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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
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.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets and Liabilities Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets and Liabilities
Goodwill
Since December 31, 2018, there have been no changes to our accounting polices related to the accounting for goodwill. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, no factors were identified that would alter our October 1, 2018 goodwill impairment analysis.
Our reporting units as of December 31, 2018 are described in detail in Note 2.h. to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report. On March 19, 2019, we divested the business included in our former Consumer Storage reporting unit, which had no goodwill associated with it at December 31, 2018 or at the date of the divestment. See Note 10 for additional information.
The goodwill associated with acquisitions completed during the first nine months of 2019 (which are described in Note 4) has been incorporated into our reporting units as they existed as of December 31, 2018.
Other finite-lived intangible assets, including trade names, noncompetition agreements and trademarks, are capitalized and amortized and are included in depreciation and amortization in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018
Finite-lived Intangible Assets and Liabilities
Finite-lived intangible assets and liabilities are primarily comprised of customer relationship intangible assets, customer inducements and data center intangible assets and liabilities (which include data center in-place lease intangible assets, data center tenant relationship intangible assets, data center above-market in-place lease intangible assets and data center below-market in-place lease intangible assets). Since December 31, 2018, there have been no changes to our accounting policies related to the accounting for any of our finite-lived intangible assets and liabilities as disclosed in Note 2.i. to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report.
Revenues
Data Center Lessor Considerations

Our data center business features storage rental provided to customers at contractually specified rates over a fixed contractual period. Prior to January 1, 2019, our data center revenue contracts were accounted for in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) No. 840, Leases ("ASC 840"). On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2016-02, as described in more detail in Note 2.d. Beginning on January 1, 2019, our data center revenue contracts are accounted for in accordance with ASU 2016-02. ASU 2016-02 provides a practical expedient which allows lessors to account for nonlease components (such as power and connectivity, in the case of our data center business) with the related lease component if both the timing and pattern of transfer are the same for nonlease components and the lease component, and the lease component would be classified as an operating lease. The single combined component is accounted for under ASU 2016-02 if the lease component is the predominant component and is accounted for under ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("ASU 2014-09"), if the nonlease components are the predominant components. We have elected to take this practical expedient. Storage rental revenue associated with our data center business was approximately $62,000 and $182,300 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, which includes approximately $12,000 and $31,000 of revenue associated with power and connectivity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The revenue related to the service component of our data center business remains unchanged from the adoption of ASU 2016-02 and is recognized in the period the related services are provided. Our accounting treatment for data center revenue was not significantly impacted by the adoption of ASU 2016-02.
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. 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 have lease terms ranging from one to seven years.
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by all leases, both operating and financing (formerly referred to as capital leases under ASC 840). ASU 2016-02 requires certain qualitative and quantitative disclosures designed to give financial statement users information on the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.

We adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 on a modified retrospective basis under which we recognized and measured leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the period of adoption. Therefore, we applied ASC 840 to all earlier comparative periods (prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-02), including disclosures, and recognized the effects of applying ASU 2016-02 as a cumulative-effect adjustment to (Distributions in excess of earnings) Earnings in excess of distributions as of January 1, 2019, the effective date of the standard. As such, the comparative Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018 has not been restated to reflect the adoption of ASU 2016-02. Accordingly, the majority of the amount presented as deferred rent liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018 is now included in the calculation of operating lease right-of-use assets and any remaining amounts are now classified within other liability line items on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2019. The transition guidance associated with ASU 2016-02 also permitted certain practical expedients. We elected the "package of 3" practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance which, among other things, allowed us to carryforward our historical lease classifications. We also adopted an accounting policy which 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 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets after the adoption of ASU 2016-02. We will continue to recognize the lease payments for those leases with an initial term of 12 months or less in the Condensed 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 will utilize the rate stated within the lease (in the limited circumstances when such rate is available) or, if no rate is explicitly stated, we have elected to utilize a rate that reflects our securitized incremental borrowing rate by geography for the lease term. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-11, Leases - Targeted Improvements ("ASU 2018-11"). ASU 2018-11 provides a practical expedient which allows lessees to 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 the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, and instead, are reflected as an expense in the period incurred. We have elected to take this practical expedient upon adoption of ASU 2016-02.

At January 1, 2019, we recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU 2016-02 as an adjustment to the opening balance of (Distributions in excess of earnings) Earnings in excess of distributions, resulting in an increase of approximately $5,800 to stockholders' equity due to certain build to suit leases that were accounted for as financing leases under ASC 840, Leases, but are accounted for as operating leases under ASU 2016-02 at January 1, 2019.
Stock-Based Compensation
For our Employee Stock-Based Awards made on or after February 20, 2019, we have included the following retirement provision: Upon an employee’s retirement on or after attaining age 58, if the sum of (i) the award recipient’s age at retirement and (ii) the award recipient’s years of service with the company totals at least 70, the award recipient is entitled to continued vesting of any outstanding Employee Stock-Based Awards which include the 2019 Retirement Criteria subsequent to their retirement, provided that, for awards granted in the year of retirement, their retirement occurs on or after July 1st (the “2019 Retirement Criteria”). Accordingly, (i) grants of Employee Stock-Based Awards to an employee who has met the 2019 Retirement Criteria on or before the date of grant, or will meet the Retirement Criteria before July 1st of the year of the grant, will be expensed between the date of grant and July 1st of the grant year and (ii) grants of Employee Stock-Based Awards to employees who will meet the 2019 Retirement Criteria during the award’s normal vesting period will be expensed between the date of grant and the date upon which the award recipient meets the 2019 Retirement Criteria. Stock options and RSUs granted to recipients who meet the 2019 Retirement Criteria will continue vesting on the original vesting schedule, and the stock options will remain exercisable up to three years after retirement, or the original expiration date of the stock options, if earlier. PUs granted to recipients who meet the 2019 Retirement Criteria will continue to vest and be delivered in accordance with the original vesting schedule of the applicable PU award and remain subject to the same performance conditions.
Stock-Based CompensationWe record stock-based compensation expense, utilizing the straight-line method, for the cost of stock options, restricted stock units ("RSUs"), performance units ("PUs") and shares of stock issued under our employee stock purchase plan (together, "Employee Stock-Based Awards").
Income (Loss) Per Share-Basic and Diluted Income (Loss) Per Share—Basic and Diluted
Basic income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. The calculation of diluted income (loss) per share is consistent with that of basic income (loss) per share, but gives effect to all potential common shares (that is, securities such as stock options, RSUs or PUs) that were outstanding during the period, unless the effect is antidilutive.
Income Taxes We provide for income taxes during interim periods based on our estimate of the effective tax rate for the year. Our estimate of the effective tax rates for the years ending December 31, 2019 and 2018 reflect the impact of the U.S. tax reform legislation, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Legislation”). See Note 7 to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report for additional information regarding the impact the Tax Reform Legislation had on us. Discrete items and changes in our estimate of the annual effective tax rate are recorded in the period they occur. Our effective tax rate is subject to variability in the future due to, among other items: (1) changes in the mix of income between our qualified REIT subsidiaries ("QRSs") and our domestic taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs"), as well as among the jurisdictions in which we operate; (2) tax law changes; (3) volatility in foreign exchange gains and losses; (4) the timing of the establishment and reversal of tax reserves; and (5) our ability to utilize net operating losses that we generate.
Fair Value Measurements Fair Value Measurements
Our financial assets or liabilities that are carried at fair value are required to be measured using inputs from the three levels of the fair value hierarchy. A financial asset or liability's classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:
Level 1—Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that we have the ability to access at the measurement date.
Level 2—Inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (i.e., interest rates, yield curves, etc.), and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means (market corroborated inputs).
Level 3—Unobservable inputs that reflect our assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
Foreign Currency Transactions
The gain or loss on foreign currency transactions, calculated as the difference between the historical exchange rate and the exchange rate at the applicable measurement date, include gains or losses related to (i) borrowings in certain foreign currencies under our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined and discussed more fully in Note 5), (ii) our Euro Notes (as defined in Note 5), (iii) certain foreign currency denominated intercompany obligations of our foreign subsidiaries to us and between our foreign subsidiaries, which are not considered permanently invested, and (iv) amounts that are paid or received on the net settlement amount from forward contracts (as more fully discussed in Note 3).
New Accounting Pronouncements New Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 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 (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) ("ASU 2018-15"). ASU 2018-15 aligns the accounting for costs incurred to implement a cloud computing arrangement that is a service arrangement with the guidance on capitalizing costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. We adopted ASU 2018-15 on January 1, 2019. ASU 2018-15 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02. We adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 on a modified retrospective basis. See Note 2.d. for information regarding the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements.
Correction in Presentation Correction in Presentation

Subsequent to our conversion to a REIT, we have historically classified gains on sale of real estate, net of tax, as a separate line on our consolidated statements of operations and excluded such amounts from our reported operating income. We presented such amounts net of tax as these gains were presented below the provision (benefit) for income taxes on our consolidated statements of operations. Commencing with the first quarter of 2019, we now present gains on sale of real estate as a component of operating income in the line item (Gain) loss on disposal/write-down of property, plant and equipment, net. See Note 2.j. for details of the (gain) loss on disposal/write-down of property, plant and equipment, net recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. Such amounts are presented gross of tax with any tax impact presented within Provision (benefit) for income taxes. All prior periods will be conformed to this presentation.