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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 


 

Form 10-Q

 


 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the Quarterly period ended September 30, 2004

 

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OR THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT 1934.

 

For the transition period from              to             

 

Commission file number: 000-27723

 


 

SonicWALL, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

California   77-0270079

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1143 Borregas Avenue

Sunnyvale, California 94089

(408) 745-9600

fax: (408) 745-9300

(Address of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

Not Applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date:

 

Title of Each Class


 

Outstanding at September 30, 2004


Common Stock, no par value   71,477,578 Shares

 



Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page

PART I.

  FINANCIAL INFORMATION    3

ITEM 1.

  Financial Statements    3
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004 (unaudited) and December 31, 2003    3
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 (unaudited)    4
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 (unaudited)    5
    Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)    6

ITEM 2.

  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    12

ITEM 3.

  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    32

ITEM 4.

  Controls and Procedures    33

PART II.

  OTHER INFORMATION    33

ITEM 1.

  Legal Proceedings    33

ITEM 2.

  Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds    33

ITEM 3.

  Defaults Upon Senior Securities    33

ITEM 4.

  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    33

ITEM 5.

  Other Information    34

ITEM 6.

  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K    34

SIGNATURES

   34

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

SONICWALL, INC.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)

 

     December 31,
2003


   

September 30,

2004


 
     (1)     (Unaudited)  
ASSETS                 

Current Assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 30,467     $ 40,058  

Short-term investments

     213,010       221,571  

Accounts receivable, net

     9,164       17,293  

Inventories

     1,955       2,807  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     2,589       1,985  
    


 


Total current assets

     257,185       283,714  

Property and equipment, net

     4,903       4,142  

Goodwill

     97,953       97,953  

Purchased intangibles and other assets, net

     21,680       16,291  
    


 


     $ 381,721     $ 402,100  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                 

Current Liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 7,376     $ 6,654  

Accrued restructuring

     1,251       670  

Accrued payroll and related benefits

     4,988       6,499  

Other accrued liabilities

     3,830       4,059  

Deferred revenue

     19,180       28,859  

Income taxes payable

     827       837  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     37,452       47,578  
    


 


Commitments and contingencies (see Note 8)

                

Shareholders’ Equity:

                

Common stock

     468,905       481,565  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     (38 )     (402 )

Accumulated deficit

     (124,598 )     (126,641 )
    


 


Total shareholders’ equity

     344,269       354,522  
    


 


     $ 381,721     $ 402,100  
    


 



(1) Amounts as of December 31, 2003 have been derived from the audited financial statements as of the same date.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SONICWALL, INC.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30,


   

Nine Months Ended

September 30,


 
     2003

    2004

    2003

    2004

 

Revenue:

                                

Product

   $ 16,799     $ 18,143     $ 45,550     $ 63,470  

License and service

     7,322       11,242       20,278       30,164  
    


 


 


 


Total revenue

     24,121       29,385       65,828       93,634  
    


 


 


 


Cost of revenue:

                                

Product, excluding amortization of stock-based compensation of $1, $0, $7 and $0, respectively

     7,373       6,832       20,554       22,936  

License and service

     1,252       1,774       4,207       4,876  

Amortization of purchased technology

     1,135       1,135       3,407       3,407  
    


 


 


 


Total cost of revenue

     9,760       9,741       28,168       31,219  
    


 


 


 


Gross margin

     14,361       19,644       37,660       62,415  
    


 


 


 


Operating expenses:

                                

Research and development, excluding amortization (recovery) of stock-based compensation of $14, ($75), $65 and $105, respectively

     5,281       5,732       14,686       17,840  

Sales and marketing, excluding amortization of stock-based compensation of $20, $0, $385 and $0, respectively

     9,220       12,097       29,355       35,866  

General and administrative, excluding amortization (recovery) of stock-based compensation of $3, $0, ($25) and $0, respectively

     3,209       3,339       8,617       10,648  

Amortization of purchased intangibles

     1,404       786       4,214       2,385  

Restructuring charges

     403       (143 )     1,669       (15 )

Amortization of stock-based compensation

     38       (75 )     432       105  
    


 


 


 


Total operating expenses

     19,555       21,736       58,973       66,829  
    


 


 


 


Loss from operations

     (5,194 )     (2,092 )     (21,313 )     (4,414 )

Interest income and other expense, net

     891       1,105       3,216       2,725  
    


 


 


 


Loss before income taxes

     (4,303 )     (987 )     (18,097 )     (1,689 )

Benefit from (provision for) income taxes

     (143 )     (169 )     1,684       (354 )
    


 


 


 


Net loss

   $ (4,446 )   $ (1,156 )   $ (16,413 )   $ (2,043 )
    


 


 


 


Net loss per share:

                                

Basic and diluted

   $ (0.07 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.24 )   $ (0.03 )
    


 


 


 


Shares used in computing net loss per share:

                                

Basic and diluted

     67,924       71,344       67,714       70,853  
    


 


 


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SONICWALL, INC.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2003

    2004

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                

Net loss

   $ (16,413 )   $ (2,043 )

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:

                

Depreciation and amortization

     10,286       8,512  

Recovery of doubtful accounts

     (363 )     (91 )

Amortization of stock-based compensation

     432       105  

Non-cash restructuring charges

     98       (53 )

Deferred income taxes

     (1,960 )     —    

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of businesses acquired:

                

Accounts receivable

     3,912       (8,039 )

Inventories

     3,706       (851 )

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     228       604  

Other assets

     16       (403 )

Accounts payable

     (8 )     (722 )

Accrued restructuring

     202       (528 )

Accrued payroll and related benefits

     (44 )     1,511  

Other accrued liabilities

     (64 )     230  

Deferred revenue

     4,334       9,679  

Income taxes payable

     324       9  
    


 


Net cash provided by operating activities

     4,686       7,920  
    


 


Cash flows from investing activities:

                

Purchase of property and equipment

     (1,817 )     (1,959 )

Maturity and sale of short-term investments

     175,781       237,232  

Purchase of short-term investments

     (165,659 )     (246,157 )
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     8,305       (10,884 )
    


 


Cash flows from financing activities:

                

Issuance of common stock under employee stock options and purchase plans

     2,170       12,555  
    


 


Net cash provided by financing activities

     2,170       12,555  
    


 


Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     15,161       9,591  

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     23,030       30,467  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 38,191     $ 40,058  
    


 


Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:

                

Reversal of deferred stock compensation for terminated employees

   $ (216 )   $ —    

Unrealized loss on short-term investments, net of taxes

   $ (171 )   $ (364 )

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SONICWALL, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(UNAUDITED)

 

1. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by SonicWALL, Inc. (the “Company”), are unaudited and reflect all adjustments which are normal, recurring and, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and the results of operations of the Company for the interim periods presented. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications did not change the previously reported revenues, loss from operations, net loss amounts or shareholder’s equity. For example, the Company reclassified certain product management costs from sales and marketing expense to research and development expense to be comparable to current presentation. The condensed consolidated statements have been prepared in accordance with the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles. The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected for the full fiscal year or future operating periods. The information included in this report should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 as set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

2. CONSOLIDATION

 

The consolidated financial statements include the balances of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries Sonic Systems International, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Phobos Corporation, a Utah corporation, SonicWALL Switzerland, SonicWALL Norway and SonicWALL B.V., a subsidiary in The Netherlands. Sonic Systems International, Inc. is intended to be a sales office but to date has not had any significant transactions. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

3. NET LOSS PER SHARE

 

The following is a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted net loss per share computations for the periods presented:

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30,


   

Nine Months Ended

September 30,


 
     (In thousands, except per share amounts)  
     2003

    2004

    2003

    2004

 

Numerator:

                                

Net loss

   $ (4,446 )   $ (1,156 )   $ (16,413 )   $ (2,043 )

Denominator:

                                

Weighted average common shares outstanding

     67,924       71,344       67,714       70,853  
    


 


 


 


Denominator for basic and diluted calculation

     67,924       71,344       67,714       70,853  
    


 


 


 


Basic and diluted net loss per share

   $ (0.07 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.24 )   $ (0.03 )
    


 


 


 


 

Potentially dilutive securities of 11,549,421 and 11,657,180 for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2003 and 2004, respectively, consisting of options and warrants, were not included in the computation of diluted net loss per share because their effect would be anti-dilutive.

 

4. COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

 

Comprehensive loss includes unrealized gains and losses on investment securities that have been reflected as a component of shareholders’ equity and have not affected net loss. The amount of income tax expense or benefit allocated to unrealized gains or losses on investment securities is equivalent to the effective tax rate in each of the respective periods. Comprehensive loss is comprised, net of tax, as follows (in thousands):

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30,


   

Nine Months Ended

September 30,


 
     2003

    2004

    2003

    2004

 

Net loss

   $ (4,446 )   $ (1,156 )   $ (16,413 )   $ (2,043 )

Unrealized gain (loss) on investment securities, net of taxes

     (70 )     145       (171 )     (364 )
    


 


 


 


Comprehensive loss

   $ (4,516 )   $ (1,011 )   $ (16,584 )   $ (2,407 )
    


 


 


 


 

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Accumulated other comprehensive loss, as presented on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets, consists of the unrealized gains and losses on investment securities.

 

5. INVENTORIES

 

Inventories consist of the following (in thousands):

 

     December 31,
2003


   September 30,
2004


Raw materials

   $ 43    $ 19

Finished goods

     1,912      2,788
    

  

     $ 1,955    $ 2,807
    

  

 

6. RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

 

During 2002 and 2003, the Company implemented two restructuring plans – one initiated in the second quarter of 2002 and the second initiated in the second quarter of 2003.

 

In January 2003, the Company adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 146 (“SFAS No. 146”), “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.” SFAS No. 146 requires that a liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal activity be recognized when the liability is incurred and states that an entity’s commitment to an exit plan, by itself, does not create a present obligation that meets the definition of a liability. Accordingly, for exit or disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002, the Company records restructuring charges as the provisions of SFAS 146 are met.

 

2002 Restructuring Plan

 

During the second quarter of 2002, the Company’s management approved and initiated a restructuring plan designed to reduce its cost structure and integrate certain Company functions. Accordingly, the Company recognized a restructuring charge of approximately $4.0 million during 2002. The restructuring charge consisted of $858,000 for workforce reduction costs across all geographic regions and functions; $1.9 million for excess facilities consolidation costs related to lease commitments for space no longer needed to support ongoing operations; and $1.2 million for abandonment of certain fixed assets consisting primarily of leasehold improvements, computer equipment and related software, and furniture and fixtures.

 

During 2003, the Company recorded additional restructuring charges related to the 2002 restructuring plan totaling $354,000, consisting of $379,000 related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation, offset by $25,000 reversal for severance accrual for an employee who has remained with the Company. The additional facilities charges resulted from revisions to the Company’s estimates of future sublease income due to further deterioration of real estate market conditions. The restructuring plan resulted in the vacating of three facilities. The estimated facility costs were based on the Company’s contractual obligations, net of estimated sublease income, based on current comparable rates for leases in their respective markets. Should facilities operating lease rental rates continue to decrease in these markets or should it take longer than expected to find a suitable tenant to sublease these facilities, the actual loss could exceed this estimate by approximately $20,000. Future cash outlays are anticipated through December 2005, unless the Company negotiates to exit the leases at an earlier date. During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we recorded additional restructuring charges related to the 2002 plan consisting of $56,000 related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation, offset by $155,000 reversal for a favorable lease modification related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation. The restructuring plan resulted in the elimination of 77 positions, all of which were eliminated as of December 31, 2002. The following table sets forth an analysis of the components of the 2002 restructuring plan and the payments made against the reserve from January 1, 2004 to September 30, 2004 (in thousands):

 

     Facility
Costs


    Total

 

Reserve balance at December 31, 2003

   $ 978     $ 978  

Cash paid

     (438 )     (438 )

Adjustments

     (99 )     (99 )
    


 


Reserve balance at September 30, 2004

   $ 441     $ 441  
    


 


 

2003 Restructuring Plan

 

During the second quarter of 2003, the Company’s management approved and initiated a restructuring plan designed to realign and further reduce its cost structure and integrate certain other Company functions. Accordingly, the Company recognized a restructuring charge related to the 2003 plan of approximately $1.5 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2003. The restructuring charge consisted of $1.1 million for workforce reduction costs across all geographic regions and functions; $242,000 for excess facilities consolidation costs related to lease commitments for space no longer needed to support ongoing operations; and

 

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$98,000 for abandonment of certain fixed assets consisting primarily of computer equipment and related software. During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, the Company recorded additional restructuring charges related to the 2003 restructuring plan totaling $84,000, consisting of $36,000 related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation and $48,000 related to workforce reductions. The additional facilities charges resulted from revisions of our estimates of future sublease income due to further deterioration of real estate market conditions.

 

The restructuring plan resulted in the vacating of four facilities. The estimated facility costs were based on the Company’s discounted contractual obligations, net of assumed sublease income, based on current discounted comparable rates for leases in their respective markets. Should facilities operating lease rental rates decrease in these markets or should it take longer than expected to find a suitable tenant to sublease these facilities, the actual loss could exceed this estimate by approximately $122,000. Future cash outlays are anticipated through December 2006, unless the Company negotiates to exit the leases at an earlier date. The restructuring plan resulted in the elimination of 43 positions worldwide. At the same time, the Company made investments in personnel in research and development and in the sales and marketing organization. As a consequence, the overall reduction in workforce was less than the number of positions eliminated as a result of the restructuring.

 

The following table sets forth an analysis of the components of the 2003 restructuring plan and the payments made for the plan from January 1, 2004 to September 30, 2004 (in thousands):

 

     Employee
Severance
Benefits


    Facility
Costs


    Total

 

Reserve balance at December 31, 2003

   $ 91     $ 182     $ 273  

Cash paid

     (48 )     (80 )     (128 )

Adjustments

     48       36       84  
    


 


 


Reserve balance at September 30, 2004

   $ 91     $ 138     $ 229  
    


 


 


 

Summary information for combined restructuring plans

 

The following table sets forth an analysis of the components of both the 2002 and 2003 restructuring plan and the payments made for the plans from January 1, 2004 to September 30, 2004 (in thousands):

 

     Employee
Severance
Benefits


    Facility
Costs


    Total

 

Reserve balance at December 31, 2003

   $ 91     $ 1,160     $ 1,251  

Cash paid

     (48 )     (518 )     (566 )

Adjustments

     48       (63 )     (15 )
    


 


 


Reserve balance at September 30, 2004

   $ 91     $ 579     $ 670  
    


 


 


 

7. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

 

The Company has adopted the disclosure-only provisions of SFAS No. 123. Accordingly, compensation has been recognized using the intrinsic value method prescribed in Accounting Principle Board (APB) opinion No. 25 “Accounting for Stock issued to Employees” (APB No. 25) for the Company’s stock option plan and the purchase rights issued under the ESPP in the accompanying statements of operations. Had compensation cost for the Company’s stock option plan and ESPP been determined based on the fair market value at the grant dates for stock options and purchase rights granted consistent with the provisions of SFAS No. 123, the Company’s net loss would have been changed to the pro forma amounts indicated below:

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30,


   

Nine Months Ended

September 30,


 
     (In thousands)  
     2003

    2004

    2003

    2004

 

Net loss:

                                

As reported

   $ (4,446 )   $ (1,156 )   $ (16,413 )   $ (2,043 )

Expensed stock compensation under intrinsic value, net of related tax effect

     38       (75 )     432       105  

Stock-based compensation expense that would have been included in the determination of net loss had the fair value method been applied, net of related tax effect

     (5,209 )     (3,903 )     (14,721 )     (13,999 )
    


 


 


 


Pro forma net loss

   $ (9,617 )   $ (5,134 )   $ (30,702 )   $ (15,937 )
    


 


 


 


Net loss per share—basic and diluted:

                                

As reported

   $ (0.07 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.24 )   $ (0.03 )
    


 


 


 


Pro forma

   $ (0.14 )   $ (0.07 )   $ (0.45 )   $ (0.22 )
    


 


 


 


 

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8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

The Company’s corporate headquarters and executive offices are located in approximately 86,000 square feet of office space in Sunnyvale, California under a lease that expires in September 2009. The Company also leases approximately 34,000 square feet of office space in Salt Lake City, Utah under a lease that expires in April 2005. Additional sales and support offices are leased worldwide under leases that expire at various dates ranging from 2004 to 2006.

 

Future minimum lease commitments at September 30, 2004 were as follows (in thousands):

 

2004 (fourth quarter)

   $ 329

2005

     811

2006

     232

2007

     129

Thereafter

     906
    

     $ 2,407
    

 

Purchase commitments

 

The Company outsources its manufacturing function primarily to one third party contract manufacturer, and at September 30, 2004 it has purchase obligations to this vendor totaling $9.0 million. Of this amount, $6.1 million cannot be cancelled. The Company is contingently liable for any inventory owned by the contract manufacturer that becomes excess and obsolete. As of September 30, 2004, $53,000 had been accrued for excess and obsolete inventory held by our contract manufacturer. In addition, in the normal course of business the Company had $1.7 million in non-cancelable purchase commitments.

 

Product warranties

 

The Company’s standard warranty period for hardware is one to two years and includes repair or replacement obligations for units with product defects. The Company’s software products carry a 90-day warranty and include technical assistance, insignificant bug fixes and feature updates. The Company estimates the accrual for future warranty costs based upon its historical cost experience and its current and anticipated product failure rates. If actual product failure rates or replacement costs differ from its estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty obligations would be required. However, the Company concluded that no adjustment to pre- existing warranty accruals were necessary in the nine months ended September 30, 2003 or for the nine months ended September 30, 2004. A reconciliation of the changes to the Company’s warranty accrual as of September 30, 2003 and September 30, 2004 is as follows:

 

    

Nine months Ended
September 30,

2003


   

Nine months Ended
September 30,

2004


 
     (in thousands)     (in thousands)  
     (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)  

Beginning balance

   $ 979     $ 1,290  

Accruals for warranties issued

     790       471  

Settlements made during the period

     (674 )     (474 )
    


 


Ending balance

   $ 1,095     $ 1,287  
    


 


 

Guarantees and Indemnification Agreements

 

The Company enters into standard indemnification agreements in its ordinary course of business. Pursuant to these agreements, the Company, indemnifies, holds harmless, and agrees to reimburse the indemnified parties for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, generally the Company’s business partners or customers, in connection with any U.S. patent, or any copyright or other intellectual property infringement claim by any third party with respect to the Company’s products. The indemnification agreements commence upon execution of the agreement and do not have specific terms. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these agreements is not limited. The Company has never incurred costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements. As a result, the Company believes the estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal.

 

The Company’s articles of incorporation limit the liability of directors to the full extent permitted by California law. In addition, the Company’s bylaws provide that the Company will indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by California law, including circumstances in which indemnification is otherwise discretionary under California law. The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and officers that may require the Company: to indemnify its directors and officers

 

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against liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers, other than liabilities arising from willful misconduct of a culpable nature; to advance their expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified; and to obtain directors’ and officers’ insurance if available on reasonable terms, which the Company currently has in place. On July 29, 2004, the Company amended and restated its employment agreement with Mathew Medeiros. Under the terms of the revised agreement, the Company may be required to pay severance benefits of 24 months salary, bonus and accelerate stock options in the event of termination of Mr. Medeiros’s employment under certain circumstances within the period commencing ninety (90) days prior to a change of control through one year following a change of control. Moreover, in the event of termination of Mr. Medeiros’s employment under certain circumstances prior to ninety (90) days prior to a change of control, the Company may be required to pay 12 months of salary and bonus up to 150% of average annual target bonus. In addition, the Company has entered into agreements with certain other executives where the Company may be required to pay severance benefits up to 12 months of salary, bonuses and accelerate stock options.

 

Legal proceedings

 

On December 5, 2001, a securities class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company, three of its officers and directors, and certain of the underwriters in the Company’s initial public offering in November 1999 and its follow-on offering in March 2000. Similar complaints were filed in the same court against numerous public companies that conducted initial public offerings (“IPOs”) of their common stock since the mid-1990s. All of these lawsuits were consolidated for pretrial purposes before Judge Shira Scheindlin. On April 19, 2002, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. The amended complaint alleges claims under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and seeks damages or rescission for misrepresentations or omissions in the prospectuses relating to, among other things, the alleged receipt of excessive and undisclosed commissions by the underwriters in connection with the allocation of shares of common stock in the Company’s public offerings. On July 15, 2002, the issuers filed an omnibus motion to dismiss for failure to comply with applicable pleading standards. On October 8, 2002, the Court entered an Order of Dismissal as to all of the individual defendants in the SonicWALL IPO litigation, without prejudice. On February 19, 2003, the Court denied the motion to dismiss the Company’s claims. A tentative agreement has been reached with plaintiff’s counsel and the insurers for the settlement and release of claims against the issuer defendants, including SonicWALL, in exchange for a guaranteed recovery to be paid by the issuer defendants’ insurance carriers and an assignment of certain claims. Papers formalizing the settlement among the plaintiffs, issuer defendants, including SonicWALL, and insurers were presented to the Court on June 14, 2004. The settlement is subject to a number of conditions, including approval of the proposed settling parties and the Court. On July 14, 2004, underwriter defendants filed with the Court a memorandum in opposition to plaintiff’s motion for preliminary approval of the settlement with defendant issuers and individuals. Plaintiffs and issuers subsequently filed papers with the Court in further support of the settlement and addressing issues raised in the underwriter’s opposition. If the settlement does not occur, and litigation against the Company continues, the Company believes it has a meritorious defense and intends to defend the case vigorously. No estimate can be made of the possible loss or possible range of loss, if any, associated with the resolution of this contingency. As a result, no loss has been accrued in the Company’s financial statements as of September 30, 2004.

 

In September 2003, Data Centered LLC filed a complaint against the Company in California Superior Court, Santa Clara County seeking compensatory and punitive damages, Data Centered LLC v. SonicWall, Inc., No. 103-CV-000060. The Company entered into a transaction with Data Centered for a technology license for, and the sale of load-balancing products for $522,500. The Company had acquired the load-balancing technology and products during the Company’s acquisition of Phobos Corporation. Former Phobos personnel operate Data Centered. Data Centered now alleges that the load-balancing products purchased by Data Centered were defective and did not comply with a purported warranty on the products. The Company has answered with a general denial of these allegations. The Company has also filed a cross-complaint alleging, among other things, that Data Centered’s claims are based on a fraudulently altered document that included a warranty clause that was not part of the parties’ contract; the actual contract between the parties contained a warranty disclaimer. No trial date has been set. No estimate can be made of the possible loss or possible range of loss, if any, associated with the resolution of this contingency. As a result, no loss has been accrued in the Company’s financial statements as of September 30, 2004.

 

Between December 9, 2003 and December 15, 2003, three virtually identical putative class actions were filed in federal court against the Company and certain of its current and former officers and directors, on behalf of purchasers of the Company’s common stock between October 17, 2000 and April 3, 2002, inclusive. Edwards v. SonicWALL, Inc., et al., No. C-03-5537 SBA (N.D. Cal.) (“Edwards”); Chaykowsky v. SonicWALL, Inc., et al., No. C-04-0202 MJJ (N.D. Cal.) (“Chaykowsky”); Pensiero DPM Inc. v. SonicWALL, Inc., et al., No. C-03-5633 JSW (N.D. Cal.) (“Pensiero”). The complaints sought unspecified damages and generally alleged that the Company’s financial statements were false and misleading in violation of federal securities laws because the financial statements included revenue recorded on the sale of load-balancing products that were defective and did not comply with a purported warranty. These complaints appeared to have been based on the same factual allegations as the Data Centered case. The Company believes that these claims were without merit for numerous reasons, including, as alleged in the Company’s cross-complaint in the Data Centered case, that the claims are based on a fraudulently altered document that included a warranty clause that was not part of the parties’ contract. On February 9, 2004, plaintiffs in the Edwards case voluntarily dismissed their compliant without prejudice. On April 7, 2004, plaintiffs in the Chaykowsky case voluntarily dismissed their complaint without prejudice and on April 15, 2004, plaintiffs in the Pensiero case voluntarily dismissed their compliant without prejudice.

 

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On December 12, 2003, a putative derivative complaint captioned Reichert v. Sheridan, et al., No. 01-03-CV-010947, was filed in California Superior Court, Santa Clara County. The Complaint sought unspecified damages and equitable relief based on causes of action against various of the Company’s present and former directors and officers for purported breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment and violations of California Corporations Code. The Company was named solely as a nominal defendant against whom no monetary recovery is sought. This complaint appeared to be based upon the same factual allegations contained in the Data Centered case that the Company has denied and disputed as set forth in the Company’s cross-complaint in that case. On April 23, 2004, plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their complaint without prejudice.

 

Additionally, the Company is party to routine litigation incident to its business. The Company believes that none of these legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements taken as a whole or its results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

 

9. PURCHASED INTANGIBLES

 

In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (“SFAS No. 142”), the Company will annually analyze the carrying value of goodwill and will adjust the carrying value if the assets’ value has been impaired. In addition, the Company will periodically evaluate if there are any events or indicator circumstances that would require an impairment assessment of the carrying value of the goodwill between each annual impairment assessment. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, no indicators of goodwill impairment were identified. The Company has elected to perform its annual impairment analysis during the fourth quarter of each year.

 

The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of intangible assets are as follows (in thousands):

 

         

December 31,

2003

  

September 30,

2004

     Amortization
Period


   Gross
Carrying
Amount


   Accumulated
Amortization


    Net

   Gross
Carrying
Amount


   Accumulated
Amortization


    Net

Existing technology

   52–
72 months
   $ 26,970    $ (14,024 )   $ 12,946    $ 26,970    $ (17,431 )   $ 9,539

Non-compete agreements

   36 months      7,019      (7,016 )     3      7,019      (7,019 )     —  

Customer base

   36–72
months
     18,140      (9,842 )     8,298      18,140      (12,207 )     5,933

Other

   2–52
months
     400      (350 )     50      400      (367 )     33
         

  


 

  

  


 

Total intangibles

        $ 52,529    $ (31,232 )   $ 21,297    $ 52,529    $ (37,024 )   $ 15,505
         

  


 

  

  


 

 

Estimated future amortization expense to be included in cost of revenue is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal Year


    

2004 (fourth quarter)

   $ 1,136

2005

     4,543

2006

     3,860
    

Total

   $ 9,539
    

 

Estimated future amortization expense to be included in operating expense is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal Year


    

2004 (fourth quarter)

   $ 703

2005

     2,813

2006

     2,450
    

Total

   $ 5,966
    

 

10. INCOME TAXES

 

As part of the process of preparing the Company’s consolidated financial statements, the Company is required to estimate its income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates. This process involves determining the Company’s income tax expense (benefit) together with calculating the deferred income tax expense (benefit) related to temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as deferred revenue or deductibility of certain intangible assets, for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within the consolidated balance sheet. The Company must then assess the likelihood that the deferred tax assets will be recovered through the generation of future taxable income.

 

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Since June 30, 2003, the Company has had a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets because the Company determined that it is more likely than not that all deferred tax assets will not be realized in the foreseeable future due to historical operating losses.

 

11. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

 

In March 2004, the Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) reached a consensus on recognition and measurement guidance previously discussed under EITF 03-1. The consensus clarifies the meaning of other-than-temporary impairment and its application to investments in debt and equity securities, in particular investments within the scope of SFAS No. 115, “Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities,” and investments accounted for under the cost method. In September 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board approved the issuance of a FASB Staff Position to delay the requirement to record impairment losses under EITF 03-1. The approved delay applies to all securities within the scope of EITF 03-1 and is expected to end when new guidance is issued and comes into effect. The Company does not believe that this consensus will have a material impact on its consolidated results of operations.

 

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

This Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements which relate to future events or our future financial performance. In many cases you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “intend” or “continue,” or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. In addition, forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, those regarding: revenue from, and our ability to reach, the access security market ;using dedicated resources to develop and market new products; our ability to maintain and enhance our current product line and develop new products that achieve market acceptance; our ability to maintain technological competitiveness; our ability to meet the expanding range of customer requirements; achieving a, reduction in channel conflict; the ability of our channel partners to absorb new product introductions in a timely fashion; changes in our supply chain model; our ability to provide support sufficient to allow our channel partners and distributors to create and fulfill demand for our products; our ability to generate additional revenue through additional value added service offerings and software licenses; our ability to provide differentiated solutions that are innovative, easy to use, reliable and provide good value; our ability to achieve reasonable rates of selling associated services to our install base or as part of new product sales; our ability to service designated vertical markets; our ability to increase market opportunity for selling subscription services to our installed base; our ability to grow international sales to match the rate of penetration of our products in the domestic market; our ability to meet anticipated demand for new generation products in international markets; our expectation that international markets will contribute 50% of our revenue by the end of 2005; our ability to reduce selling and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenue; our ability to maintain general and administrative expenses stable as a percentage of total revenue; our ability to achieve increased renewal rates for our service offerings; the rate of growth of spending in information technology; our ability to penetrate designated vertical markets through dedicated marketing and sales efforts; research and development expenses; development of our new generation of products and subscription services; completion of the restructuring announced in the second quarter of 2003 and expected future charges in connection therewith; and belief that existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our cash requirements at least through the next twelve months. These statements are only predictions, and they are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth herein under the heading “Risk Factors” and also under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. References to “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to SonicWALL, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

Overview

 

SonicWALL provides security, productivity and mobility solutions for businesses of all sizes. Our access security products are typically deployed at the edges of smaller local area networks. These networks are often aggregated into broader distributed deployments to support companies that do business in multiple physical locations, interconnect their networks with trading partners, or support a mobile or remote workforce. Our products are sold in over 50 countries worldwide.

 

We generate revenues from the following sources: (1) the sale of products, inclusive of the SonicWALL platform, (2) the license of software applications that provide additional functionality to these products, (3) the sale of ancillary subscription based services delivered through our products, and (4) support and maintenance agreements for our products and software.

 

We currently outsource our manufacturing primarily to one contract manufacturer, Flash Electronics, under an agreement that provides for an initial term of one (1) year and automatic renewal terms of one (1) year each unless cancelled by either party upon 90 days prior notice by either party. Outsourcing our manufacturing enables us to reduce fixed overhead and personnel costs and to provide flexibility in meeting market demand.

 

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We design and develop the key components of our products. In addition, we determine the components that are incorporated in our products and select the appropriate suppliers of these components. Product testing and burn-in are performed by our contract manufacturer using tests that we specify.

 

We generally sell our products through distributors and value-added resellers, who in turn sell our products to end-user customers. Some of our resellers are carriers or service providers who provide solutions to the end-user customers as managed services.

 

With current suggested retail prices ranging up to $15,995, we seek to provide our channel and customers with differentiated solutions that are innovative, easy to use, reliable, and provide good value. To support this commitment, we dedicate significant resources to developing new products and marketing our products to our channels and end-user customers.

 

Key Success Factors of our Business

 

We believe that there are several key success factors of our business, and that we create value in our business by focusing on our execution in these areas.

 

Channel

 

We bring our products to market through distributors and resellers, who we believe provide a valuable service in assisting end-users in the design, implementation and service of our security, productivity and mobility applications. We support our distribution and channel partners with sales, marketing and technical support to help them create and fulfill demand for our offerings. With this business model, we reduce the potential for conflict with our channel by strongly favoring fulfillment through distributors and resellers. We are also focused on helping our channel partners succeed with our products by concentrating on cost efficiencies in the distribution channel, comprehensive reseller training and certification, and support for our channel’s sales activities.

 

Product and Service Platform

 

Our products serve as a platform for revenue generation for both us and our channel. Each appliance sale can result in additional revenue through the simultaneous or subsequent sale of add-on software licenses, such as our Global Management System, or through the sale of additional value-added services, such as our Content Filtering, Anti-Virus and Intrusion Prevention services. We plan to introduce more service options for our platforms, which will allow us to generate additional revenues from both our installed base of platforms as well as from those services coupled to incremental product sales.

 

Distributed Architecture

 

Our security solutions are based on a distributed architecture, which allows our offerings to be deployed and managed at the most efficient location in the network. Specifically, we can provide protection at the gateway and/or at the client level, and enforced protection at the client level, and we can monitor and report on network activity with our back-end capabilities. Thus, we are providing our customers and their service providers with mechanisms to enforce the networking and security policies they have defined for their business. We also use the flexibility of this architecture to allow us to enable new functionality in already-deployed platforms through the provisioning of an electronic key, which may be distributed through the Internet. This ability provides benefits to both us and our end-users, since there is no need to modify, physically adjust or replace devices, which might create a significant burden on the company, channel partner or end-user in cases where there are a large number of products installed or where the platforms are distributed over a broad area.

 

End User Acceptance

 

We began offering integrated security appliances in 1997, and since that time we have shipped approximately 570,000 revenue units. We are typically among the top three suppliers within the market that we participate in as measured in units by Infonetics research. Our experience in serving a broad market and installed base provides us with opportunities to become leaders in the areas of ease-of-use and reduced total cost of ownership. Additionally, our demonstrated end-user acceptance provides our current and prospective channel partners with an increased level of comfort when deciding to offer our products to their customers.

 

Integrated Design

 

Our platforms utilize a highly integrated design in order to improve ease-of-use, lower acquisition and operational costs for our customers, and enhance performance. Each of our products ships with multiple Ethernet network connections. Various models also integrate 802.11 wireless access points, V.90 analog modems, and ISDN terminal adapters to support different connection alternatives. Every appliance also ships with pre-loaded firmware to provide for rapid out-of-the-box set up and easy installation. Each of these tasks can be managed through a simple web-browser session. In keeping with our philosophy of integrated design, every product can also support additional functionality beyond basic Firewall and Virtual Private Networking. Features such as Content Filtering, Anti-Virus Enforcement and other capabilities are also supported within our appliance.

 

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Our Opportunities, Challenges and Risks

 

International Growth

 

Currently 69% of our revenue is derived from sales in the Americas. We believe that our percentage of sales from international territories does not represent the same degree of penetration of those markets as we have achieved domestically. We believe that a significant opportunity exists to grow our revenues by increasing the international penetration rate to match the current domestic penetration rate.

 

If we fail to achieve our goal of greater international sales, we may be at a disadvantage to competitors who are able to amortize their product investments over a larger available market.

 

License and Services Revenues

 

We believe that the software and services component of our revenue has several characteristics that are positive for our business as a whole: the license and services revenues are associated with a higher gross margin than our product revenues; the services component of the revenues is recognized ratably over the services period, and thus provides in aggregate a more predictable revenue stream than product revenues, which are generally recognized at the time of the sale; and to the extent that we are able to achieve good renewal rates, we have the opportunity to lower our selling and marketing expenses attributable to that segment. If we are successful in selling licenses and services to both our installed base and in conjunction with our new product sales, we will likely be able to leverage incremental revenue out of each product transaction. However, should we not achieve reasonable rates of selling associated services to our installed base or as part of new product sales, or witness lower service renewal rates, we risk having our revenues concentrated in more unpredictable and lower gross margin product and license sales.

 

Macro-economic factors affecting IT spending

 

We believe that our products and services are subject to the macro-economic factors that affect much of the information technology (“IT”) market. Growing IT budgets and an increase of funding for projects to provide security, mobility and productivity could drive product upgrade cycles and/or create demand for new applications of our products. Contractions in IT spending can affect our revenues by causing projects incorporating our products and services to be delayed and/or canceled.

 

Vertical markets

 

We have achieved significant sales in certain vertical markets, including the education, retail and healthcare industries. We believe that we can increase our sales in these markets through dedicated marketing and sales efforts focused to the unique requirements of these vertical markets. To the extent that we are able to do so, we expect to see revenue growth and increased sales and marketing efficiency. Should our efforts in these areas fall short of our goals, because of unsuitability of our products, increased competition, or for other reasons, we would expect to see a poor return on our marketing and sales investments in these areas.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate significant estimates used in preparing our financial statements, including those related to: sales returns and allowances, bad debt allowances, provisions for excess and obsolete inventory, warranty reserves, restructuring reserves, intangible assets, and deferred income taxes. Actual results could differ from these estimates. The following critical accounting policies are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions, and estimates used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Revenue recognition. We derive our revenue from primarily four sources: (1) product revenue, which is comprised of hardware-based appliances, (2) licensing revenue from software, (3) subscription revenues for products such as content filtering, anti-virus protection, and intrusion prevention service, and (4) service revenues such as extended warranty and service contracts, training, consulting and engineering services. As described below, significant management judgments and estimates must be made and used in connection with the revenue recognized in any accounting period. We may experience material differences in the amount and timing of our revenue for any period if our management makes different judgments or utilizes different estimates.

 

We recognize product and service revenues in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101 (“SAB No. 101”), “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements”, as amended by SAB No. 101A, SAB No. 101B and SAB 104.

 

We apply the provisions of Statement of Position 97-2, “Software Revenue Recognition” (“SOP No. 97-2”), as amended by Statement of Position 98-9 (“SOP No. 98-9”), “Modification of SOP 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition, With Respect to Certain Transactions”, to all transactions involving the sale of software products and hardware transactions where the software is not incidental. For hardware transactions where software is incidental, we do not apply separate accounting guidance to the hardware and software elements. We apply the provisions of Emerging Issues Task Force 03-05 (“EITF 03-05”), “Applicability of AICPA

 

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Statement of Position 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition, to Non-Software Deliverables in an Arrangement Containing More-Than-Incidental Software,” to determine whether the provisions of SOP 97-2 applies to transactions involving the sale of products that include a software component.

 

We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the product has been delivered, title and risk of loss has been transferred to the customer, the fee is fixed or determinable and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. While our sales agreements contain standard terms and conditions, there are agreements that contain non-standard terms and conditions. In these cases, interpretation of non-standard provisions is required to determine the appropriate accounting for the transaction.

 

Delivery to domestic channel partners and international channel partners is generally deemed to occur when we deliver the product to a common carrier. However, certain distributor agreements provide for rights of return for stock rotation. These stock rotation rights are generally limited to 15% to 25% of the distributor’s prior 3 to 6 months purchases or other measurable restrictions, and we estimate reserves for these return rights as discussed below. Our two largest distributors, Ingram Micro and Tech Data, have rights of return under certain circumstances that are not limited, therefore we do not deem delivery to have occurred for any sales to Ingram Micro and Tech Data until they sell the product to their customers, at which time their right of return expires.

 

Evidence of an arrangement is manifested by a master distribution or OEM agreement, an individual binding purchase order or a signed license agreement. In most cases, sales through our distributors and OEM partners are governed by a master agreement against which individual binding purchase orders are placed on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

 

At the time of the transaction, we assess whether the fee associated with the transaction is fixed or determinable and whether or not collection is reasonably assured. We assess whether the fee is fixed or determinable based upon the terms of the binding purchase order, including the payment terms associated with the transaction. If a significant portion of a fee is due after our normal payment terms, which are generally 30 to 90 days from invoice date, we account for the fee as not being fixed or determinable. In these cases, we recognize revenue as the fees become due.

 

We assess collectability based on a number of factors, including past transaction history with the customer and the credit-worthiness of the customer. We do not request collateral from our customers. If we determine that collection of a fee is not reasonably assured, we defer the fee and recognize revenue at the time collection becomes reasonably assured, which is generally upon receipt of cash.

 

For arrangements with multiple obligations (for example, the sale of an appliance which includes a year of free maintenance or our content filtering service), we allocate revenue to each component of the arrangement based on the objective evidence of fair value of the undelivered elements, which is generally the average selling price of each element when sold separately. This means that we defer revenue from the arrangement equal to the fair value of the undelivered elements and recognize such amounts as revenue when the elements are delivered.

 

Our arrangements do not generally include acceptance clauses. However, if an arrangement includes an acceptance provision, acceptance occurs upon the earlier of receipt of a written customer acceptance or expiration of the acceptance period.

 

We recognize revenue for subscriptions and services such as content filtering, anti-virus protection, and intrusion prevention service, and extended warranty and service contracts, ratably over the contract term. Our training, consulting and engineering services are generally billed and recognized as revenue as these services are performed.

 

Sales returns and other allowances, allowance for doubtful accounts and warranty reserve. The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Specifically, we must make estimates of potential future product returns and price changes related to current period product revenue. We analyze historical returns, current economic trends, and changes in customer demand and acceptance of our products when evaluating the adequacy of the sales returns and other allowances. Significant management judgments and estimates must be made and used in connection with establishing the sales returns and other allowances in any accounting period. We may experience material differences in the amount and timing of our revenue for any period if management makes different judgments or utilizes different estimates.

 

In addition, we must make estimates based upon a combination of factors to ensure that our accounts receivable balances are not overstated due to uncollectibility. We specifically analyze accounts receivable and historical bad debts, the length of time receivables are past due, macroeconomic conditions, deterioration in customer’s operating results or financial position, customer concentrations, and customer credit-worthiness, when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts.

 

Appliance products are generally covered by a warranty for a one to two year period. We accrue a warranty reserve for estimated costs to provide warranty services, including the cost of technical support, product repairs, and product replacement for units that cannot be repaired. Our estimate of costs to fulfill our warranty obligations is based on historical experience and expectation of future conditions. To the extent we experience increased warranty claim activity or increased costs associated with servicing those claims, our warranty accrual will increase, resulting in decreased gross profit.

 

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Valuation of inventory. We continually assess the valuation of our inventory and periodically write-down the value for estimated excess and obsolete inventory based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Such estimates are difficult to make under current volatile economic conditions. Reviews for excess inventory are done on a quarterly basis and required reserve levels are calculated with reference to our projected ultimate usage of that inventory. In order to determine the ultimate usage, we take into account forecasted demand, rapid technological changes, product life cycles, projected obsolescence, current inventory levels, and purchase commitments. The excess balance determined by this analysis becomes the basis for our excess inventory charge. If actual demand is lower than our forecasted demand, and we fail to reduce manufacturing output accordingly, we could be required to record additional inventory write-downs, which would have a negative effect on our gross margin and earnings.

 

Accounting for income taxes. As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements we are required to estimate our taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves us estimating our actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our consolidated balance sheet. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance or increase this allowance in a period, we must include an expense within the tax provision in the statement of operations.

 

Management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. Since June 30, 2003 we have had a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets because the determination was made that it is more likely than not that all of the deferred tax asset may not be realized in the foreseeable future due to historical operating losses. The net operating losses and research and development tax carryovers that make the vast majority of the deferred tax asset will expire at various dates through the year 2023. Going forward, we will assess the continued need for the valuation allowance. After we have demonstrated profitability for a period of time and begin utilizing a significant portion of the deferred tax assets, we may reverse the valuation allowance, likely resulting in a significant benefit to the statement of operations in some future period. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate when this reversal might occur, if at all.

 

Valuation of long-lived and intangible assets and goodwill. In 2002, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 142 (“SFAS No. 142”), Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, became effective. SFAS No. 142 requires, among other things, the discontinuance of goodwill amortization. In addition, the standard includes provisions upon adoption for the reclassification of certain existing recognized intangibles as goodwill, reassessment of the useful lives of existing recognized intangibles, reclassification of certain intangibles out of previously reported goodwill and the testing for impairment of existing goodwill and other intangibles. As of January 1, 2002, we have adopted SFAS 142 and have ceased to amortize goodwill. In lieu of amortization, we are required to perform an impairment review of our goodwill balance on at least an annual basis, upon the initial adoption of SFAS No. 142 and on an interim basis if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the Company’s reporting units below their carrying value. This impairment review involves a two-step process as follows:

 

Step 1—A comparison of the fair value of our reporting units to the carrying value, including goodwill of each of those units. For each reporting unit where the carrying value, including goodwill, exceeds the unit’s fair value, we will move to step 2. If a unit’s fair value exceeds the carrying value, no further work is performed and no impairment charge is necessary.

 

Step 2—An allocation of the fair value of the reporting unit to its identifiable tangible and non-goodwill intangible assets and liabilities. This will derive an implied fair value for the reporting unit’s goodwill. We will then compare the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill is greater than the implied fair value of its goodwill, an impairment loss must be recognized for the excess.

 

We currently operate in one reportable segment, which is also the only reporting unit for purposes of SFAS No. 142. Since we currently only have one reporting unit, all of the goodwill has been assigned to the enterprise as a whole. The estimation of fair value requires that we make judgments concerning future cash flows and appropriate discount rates. We completed our annual review during the fourth quarter of 2003. We have considered a number of factors to estimate the fair values, including valuations and appraisals, when making these determinations. We are responsible for the estimated fair values utilized to assess the impairment. Based on impairment tests performed, there was no impairment of our goodwill in fiscal 2003. Any further impairment charges recorded in the future could have a material adverse impact on our financial conditions and results of operations.

 

Significant Transactions

 

Restructuring

 

During 2002 and 2003, we implemented two restructuring plans – one initiated in the second quarter of 2002 and the second initiated in the second quarter of 2003. The information contained in Note 6 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is hereby incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 2.

 

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following table sets forth certain consolidated financial data for the periods indicated as a percentage of total revenue:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


    Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2003

    2004

    2003

    2004

 

Revenue:

                        

Product

   69.6 %   61.7 %   69.2 %   67.8 %

License and service

   30.4     38.3     30.8     32.2  
    

 

 

 

Total revenue

   100.0     100.0     100.0     100.0  
    

 

 

 

Cost of revenue:

                        

Product

   30.6     23.2     31.2     24.5  

License and service

   5.2     6.0     6.4     5.2  

Amortization of purchased technology

   4.7     3.9     5.2     3.6  
    

 

 

 

Total cost of revenue

   40.5     33.1     42.8     33.3  
    

 

 

 

Gross margin

   59.5     66.9     57.2     66.7  
    

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

                        

Research and development

   21.9     19.5     22.3     19.1  

Sales and marketing

   38.2     41.2     44.6     38.3  

General and administrative

   13.2     11.4     13.1     11.4  

Amortization of purchased intangibles

   5.8     2.7     6.4     2.5  

Restructuring charges

   1.7     (0.5 )   2.5     0.0  

Stock-based compensation

   0.2     (0.3 )   0.7     0.1  
    

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

   81.0     74.0     89.6     71.4  
    

 

 

 

Loss from operations

   (21.5 )   (7.1 )   (32.4 )   (4.7 )

Interest income and other expense, net

   3.7     3.8     4.9     2.9  
    

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

   (17.8 )   (3.3 )   (27.5 )   (1.8 )

Benefit from (provision for) income taxes

   (0.6 )   (0.6 )   2.6     (0.4 )
    

 

 

 

Net loss

   (18.4 )%   (3.9 )%   (24.9 )%   (2.2 )%
    

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

Product Revenue

 

    

Three months ended
September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Product

   $ 16,799     $ 18,143     8 %   $ 45,550     $ 63,470     39 %

Percentage of total revenue

     70 %     62 %           69 %     68 %      

License and service

     7,322       11,242     54 %     20,278       30,164     49 %

Percentage of total revenue

     30 %     38 %           31 %     32 %      
    


 


       


 


     

Total revenue

   $ 24,121     $ 29,385     22 %   $ 65,828     $ 93,634     42 %
    


 


       


 


     

 

The increase in product revenues was across all geographies, and across both our entry level and high end products. The increase during the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2004, as compared to the same periods in 2003 was mainly due to an increase in the volume of units shipped and an increase in average selling prices. In the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, we shipped approximately 37,000 and 116,000 units respectively. This shipment rate compared to 34,000 and 85,000 units respectively in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

During the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2004 as compared to the same periods in 2003, we experienced an increase in our average selling prices for both our entry level and high end products. The increase in average selling prices was due

 

17


Table of Contents

to the introduction and market acceptance of our new generation products. In the fourth quarter of 2003, we introduced the TZ 170 as part of our entry-level product offering which provides a feature rich total security platform combining ease of use with the flexibility to meet the changing needs of small and medium-sized networks. In addition to new PRO product introductions over the past nine months, during the second quarter of 2004 we also introduced the PRO 5060 gigabit-class appliance as part of our product offering.

 

Factors That May Impact Net Product Sales

 

Net product sales may be adversely affected in the future by changes in the geopolitical environment and global economic conditions; sales and implementation cycles of our products; changes in our product mix; structural variations in sales channels; ability of our channel to absorb new product introductions; acceptance of our products in the market place; and changes in our supply chain model. These changes may result in corresponding variations in order backlog. A variation in backlog levels could result in less predictability in our quarter-to-quarter net sales and operating results. Net product sales may also be adversely affected by fluctuations in demand for our products, price and product competition in the markets we service, introduction and market acceptance of new technologies and products, and financial difficulties experienced by our customers. We may, from time to time, experience manufacturing issues that create a delay in our suppliers’ ability to provide specific components resulting in delayed shipments. To the extent that manufacturing issues and any related component shortages result in delayed shipments in the future, and particularly in periods when we and our suppliers are operating at higher levels of capacity, it is possible that revenue for a quarter could be adversely affected.

 

Our two largest distributors, Ingram Micro and Tech Data have business terms that provide for limited stock rotation rights, unlimited right of return upon termination of our agreement with them, credits for changes in selling prices, and participation in various cooperative marketing programs. In addition, sales through these two distributors generally result in greater difficulty in forecasting the mix of our products and, to a certain degree, the timing of orders. We recognize revenue for Ingram Micro and Tech Data based on a sell-through method utilizing information provided by them, and we defer revenue on shipments to these distributors until we receive information confirming their point of sale activity.

 

Some distributors other than Ingram Micro and Tech Data are given business terms that provide for limited stock rotation rights, credits for changes in selling prices, and participation in various cooperative marketing programs. Sales to this category of distributors’ require us to make estimates of future product returns and changes in selling prices. We analyze historical returns, current and anticipated economic trends, and changes in customer demand and acceptance of our products when evaluating the adequacy of the sales returns. We recognize revenue to these distributors based on a sell-in method and we utilize information provided by them to maintain accruals for sales returns and other programs.

 

License and Service Revenue

 

License and service revenue is comprised primarily of licenses and services such as node upgrades, intrusion prevention service, anti-virus protection, and content filtering services that are sold into the installed base of access security appliances. In addition, we generate license and service revenues from extended service contracts, licensing of our software, and professional services related to training, consulting and engineering services. We expect the market opportunity for our subscription products (in particular our intrusion prevention service, anti-virus, and content filtering services) sold to our installed base to increase as our installed base grows. We are dedicating increased sales and marketing resources to sell into our installed base, and we are also focusing resources on marketing renewals for existing subscriptions. In the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, revenues from our primary subscription products increased to $3.5 million and $9.2 million, respectively from $2.6 million and $7.3 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003. In the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 revenue from service contracts increased to approximately $5.1 million and $12.4 million, respectively from $2.6 million and $6.5 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003. The increase in subscription services and service contracts was primarily due to the increase in our installed based; increased marketing efforts; higher sales of software applications; and higher sales of subscription services sold in conjunction with our products.

 

Channel data

 

Our SonicWALL products are sold primarily through distributors who then resell our products to resellers and selected retail outlets. Distribution channels accounted for approximately 98% of total revenues in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, respectively, compared to 97% and 95% of total revenues in both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003. Two of our distributors, Ingram Micro and Tech Data, both of which are major computer equipment and accessory distributors, combined account for approximately 40% and 37% of our revenue in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, respectively. Ingram Micro and Tech Data combined account for approximately 44% and 46% of our revenue in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively. This year over year decrease as a percentage of total revenue is primarily due to increased sales activity in international markets where Ingram Micro and Tech Data do not represent as large a proportion of total products sold.

 

18


Table of Contents

In addition to our distribution channels, we also sell our products to OEMs who sell our technologies under their brand names. Our OEM revenues decreased to $579,000 and $2.0 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 from $702,000 and $3.3 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, which primarily related to lower sales of our appliances to our OEM partners.

 

Geographic revenue data

 

    

Three months ended
September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except

percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Americas

   $ 17,880     $ 20,792     16 %   $ 48,103     $ 65,044     35 %

Percentage of total revenues

     74 %     71 %           73 %     69 %      

EMEA

     3,803       4,180     10 %     11,942       17,633     48 %

Percentage of total revenues

     16 %     14 %           18 %     19 %      

APAC

     2,438       4,413     81 %     5,783       10,957     89 %

Percentage of total revenues

     10 %     15 %           9 %     12 %      
    


 


       


 


     

Total revenues

   $ 24,121     $ 29,385           $ 65,828     $ 93,634        
    


 


       


 


     

 

The Americas included non-U.S. net sales of $484,000 and $463,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively. The Americas included non-U.S. net sales of $2.8 million and $1.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

 

The increase in revenues in the Americas was primarily due market acceptance of our new products combined with modest improvements in the economy which has resulted in increased IT spending over previously depressed levels. The increase in revenues in EMEA was primarily due to our efforts to realign our distribution channels in the region. We have focused our efforts on recruiting large distributors that have the infrastructure to sell a broader range of products in expanded territories. In addition, we have introduced new products in the region including the PRO 5060, which has a higher list price. Our larger distributors have made purchases in anticipation of demand for our latest generation products, leading to an increased level in the value of channel inventory in the EMEA region. To increase the percentage of revenue in international markets, we intend to support these larger distributors in EMEA with sufficient product to enable them to grow sales in the region. As a result, we plan on continually monitoring inventory levels in the channel to optimize lead times to meet customer demand. We believe the increase in revenues in APAC was primarily due to our efforts in strengthening relationships with our channel partners combined with increased marketing activities in the regions. In addition, the hiring of new sales management and dedicated senior sales personnel, has contributed to our growth in the APAC region.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

    

Three months ended

September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Product

   $ 7,373     $ 6,832     (7 )%   $ 20,554     $ 22,936     12 %

Gross margin

     56 %     62 %           55 %     64 %      

License and service

     1,252       1,774     42 %     4,207       4,876     16 %

Gross margin

     83 %     84 %           79 %     84 %      

Amortization of purchased technology

     1,135       1,135     0 %     3,407       3,407     0 %
    


 


       


 


     

Total cost of revenue

   $ 9,760     $ 9,741           $ 28,168     $ 31,219        
    


 


       


 


     

 

Note – Effect of amortization of purchased technology has been excluded from product and license and service gross margin discussions below.

 

19


Table of Contents

Cost of Product Revenue; Gross Margin

 

Cost of product revenue includes all costs associated with the production of our products, including cost of materials, manufacturing and assembly costs paid to contract manufacturers, amortization of purchased technology related to our acquisitions of Phobos and RedCreek, and related overhead costs associated with our manufacturing operations personnel. Additionally, warranty costs and inventory provisions or write-downs are included in cost of product revenue. Cost of product revenue increased primarily as a result of increased overall shipments. We shipped approximately 37,000 and 116,000 units in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, compared to 34,000 and 85,000 units in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

Gross margin from product sales increased to $11.3 million, or 62% of product revenue and $40.5 million, or 64% of product revenue, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, respectively as compared to $9.4 million, or 56% of product revenue and $25.0 million, or 55% of product revenue, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively. The increase in product gross margin is primarily attributable to an increase in the attachment rate of higher margin subscription services as part of hardware sales. In addition, gross margin in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 was impacted by the write downs of inventory related to products made obsolete. We expect gross margins to continue to be challenged by continued price competition. We expect these effects to be moderated, however, by continued operational efficiencies, management of our cost structure and an improving macroeconomic outlook.

 

Cost of License and Service Revenue; Gross Margin

 

Cost of license and service revenue includes all costs associated with the production and delivery of our license and service products, including cost of packaging materials and related costs paid to contract manufacturers, technical support costs related to our service contracts, royalty costs related to certain subscription products, and personnel costs related to the delivery of training, consulting, and professional services. Cost of license and service revenue increased in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, as set forth in the table above. This increase was due primarily to technical support costs to support our increased service contract offerings combined with the increased installed base. To deliver services under these contracts, we outsourced a significant portion of our technical support function to third party service providers. In addition, we opened an additional support center during the fourth quarter of 2003. Gross margin from license and service sales increased to $9.5 million, or 84% of license and service revenues and $25.3 million, or 84%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 from $6.1 million, or 83% of license and service revenues and $16.1 million or 79% of license and service revenues in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003. The increase in the gross margin percentage as well as gross margin in absolute dollars related primarily to a higher mix of our subscription services and software licenses, which generate higher gross margins.

 

Amortization of purchased technology

 

    

Three months ended

September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Expense

   $ 1,135     $ 1,135     0 %   $ 3,407     $ 3,407     0 %

Percentage of total revenue

     5 %     4 %           5 %     4 %      

 

Amortization of purchased technology represents the amortization of existing technology acquired in our business combinations accounted for using the purchase method. Purchased technology is being amortized over the estimated useful lives of four to six years. Amortization for both three month periods ended September 30, 2004 and September 30, 2003 primarily consisted of $1.1 million and $43,000 relating to the amortization of purchased intangibles associated with the acquisitions of Phobos and RedCreek, respectively. Amortization for both nine month periods ended September 30, 2004 and September 30, 2003 primarily consisted of $3.3 million and $130,000 relating to the amortization of purchased intangibles associated with the acquisitions of Phobos and RedCreek, respectively.

 

Future amortization to be included in cost of revenue based on current balance of purchased technology absent any additional investment is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal Year


    

Remaining quarter of 2004

   $ 1,136

2005

     4,543

2006

     3,860
    

Total

   $ 9,539
    

 

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Table of Contents

Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, including competition; the mix of products and services; new product introductions and enhancements; fluctuations in manufacturing volumes and the cost of components and manufacturing labor.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Research and Development

 

    

Three months ended

September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


          Nine months ended
September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Expense

   $ 5,281     $ 5,732     9 %   $ 14,686     $ 17,840     21 %

Percentage of total revenue

     22 %     20 %           22 %     19 %      

 

Research and development expenses primarily consist of personnel costs, contract consultants, outside testing services and equipment and supplies associated with enhancing existing products and developing new products. For the three months ended September 30, 2004, the increase in absolute dollars was primarily as a result of increased personnel costs due to overall increase in headcount whereby salaries and related benefits increased by approximately $520,000. In addition, we created a compensation plan which is connected to the achievement of certain corporate goals whereby compensation costs increased by approximately $290,000. The increase in costs was offset by a decrease in prototype expenditures of approximately $280,000. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, the increase in absolute dollars was primarily as a result of increased personnel costs due to overall increase in headcount whereby salaries and related benefits increased by approximately $2.44 million. In addition, we created a compensation plan which is connected to the achievement of certain corporate goals whereby compensation costs increased by approximately $740,000. In particular the increases during the three-month period and nine-month period ended September 30, 2004, was related to the development of new products and subscription services.

 

We believe that our future performance will depend in large part on our ability to maintain and enhance our current product line, develop new products that achieve market acceptance, maintain technological competitiveness, and meet an expanding range of customer requirements. We plan to maintain our investments in current and future product development and enhancement efforts, and incur expense associated with these initiatives, such as prototyping expense and non-recurring engineering charges associated with the development of new products and technologies. We intend to continuously broaden our existing product offerings and introduce new products.

 

Sales and Marketing

 

    

Three months ended
September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Expense

   $ 9,220     $ 12,097     31 %   $ 29,355     $ 35,866     22 %

Percentage of total revenue

     38 %     41 %           45 %     38 %      

 

Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of personnel costs, including commissions, costs associated with the development of our business and corporate identification, costs related to customer support, travel, tradeshows, promotional and advertising costs, and related facilities costs. For the three months ended September 30, 2004, the increase in sales and marketing expenses is due to our expansion of international markets including increases in headcount, primarily in the areas of senior sales and marketing personnel, whereby salaries and related benefits increased by approximately $1.36 million. In addition, our co-op advertising costs and commissions expense increased by approximately $240,000 and $730,000, respectively, due to increase in revenues. Our travel related expenses increased by approximately $330,000 to support our expansion into international markets. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004 the increase in sales and marketing expenses is due to our expansion of international markets including increases in headcount, primarily in the areas of senior sales and marketing personnel, whereby salaries and related benefits increased by approximately $2.56 million. In addition, our co-op advertising costs and commissions expense increased by approximately $970,000 and $1.3 million, respectively, due to increase in revenues. Our travel related expenses increased by approximately $830,000 to support our expansion into international markets.

 

The decrease in the sales and marketing expense as a percentage of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 is due to the increase in revenues and realignment of resources. We expect to direct our sales and marketing expenses toward the expansion of domestic and international markets, introduction of new products and establishment and expansion of new distribution channels.

 

21


Table of Contents

General and Administrative.

 

    

Three months ended

September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


          Nine months ended
September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Expense

   $ 3,209     $ 3,339     4 %   $ 8,617     $ 10,648     24 %

Percentage of total revenue

     13 %     11 %           13 %     11 %      

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2004, the increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to a $320,000 increase in costs related to corporate governance. In addition, we created a compensation plan which is connected to the achievement of certain corporate goals whereby compensation costs increased by approximately $220,000. The increase in costs was offset by a decrease in personnel costs due to an overall decrease in headcount whereby salaries, related benefits, and recruiting fees decreased by approximately $400,000.

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, the increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to a $750,000 increase in compensation costs related to a compensation plan created during 2004 which is connected to the achievement of certain corporate goals. In addition, our costs related to corporate governance increased by approximately $720,000. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2004 our legal expenses increased year over year approximately $325,000 as a result of cost associated with the defense of the securities class actions and shareholder derivative suit as more fully described in the section entitled “Legal Proceedings.”

 

We believe that general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars and remain relatively stable as a percentage of total revenue as we incur costs related to new regulatory and corporate governance matters.

 

Amortization of Goodwill and Purchased Intangibles.

 

    

Three months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except
percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in
thousands, except
percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Expense

   $ 1,404     $ 786     (44 )%   $ 4,214     $ 2,385     (43 )%

Percentage of total revenue

     6 %     3 %           6 %     3 %      

 

Amortization of purchased intangibles represents the amortization of assets arising from contractual or other legal rights acquired in business combinations accounted for as a purchase except for amortization of existing technology which is included in cost of revenue. Purchased intangible assets are being amortized over their estimated useful lives of three to six years. The primary reason for the reduction in amortization expense in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 was that certain intangibles from the Phobos acquisition reached the end of their useful life. Amortization for the three months ended September 30, 2004 primarily consisted of $698,000 and $6,000 relating to the amortization of purchased intangibles associated with the acquisitions of Phobos and RedCreek, respectively. Amortization for the three months ended September 30, 2003 primarily consisted of $1.3 million, $6,000, and $38,000 associated with the acquisitions of Phobos, RedCreek, and Ignyte, respectively. Amortization for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 primarily consisted of $2.1 million, $17,000, and $26,000 relating to the amortization of purchased intangibles associated with the acquisitions of Phobos, RedCreek, and Ignyte, respectively. Amortization for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 primarily consisted of $3.8 million, $17,000, and $115,000 associated with the acquisitions of Phobos, RedCreek, and Ignyte, respectively.

 

Future amortization to be included in operating expense based on current balance of purchased intangibles absent any additional investment is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal Year


    

Remaining quarter of 2004

   $ 703

2005

     2,813

2006

     2,450
    

Total

   $ 5,966
    

 

22


Table of Contents

Restructuring Charges

 

As discussed in the Notes to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, we have implemented two restructuring plans – one initiated in the second quarter of 2002 and the second initiated in the second quarter of 2003. Our restructuring plans are designed to realign and reduce our cost structure and integrate certain company functions. The execution of the 2003 restructuring plan was significantly completed as of the second quarter of 2003. We recognized a restructuring charge related to the 2003 plan of approximately $1.5 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2003. During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we recorded additional charges related to the 2003 restructuring plan totaling $84,000, consisting of $36,000 related properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation and $48,000 related to workforce reductions. The restructuring plan resulted in the elimination of 43 positions worldwide. The overall result of the reduction in workforce was less than the total positions eliminated, as we made investments in personnel in research and development and in our sales and marketing organization. In addition, the restructuring plan resulted in the vacating of four facilities.

 

The execution of the 2002 restructuring plan was completed as of the second quarter of 2002, however, during the year ended December 31, 2003 we recorded additional restructuring charges totaling $354,000, consisting of $379,000 related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation, offset by $25,000 reversal for severance accrual for an employee who has remained with the us. During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we recorded additional restructuring charges related to the 2002 plan consisting of $56,000 related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation, offset by $155,000 reversal for a favorable lease modification related to properties vacated in connection with facilities consolidation. The additional facilities charges resulted from revisions of our estimates of future sublease income due to the further deterioration of real estate market conditions and a favorable modification of an existing lease. The restructuring plan resulted in the elimination of 77 positions, all of which were eliminated as of December 31, 2002. In addition, the restructuring plan resulted in the vacating of three facilities. We may adjust our restructuring related estimates in the future, if necessary.

 

Stock-based Compensation.

 

    

Three months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except

percentage data)


         

Nine months ended

September 30, (in

thousands, except

percentage data)


       
     2003

    2004

    % Variance

    2003

    2004

    % Variance

 

Expense

   $ 38     $ (75 )   (297 )%   $ 432     $ 105     (76 )%

Percentage of total revenue

     0 %     0 %           1 %     0 %      

 

Stock-based compensation was $38,000 and $(75,000) for the three months ended September 30, 2003 and 2004, respectively. Amounts in the three month and nine month period ended September 30, 2004 relate to a modification of a stock option grant which is subject to variable accounting treatment, resulting in expense or contra-expense recognition each period, using the cumulative expense method. Amounts in the three and nine month period ended September 30, 2003 relate primarily to the recognition of stock compensation of unvested options assumed in the Phobos and RedCreek acquisitions.

 

Interest Income and Other Expense, Net.

 

Interest income and other expense, net consists primarily of interest income on our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, and was $1.1 million and $2.7 million for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2004, respectively compared to $891,000 and $3.2 million in the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2003. The fluctuations in the short-term interest rates directly influence the interest income recognized by us. For the three months ended September 30, 2004, the increase was primarily due to the increase in our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments offset by lower interest rates. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, the decrease was primarily due to lower interest rates offset by the increase in our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.

 

Benefit from (Provision for) Income Taxes.

 

The provision for income taxes in the three months ended September 30, 2003 was $143,000 as compared to $169,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2004. The benefit from income taxes in the nine months ended September 30, 2003 was $1.7 million as compared to a provision of $354,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2004. As of June 30, 2003 we have a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets because the determination was made that it is more likely than not that all deferred tax asset may not be realized in the foreseeable future due to historical operating losses. The net operating loss and research and development tax credit carryovers that make up the vast majority of the deferred tax assets will expire at various dates through the year 2023. Going forward, we will assess the continued need for the valuation allowance. After we have demonstrated profitability for a period of time and begin utilizing a significant portion of the deferred tax assets, we may reverse the valuation allowance, likely resulting in a significant benefit to the statement of operations in some future period. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate when this reversal might occur, if at all.

 

23


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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, consisting principally of commercial paper, corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and money market funds, increased by $18.2 million to $261.6 million as compared to an increase of $4.8 million to $237.7 million for the nine month period ended September 30, 2003. Our working capital increased for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 by $16.4 million to $236.1 million as compared to a decrease of $17.5 million to $216.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

Operating Activities

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, cash provided by operating activities totaled $7.9 million compared to $4.7 million in the same period of the prior year. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2004, cash provided by operating activities was the result of net loss adjusted by non-cash items, increases in deferred revenue and accrued payroll and related benefits offset by increases in accounts receivables and inventory and a decrease in accounts payable. Deferred revenues increased due to increased sales of subscription services as well as an increase related to shipments to distributors whereby revenue is recognized on a sell-through method. Accounts receivable increased due to non-linearity of shipments combined with increase in revenues. Inventories increased due to increased manufacturing of new generation products in anticipation of demand. Accounts payable decreased due to the timing of payments to our vendors. Accrued payroll and related benefits increased primarily due to increased accruals made for our compensation plan for which payments will be made upon achievement of certain company goals. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2003, cash provided by operating activities was the result of collection of accounts receivables, increases in deferred revenue and decreases in inventory and prepaid expenses which was offset by payments of accrued liabilities, decreases in accounts payable and net loss adjusted by non-cash items.

 

Our primary source of operating cash flows is the collection of accounts receivable from our customers. We measure the effectiveness of our collections efforts by an analysis of accounts receivable daily sales outstanding (DSO). Collection of accounts receivable and related DSO will fluctuate in future periods due to the timing and amount of our future revenues and the effectiveness of our collection efforts. In the future, collections could fluctuate depending on the payment terms we extend to our customers, which historically is net thirty to ninety days.

 

In addition, our operating cash flows may be impacted in the future by the timing of payments to our vendors for accounts payable. We typically pay our vendors and service providers in accordance with their invoice terms and conditions. The timing of cash payments in future periods will be impacted by the nature of accounts payable arrangements and management’s assessment of our cash inflows.

 

Investing Activities

 

For the nine months ended September, 2004, we used cash from investing activities totaling $10.9 million, principally as a result of the net purchases of $8.9 million of short-term investments and $2.0 million used to purchase property and equipment. Net cash provided by investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 was $8.3 million, principally as a result of the net sale of $10.1 million of short-term investments offset by $1.8 million used to purchase property and equipment.

 

Financing Activities

 

Financing activities provided $12.6 million and $2.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively. The increase in cash provided by financing activities relates to an increase in sales of common stock, due to an increase in quantity of stock options and employee stock purchase plan shares exercised for the nine months ended September 30, 2004, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

Financial Position

 

We believe our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our cash requirements at least through the next twelve months. However, we may be required, or could elect, to seek additional funding prior to that time. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our rate of revenue growth, the timing and extent of spending to support product development efforts and expansion of sales and marketing, the timing of introductions of new products and enhancements to existing products, and market acceptance of our products. We cannot assure you that additional equity or debt financing will be available on acceptable terms or at all. Our sources of liquidity beyond twelve months, in management’s opinion, will be our then current cash balances, funds from operations and whatever long-term credit facilities we can arrange. We have no other agreements or arrangements with third parties to provide us with sources of liquidity and capital resources beyond twelve months. We believe that future liquidity and capital resources will not be materially affected in the event we are not able to prevail in litigation for which we have been named a defendant as described in Note 8 to the financial statements.

 

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations

 

We do not have any debt, long-term obligations or long-term capital commitments. The following summarizes our principal contractual commitments as of September 30, 2004 (in thousands):

 

          Payments due by period

Contractual Obligations


   Total

   Less than one
year


   1 to 3 years

   3 to 5 years

Operating lease obligations

   $ 2,407    $ 1,014    $ 875    $ 518

Non-Cancelable Purchase obligations

   $ 7,858    $ 7,858    $ —      $ —  

 

We outsource our manufacturing function primarily to one third-party contract manufacturer. At September 30, 2004, we had purchase obligations to this vendor totaling approximately $9.0 million. Of this amount $6.1 million cannot be cancelled. We are contingently liable for any inventory owned by the contract manufacturer that becomes excess and obsolete. As of September 30, 2004, we had accrued $53,000 for excess and obsolete inventory held by our contract manufacturer. We are contingently liable for any inventory related to the non-cancelable purchase obligations in the event that the inventory becomes excess and obsolete.

 

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

 

The information contained in Note 11 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is hereby incorporated by references into this Part I, Item 2.

 

RISK FACTORS

 

You should carefully review the following risks associated with owning our common stock. Our business, operating results or financial condition could be materially adversely affected by any of the following risks. You should also refer to the other information set forth in this report and incorporated by reference herein, including our financial statements and the related notes. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

 

Rapid changes in technology and industry standards could render our products and services unmarketable or obsolete, and we may be unable to successfully introduce new products and services.

 

To succeed, we must continually introduce new products and change and improve our products in response to new competitive product introductions, rapid technological developments and changes in operating systems, broadband Internet access, application and networking software, computer and communications hardware, programming tools, computer language technology and other security threats. Product development for Internet security appliances requires substantial engineering time and testing. Releasing new products and services prematurely may result in quality problems, and delays may result in loss of customer confidence and market share. In the past, we have on occasion experienced delays in the scheduled introduction of new and enhanced products and services, and we may experience delays in the future. We may be unable to develop new products and services or achieve and maintain market acceptance of them once they have come to market. Furthermore, when we do introduce new or enhanced products and services, we may be unable to manage the transition from the older products and services to minimize disruption in customer ordering patterns, avoid excessive inventories of older products and deliver enough new products and services to meet customer demand. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our business could be adversely affected.

 

We depend on two major distributors for a significant amount of our revenue, and if they or others cancel or delay purchase orders, our revenue may decline and the price of our stock may fall.

 

To date, sales to two distributors have accounted for a significant portion of our revenue. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2004, approximately 98% of our sales were to distributors and resellers, and sales through Ingram Micro and Tech Data accounted for approximately 17% and 20% of our revenue, respectively. In 2003, approximately 96% of our sales were to distributors and resellers, and sales through Ingram Micro and Tech Data accounted for approximately 23% and 20% of our revenue, respectively. In 2002, approximately 91% of our sales were to distributors and resellers, and sales through Ingram Micro and sales to Tech Data accounted for approximately 21% and 26% of our revenue, respectively. In addition, for the nine months ended September 30, 2004, our top 10 customers accounted for 56% of our total revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2003 and 2002, our top 10 customers accounted for 56% or more of total revenues. We anticipate that sales of our products to relatively few customers will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue. Although we have limited one-year agreements with Ingram Micro and Tech Data and certain other large distributors, these contracts are subject to termination at any time. We cannot assure you that any of these customers will continue to place orders with us, that orders by these customers will continue at the levels of previous periods or that we will be able to obtain large orders from new customers. If any of the foregoing should occur, our revenues will likely decline and our business will be adversely affected. In addition, as of September 30, 2004, Ingram Micro and Tech Data represented $2.3 million and $4.7 million, respectively of our accounts receivable balance, constituting 13% and 27%, respectively of our total receivables. As

 

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of December 31, 2003, Ingram Micro and Tech Data represented approximately $1.3 million and $1.4 million of our accounts receivable balance, constituting 14% and 15%, of total receivables, respectively. The failure of any of these customers to pay us in a timely manner could adversely affect our balance sheet, our results of operations and our creditworthiness, which could make it more difficult to conduct business.

 

If we are unable to compete successfully in the highly competitive market for Internet security products and services, our business will fail.

 

The market for Internet security products is worldwide and highly competitive. Competition in our market has significantly increased over the past year, and we expect competition to further intensify in the future. There are few substantial barriers to entry, and additional competition from existing competitors and new market entrants will likely occur in the future. Current and potential competitors in our markets include, but are not limited to, Check Point, Microsoft, Symantec, Cisco, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, Nokia, Fortinet, WatchGuard Technologies and Juniper Networks, all of which sell worldwide or have a presence in most of the major markets for such products.

 

Competitors to date have generally targeted the security needs of enterprises of every size with firewall, VPN and SSL products that range in price from approximately $250 to more than $30,000. We may experience increased competitive pressure on some of our products, resulting in both lower prices and gross margins. Many of our current or potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do. In addition, our competitors may bundle products competitive to ours with other products that they may sell to our current or potential customers. These customers may accept these bundled products rather than separately purchasing our products. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our business could be adversely affected.

 

Average selling prices of our products may decrease, which may reduce our gross margins.

 

The average selling prices for our products may decline as a result of competitive pricing pressures, a change in our product mix, anticipation of introduction of new products, promotional programs and customers who negotiate price reductions in exchange for longer-term purchase commitments. In addition, competition has increased over the past year, and we expect competition to further increase in the future, thereby leading to increased pricing pressures. Furthermore, we anticipate that the average selling prices and gross margins for our products will decrease over product life cycles. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in developing and introducing on a timely basis new products with enhanced features, or that these products, if introduced, will enable us to maintain our average selling prices and gross margins at current levels. If the average selling price of individual products decline, our revenue may decline and our operating results may be adversely affected.

 

We have difficulty predicting our future operating results or profitability due to volatility in general economic conditions and the Internet security market and a shortfall in revenues may harm our operating results.

 

Overall weakness in the general economy and volatility in the demand for Internet security products are two of the many factors underlying our inability to predict our revenue for a given period. We base our spending levels for product development, sales and marketing, and other operating expenses largely on our expected future revenue. A large proportion of our expenses are fixed for a particular quarter or year, and therefore, we may be unable to decrease our spending in time to compensate for any unexpected quarterly or annual shortfall in revenue. As a result, any shortfall in revenue could adversely affect our operating results. For the year ended December 31, 2003, we reported a net loss of $17.7 million. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we reported a net loss of $2.0 million. We do not know if we will be able to achieve profitability in the future.

 

We offer retroactive price protection to our major distributors and if we fail to balance their inventory with end user demand for our products, our allowance for price protection may be inadequate. This could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We provide our major distributors with price protection rights for inventories of our products held by them. If we reduce the list price of our products, our major distributors receive refunds or credits from us that reduce the price of such products held in their inventory based upon the new list price. As of December 31, 2003, we estimated that approximately $9.7 million of our products in our distributors’ inventory are subject to price protection, which represented approximately 10.3% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2003. We have incurred approximately $800,000 of credits under our price protection policies in 2003. Future credits for price protection will depend on the percentage of our price reductions for the products in inventory and our ability to manage the level of our major distributors’ inventory. If future price protection adjustments are higher than expected, our future results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

We are dependent on international sales for a substantial amount of our revenue. We face the risk of international business and associated currency fluctuations, which might adversely affect our operating results.

 

International revenue represented 31% of total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2004, 30% of total revenue in 2003, and 34% of total revenue in 2002. We expect that international revenue will continue to represent a substantial portion of our total revenue in the foreseeable future. Our risks of doing business abroad include our ability to maintain distribution relationships on

 

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favorable terms, and if we are unable to do so, revenue may decrease from our international operations. Because our sales are denominated in U.S. dollars, the weakness of a foreign country’s currency against the dollar could increase the price of our products in such country and reduce our product unit sales by making our products more expensive in the local currency. The weakened dollar could increase the cost of local operating expenses and procurement of raw materials to the extent we must purchase components in foreign currencies. Additionally, we have exposures to emerging market currencies, which can have extreme currency volatility. We are subject to the risks of conducting business internationally, including potential foreign government regulation of our technology, general geopolitical risks associated with political and economic instability, changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, and foreign countries’ laws affecting the Internet generally.

 

Delays in deliveries from our suppliers could cause our revenue to decline and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Our products incorporate certain components or technologies that are available from single or limited sources of supply. Specifically, our products rely upon components from companies such as, Motorola, Toshiba, IBM, Intel, Cavium, and Broadcom. We do not have long-term supply arrangements with any vendor, and any disruption in the supply of these products or technologies may adversely affect our ability to obtain necessary components or technology for our products. If this were to happen, our product shipments may be delayed or lost, resulting in a decline in sales and a loss of revenue. In addition, our products utilize components that have in the past been subject to market shortages and price fluctuations. If we experience price increases in our product components, we will experience declines in our gross margin.

 

We depend on partners to provide us with the anti-virus and content filtering software, and if they experience delays in product updates or provide us with products of substandard quality, our revenue may decline and our products are services may become obsolete.

 

We have arrangements with partners to license their anti-virus and content filtering software. Anti-virus and content filtering revenue accounted for 10%, 6% and 7% of total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2004, and for the years ended December, 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Our partners may fail to provide us with updated products or experience delays in providing us with updated products. In addition, our partners may provide us with products of substandard quality. If this happens, we may be unable to include these anti-virus and content filtering products in the products that we sell to our customers or our products might not contain the most advanced technology. Consequently, our customers may purchase products from one of our competitors, or sales to our customers may be delayed. In such a case, our revenues will be adversely affected.

 

We rely primarily on one contract manufacturer for the majority of our product manufacturing and assembly, and if we cannot obtain its services, we may not be able to ship products.

 

We outsource much of our hardware manufacturing and assembly to one third-party manufacturer and assembly house, FLASH Electronics Inc. FLASH Electronics manufactures many of our products in both the U.S. and China. We do not have a long-term manufacturing contract with this vendor, and our operations could be disrupted if we have to switch to a replacement vendor or if our hardware supply is interrupted for an extended period. In addition, we provide forecasts of our demand to FLASH Electronics six to nine months prior to scheduled delivery of products to our customers. If we overestimate our requirements, FLASH Electronics may have excess inventory, which would increase our costs. If we underestimate our requirements, FLASH Electronics may have an inadequate component inventory, which could interrupt manufacturing of our products and result in delays in shipments and revenues. In addition, lead times for materials and components that we order vary significantly and depend on factors such as the specific supplier, contract terms and demand for each component at a given time. Financial problems of our contract manufacturer or reservation of manufacturing capacity by other companies, inside or outside of our industry, could either limit supply or increase costs. We may also experience shortages of components from time to time, which also could delay the manufacturing of our products. If any of the foregoing occurs we could lose customer orders and revenue could decline.

 

Changes to our senior management may have an adverse effect on our ability to execute our business strategy.

 

Our future success will depend largely on the efforts and abilities of our current senior management to execute our business plan. Changes in our senior management and any future departures of key employees may be disruptive to our business and may adversely affect our operations.

 

We must be able to hire and retain sufficient qualified employees or our business will be adversely affected.

 

Our success depends in part on our ability to hire and retain key engineering, operations, finance, information systems, customer support and sales and marketing personnel. Our employees may leave us at any time. The loss of services of any of our key personnel, the inability to retain and attract qualified personnel in the future, or delays in hiring required personnel, particularly engineering and sales personnel, could delay the development and introduction of, and negatively impact our ability to sell, our products. We cannot assure you that we will be able to hire and retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel to meet our business needs.

 

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We may experience competition from products developed by companies with whom we currently have OEM relationships.

 

We have entered into arrangements with original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) to sell our products, and these OEMs sell our technologies under their brand name. Our OEM revenues represented approximately 2%, 4%, and 9% of total revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2004, and for the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Some of our OEM partners are also competitors of ours, as those OEM partners have developed their own products that will compete against the products jointly produced by our OEM partners and us. This increased competition could result in decreased sales of our product to our OEM customers, decreased revenues, lower prices and/or reduced gross margins. If any of the foregoing occurs, our business may suffer.

 

Our revenue growth is dependent on the continued growth of broadband access services and if such services are not widely adopted or we are unable to address the issues associated with the development of such services, our sales will be adversely affected.

 

Sales of our products depend on the increased use and widespread adoption of broadband access services, such as cable, DSL, Integrated Services Digital Network, or ISDN, Frame Relay and T-1. These broadband access services typically are more expensive in terms of required equipment and ongoing access charges than are Internet dial-up access providers. Our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected if the use of broadband access services does not increase as anticipated or if our customers’ access to broadband services is limited. Critical issues concerning use of broadband access services are unresolved and will likely affect the use of broadband access services. These issues include security, reliability, bandwidth, congestion, cost, ease of access and quality of service. Even if these are resolved, if the market for products that provide broadband access to the Internet fails to develop, or develops at a slower pace than we anticipate, our business would be materially adversely affected.

 

We may be unable to adequately protect our proprietary rights, which may limit our ability to compete effectively.

 

We currently rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws, confidentiality provisions and other contractual provisions to protect our proprietary rights. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may misappropriate or infringe on our patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, service marks and similar proprietary rights. We have an on-going patent disclosure and application process and we plan to aggressively pursue additional patent protection. Our pending patent applications may not result in the issuance of any patents. Even if we obtain such patents, that will not guarantee that our patent rights will be valuable, create a competitive barrier, or will be free from infringement. Furthermore, if any patent is issued, it might be invalidated or circumvented or otherwise fail to provide us any meaningful protection. We face additional risk when conducting business in countries that have poorly developed or inadequately enforced intellectual property laws. In any event, competitors may independently develop similar or superior technologies or duplicate the technologies we have developed, which could substantially limit the value of our intellectual property.

 

Potential intellectual property claims and litigation could subject us to significant liability for damages and invalidation of our proprietary rights.

 

The computer industry has seen frequent litigation over intellectual property rights. We may face infringement claims from third parties in the future, or we may have to resort to litigation to protect our intellectual property rights or trade secrets. We expect that infringement claims will be more frequent for Internet participants as the number of products, services and competitors grows and the functionality of products and services overlaps. Any litigation, regardless of its success, would probably be costly and require significant time and attention of our key management and technical personnel. An adverse result in litigation could also force us to:

 

  stop or delay selling, incorporating or using products that incorporate the challenged intellectual property;

 

  pay damages;

 

  enter into licensing or royalty agreements, which may be unavailable on acceptable terms; or

 

  redesign products or services that incorporate infringing technology.

 

If any of the above occurs, our revenues could decline and our business could suffer.

 

We have been named as defendant in litigation matters that could subject us to significant liability for damages, penalties, and fines.

 

We are currently a defendant in on-going litigation matters. No estimate can be made of the possible loss or possible range of loss, if any, associated with the resolution of these litigation matters. Failure to prevail in these matters could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in the future.

 

In addition, the results of litigation are uncertain and the litigation process may utilize a significant portion of our cash resources and divert management’s attention from the day-to-day operations, all of which could harm our business.

 

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We may have to defend lawsuits or pay damages in connection with any alleged or actual failure of our products and services.

 

Our products and services provide and monitor Internet security. If a third party were able to circumvent our security measures, such a person or entity could misappropriate the confidential information or other property of end users using our products and services or interrupt their operations. If that happens, affected end users or others may sue us for product liability, tort or breach of warranty claims. Although we attempt to reduce the risk of losses from claims through contractual warranty disclaimers and liability limitations, these provisions may be unenforceable. Some courts, for example, have found contractual limitations of liability in standard computer and software contracts to be unenforceable in some circumstances. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and could divert management attention. Although we currently maintain business liability insurance, this coverage may be inadequate or may be unavailable in the future on acceptable terms, if at all. Our business liability insurance has no specific provisions for potential liability for Internet security breaches.

 

A security breach of our internal systems or those of our customers could harm our business.

 

Because we provide Internet security, we may become a greater target for attacks by computer hackers. We will not succeed unless the marketplace is confident that we provide effective Internet security protection. Networks protected by our products may be vulnerable to electronic break-ins. Because the techniques used by computer hackers to access or sabotage networks change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques. Although we have not experienced any act of sabotage or unauthorized access by a third party of our internal network to date, if an actual or perceived breach of Internet security occurs in our internal systems or those of our end-user customers, regardless of whether we cause the breach, it could adversely affect the market perception of our products and services. This could cause us to lose current and potential customers, resellers, distributors or other business partners. If any of the above occurs, our revenues could decline and our business could suffer.

 

If our products do not interoperate with our end customers’ networks, installations could be delayed or cancelled, which could significantly reduce our revenues.

 

Our products are designed to interface with our end user customers’ existing networks, each of which have different specifications and utilize multiple protocol standards. Many of our end user customers’ networks contain multiple generations of products that have been added over time as these networks have grown and evolved. Our products must interoperate with all of the products within these networks as well as with future products that might be added to these networks in order to meet our end customers’ requirements. If we find errors in the existing software used in our end customers’ networks, we may elect to modify our software to fix or overcome these errors so that our products will interoperate and scale with their existing software and hardware. If our products do not interoperate with those within our end user customers’ networks, installations could be delayed or orders for our products could be cancelled, which could significantly reduce our revenues.

 

Reductions in purchases by our original equipment manufacturer customers may result in a decline in revenue.

 

We have OEM relationships with two primary original equipment manufacturers, 3Com and Cisco. Revenues from OEM relationships have fallen to 4% of total revenue in 2003, from 9% of total revenue in 2002 and 12% of total revenue in 2001. We have given notice of our election not to continue the OEM relationship with 3Com beyond the June 30, 2004 expiration of the current renewal term, however we have accepted non-cancelable purchase orders from 3Com to supply product beyond the contract expiration date. As revenues from OEM relationships decline, revenues from other portions of the business will need to increase in order to grow overall revenue. If we are unable to grow revenues in other areas sufficiently to offset the loss of revenue from the OEM business, our revenue would decline and your investment in our common stock may decline in value.

 

Potential future acquisitions could be difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute shareholder value and adversely affect our operating results.

 

Although we did not make any acquisitions during the nine months ended September 30, 2004, or in 2003 or 2002, we may make acquisitions or investments in other companies, products or technologies in the future. If we acquire other businesses in the future, we will be required to integrate operations, train, retain and motivate the personnel of these entities as well. We may be unable to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies if we fail in these efforts. Similarly, acquisitions may cause disruptions in our operations and divert management’s attention from day-to-day operations, which could impair our relationships with our current employees, customers and strategic partners.

 

We may have to incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any future acquisitions. The issuance of equity securities for any acquisition could be substantially dilutive to our shareholders. In addition, due to acquisitions made in the past our profitability has suffered because of acquisition-related costs, amortization costs and impairment losses for acquired goodwill and other intangible assets.

 

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Industry consolidation may lead to increased competition and may harm our operating results.

 

There has been a trend toward industry consolidation in our market. We expect this trend toward industry consolidation to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their market positions in an evolving industry and as companies are acquired or are unable to continue operations. We believe that industry consolidation may result in stronger competitors that are better able to compete with us. This could lead to more variability in operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

Product errors or defects could result in loss of revenue, delayed market acceptance and claims against us.

 

We offer a one and two year warranty periods on our products. During the warranty period end users may receive a repaired or replacement product for any defective unit subject to completion of certain procedural requirements. Our products may contain undetected errors or defects. If there is a product failure, we may have to replace all affected products without being able to record revenue for the replacement units, or we may have to refund the purchase price for such units if the defect cannot be resolved. Despite extensive testing, some errors are discovered only after a product has been installed and used by customers. Any errors discovered after commercial release could result in loss of revenue and claims against us. Such product defects can negatively impact our products’ reputation and result in reduced sales.

 

If we are unable to meet our future capital requirements, our business will be harmed.

 

We expect our cash on hand, cash equivalents and commercial credit facilities to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next twelve months. However, at any time, we may decide to raise additional capital to take advantage of strategic opportunities available or attractive financing terms. If we issue equity securities, shareholders may experience additional dilution or the new equity securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing holders of common stock. If we cannot raise funds, if needed, on acceptable terms, we may not be able to develop or enhance our products, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

Governmental regulations affecting Internet security could affect our revenue.

 

Any additional governmental regulation of imports or exports or failure to obtain required export approval of our encryption technologies could adversely affect our international and domestic sales. The United States and various foreign governments have imposed controls, export license requirements and restrictions on the import or export of some technologies, especially encryption technology. In addition, from time to time, governmental agencies have proposed additional regulation of encryption technology, such as requiring the escrow and governmental recovery of private encryption keys. Additional regulation of encryption technology could delay or prevent the acceptance and use of encryption products and public networks for secure communications. This, in turn, could decrease demand for our products and services. In addition, some foreign competitors are subject to less stringent controls on exporting their encryption technologies. As a result, they may be able to compete more effectively than we can in the United States and the international Internet security market.

 

In particular, in response to terrorist activity, governments could enact additional regulation or restrictions on the use, import or export of encryption technology. Additional regulation of encryption technology could delay or prevent the acceptance and use of encryption products and public networks for secure communications. This might decrease demand for our products and services. In addition, some foreign competitors are subject to less stringent controls on exporting their encryption technologies. As a result, they may be able to compete more effectively than we can in the domestic and international network security market.

 

Our stock price may be volatile.

 

The market price of our common stock has been highly volatile and has fluctuated significantly in the past. We believe that it may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future in response to the following factors, some of which are beyond our control:

 

  general economic decline, and the effect that decline has upon customers’ purchasing decisions;

 

  variations in quarterly operating results;

 

  changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

 

  changes in market valuations of technology and Internet infrastructure companies;

 

  announcements by us of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

  loss of a major client or failure to complete significant license transactions;

 

  additions or departures of key personnel;

 

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  sales of common stock in the future; and

 

  fluctuations in stock market price and volume, which are particularly common among highly volatile securities of Internet-related companies.

 

The long sales and implementation cycles for our products may cause revenues and operating results to vary significantly.

 

An end customer’s decision to purchase our products often involves a significant commitment of its resources and a lengthy evaluation and product qualification process. Throughout the sales cycle, we often spend considerable time educating and providing information to prospective customers regarding the use and benefits of our products. Budget constraints and the need for multiple approvals within enterprises, carriers and government entities may also delay the purchase decision. Failure to obtain the required approval for a particular project or purchase decision may delay the purchase of our products. As a result, the sales cycle for our security solutions could be longer than 90 days.

 

Even after making the decision to purchase our products, our end customers may not deploy our products broadly within their networks. The timing of implementation can vary widely and depends on the skill set of the end customer, the size of the network deployment, the complexity of the end customer’s network environment and the degree of specialized hardware and software configuration necessary to deploy our products. End customers with large networks usually expand their networks in large increments on a periodic basis. Large deployments and purchases of our security systems also require a significant outlay of capital from end customers. If the deployment of our products in these complex network environments is slower than expected, our revenue could be below our expectations and our operating results could be adversely affected.

 

The inability to obtain any third-party license required to develop new products and product enhancements could require us to obtain substitute technology of lower quality or performance standards or at greater cost, which could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We license technology from third parties to develop new products or product enhancements. Third-party licenses may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. The inability to obtain third-party licenses required to develop new products or product enhancements could require us to obtain substitute technology of lower quality or performance standards or at greater cost, which could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our operating results could fall below expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

 

Our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in this report is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate significant estimates used in preparing our financial statements, including those related to: sales returns and allowances; bad debt; inventory reserves; warranty reserves; restructuring reserves; intangible assets; and deferred taxes.

 

We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in this annual report, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Examples of such estimates include, but are not limited to, those associated with valuation allowances and accrued liabilities, specifically sales returns and other allowances, allowances for doubtful accounts and warranty reserves. SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill and other indefinite lived intangibles no longer be amortized to earnings, but instead be reviewed for impairment on an annual basis or on an interim basis if circumstances change or if events occur that would reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. We did not incur a goodwill impairment charge in 2003. Actual results may differ from these and other estimates if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our operating results to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

 

While we believe that we currently have adequate internal controls over financial reporting, we are exposed to risks from recent legislation requiring companies to evaluate those internal controls.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires our management to report on, and our independent auditors to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. We have an ongoing program to perform the system and process evaluation and testing necessary to comply with these requirements. This legislation is relatively new and neither companies nor accounting firms have significant experience in complying with its requirements. As a result, we expect to incur increased expense and to devote additional management resources to Section 404 compliance. In addition, it is difficult for management to predict how long it will take to complete the assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. This results in a heightened risk of unexpected delays to completing the project

 

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on a timely basis. In the event that our chief executive officer, chief financial officer or independent auditors determine that our internal controls over financial reporting are not effective as defined under Section 404, we cannot predict how the market or regulators will react.

 

Seasonality and concentration of revenues at the end of the quarter could cause our revenues to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

 

The growth rate of our domestic and international sales has been and may continue to be lower in the summer months, when businesses often defer purchasing decisions. Also, as a result of customer buying patterns and the efforts of our sales force to meet or exceed quarterly and year-end quotas, historically we have received a substantial portion of a quarter’s sales orders and earned a substantial portion of a quarter’s revenues during its last month of each quarter. If expected revenues at the end of any quarter are delayed, our revenues for that quarter could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

 

Our business is especially subject to the risks of earthquakes, floods and other natural catastrophic events, and to interruption by manmade problems such as computer viruses or terrorism.

 

Our corporate headquarters, including certain of our research and development operations and our manufacturing facilities, are located in the Silicon Valley area of Northern California, a region known for seismic activity. Additionally, certain of our facilities, which include one of our contracted manufacturing facilities, are located near rivers that have experienced flooding in the past. A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake or a flood, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. In addition, despite our implementation of network security measures, our servers are vulnerable to computer viruses, break-ins, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our computer systems. Any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. In addition, the effects of war or acts of terrorism could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. The continued threat of terrorism and heightened security and military action in response to this threat, or any future acts of terrorism, may cause further disruptions to these economies and create further uncertainties. To the extent that such disruptions or uncertainties result in delays, curtailment or cancellations of customer orders, or the manufacture or shipment of our products, our revenues, gross margins and operating margins may decline and make it necessary for us to gain significant market share from our competitors in order to achieve our financial goals and achieve or maintain profitability.

 

We face risks associated with changes in telecommunications regulation and tariffs.

 

Changes in telecommunications requirements in the United States or other countries could affect the sales of our products. In particular, we believe it is possible that there may be changes in U.S. telecommunications regulations in the future that could slow the expansion of the service providers’ network infrastructures and materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. Future changes in tariffs by regulatory agencies or application of tariff requirements to currently untariffed services could affect the sales of our products for certain classes of customers. Additionally, in the United States, our products must comply with various Federal Communications Commission requirements and regulations. In countries outside of the United States, our products must meet various requirements of local telecommunications authorities. Changes in tariffs or failure by us to obtain timely approval of products could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

Due to the global nature of our business, economic or social conditions or changes in a particular country or region could adversely affect our sales or increase our costs and expenses, which would have a material adverse impact on our financial condition.

 

We conduct significant sales and customer support operations in countries outside of the United States. Accordingly, our future results could be materially adversely affected by a variety of uncontrollable and changing factors including, among others, political or social unrest or economic instability in a specific country or region; macro economic conditions adversely affecting geographies where we do business, trade protection measures and other regulatory requirements which may affect our ability to import or export our products from various countries; and government spending patterns affected by political considerations; and difficulties in staffing and managing international operations. Any or all of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our revenue, costs, expenses and financial condition.

 

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Interest rates risk

 

Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 115, “Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities,” we classified our short-term investments as available-for-sale. Consequently, investments are recorded on the balance sheet at the fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. As of September 30, 2004, our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments included money-markets securities, corporate bonds, municipal bonds and commercial paper which are subject to no interest rate risk when held to maturity, but may increase or decrease in value if interest rates change prior to maturity.

 

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As stated in our investment policy, we are averse to principal loss and ensure the safety and preservation of our invested funds by limiting default and market risk. We mitigate default risk by investing in only investment-grade instruments. We do not use derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio.

 

The majority of our short-term investments maturing in more than one year are readily tradeable in 7 to 28 days. Due to this and the short duration of the balance of our investment portfolio, we believe an immediate 10% change in interest rates would be immaterial to our financial condition or results of operations.

 

The following table presents the amounts of our short-term investments that are subject to market risk by range of expected maturity and weighted average interest rates as of September 30, 2004:

 

     Maturing In

    

Less than

one year


   

More
than

one year


    Total

     (in thousands, except percentage data)

Short-term investments

   $ 162,020     $ 59,551     $ 221,571

Weighted average interest rate

     1.85 %     2.40 %      

 

Foreign currency risk

 

We consider our exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations to be minimal. We invoice substantially all of our foreign customers from the United States in U.S. dollars and substantially all revenue is collected in U.S. dollars. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we earned approximately 31% of our revenue from international markets, which in the future may be denominated in various currencies. As a result, in the future our operating results may become subject to significant fluctuations based upon changes in the exchange rates of some currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar and diverging economic conditions in foreign markets. In addition, because our sales are denominated in U.S. dollars, the weakness of a foreign country’s currency against the dollar could increase the price of our products in such country and reduce our product unit sales by making our products more expensive in the local currency. Although we will continue to monitor our exposure to currency fluctuations, we cannot assure you that exchange rate fluctuations will not affect adversely our financial results in the future. In addition, we have minimal cash balances denominated in foreign currencies. We do not enter into forward exchange contracts to hedge exposures denominated in foreign currencies and do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Our management evaluated, with the participation of our chief executive officer and our chief accounting officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, our chief executive officer and our chief accounting officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are sufficiently effective, except as discussed below, to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including cost limitations, the possibility of human error, judgments and assumptions regarding the likelihood of future events, and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures. Accordingly, even effective disclosure controls and procedures can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.

 

Our independent auditors have advised us and the Company’s Audit Committee, in connection with the completion of their review of the fiscal third quarter of 2004, that they had identified certain matters involving the operation of our internal controls that they consider to be a material weakness. As a result of the logistical oversight by one of our primary freight carriers, a material shipment of products was not picked up by the carrier in a timely manner on the last day of the calendar quarter. This error was not detected by our internal controls over financial reporting and was noted by our independent auditors. Our independent auditors also noted that a certain sales transaction that occurred during fiscal third quarter of 2004 did not adequately meet criteria that persuasive evidence of an arrangement existed. In both instances, the Company concurs with these conclusions and is in the process of implementing appropriate changes to our internal controls designed to detect such errors in the future. The adjustments associated with the findings of our independent auditors were made prior to the public release of our results of the fiscal third quarter of 2004 and do not affect previously announced results.

 

Other than described above, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

The information set forth in the section entitled “Legal proceedings” in Note 8 of Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q is hereby incorporated by reference.

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

None

 

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

 

None

 

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

None

 

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ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

 

None

 

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

Number

 

Description


10.1   SonicWALL, Inc. Stock Option Agreement dated July 29, 2004
10.2   SonicWALL, Inc. Stock Option Agreement dated July 29, 2004
10.3   SonicWALL, Inc. Matthew Medeiros Employment Agreement as amended and restated July 29, 2004
10.4   SonicWALL, Inc 1998 Stock Option Plan Amendment to Outside Director Stock Option Agreements dated July 29, 2004
10.5   SonicWALL, Inc. Stock Option Agreement dated July 29, 2004
31.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15-(e), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2   Certification of Chief Accounting Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a(15(e) and 15d-15(e), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Accounting Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Sunnyvale, State of California.

 

SONICWALL, INC.

By:

 

/s/ Robert Knauff


   

Robert Knauff

Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller

(Chief Accounting Officer and

Authorized Signer)

 

Dated: November 9, 2004

 

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Number

 

Description


10.1   SonicWALL, Inc. Stock Option Agreement dated July 29, 2004
10.2   SonicWALL, Inc. Stock Option Agreement dated July 29, 2004
10.3   SonicWALL, Inc. Matthew Medeiros Employment Agreement as amended and restated July 29, 2004
10.4   SonicWALL, Inc 1998 Stock Option Plan Amendment to Outside Director Stock Option Agreements dated July 29, 2004
10.5   SonicWALL, Inc. Stock Option Agreement dated July 29, 2004
31.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15-(e), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2   Certification of Chief Accounting Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a(15(e) and 15d-15(e), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Accounting Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

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