Auditing & Certification FAQs

1. What does it mean to be compliant with the IAB Guidelines?

Compliance with the standard means that your method of counting an ad impression adheres specifically to the IAB Guidelines. An initial internal assessment by your technology team should be done to determine if you are compliant. Sections III and IV address the steps to take in order to be compliance certified.

2. How does one ensure they are compliant with the IAB Guidelines (Technology)?

Two components of the ad impression counting and delivering systems need to be audited: technology and process. Third-party independent auditing is encouraged for all ad-serving applications used in the buying and selling process to verify your counting technology. Counting method procedures generally include a basic process review and risk analysis to understand the description of methodology (disclosures), customer reports, measurement methods, analytical review, transaction authentication, validation of filtration procedures and measurement recalculations.

3. How does one prove they are delivering ads against the Guidelines (Process)?

Again, certification by a third-party independent audit firm is encouraged to “prove” adherence to the IAB guidelines. The third-party independent auditing will examine and test the internal controls surrounding ad delivery, recording, reporting and the measurement process and systems. The audit will also include examination of the adequacy of site or ad-server applied filtration techniques. This confirms that the ads you deliver against your technology are accurate and thus, your numbers are “certified.”

4. What does it mean to be “certified”?

An independent third-party auditing firm will conduct the audit and certification of your technology and ad delivery process. This process certifies you as compliant with the IAB Guidelines and at this point your numbers can be referred to as “certified.” The Ad Impression Guidelines recommend annual certification, at a minimum. By using only certified numbers for billing purposes, the operational costs of discrepancies could be greatly reduced.

5. What are the different levels of auditing?/ How extensive does my audit need to be?

The scope and certification is the same in all instances. The level of effort and resources on the part of the auditor may be different depending on the process and technologies used. In all instances, it should be remembered that both the technology and the processes need to be fully audited in order to qualify for certification.

In order to be certified, please note the following:

* Proprietary Ad-Serving Systems: All technology and process should be audited.
* Enterprise Solutions: All technology and process should be audited.
* ASP Solutions: All technology and process should be audited. The ASP solution itself should be audited and cerstified for the required timeframe. In the case that the ASP has been audited; the auditor may rely on the work of the ASP audit report in determining compliance with the IAB standards. Any entity using an ASP solution will need the auditor to confirm if any additional processes should be considered to determine whether additional audit procedures are required in order to become certified.