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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]    
Cash and Cash Equivalents CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and cash invested in highly liquid short-term securities, which have remaining maturities at the date of purchase of less than 90 days. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.  
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Credit Memo Reserves ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts and a credit memo reserve for estimated losses resulting from the potential inability of our customers to make required payments and potential disputes regarding billing and service issues.
We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts and a credit memo reserve for estimated losses resulting from the potential inability of our customers to make required payments and potential disputes regarding billing and service issues.
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses-Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 changes how entities will measure credit losses on most financial assets. The standard eliminates the probable initial recognition of estimated losses and provides a forward-looking expected credit loss model for accounts receivable, loans and other financial instruments.
On January 1, 2020 we adopted ASU 2016-13 on a modified retrospective basis for all financial assets measured at amortized cost. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not result in a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Under ASU 2016-13, we calculate and monitor our allowance considering future potential economic and macroeconomic conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts for expected future collectability of our outstanding receivables, in addition to considering our past loss experience, current and prior trends in our aged receivables and credit memo activity. Our considerations when calculating our allowance include, but are not limited to, the following: the location of our businesses, the composition of our customer base, our product and service lines, potential future economic unrest, and potential future macroeconomic factors, including natural disasters and any impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued adjustments will be made should there be any material change to reasonable and supportable forecasts that may impact our likelihood of collection, as it becomes evident. Our highly diverse global customer base, with no single customer accounting for more than approximately 1% of revenue during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, limits our exposure to concentration of credit risk. Additionally, we write off uncollectible balances as circumstances warrant, generally, no later than one year past due.
Prior to our adoption of ASU 2016-13, we maintained an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the potential inability of our customers to make required payments and potential disputes regarding billing and service issues. When calculating the allowance, we considered our past loss experience, current and prior trends in our aged receivables and credit memo activity, current economic conditions, and specific circumstances of individual receivable balances. If the financial condition of our customers were to significantly change, resulting in a significant improvement or impairment of their ability to make payments, an adjustment of the allowance might have been required.
Inventory INVENTORYInventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, based on a first-in, first-out methodology. Our inventory primarily consists of information technology-related assets including memory, central processing units, hard drives, adaptors and networking. All of our inventory is considered finished goods. Inventory is included as a component of Prepaid expenses and other in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.  
Leases LEASES We lease facilities for certain warehouses, data centers and office space. We also have land leases, including those on which certain facilities are located.
We lease facilities for certain warehouses, data centers and office space. We also have land leases, including those on which certain facilities are located. The majority of our leased facilities are classified as operating leases that, on average, have initial lease terms of five to 10 years, with one or more lease renewal options to extend the lease term. Our lease renewal option terms generally range from one to five years. The exercise of the lease renewal option is at our sole discretion and may contain fixed rent, fair market value based rent or Consumer Price Index rent escalation clauses. We include option periods in the lease term when our failure to renew the lease would result in an economic disincentive, thereby making it reasonably certain that we will renew the lease. We recognize straight line rental expense over the life of the lease and any fair market value or Consumer Price Index rent escalations are recognized as variable lease expense in the period in which the obligation is incurred. In addition, we lease certain vehicles and equipment. Vehicle and equipment leases typically have lease terms ranging from one to seven years.
We account for all leases, both operating and financing, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 842 Leases, ("ASC 842"). Our accounting policy provides that leases with an initial term of 12 months or less will not be included within the lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities recognized on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We will continue to recognize the lease payments for those leases with an initial term of 12 months or less in our Consolidated Statements of Operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
The lease right-of-use assets and related lease liabilities are classified as either operating or financing. Lease right-of-use assets are calculated as the net present value of future payments plus any capitalized initial direct costs less any tenant improvements or lease incentives. Lease liabilities are calculated as the net present value of future payments. In calculating the present value of the lease payments, we utilize the rate stated in the lease (in the limited circumstances when such rate is explicitly stated) or, if no rate is explicitly stated, we utilize a rate that reflects our securitized incremental borrowing rate by geography for the lease term. We account for nonlease components (which include common area maintenance, taxes, and insurance) with the related lease component. Any variable nonlease components are not included within the lease right-of-use asset and lease liability on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and instead, are reflected as an expense in the period incurred.
Revenues The costs associated with the initial movement of customer records into physical storage and certain commissions are considered costs to obtain or fulfill customer contracts (collectively, “Contract Fulfillment Costs”).DATA CENTER LESSOR CONSIDERATIONSOur Global Data Center Business features storage rental provided to customers at contractually specified rates over a fixed contractual period, which are accounted for in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) No. 842 (“ASC 842”), Leases, as amended.  
Income Taxes INCOME TAXESWe provide for income taxes during interim periods based on our estimate of the effective tax rate for the year. Accounting for income taxes requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax and financial reporting bases of assets and liabilities and for loss and credit carryforwards. Valuation allowances are provided when recovery of deferred tax assets does not meet the more likely than not standard as defined in GAAP. We have elected to recognize interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions as a component of the Provision (benefit) for income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.We have been organized and have operated as a REIT effective beginning with our taxable year that ended on December 31, 2014. As a REIT, we are generally permitted to deduct from our federal taxable income the dividends we pay to our stockholders. The income represented by such dividends is not subject to federal taxation at the entity level but is taxed, if at all, at the stockholder level. The income of our domestic taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), which hold our domestic operations that may not be REIT-compliant as currently operated and structured, is subject, as applicable, to federal and state corporate income tax. In addition, we and our subsidiaries continue to be subject to foreign income taxes in other jurisdictions in which we have business operations or a taxable presence, regardless of whether assets are held or operations are conducted through subsidiaries disregarded for federal income tax purposes or TRSs. We will also be subject to a separate corporate income tax on any gains recognized on the sale or disposition of any asset previously owned by a C corporation during a five-year period after the date we first owned the asset as a REIT asset that are attributable to “built-in gains” with respect to that asset on that date. We will also be subject to a built-in gains tax on our depreciation recapture recognized into income as a result of accounting method changes in connection with our acquisition activities. If we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate income tax rates. Even if we remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to some federal, state, local and foreign taxes on our income and property in addition to taxes owed with respect to our TRS operations. In particular, while state income tax regimes often parallel the federal income tax regime for REITs, many states do not completely follow federal rules and some do not follow them at all.
As a REIT, we are entitled to a deduction for dividends paid, resulting in a substantial reduction of federal income tax expense. As a REIT, substantially all of our income tax expense will be incurred based on the earnings generated by our foreign subsidiaries and our domestic TRSs.
Following our conversion to a REIT in 2014, we concluded that it was not our intent to reinvest our current and future undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries indefinitely outside the United States. As of December 31, 2016, we concluded that it is our intent to indefinitely reinvest our current and future undistributed earnings of certain of our unconverted foreign TRSs outside the United States. During 2021, as a result of the enactment of a tax law and the closing of various acquisitions, we reassessed this intention and concluded that it is no longer our intention to reinvest our undistributed earnings of our foreign TRSs indefinitely outside the United States. As a REIT, future repatriation of incremental undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries will not be subject to federal or state income tax, with the exception of foreign withholding taxes. However, such future repatriations may require distributions to our stockholders in accordance with REIT distribution rules, and any such distribution may then be taxable, as appropriate, at the stockholder level. We expect to provide for foreign withholding taxes on the current and future earnings of all of our foreign subsidiaries as the result of such reassessment.
The evaluation of an uncertain tax position is a two-step process. The first step is a recognition process whereby we determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The second step is a measurement process whereby a tax position that meets the more likely than not recognition threshold is calculated to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The tax position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
We have elected to recognize interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions as a component of the provision (benefit) for income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Segment Information
Adjusted EBITDA for each segment is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense, net, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation and amortization (inclusive of our share of Adjusted EBITDA from our unconsolidated joint ventures), and excluding certain items we do not believe to be indicative of our core operating results, specifically:
EXCLUDED
Acquisition and Integration Costs
Other expense (income), net
Restructuring Charges
Stock-based compensation expense
(Gain) loss on disposal/write-down of property, plant and equipment, net (including real estate)

Internally, we use Adjusted EBITDA as the basis for evaluating the performance of, and allocating resources to, our operating segments.
The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in Note 2. Adjusted EBITDA for each segment is defined as income (loss) from continuing operations before interest expense, net, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation and amortization (inclusive of our share of Adjusted EBITDA from our unconsolidated joint ventures), and excluding certain items we do not believe to be indicative of our core operating results, specifically:
EXCLUDED
Acquisition and Integration Costs
Restructuring Charges
Intangible impairments
(Gain) loss on disposal/write-down of property, plant and equipment, net (including real estate)
Other (income) expense, net
Stock-based compensation expense
COVID-19 Costs (as defined below)

Internally, we use Adjusted EBITDA as the basis for evaluating the performance of, and allocated resources to, our operating segments.
Commitments and Contingencies We are involved in litigation from time to time in the ordinary course of business, including litigation arising from damage to customer assets in our facilities caused by fires and other natural disasters. While the outcome of such litigation is inherently uncertain, we do not believe any current litigation will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. We are involved in litigation from time to time in the ordinary course of business, including litigation arising from damage to customer assets in our facilities caused by fires and other natural disasters. A portion of the defense and/or settlement costs associated with such litigation is covered by various commercial liability insurance policies purchased by us and, in limited cases, indemnification from third parties. Our policy is to establish reserves for loss contingencies when the losses are both probable and reasonably estimable. We record legal costs associated with loss contingencies as expenses in the period in which they are incurred.