldline. However, we believe that it is a necessary investment in order to provide our current and future clients with the confirmation that our company has solid control systems in place, and can provide the service that the client expects from us. This report will also help a number of our clients to comply with regulations with which they may be confronted.

"This second report does not represent an ending point. SAS 70 requires that we make an exceptional effort at all times to ensure the ongoing control of our systems, day after day and year after year," concludes Dirk De Cock.