BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS--(Marketwired - Jun 19, 2014) - Columbus Business Solutions (CBS), a division of Columbus International Inc. (Columbus), and a provider of premium telecommunications services to businesses in the greater Caribbean, Andean and Central American regions, is proud to announce that it has been awarded three international standards certifications, namely: SOC 1 (Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16 ("SSAE 16")), International Standard on Assurance Engagements ("ISAE") 3402 and Assurance Reports on Controls at a Service Organization. These certifications are issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, Type 1 examination. The completion of this process is part of CBS's commitment to continue to seek out ways to deliver product and services to its customers at the highest possible standards.
The examination was performed by 360 Advanced, P.A., a full-service audit and consulting firm that specializes in integrated compliance solutions, including conducting SOC 1 / ISAE 3402 examinations. SSAE 16, developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("AICPA"), is the most widely recognized authoritative guidance that provides service organizations a uniform method for disclosing independently assessed information about the design and operation of internal controls related to their services.
Companies who complete an annual SOC 1 examination are able to demonstrate a substantially higher level of assurance and operationally visibility than those companies who do not.
The completion of the SOC 1 / ISAE 3402 Type 1 examination typifies Columbus' continued commitment to create and maintain the most stringent controls needed to ensure the highest quality and security of services provided to their customers. The Service Auditors' Report issued by 360 Advanced, with an unqualified opinion, demonstrates that Columbus' control activities were effectively placed in operation as of the report date.
"Commitment to quality is one of our main priorities. Columbus has a long history of providing our customers with state of the art technology, supported and delivered through industry-leading internal processes," commented Peter Collins, chief technology officer of Columbus. "Completion of the SSAE 16 / SOC 1 examination translates this commitment into compliance with industry best practices and standards, meeting the regulatory and risk control requirements of our customers, and ensuring a path to continuous improvement of our processes."
The Service Auditors' Report includes a detailed description of Columbus controls and an independent assessment of whether the controls are placed in operation and suitably designed.
About Columbus: Columbus International Inc. is a privately held diversified telecommunications company based in Barbados. The Company provides digital cable television, broadband Internet and digital landline telephony in Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia and Curacao under the brand name FLOW and in St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Antigua under the brand name Karib Cable. Columbus also provides next generation connectivity and IT solutions, managed networking and cloud-based services under the brand Columbus Business Solutions. Through its subsidiary, Columbus Networks, the Company provides capacity and IP services, corporate data solutions and data center hosting throughout 42 countries in the greater Caribbean, Central American and Andean region. Through its fully protected, ringed submarine fiber optic network spanning more than 42,300 km and its 37,800 km terrestrial fibre and coaxial network, Columbus' 3,000 plus professionals provide advanced telecom services to a diverse residential and corporate client base of well over 650,000 customers. Visit www.columbus.co