Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by our management in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of our management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018, are not necessarily indicative of the expected results for the year ending December 31, 2018. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Our Operating Partnership meets the definition and criteria of a variable interest entity (“VIE”) and we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE. Our sole significant asset is the investment in our Operating Partnership, and consequently, substantially all of our assets and liabilities represent those assets and liabilities of our Operating Partnership. Our debt is an obligation of our Operating Partnership where the creditors also have recourse against the credit of the Company. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingencies at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We evaluate our estimates, including those related to assessing our standalone selling prices, performance-based equity compensation plans and the carrying values of our real estate properties, goodwill, and accrued liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience, current market conditions, and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may vary from those estimates and those estimates could vary under different assumptions or conditions.

Investments in Real Estate

Real estate investments are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. The cost of real estate includes the purchase price of property and leasehold improvements. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Significant renovations and betterments that extend the economic useful lives of assets are capitalized. During land development and construction periods, we capitalize construction costs, legal fees, financing costs, real estate taxes and insurance, rent expense and internal costs of personnel performing development, if such costs are incremental and identifiable to a specific development project. Capitalization of costs begins upon commencement of development efforts and ceases when the project is ready for its intended use and held available for occupancy. Interest is capitalized during the period of development based upon applying the weighted-average borrowing rate to the actual development costs expended. Capitalized interest costs were $1.1 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017, respectively.

Depreciation and amortization are calculated using the straight-line method over the following useful lives of the assets:


Buildings		27 to 40 years
Building improvements		1 to 10 years
Leasehold improvements		The shorter of the lease term or useful life of the asset

Depreciation expense was $29.1 million and $26.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017, respectively.

Acquisition of Investment in Real Estate

When accounting for business combinations and asset acquisitions, the fair value of the real estate acquired is allocated to the acquired tangible assets, consisting primarily of land, building and building improvements, and identified intangible assets and liabilities, consisting of the value of above-market and below-market leases, value of in-place leases and the value of customer relationships.

The fair value of the land and building of an acquired property is determined by valuing the property as if it were vacant, and the “as-if-vacant” fair value is then allocated to land and building based on management's determination of the fair values of these assets. Management determines the as-if-vacant fair value of a property using methods similar to those used by independent appraisers. Factors considered by management in performing these analyses include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up periods considering current market conditions and costs to execute similar leases.

The fair value of intangibles related to in-place leases includes the value of lease intangibles for above-market and below-market leases, lease origination costs, and customer relationships, determined on a lease-by-lease basis. Above-market and below-market leases are valued based on the present value (using an interest rate which reflects the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the in-place leases and (ii) management's estimate of market lease rates for the corresponding in-place leases, measured over a period equal to the remaining noncancelable term of the lease and, for below-market leases, over a time period equal to the initial term plus any below-market fixed rate renewal periods. Lease origination costs include estimates of costs avoided associated with leasing the property, including tenant allowances and improvements and leasing commissions. Customer relationship intangibles relate to the additional revenue opportunities expected to be generated through interconnection services and utility services to be provided to the in-place lease tenants.

The capitalized values for above and below-market lease intangibles, lease origination costs, and customer relationships are amortized over the term of the underlying leases or the expected customer relationship. Amortization related to above-market and below-market leases where the Company is the lessor is recorded as either a reduction of or an increase to rental revenue, amortization related to above-market and below-market leases where the Company is the lessee is recorded as either a reduction of or an increase to rent expense. If a lease is terminated prior to its stated expiration, all unamortized amounts relating to that lease are written off.

The carrying value of intangible assets is reviewed for impairment in connection with its respective asset group whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset group may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of the asset group is not recoverable and its carrying amount exceeds its estimated fair value. No impairment loss related to these intangible assets was recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2018, or 2017.

The excess of the cost of an acquired business over the net of the amounts assigned to assets acquired (including identified intangible assets) and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. As of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, we had $40.6 million of goodwill at each date. The Company’s goodwill has an indeterminate life and is not amortized, but is tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. No impairment loss was recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2018, or 2017.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include all non-restricted cash held in financial institutions and other non-restricted highly liquid short-term investments with original maturities at acquisition of three months or less.

Initial Direct Costs

Initial direct costs include commissions paid to third parties, including brokers, leasing and referral agents, and internal sales commissions paid to employees for successful execution of lease agreements. Initial direct costs are incremental costs that would not have been incurred if the lease agreement had not been executed. These commissions are capitalized and generally amortized over the term of the related leases using the straight-line method. If a customer lease terminates prior to the expiration of its initial term, any unamortized initial direct costs related to the lease are written off to amortization expense. Amortization of initial direct costs were $3.9 million and $4.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017, respectively. Initial direct costs are included within other assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and consisted of the following, net of amortization, as of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017 (in thousands):


	March 31,		December 31,
	2018		2017
Internal sales commissions	$	16,503	$	17,402
Third party commissions		11,051		11,802
Other		765		775
Total	$	28,319	$	29,979

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs include costs incurred in connection with obtaining debt and extending existing debt. These financing costs are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis, which approximates the effective-interest method, over the term of the loan and the amortization is included as a component of interest expense. Depending on the type of debt instrument, deferred financing costs are reported either in other assets or as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Recoverability of Long-Lived Assets

We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Impairment is recognized when estimated expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) are less than the carrying amount of the assets. The estimation of expected future net cash flows is inherently uncertain and relies, to a considerable extent, on assumptions regarding current and future economics and market conditions and the availability of capital. If, in future periods, there are changes in the estimates or assumptions incorporated into the impairment review analysis, the changes could result in an adjustment to the carrying amount of the long-lived assets. To the extent that impairment has occurred, the excess of the carrying amount of long-lived assets over its estimated fair value would be recognized as an impairment loss charged to net income. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017, no impairment of long-lived assets was recognized in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

We reflect all derivative instruments at fair value as either assets or liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. For those derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as hedging instruments, we record the effective portion of the gain or loss on the hedging instruments as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss. Any ineffective portion of a derivative's change in fair value is immediately recognized within net income. For derivatives that do not meet the criteria for hedge accounting, changes in fair value are immediately recognized within net income. See additional discussion in Note 8, Derivatives and Hedging Activities.

Internal-Use Software

We recognize internal-use software development costs based on the development stage of the project and nature of the cost. Internal and external costs incurred during the preliminary project stage are expensed as they are incurred. Internal and external costs incurred to develop internal-use software during the application development stage are capitalized. Internal and external training costs and maintenance costs during the post-implementation-operation stage are expensed as incurred. Completed projects are placed into service and amortized over the estimated useful life of the software. No impairment was recognized related to internal-use software in the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017.

Revenue Recognition

We derive our revenues from leases with customers for data center and office and light-industrial space which include lease rental revenue components and nonlease revenue components, such as power, interconnection, and other data center services.

Data center lease rental revenue and power arrangements are included within a single contract, which requires that we allocate the transaction consideration to each lease and nonlease component on a relative standalone selling price basis. In instances where standalone selling prices are not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine our standalone selling prices maximizing our use of observable inputs as well as various market conditions. We typically have more than one standalone selling price for individual services due to the variability of the pricing of those services based on market, building, and customer specific conditions. We estimate standalone selling prices based on the contractual prices charged to customers and allocate discounts proportionately when necessary.

Interconnection revenue and other data center services revenue are separate contracts that are generally month-to-month or a point-in-time service and are not combined with lease and power arrangements.

Lessor Rental Revenue

Our leases with customers are classified as operating leases and rental revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the customer lease term. Occasionally, our customer leases include options to extend or terminate the lease agreements. We do not include any of these extension or termination options in a customer’s lease term for lease classification purposes or recognizing rental revenue unless we are reasonably certain the customer will exercise these extension or termination options. The excess of rents recognized over amounts contractually due pursuant to the underlying leases is recorded as deferred rent receivable within our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Power Revenue

Customer power arrangements are coterminous with the customer’s underlying lease and have the same pattern of transfer over the lease term. In general, we provide two power products, including a fixed (breakered-amperage) and variable (sub-metered) model. Over the lease term, monthly power services are substantially the same and we account for the nonlease component as a series of distinct services.

For our fixed power arrangements, a customer is billed and pays a fixed monthly fee per committed available amount of connected power. The customer simultaneously receives and consumes the power benefits we provide over the lease term and we recognize power revenue on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

For our variable power arrangements, a customer pays us variable monthly fees for the specific amount of power utilized at the current utility rates. Customers have the flexibility to increase or decrease the amount of power consumed, and therefore sub-metered power revenue is constrained at contract inception. We recognize power revenue each month as the uncertainty related to the consideration is resolved, we provide power to our customers, and our customers utilize the power.

Interconnection Revenue

Interconnection services are generally contracted on a month-to-month basis cancellable by the customer at any time. We recognize revenue each month as these services are delivered to and utilized by our customers.

Tenant Reimbursement and Other Revenue

Some of our leases contain provisions under which our customers reimburse us for common area maintenance and other executory costs. Such tenant reimbursements are recognized in the period that the expenses are recognized. We also provide other data center support services to our customers, which are generally provided to customers at a point in time. We recognize revenue each month as these service are delivered to and utilized by our customers.

A provision for uncollectible accounts is recorded if a receivable balance relating to contractual rent, rent recorded on a straight-line basis, tenant reimbursements or other billed amounts is considered by management to be uncollectible. At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the allowance for doubtful accounts totaled $0.9 million and $1.1 million, respectively, on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Lessee Accounting

We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Our operating lease agreements are primarily for real estate space and are included within operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Variable lease payments are excluded from the ROU assets and lease liabilities and are recognized in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. ROU assets also include any lease payments made and exclude lease incentives. Many of our lessee agreements include options to extend the lease, which we do not include in our minimum lease terms unless they are reasonably certain to be exercised. Rental expense for lease payments related to operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Share-Based Compensation

We account for share-based compensation using the fair value method of accounting. The estimated fair value of the stock options granted by us is calculated based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of restricted share-based and Operating Partnership unit compensation is based on the fair value of our common stock on the date of the grant. The fair value of performance share awards, which have a market condition, is based on a Monte Carlo simulation. The fair value for all share-based compensation is amortized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. We have elected to account for forfeitures as they occur.

Asset Retirement and Environmental Remediation Obligations

We record accruals for estimated asset retirement and environmental remediation obligations. The obligations relate primarily to the removal of asbestos during development of properties as well as the estimated equipment removal costs upon termination of a certain lease where we are the lessee. At March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the amount included in unearned revenue, prepaid rent and other liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets was $1.5 million at each date.

Income Taxes

We elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2010. To qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income to our stockholders and meet various other requirements imposed by the Code relating to such matters as operating results, asset holdings, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership. Provided we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally are not subject to corporate level federal income tax on the earnings distributed currently to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and are unable to avail ourselves of certain savings provisions set forth in the Code, all of our taxable income would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates, including any applicable alternative minimum tax.

To maintain REIT status, we must distribute a minimum of 90% of our taxable income. However, it is our policy and intent, subject to change, to distribute 100% of our taxable income and therefore, no provision is required in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for federal income taxes with regards to activities of the REIT and its subsidiary pass-through entities. The allocable share of taxable income is included in the income tax returns of its stockholders. The Company is subject to the statutory requirements of the locations in which it conducts business. State and local income taxes are accrued as deemed required in the best judgment of management based on analysis and interpretation of respective tax laws.

We have elected to treat certain subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”). Certain activities that we undertake must be conducted by a TRS, such as services for our tenants that could be considered otherwise impermissible for us to perform and holding assets that we cannot hold directly. A TRS is subject to corporate level federal and state income taxes.

Deferred income taxes are recognized in certain taxable entities. Deferred income tax generally is a function of the period's temporary differences (items that are treated differently for tax purposes than for financial reporting purposes), the utilization of tax net operating losses generated in prior years that previously had been recognized as deferred income tax assets and the reversal of any previously recorded deferred income tax liabilities. A valuation allowance for deferred income tax assets is provided if we believe all or some portion of the deferred income tax asset may more likely than not be realized. Any increase or decrease in the valuation allowance resulting from a change in circumstances that causes a change in the estimated realizability of the related deferred income tax asset is included in deferred tax expense. As of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the gross deferred income taxes were not material.

We currently have no liabilities for uncertain income tax positions. The earliest tax year for which we are subject to examination is 2014.

Concentration of Credit Risks

Our cash and cash equivalents are maintained in various financial institutions, which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. We have not experienced any losses in such accounts, and management believes that the Company is not exposed to any significant credit risk in this area. We have no off-balance sheet concentrations of credit risk, such as foreign exchange contracts, option contracts, or foreign currency hedging arrangements.

Segment Information

We manage our business as one reportable segment consisting of investments in data centers located in the United States. Although we provide services in several markets, these operations have been aggregated into one reportable segment based on the similar economic characteristics amongst all markets, including the nature of the services provided and the type of customers purchasing these services.