Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on March 16, 2020 (the “Form 10-K”), and investors are encouraged to review such risk factors prior to making an investment in the Company.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have materially affected how we and our customers are operating our businesses, and the duration and extent to which this will impact our future results of operations and overall financial performance remains uncertain.
In December 2019, a novel coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) was reported and in January 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On February 28, 2020, the WHO raised its assessment of the COVID-19 threat from high to very high at a global level due to the continued increase in the number of cases and affected countries, and on March 11, 2020, the WHO characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. A significant outbreak of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the broader economies, financial markets and overall demand environment for our products.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have temporarily closed our offices and several other impacted locations and implemented certain travel restrictions, both of which have begun to disrupt how we operate our business. We have shifted certain of our customer events to virtual-only experiences and we may deem it advisable to similarly alter, postpone or cancel entirely additional customer, employee or industry events in the future. Moreover, the conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic can affect the rate of IT spending and could adversely affect our customers’ ability or willingness to attend our events or to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers’ purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services to our customers, delay the provisioning of our offerings, lengthen payment terms, reduce the value or duration of their subscription contracts, or affect attrition rates, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance.
Our operations have also begun to be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. For example, many cities, counties, states, and even countries have imposed or may impose a wide range of restrictions on our employees, partners and customers physical movement to limit the spread of COVID-19. If the COVID-19 pandemic has a substantial impact on our employees, partners or customers attendance or productivity, our results of operations and overall financial performance may be harmed.
The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of the virus, the extent and effectiveness of containment actions and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and vendors. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively, our business will be harmed and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could cause or contribute to the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Form 10-K.
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