What is the above image?

1. A road sign for an east/west highway
2. The logo for a certain business intelligence company
3. A decal for British Special Services
4. Free Drink coupon for a Scandinavian airline
5. None of the above

Of course, the answer is E., none of the above.  This is the SAS 70 shield.  Maybe you haven't heard much about SAS 70, but it is a set of standards around Information Technology systems, and processes that control these systems.  These kinds of rigorous processes help provide predictable results for IT system use.

SAS 70 provides a method for Service Providers to disclose their activities, open these activities to SAS 70 auditing services, and have standardized audit reports produced.  SAS 70 audits work very much like the VeriSign Security audit Axeda completed. A SAS 70 compliant organization has been certified to follow best practices in IT management and the control and reporting of its systems.  What does that mean?  No surprise configuration changes in the middle of the night!!!

SAS 70 was a top requirement in the selection of secure hosting facilities for Axeda On-Demand. With the selection of Savvis, all of Axeda's hosting sites are SAS 70 compliant. For our customers it means that they can have comfort in knowing their data is protected with the highest level of security, privacy and control. With yearly SAS 70 audits,  all stakeholders (our customers and their customers) can trust the infrastructure that they cannot touch and feel.

As remote service technology becomes more mission-critical and central to the operation of our customers, SAS 70 and VeriSign certifications are two important tools to help verify security and predictability.

Good luck getting a Free Drink coupon on any airline these days!!!