TEAMS Express FAQs

Q.  What is TEAMS Express?
A.  TEAMS Express provides a complete software and services solution for sales tax certificate management delivered across the Internet and sold on an annual subscription basis. This offering is a Software as a Service (SaaS) vehicle. As a web-based application, there is no software to install on the client side and is accessed through a standard web browser.
 

Q.  What is included with the annual subscription?
A.  The annual subscription fee includes hosting, management, maintenance, licensing and initial web setup.

• Hosting
  All customer subscriptions are hosted on servers located in a SAS70 Level II Compliant data center with appropriate service level agreements.
  
  Management
  On-going management of the various servers (web, database, etc.) that comprise the TEAMS Express infrastructure includes a variety of tasks. These tasks include backup, disaster recovery, performance monitoring and optimization, capacity utilization and management and other tasks as necessary to keep the service operating at optimal levels while protecting customer data.
  
  Maintenance
  As is typical with any software application, TEAMS Express is periodically updated. Software updates may include bug fixes or feature enhancements to TEAMS Express on Demand. New functional modules, applications or products are not a part of regular maintenance and may require an additional customer subscription to gain access to that functionality.
  
  Licensing
  TEAMS Express is licensed using an annual subscription model based on the number of certificates managed during the subscription year. Annual subscription or renewal fees are required to keep the subscription active.
  
  Web Setup
  Web Setup is included with the annual subscription fee for TEAMS Express and entails the initialization and configuration of a new customer account on the TEAMS Express servers. It includes the creation of user accounts, establishing roles and privileges, customizing the user interface with customer logos/terminology and basically preparing the system for work on behalf of the customer. It also includes remote support (by phone, e-mail and/or WebEx and not in person, on-site) ensuring that the customer can properly access and use the application from their site. Loading and populating the new instance with legacy certificates and related metadata is available as an add-on service called TEAMS Startup Express.
   

Q.  Can additional security (https, SSL, certificates) be added to a TEAMS Express instance?
A.  Yes, these additional security features are available at an additional charge.
 

Q.  When certificates are scanned for import into TEAMS Express, how are they classified?
A.  As certificates are processed through our TEAMS Startup Express service, they are classified and reported back as follows:

• Current and valid: denotes a certificate that contains valid information and has not yet expired.
  
  Expired: denotes a certificate whose renewal date has passed and requires a new certificate.
  
  Requires update: denotes a certificate whose information is either incomplete or, in some way, incorrect and will require an update from the certificate holder.
  
  Out of scope: denotes a certificate found in the boxes of files that is not part of the group of certificates that are targeted for import. For example, division A of a large manufacturer is preparing to use TEAMS Express and is converting their existing legacy database of paper certificates with TEAMS Startup Express. During the process, a number of certificates are found that belong to division B of the same manufacturer. At the moment, division B is not preparing to implement TEAMS Express. Those certificates are noted as out of scope, reported back and set aside for subsequent disposition by the customer.

SAS 70 FAQs
 

Q.  What is SAS 70?
A.  “Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 70, Service Organizations, is an internationally recognized auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). A SAS 70 audit or service auditor's examination is widely recognized, because it represents that a service organization has been through an in-depth audit of their control activities, which generally include controls over information technology and related processes. In today's global economy, service organizations or service providers must demonstrate that they have adequate controls and safeguards when they host or process data belonging to their customers. In addition, the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 make SAS 70 audit reports even more important to the process of reporting on effective internal controls at service organizations.” source: www.sas70.com.

Q.  Is this a new standard?
A.  SAS No. 70 was adopted by AICPA as a standard in 1992. However, increased outsourcing and the visibility and effectiveness of internal control requirements introduced in Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 have fueled a renewed interest in SAS 70 examinations.

Q.  How has Sarbanes-Oxley impacted the demand for SAS 70 examinations?
A.  Sarbanes-Oxley was enacted to rebuild investor's trust in the financial reporting of public companies by increasing the transparency and oversight of corporate financial reporting.  Inherently, improved financial reporting assures reliable and robust internal controls throughout an organization's financial systems.  SOOX clearly states that the outsourcing of a business process does not relieve the user organization of the responsibility for ensuring that adequate controls over the business process are still in place.  As a result many companies are relying on the SAS 70 standard when evaluating the robustness of controls at service organizations.  Today, companies need practical assurances that their service providers have implemented appropriate controls over business processes and information technology.  A SAS 70 audit is the de facto standard for demonstrating the existence and effectiveness of internal controls at a service organizations.

Q.  Can you explain the SAS 70 Audit process in brief?
A.  A SAS 70 examination is an audit conducted by a qualified CPA firm that reviews and tests the effectiveness of a service provides internal controls based on the AICPA Statement of Accounting Standards No. 70.  When the audit is complete, the Service Auditor's Report will contain:

• Independent Service Auditor’s Report (audit opinion).

• Description of Controls in place at the service organization.

• Description and results of tests for the operating effectiveness of the controls in place.

Q.  What is the difference between a SAS 70 Report and a Service Auditor's Report?
A.  There is no difference.  The terms are interchangeable.

Q.  What Types of Entities are candidates for SAS 70 Reviews?
A.  Any company that provides information systems and services that handle financial data and/or transactions including organizations that:

• Execute and maintain accountability of transactions.
• Records transactions and processes information.
• Impacts the client’s financial reporting.

Typical service companies include application service providers, managed security providers, trust departments, claims processors, clearing houses, credit processing companies, application service providers, and data hosting facilities.

Q.  Are their different types of SAS 70 reports?
A.  Yes.  There is a Type I and a Type II report.

• A Type I report is issued for a particular date. For example, a CPA firm would examine a company's controls on January 1, 2007 and report (based on inquiry and observation of controls) on the processing of transactions and related controls for that very same date: January 1, 2007.
• A Type II report is issued after a six-month testing period has been completed. For example, A CPA firm would examine a company's controls from January 1, 2006 to July 1, 2006 and report on the processing of transactions and related controls for that same six month period. Unlike a Type I report, a Type II report would also include testing of relevant controls.

Q.  How Long is a SAS 70 Report Valid?
A.  SAS Type 1 and Type !! reports are valid for one full calendar year from the date of issue.

Q.  What are the benefits of a SAS 70 certification when selecting a service provider?
A.  An unqualified SAS 70 opinion will affirm the following:

• Provides your company with reasonable assurance that the service organization in question has established internal controls that are operating effectively.
• Provides insight into the nature of the service organization’s controls and an independent party’s assessment of their effectiveness.
• Alleviate the burden and cost of performing your own audit on the service organization.

Q.  What’s New in LineLinkXL 3.0?
A.  LineLinkXL is a patent pending, Microsoft Excel compatible add-in that turns a simple spreadsheet into a document organizer on the desktop. LineLinkXL can access, organize and link documents in any SQL-compliant database or system without violating any security protocols. With version 3.0, accountants, clerks and even auditors can now access financial documents in virtually any system.

New features include:

• When using the Prepare for CD function within LineLinkXL with hyperlinked images pointing to a website, LineLinkXL will automatically copy these files down from the website into the Prepare for CD folder.

• LineLinkXL's hyperlinks creation feature where external data is matched with data from a source spreadsheet's column (Batch Import) now includes two additional methods for matching:

• Batch Import from another sheet - this method imports data from a second worksheet that contains paths to documents along with the data that links these document paths to the source worksheet. The linking data may be located in a single column, or combined with other data. LineLinkXL matches the entire column value or any substring within the column data. Hyperlinks are created in the source worksheet wherever there is a match between the source worksheet and the second worksheet.
   
• Batch Import from an external database - this method creates hyperlinks similar to the first method except that it reads data from an external database instead of a second worksheet. Supported external databases include Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, SAP or virtually any other SQL compliant database to which the user has access.
  SAS Type 1 and Type !! reports are valid for one full calendar year from the date of issue.