| NETWORK EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGIES INC ITEM 1A RISK FACTORS Our business is subject to the risks and uncertainties described below |
| There may be additional risks that have not yet been identified and risks that are not material now but could become material |
| Any one of these risks could hurt our business, results of operations or financial condition |
| We have incurred net losses in the past and may continue to incur losses in the future |
| For each of the last several fiscal years, we have incurred net losses |
| Although we have reduced operating expenses over the past several years, we will need revenue to grow in order to achieve profitability |
| Our circuit-switched product line, Promina, currently provides the majority of our revenue, but revenue from that product line has declined in recent years |
| Our newer IP-based products, have not yet achieved market acceptance or broad commercial sales, and we are incurring substantial product development and marketing expenses for those and other product lines that we do not expect to launch until fiscal 2007 |
| Accordingly, we will not likely be profitable unless our newer product lines achieve commercial success that outpaces the anticipated decline of our Promina product line |
| In addition, we must contain our operating expenses, many of which are fixed in the short term making it difficult to reduce expenses rapidly in response t o shortfalls in revenue |
| Our operating results may continue to fluctuate |
| Our operating results vary significantly from quarter to quarter |
| These fluctuations may result from a number of factors, including: · changes in demand for our products, particularly our narrowband Promina product line, which has declined significantly in the last two fiscal years; · the timing of orders from, and shipments to, our customers; · the timing of the introduction of, and market acceptance for, new products and services; · variations in the mix of products and services we sell; · the timing and level of certain expenses, such as joint venture and development arrangements, marketing activities, prototype costs, write-offs of obsolete inventory, or potential write-downs of lease costs for facilities that we may cease to use; · the timing of revenue recognition, which depends on numerous factors, such as contractual acceptance provisions and separability of arrangements involving multiple elements, including some factors that are out of our control, such as assurance as to collectibility; · the timing and amounts of stock-based awards to employees; · the timing and size of Federal Government budget approvals and spending, and timing of government deployment schedules; and · economic conditions in the networking industry, including the overall capital expenditures of our customers |
| Due to the foregoing factors, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance |
| Any shortfall in revenue may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition |
| Investors should not rely on our results or growth for one quarter as any indication of our future performance |
| Our stock price is volatile and could decline substantially |
| The market price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly in the past, will likely continue to fluctuate in the future and may decline |
| Fluctuations or a decline in our stock price may occur regardless of our performance |
| Among the factors that could affect our stock price, in addition to our performance, are: · variations between our operating results and either the guidance we have furnished to the public or the published expectations of securities analysts; · changes in financial estimates or investment recommendations by securities analysts following our business; · announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, new products or services, acquisitions, or other significant transactions; · sale of our common stock or other securities in the future; · the inclusion or exclusion of our stock in various indices or investment categories, especially as compared to the investment profiles of our stockholders at a given time; · changes in the stock prices of other telecommunications equipment companies, to the extent that some investors tend to buy or sell our stock based on segment trends; · the trading volume of our common stock; and · repurchases we make of our common stock |
| We are dependent on revenue from the Promina product line |
| Currently, we derive the majority of our product revenue from our Promina product line, a circuit-based narrowband technology |
| The market for our Promina product is declining as networks increasingly employ packet-based broadband technology |
| This technology migration resulted in a significant drop in sales of our Promina products over the last several years |
| If we are unable to develop substantial revenue from our newer packet-based broadband product lines, our business and results of operations will suffer |
| Although we have developed a migration path to broadband technology and have entered and expect to enter into development agreements with third parties to expand our broadband offerings, this strategy may not materially mitigate this decline |
| A significant portion of our revenue is generated from sales to governmental agencies |
| A significant portion of our total revenue from product sales comes from contracts with governmental agencies, most of which do not include long-term purchase commitments |
| Historically, the government has been slower to adopt new technology, such as packet-based technology, which has had the effect of extending the product life of our Promina product |
| While the government has purchased and is evaluating some of our new products for broader deployment, this new business may not develop quickly or be sufficient to offset future declines in sales of our Promina product |
| Furthermore, if the government accelerated adoption of new technology, and replaced the Promina product line in their networks with products other than ours, our product revenue would decline further |
| We anticipate that our past experience will result in future contracts with the government; however, we face significant competition in this endeavor |
| If we fail in developin g new products and successfully selling them to our government customers, our revenue may not increase to profitable levels |
| A substantial portion of the revenue generated from our government customers is based on our contract with the GSA, which is presently up for renewal |
| There is a possibility that the GSA will not renew the contract, which would make many of our government sales more difficult |
| We have also submitted a proposal to modify our GSA schedule to add some of our newer products, which certain government customers had been purchasing as “open market” items |
| If the GSA does not agree to add these products to our GSA schedule, or does not renew the contract, future sales of such products to government customer will be more difficult |
| and our revenue and results of operations may suffer |
| As part of the renewal process for our contract with the GSA, the government performed a pre-award audit, which identified a number of possible discrepancies regarding our compliance with the current GSA contract |
| In response to the pre-award audit, we conducted an internal review of our compliance with the contract, which provided an estimate of potential liabilities resulting from the discrepancies |
| We have accrued a liability in the amount of the estimated liability through fiscal 2006 |
| However, the GSA could seek additional amounts if it disputes the results of our internal review, or could seek additional amounts for discrepancies following the review period |
| Also, if the GSA contract is renewed by the government, we expect the discount offered to government customers to be higher than it was for most of the term of the current contract |
| Through an agreement resulting from the sale of our Federal Services Business to CACI, CACI provides maintenance and other services to our Federal Government customers |
| If for any reason our mutual customers are unsatisfied with the services, it could adversely affect sales of our products |
| Our success depends on our ability to develop new products and product enhancements that will achieve market acceptance |
| Our operating results will depend on the successful design, development, testing, introduction, marketing, and broad commercial distribution of our newer IP-based products, as well as successful evolution of our Promina product line incorporating packet-based technology |
| The success of these products is dependent on several factors, including proper product definition, competitive pricing, timely completion and introduction to the market, differentiation from competitors’ products, and broad market acceptance |
| The markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and evolving methods of building and operating networks |
| We may not successfully identify new product opportunities, develop and bring new products to market in a timely manner, or achieve market acceptance of our products |
| Products and technologies developed by others may render our products or technologies obsolete or non-competitive, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to achieve profitability |
| Gross margins could decline over future periods |
| Gross margins may be adversely affected in the future due to increases in material and labor costs, increases in subcontractor charges, changes in the mix of products and services we sell, increased sales through resellers, increased warranty costs, or pressure on pricing and margins due to competition |
| As we introduce new products, our overall gross margins may decline, as new products typically have lower gross margins than established products, as a result of customary discounting for early customers and higher per-unit costs associated with low purchase volumes of components |
| A decline in our gross margins could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition |
| Regulations and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, could affect our ability to sell into international markets |
| We conduct sales and customer support operations in countries outside of the United States and depend on non-US operations of our subsidiaries and distribution partners |
| As a general rule, international sales tend to have risks that are difficult to foresee and plan for, including political and economic stability, regulatory changes, currency exchange rates, changes in tax rates and structures, and collection of accounts receivable |
| Further, our international markets are served primarily by non-exclusive resellers who themselves may be severely affected by economic or market changes within a particular country or region |
| Our future results could be materially adversely affected by a variety of uncontrollable and changing factors that could affect these activities |
| Unforeseen or unpredictable changes in international markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition |
| For sales w ithin the European Union, our products must comply with the Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), any failure of which could result in fines, product seizures, or injunctions against sale |
| The market for our products is highly competitive and many of our competitors have greater resources than we do |
| The market for networking equipment is highly competitive and dynamic, has been characterized by rapid technological changes and shifting customer requirements, and has seen a worldwide migration from existing circuit technology to the new packet-based technologies |
| We compete directly, both internationally and domestically, with many different companies, some of which are large, established suppliers of end-to-end solutions, such as Alcatel, Avaya, Cisco, Juniper, Nortel and Siemens |
| In addition to some of these large suppliers, a number of other smaller companies are targeting the same markets as we are |
| Our larger competitors have significantly greater financial, marketing and technical resources than we have and offer a wider range of networking products than we offer |
| They are often able to devote greater resources to the development, marketing and sale of their products and to use their equity or significant cash reserves to acquire other companies with technology and/or products that compete directly with ours |
| They often can compete favorably on price because their large product selection allows them to bundle multiple solutions together without significantly affecting their overall product margins |
| The smaller companies have more ability than we do to focus their resources on a particular product development unencumbered by the requirements to support an existing product line |
| As a result of the flexibility of their market strategies, our competitors may be able to obtain strategic advantages that may adversely affect our busine ss, financial condition or results of operations |
| In addition, the networking equipment market has seen the constant introduction of new technologies that has reduced the value of older technology solutions |
| This has created pricing pressure on older products while increasing the performance expectations of newer networking equipment |
| Moreover, broadband technology standards are constantly evolving and alternative technologies or technologies with greater capability are constantly introduced and sought by our customers |
| It is possible that the introduction of other technologies will either supplant our current technologies and technologies we have in development, or will require us to significantly lower our prices in order to remain competitive |
| To remain competitive, we must continue to evolve our product lines to meet the ever-changing technology needs of the networking market while ensuring that they can be sold at a competitive price |
| We also must enhance our Promina product line to provide needed features that increase its overall value for the customer while keeping the price competitive |
| Due to the competitive nature of the market and the relative age of our Promina product offerings as well as the competitive pressure affecting all our products, we may not be able to maintain prices for them at levels that will sustain profitability |
| Also, we may not be successful in completing the development of, or commercializing, products under development |
| If we are unable to sign competitive resale partners, our future product and service revenue will be adversely affected |
| Our international sales are made almost entirely through indirect channels that include distributors and resellers worldwide, and our business strategy includes leveraging resale partners in the United States |
| In addition, many of our target customers, including the government, rely on systems integrators to incorporate new equipment or services into their networks |
| While we have begun the process of identifying and signing software application, system integrator and OEM or resale partners, more partners are necessary in these areas for us to be successful |
| We may also need to pursue strategic partnerships with vendors who have broader technology or product offerings in order to compete with the end-to-end solution providers |
| Our distributors and resellers often also resell product lines from other companies, including our competitors, some of whom have strong market position relative to the Company |
| Because of existing relationships that many of our competitors have with distributors and resellers, it is often difficult for us to find a distributor or reseller who is willing and contractually able to resell our products |
| If we cannot develop relationships with distributors and resellers that can effectively market and sell our products and services, our future revenue will be adversely affected |
| Our existing reseller agreements do not have minimum purchase requirements |
| Our products have long sales cycles, making it difficult to predict when a customer will place an order and when to forecast revenue from the related sale |
| Our products are very complex and represent a significant capital expenditure to our customers |
| The purchase of our products can have a significant impact on how a customer designs its network and provides services either within its own organization or to an external customer |
| Consequently, our customers often engage in extensive testing and evaluation of products before purchase |
| There are also numerous financial and budget considerations and approvals that the customer often must obtain before it will issue a purchase order |
| In addition, our customers, including resellers, often have the contractual right to delay scheduled order delivery dates with minimal penalties and to cancel orders within specified time frames without penalty, which makes it difficult to predict whether or not an order may actually ship |
| We often must inc ur substantial sales and marketing expense to ensure a purchase order is placed |
| If the order is not placed in the quarter forecasted, our sales may not meet forecast and revenue may be insufficient to meet expenses |
| Because it is difficult for us to accurately forecast sales, particularly within a given time frame, we face a risk of carrying too much or too little inventory |
| Typically, the majority of our revenue in each quarter has resulted from orders received and shipped in that quarter |
| While we do not believe that backlog is necessarily indicative of future revenue levels, our customers’ ordering patterns and the possible absence of backlogged orders create a significant risk that we could carry too much or too little inventory if orders do not match forecasts |
| Rather than base forecasts on orders received, we have been forced to schedule production and commit to certain expenses based more upon forecasts of future sales, which are difficult to predict |
| If large orders do not close when forecasted or if near-term demand weakens for the products we have available to ship, our operating results for that quarter or subsequent quarters would be materially adversely affected |
| Furthermore, if there is an unexpected decrease in demand for certain products or there is an increased risk of inventory obsol escence, which can happen relatively quickly due to rapidly changing technology and customer requirements, adjustments may be required to write down or write off the inventory, which would adversely affect our operating results |
| If we are unable to retain existing employees and attract, recruit and retain key personnel, then we may not be able to successfully manage our business |
| Our success continues to be dependent on our being able to attract and retain highly skilled engineers, managers and other key employees |
| In most cases, we face significant competition for the most qualified personnel for new positions and to replace departing employees |
| If we are not able to continue to attract, recruit and retain key personnel, particularly in engineering and sales and marketing positions, we may be unable to meet important company objectives such as product delivery deadlines and sales targets |
| Our ability to ship our products in a timely manner is dependent on the availability of component parts and other factors |
| Several key components of our products are available only from a single source, including certain integrated circuits and power supplies |
| Depending upon the component, there may or may not be alternative sources or substitutes |
| Some components are purchased through purchase orders without an underlying long-term supply contract, and some components are in short supply generally throughout the industry |
| If a required component were no longer available, we might have to significantly reengineer the affected product |
| Further, variability in demand and cyclical shortages of capacity in the semiconductor industry have caused lead times for ordering parts to increase from time to time |
| Delays may occur as a result of factors beyond our control, including weather-related delays |
| If we encounter shortages or delays in receiving ordered components or if we are not able to accurately forecast our ordering requirements, we may be unable to ship o rdered products in a timely manner, resulting in decreased revenue |
| Generally, our customer contracts allow the customers to reschedule delivery dates or cancel orders within certain time frames before shipment without penalty and outside those time frames with a penalty |
| Because of these and other factors, there are risks of excess or inadequate inventory that could negatively affect our expenses, revenue and earnings |
| Additionally, defense expedite (DX)-rated orders from the Federal Government, which by law receive priority, can interrupt scheduled shipments to our other customers |
| We single-source our manufacturing processes; a failure or delay by our contract-manufacturing vendor could affect our ability to ship our products timely |
| We outsource all product manufacturing, including assembly and structural test, as well as functional test, systems integration, and order fulfillment functions to a single vendor, located in the eastern United States |
| Any difficulties or failures to perform by our contract manufacturer could cause delays in customer product shipments or otherwise negatively affect our results of operations |
| We have agreed to compensate our contract manufacturer in the event of termination or cancellation of orders, discontinuance of product, or excess material created by an engineering change |
| Also, should a contract manufacturer in some future period decide not to renew our contract with them, it would be difficult for us to quickly transfer our manufacturing requirements to another vendor, likely causing substantial delays in customer product shipments and affecting our revenue and results of operations |
| If we transition product manufacturing to a n ew vendor, the transition itself and the lack of experience and adjustments to working with the new vendor could cause delays in customer product shipments or otherwise negatively affect our results of operations |
| Our intellectual property rights may not be adequate to protect our business |
| Our future success depends in part upon our proprietary technology |
| Although we attempt to establish and maintain rights in proprietary technology and products through patents, copyrights, and trade secrets laws, we cannot predict whether such protection will be adequate, or whether our competitors can develop similar technology independently without violating our proprietary rights |
| As competition in the communications equipment industry increases and the functionality of the products in this industry further overlap, we believe that companies in the communications equipment industry may become increasingly subject to infringement claims |
| We have received and may continue to receive notice from third parties, including some of our competitors, claiming that we are infringing their patents or their other proprietary rights |
| We cannot predict whether we will prevail in any litigation over third-party claims, or that we will be able to l icense any valid and infringed patents on commercially reasonable terms |
| Any of these claims, whether with or without merit, could result in costly litigation, divert our management’s time, attention and resources, delay our product shipments or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements |
| In addition, a third party may not be willing to enter into a royalty or licensing agreement on acceptable terms, if at all |
| If a claim of product infringement against us is successful and we fail to obtain a license or develop or license non-infringing technology, we may be unable to market the affected product |
| Although we have a number of patent applications pending, we cannot guarantee that any will result in the issuance of a patent |
| Even if issued, the patent may later be found to be invalid or may be infringed without our knowledge |
| Our issued patents might not be enforceable against competitive products in every jurisdiction and it is difficult to monitor unauthorized use of our proprietary technology by others |
| Regardless of our efforts to protect our intellectual property, the rapidly changing technologies in the networking industry make our future success primarily a function of the skill, expertise and management abilities of our employees |
| Nonetheless, others may assert property rights to technologies that are relevant to our currently marketed products or our products under development |
| If our protected proprietary rights are challenged, invalidated or circumvented, it could have a material adverse effect on our competitive positi on and sales of our products |
| We rely on technologies licensed from third parties |
| For each of our product lines, we license some of our technology from third parties |
| These licenses are generally limited in duration or by the volume of shipments of the licensed technology |
| In addition, some of these licenses contain limitations on distribution of the licensed technology or provide for expiration upon certain events, such as a change in control of the company |
| If the relevant licensing agreement expires or is terminated without our being able to renew that license on commercially reasonable terms, or if we cannot obtain a license for our products or enhancements on our existing products we may be unable to market the affected products |
| For many of these technologies, we rely on the third-party providers to update and maintain the technology, fixing errors and adding new features |
| If the third-party providers do not adequately update and maintain these technologies, whether due to changes in their product direction, t heir own financial difficulties, or other reasons, we would need to seek alternative means to fulfill the ongoing requirements for our products that incorporate the third-party technology |
| If we are unable to find alternative means of fulfilling the ongoing requirements, we may be unable to market the affected products |
| We have also begun to outsource some of our product development activities, which carries inherent risks such as reduced ability to control the timing and quality of the work product, uncertain continuity and availability of skills and knowledge, difficulties of managing and integrating the third-party development, and potential disputes over intellectual property |
| In using third parties for product development, we must share with them and will receive from them various intellectual property, which increases the risk of misuse of our intellectual property, as well as the risk that the resulting product might contain items that infringe the intellectual property rights of others |
| We face risks associated with changes in telecommunications regulations and tariffs, including regulation of the Internet |
| The demand for our broadband products could be affected by rulings of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and federal courts regarding services offered in the United States by telecommunications carriers to their customers |
| Significant regulatory issues include rules regarding the unbundling of broadband and new fiber facilities and equipment used to provide services such as DSL, and whether wireline broadband Internet access services are “telecommunication” services or “information” services, could result in more or less regulation |
| Changes in domestic and international telecommunications equipment requirements could affect the sales of our products |
| In the United States, our products must comply with various FCC requirements and regulations |
| In countries outside of the United States, our products must meet various requirements of local telecommunications authorities |
| New restrictions on trade, such as in response to transfers of jobs from the United States to lower-cost foreign locations, could limit our ability to purchase components from, or outsource functions to, foreign entities, which would likely make it more difficult to maintain competitiveness in the global market |
| As a result of our current concentration of business to the Federal Government, we are more sensitive to these trade restrictions, whether tariffs, incentives, or government purchasing requirements such as the “Buy American Act,” than we would be with a more diversified customer base |
| We are exposed to fluctuations in the exchange rates of foreign currency |
| These exposures may change over time as business practices evolve and could have a material adverse affect on our financial results |
| We use foreign exchange contracts to hedge significant accounts receivable and intercompany account balances denominated in foreign currencies |
| Although we have established foreign exchange contracts for non-dollar denominated sales and operating expenses in the United Kingdom, France, and Japan, exposures remain for non-dollar denominated operating expenses in Asia and Latin America |
| We will continue to monitor our exposure and may hedge against these or any other emerging market currencies as necessary |
| Market value gains and losses on hedge contracts are substantially offset by fluctuations in the underlying balances being hedged |
| The location of our facilities subjects us to the risk of earthquake and floods |
| Our corporate headquarters, including most of our research and development operations, are located in the Silicon Valley area of Northern California, a region known for seismic activity |
| These facilities are located near the San Francisco Bay where the water table is quite close to the surface and where tenants have experienced water intrusion problems in the facilities nearby |
| A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake or flood, could have a material adverse affect on our business, operating results, and financial condition |
| We may engage in acquisitions or similar transactions that could disrupt our operations, cause us to incur substantial expenses, result in dilution to our stockholders, and harm our business if we cannot successfully integrate the acquired business, products, technologies or personnel |
| Although historically we have focused on internal product development and growth, we may learn of acquisition prospects that would complement our existing business or enhance our technological capabilities |
| Any acquisition by us could result in large and immediate write-offs, the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, or amortization expenses related to amortizable intangible assets, any of which could negatively affect our results of operations |
| Furthermore, acquisitions involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including difficulties in the assimilation of products, operations, personnel and technologies; diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; disruptions to our operations; risks of entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience; and potential loss of key employees |
| Any material weakness or significant deficiency identified in our internal controls could have an adverse effect on our business |
| Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that companies evaluate and report on their internal control structure and procedures over financial reporting |
| In addition, our independent accountants must report annually on managementapstas evaluation as well as evaluate our internal control structure and procedures |
| Due to the ongoing evaluation and testing of our internal controls, there can be no assurance that there may not be significant deficiencies or material weaknesses that would be required to be reported in the future |
| In addition, the evaluation process and any required remediation, if applicable, may increase our accounting, legal and other costs, and may divert management resources from other business objectives and concerns |