Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance codified in Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 improves the overall usefulness of disclosures to financial statement users and reduces unnecessary costs in preparing fair value measurement disclosures. The standard became effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We adopted the standard effective January 1, 2020, and the provisions of ASU 2018-13 did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software

In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASU 2018-15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract. ASU 2018-15 clarifies that implementation costs incurred by customers in cloud computing arrangements are deferred if they would be capitalized by customers in software licensing arrangements under the internal-use software guidance. Additionally, ASU 2018-15 clarifies that all capitalized costs must be presented in the same financial statement line item as the cloud computing arrangement. We adopted the standard effective January 1, 2020, on a prospective basis, and the provisions of ASU 2018-15 did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Financial Instruments – Credit Losses

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-13 introduced the “current expected credit losses” model, which requires companies to estimate credit losses immediately upon exposure. The guidance applies to financial assets measured at amortized cost, including financing receivables and trade receivables. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, which clarified that operating leases are outside the scope of Topic 326, and instead should be accounted for under ASC 842. The standard became effective, for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We adopted the standard effective January 1, 2020, on a prospective basis, and the provisions of ASC 2016-13 and ASU 2018-19 did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Reference Rate Reform

In March 2020, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. ASU 2020-04 provides optional expedients for a limited period of time to ease the potential burden in accounting for (or recognizing the effects of) reference rate reform on financial reporting. ASU 2020-04 provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The standard is effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. An entity can elect to apply the amendments as of any date from the beginning of an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 12, 2020, or prospectively from a date within an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 12, 2020, up to that date that the financial statements are available to be issued. We are currently evaluating the optional expedients and exceptions provided by ASU 2020-04 to determine the impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

We determined that all other recently issued accounting pronouncements will not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements or do not apply to our operations.

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 $3.5 million and $2.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, and 2019, 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 $36.9 million and $32.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

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.

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 indebtedness 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.

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 gain or loss on the hedging instruments as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss. 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.

Revenue Recognition

Rental, Power, and Related Revenue

We derive our revenues from leases with customers for data center and office and light-industrial space. Our leases include rental revenue lease components and nonlease revenue components, such as power and tenant reimbursements. We have elected to combine all of our nonlease revenue components that have the same pattern of transfer as the related operating lease component into a single combined lease component.

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 for 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 other assets on our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

In general, we provide two power products for our data center leased space, consisting of a fixed (breakered-amperage) and a variable (sub-metered) model. Customer power arrangements are coterminous with the customer’s underlying lease and have the same pattern of transfer over the lease term and are therefore combined with lease revenue within our condensed consolidated statements of operations. For fixed power arrangements, a customer pays us a fixed monthly fee for a committed available amount of power. We recognize the fixed power revenue each month over the term of the lease. For variable power arrangements, a customer pays us variable monthly fees for the specific amount of power utilized at the current utility rates. We recognize variable power revenue each month as the uncertainty related to the consideration is resolved, as power is provided to our customers, and as our customers utilize the power.

Some of our leases contain provisions under which our customers reimburse us for common area maintenance and other executory costs. These customer reimbursements are variable and are recognized in the period that the expenses are recognized. These services have the same pattern of transfer over the lease term and are also combined with lease revenue within our condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Interconnection Revenue

We also derive revenue from interconnection services, which are generally contracted on a month-to-month basis cancellable by us or the customer at any time. Interconnection services are accounted for as separate contracts and are not combined with lease and power arrangements. We recognize interconnection revenue each month as these services are delivered to, and utilized by, our customers.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

A provision for uncollectible accounts is recorded if the collectability of a receivable balance relating to contractual rent, rental revenue recorded on a straight-line basis, tenant reimbursements or other billed amounts is considered by management to not be probable. At March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the allowance for doubtful accounts totaled $0.9 million and $0.4 million, respectively, on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

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.

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.

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 regard to our activities and our subsidiary pass-through entities. The allocable share of taxable income is included in the income tax returns of its stockholders. We are subject to the statutory requirements of the locations in which we conduct 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, 2020, and December 31, 2019, 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 2016.

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.