TDS: TEAM data centers achieve SSAE 16 Type II compliance

New audit replaces SAS 70 and provides insights on TEAM operations in Wisconsin and Iowa

For more information contact:
DeAnne Boegli, National Public Relations Manager
TDS Telecommunications Corp.
608-664-4428 / deanne.boegli@tdstelecom.com

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (Feb. 7, 2012)—TEAM Companies, a TDS company and leading Midwest data center provider, announced today that all of its Midwest data centers and managed service offerings are now operated under the AICPA’s Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) 16, Type II. Data centers in Fitchburg, Wis., and Des Moines and Cedar Falls, Iowa all completed the new compliance measures and were approved.

The new framework, which replaces the SAS 70 guidebook, reaffirms TEAM’s promise to meet the highest standards for security and availability, while making sure all of the appropriate controls and safeguards are firmly in place.

“This is important for our customers and future customers alike,” said Terry Swanson, president of TEAM Companies. “TEAM is committed to making sure our customers have complete confidence in our ability to maintain secure, reliable, and prepared data center operations. The SSAE 16 achievements certainly help build confidence in our operations.”

TEAM’s customers and potential customers will find terms of the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16 (SSAE 16) useful for understanding the controls performed by TEAM that are relevant for compliance needs like HIPAA or PCI. Being SSAE 16 compliant positions TEAM to attract more organizations within the healthcare, government, and banking sectors while providing current customers with a fully compliant environment without needing to act.

The key difference between the SAS 70 and the SSAE 16 standards is the requirement that management must present an assessment and written assertion of the controls, to which a third-party auditor holds them accountable. As a result, the new report provides substantial insight into the people, processes, and technology used to effectively achieve all the control objectives.

For TEAM, these objectives include physical security, availability and change management, incident and event management, and IT continuity and request management. With extensive teamwork and coordination company-wide, TEAM was able to successfully obtain a comprehensive SOC1 Type II unqualified opinion according to SSAE 16 guidelines.

McGladrey & Pullen, LLP conducted the audit. McGladrey is the fifth largest U.S. provider of assurance, tax and consulting services, with nearly 6,500 professionals and associates in more than 70 offices nationwide. McGladrey & Pullen is a licensed CPA firm and a member of RSM International, the sixth largest global network of independent accounting, tax, and consulting firms.

To learn more about TEAM’s 2011 SSAE 16 Type II report, email sales@teamnet.net or call 800-728-8326.

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About TEAM Companies

TEAM Companies, a leading data services provider in the Upper Midwest, specializes in world-class data center development. With more than 20 years of industry expertise, TEAM Companies has a proven record of security and reliability, and is uniquely positioned as a developer, operator and design builder of facilities. TEAM Companies operates multi-tenant data centers in Cedar Falls and Des Moines, Iowa, as well as Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, visit http://www.team-companies.com

TEAM is a member of the Telephone and Data Systems™ family of companies. TDS Telecommunications Corp. manages the operations of TEAM Technologies, VISI Inc., and OneNeck IT Services Corp. through TDS Hosted & Managed Services, LLC. These companies employ more than 350 people who specialize in providing hosted application management, managed hosting, cloud services, and next generation data centers. Visit http://www.visi.com, http://www.team-companies.com, and http://www.oneneck.com for details.

TDS Telecommunications Corp. headquartered in Madison, Wis. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. [NYSE: TDS]. A Fortune 500® company, Telephone and Data Systems provides wireless, local and long-distance telephone and broadband services to approximately 7.1 million customers in 36 states through TDS Telecommunications Corp. and U.S. Cellular [NYSE: USM], its 84-percent owned wireless subsidiary. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, Telephone and Data Systems employed 12,300 employees as of Dec. 31, 2011. Visit http://www.teldta.com for investor information.