What is SAS 70?
Provided below are important facts, details and essential information for anyone seeking to learn more about Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 (SAS 70). You can now gain a greater understanding of many key components regarding SAS 70 audits by browsing any number of helpful topics.
History and Overview of SAS 70
Statement on Auditing Standards Number 70, commonly known as SAS 70, is an auditing statement put forth by the Auditing Standards Board as designated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Over the years, more than 100 “SAS” have been issued, ranging on a number of critical subjects for auditing matters.
[ More on the history of SAS 70]What's in a SAS 70 Report?
SAS 70 Reports contain a mixture of information from both the auditors conducting the audit (service auditors) and the organization undergoing the audit (service organization)...
[ More on the SAS 70 Report ]An Introduction to the SAS 70 Auditing Standard
So is SAS 70 an audit, a standard, a process? It's all of these. Think of it as an audit that examines and tests the characteristics of internal controls for service organizations. Service organizations are simply the entity that undergoes the SAS 70 audit. So who's requiring the audit to be done and why? Generally speaking, the wave of compliance legislation that has come from the halls of our nation's capital as of recent years has revolved heavily around corporate governance and the ability to have a strong mechanism of internal controls within organizations.
[ Introduction to the Auditing Standard ]Criticism of SAS 70 Audits
Criticism towards SAS 70 audits has centered around two main elements. First, the looseness in the auditing standard itself, which has resulted in SAS 70 Service Auditor’s Reports having a great degree of variance when reading and inspecting the overall contents of the report.
[ Criticism of SAS 70 ]Cost Effective SAS 70 Audits
Performing a SAS 70 audit is a structured, multi-step process, which includes a number of predefined processes and procedures that must take place to ensure its successful and timely completion. Depending on a service organization’s needs, a SAS 70 Type II audit is generally performed for any subsequent period following the completion of a Type I.
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