|
|
Year ended December 31, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share and share data)
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Operations:
|
|
|
|
Revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Products
|
|
$ |
28,756 |
|
|
$ |
25,073 |
|
|
$ |
27,121 |
|
|
$ |
29,641 |
|
|
$ |
40,852 |
|
Services
|
|
|
5,388 |
|
|
|
7,429 |
|
|
|
9,980 |
|
|
|
12,110 |
|
|
|
16,120 |
|
Total revenues
|
|
|
34,144 |
|
|
|
32,502 |
|
|
|
37,101 |
|
|
|
41,751 |
|
|
|
56,972 |
|
Cost of revenues(1):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Products
|
|
|
6,435 |
|
|
|
6,603 |
|
|
|
8,198 |
|
|
|
10,094 |
|
|
|
14,015 |
|
Services
|
|
|
1,162 |
|
|
|
1,416 |
|
|
|
1,498 |
|
|
|
1,741 |
|
|
|
1,970 |
|
Total cost of revenues
|
|
|
7,597 |
|
|
|
8,019 |
|
|
|
9,696 |
|
|
|
11,835 |
|
|
|
15,985 |
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
26,547 |
|
|
|
24,483 |
|
|
|
27,405 |
|
|
|
29,916 |
|
|
|
40,987 |
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research and development, gross
|
|
|
9,340 |
|
|
|
11,755 |
|
|
|
14,635 |
|
|
|
11,705 |
|
|
|
14,038 |
|
Less royalty-bearing participation
|
|
|
1,811 |
|
|
|
2,371 |
|
|
|
2,671 |
|
|
|
2,440 |
|
|
|
2,774 |
|
Research and development, net(1)
|
|
|
7,529 |
|
|
|
9,384 |
|
|
|
11,964 |
|
|
|
9,265 |
|
|
|
11,264 |
|
Sales and marketing(1)
|
|
|
15,457 |
|
|
|
18,081 |
|
|
|
19,781 |
|
|
|
20,408 |
|
|
|
22,021 |
|
General and administrative(1)
|
|
|
3,464 |
|
|
|
5,583 |
|
|
|
6,174 |
|
|
|
5,541 |
|
|
|
5,473 |
|
In process research and development
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
244 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
26,450 |
|
|
|
33,048 |
|
|
|
38,163 |
|
|
|
35,214 |
|
|
|
38,758 |
|
Operating income (loss)
|
|
|
97 |
|
|
|
(8,565 |
) |
|
|
(10,758 |
) |
|
|
(5,298 |
) |
|
|
2,229 |
|
Financing and other income (expenses), net
|
|
|
630 |
|
|
|
(845 |
) |
|
|
(5,517 |
) |
|
|
(2,311 |
) |
|
|
(7,907 |
) |
Income (loss) before income tax expenses (benefit)
|
|
|
727 |
|
|
|
(9,410 |
) |
|
|
(16,275 |
) |
|
|
(7,609 |
) |
|
|
(5,678 |
) |
Income tax expenses (benefit)
|
|
|
111 |
|
|
|
530 |
|
|
|
220 |
|
|
|
63 |
|
|
|
84 |
|
Net income (loss)
|
|
$ |
616 |
|
|
$ |
(9,940 |
) |
|
$ |
(16,495 |
) |
|
$ |
(7,672 |
) |
|
$ |
(5,762 |
) |
Basic and diluted net earnings (loss) per share
|
|
$ |
0.04 |
|
|
$ |
(0.46 |
) |
|
$ |
(0.75 |
) |
|
$ |
(0.35 |
) |
|
$ |
(0.25 |
) |
Weighted average number of shares used in computing basic net earnings (loss) per share
|
|
|
14,402,338 |
|
|
|
21,525,822 |
|
|
|
22,054,211 |
|
|
|
22,185,702 |
|
|
|
22,831,014 |
|
Weighted average number of shares used in computing diluted net earnings (loss) per share
|
|
|
16,423,227 |
|
|
|
21,525,822 |
|
|
|
22,054,211 |
|
|
|
22,185,702 |
|
|
|
22,831,014 |
|
___________________________
(1)
|
Includes stock-based compensation expense related to options granted to employees and others as follows:
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
$ |
15 |
|
|
$ |
48 |
|
|
$ |
50 |
|
|
$ |
104 |
|
|
$ |
95 |
|
Research and development expenses, net
|
|
|
157 |
|
|
|
230 |
|
|
|
321 |
|
|
|
357 |
|
|
|
352 |
|
Sales and marketing expenses
|
|
|
650 |
|
|
|
340 |
|
|
|
465 |
|
|
|
775 |
|
|
|
851 |
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
539 |
|
|
|
743 |
|
|
|
866 |
|
|
|
1,062 |
|
|
|
692 |
|
Total
|
|
$ |
1,361 |
|
|
$ |
1,361 |
|
|
$ |
1,702 |
|
|
$ |
2,298 |
|
|
$ |
1,990 |
|
|
|
At December 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
|
|
Consolidated balance sheet data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$ |
7,117 |
|
|
$ |
28,101 |
|
|
$ |
40,029 |
|
|
$ |
36,470 |
|
|
$ |
42,858 |
|
Marketable securities
|
|
|
76,114 |
|
|
|
42,614 |
|
|
|
15,319 |
|
|
|
14,490 |
|
|
|
15,531 |
|
Working capital
|
|
|
75,182 |
|
|
|
37,225 |
|
|
|
40,688 |
|
|
|
38,179 |
|
|
|
59,841 |
|
Total assets
|
|
|
99,506 |
|
|
|
94,655 |
|
|
|
82,851 |
|
|
|
82,943 |
|
|
|
95,187 |
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
15,319 |
|
|
|
17,470 |
|
|
|
19,672 |
|
|
|
22,531 |
|
|
|
30,199 |
|
Accumulated deficit
|
|
|
(37,268 |
) |
|
|
(47,208 |
) |
|
|
(63,703 |
) |
|
|
(63,694 |
) |
|
|
(69,456 |
) |
Share capital
|
|
|
456 |
|
|
|
480 |
|
|
|
482 |
|
|
|
492 |
|
|
|
527 |
|
Total shareholders’ equity
|
|
|
84,187 |
|
|
|
77,185 |
|
|
|
63,179 |
|
|
|
60,412 |
|
|
|
64,988 |
|
B. Capitalization and Indebtedness
Not applicable.
C. Reasons for Offer and Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
D. Risk Factors
Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below, together with the financial and other information contained in this annual report, before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations would suffer. In this case, the trading price of our ordinary shares would likely decline and you might lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks that we currently do not know about or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also impair our business operations.
Risks Relating to Our Business
We have a history of losses, may incur future losses and may not achieve profitability.
We incurred net losses in each fiscal year since 1997, when we commenced operations, through 2010, other than 2006. We had a net loss of $5.8 million in 2010 of which $7.7 million resulted from a realized loss related to the sale of our portfolio of auction-rate securities, or ARS, compared to a net loss of $7.7 million in 2009 of which $3.0 million resulted from a net impairment charge related to ARS and a net loss of $16.5 million in 2008 of which $7.7 million resulted from an impairment charge related to ARS. During 2010, we sold our entire ARS portfolio. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to achieve profitability and we may incur losses in in the future if we do not generate sufficient revenues.
We may be unable to compete effectively with other companies in our market who offer, or may in the future offer, competing technologies.
We compete in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive sector of the networking technology market. Our principal competitors are Cisco Systems, Inc. and Sandvine Inc. in the service provider market, including the segment of the largest service providers, referred to as Tier 1 operators, and Blue Coat Systems, Inc. in the enterprise market. Our competitors have also identified the potential market opportunity of Tier 1 operators and we therefore expect intensive competition in this segment in the future. We also compete with a number of smaller competitors, such as CloudShield Technologies, Inc. and Procera Networks, Inc., and we compete indirectly with router and switch infrastructure companies with features that address some of the problems that our products address. We also face competition from companies that offer partial or alternative solutions addressing only one aspect of the challenges facing broadband providers, such as network monitoring or security. Our competitors may announce new products, services or enhancements that better meet the needs of customers or changing industry requirements, or may offer alternative methods to achieve customer objectives. One of our direct competitors, Cisco Systems, is substantially larger than we are and has significantly greater financial, sales and marketing, technical, manufacturing and other resources. The entry of new competitors into our market and acquisitions of our existing competitors by companies with significant resources and established relationships with our potential customers could result in increased competition and harm our business. Increased competition may cause price reductions, reduced gross margins and loss of market share, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or result of operations.
We may become dependent on one or more significant customers, and the loss of any such significant customer could harm our results of operations.
The loss of any significant customer or a significant decrease in business from any such customer could harm our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, revenues from individual customers may fluctuate from time to time based on the timing and the terms under which further orders are received and the duration of the delivery and implementation of such orders. During 2008, no single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenues. We derived 30% and 15% of our total revenues in 2010 and 2009, respectively, from one global Tier 1 mobile operator group.
Our revenues and business will be harmed if we do not keep pace with changes in broadband applications and with advances in technology.
We will need to invest heavily in the continued development our technology in order to keep pace with rapid changes in applications, increased broadband network speeds and with our competitors’ efforts to advance their technology. Designers of broadband applications that our products identify and manage are using increasingly sophisticated methods to avoid detection and management by network operators. Even if our products successfully identify a particular application, it is sometimes necessary to distinguish between different types of traffic belonging to a single application. Accordingly, we face significant challenges in ensuring that we identify new applications and new versions of current application, as they are introduced without impacting network performance, especially as networks become faster. This challenge is increased as we seek to expand sales of our products in new geographic territories because the applications vary from country to country and region to region. If we fail to address the needs of customers in particular geographic markets and if we fail to develop enhancements to our products in order to keep pace with advances in technology, our business and revenues will be adversely affected.
The network equipment market is subject to rapid technological progress and to compete we need to achieve widespread market acceptance.
The network equipment market is characterized by rapid technological progress, frequent new product introductions, changes in customer requirements and evolving industry standards. Developments in routers and routing software could also significantly reduce demand for and sales of our products, and cause our products to become obsolete, which may result in inventory write downs. Alternative technologies could achieve widespread market acceptance and displace the technology on which we have based our product architecture. We can give no assurance that our technological approach will achieve broad market acceptance or that other technology or devices will not supplant our products and technology.
Demand for our products may be impacted by government regulation of the telecommunications industry.
Carriers are subject to government regulation in a number of jurisdictions in which we sell our products. There are several proposals in the United States and Europe for regulating service providers’ ability to prioritize applications in their networks. Advocates for regulating this industry claim that collecting premium fees from certain “preferred” applications would distort the market for Internet applications in favor of larger and better-funded content providers and would impact end users who purchased broadband access only to experience differing response times in interacting with various content providers. Opponents believe that content providers who support bandwidth-intensive applications should be required to pay service providers a premium in order to support further network investments. In August 2008, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission issued a ruling prohibiting Comcast, the second-largest broadband provider in the United States, from delaying some peer-to-peer traffic on its network. Comcast filed a court appeal in September 2008 seeking a review of such ruling. In April 2010, a federal appeals court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission had limited power over Web traffic under current law. In December 2010, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules, which would give the agency regulatory power over Internet service providers in order to prevent them from blocking or unreasonably discriminating against Web content, services or applications. Several service providers filed legal appeals challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to enforce such network neutrality rules. Demand from carriers for the traffic management and subscriber management features of our products could be adversely affected if regulations prohibit, or limit, service providers from managing traffic on their networks. A decrease in demand for these features could adversely impact sales of our products.
We need to increase the functionality of our products and offer additional features and value added services in order to maintain or increase our profitability.
The market in which we operate is highly competitive and unless we continue to enhance the functionality of our products and add additional features, our competitiveness may be harmed and the average selling prices for our products will decrease over time. Such a decrease generally results from the introduction by competitors of competing products and from the standardization of DPI technology. To counter this trend, we endeavor to enhance our products by offering higher system speeds, and additional features and value added services, such as additional security and video functions, supporting additional applications and enhanced reporting tools. We may also need to reduce our per unit manufacturing costs at a rate equal to or faster than the rate at which selling prices decline. If we are unable to reduce these costs or to offer increased functionally and features, our profitability may be adversely affected.
Under the current laws of some jurisdictions in which we operate, we may not be able to enforce employees’ covenants not to compete and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees.
It is our practice to have our employees sign appropriate non-compete agreements where permitted under applicable law. These agreements prohibit our employees, if they cease working for us, from competing directly with us or working for our competitors for a limited period. Under the current laws of some jurisdictions in which we operate, we may be unable to enforce these agreements and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from gaining the expertise our former employees gained while working for us.
Sales of our products to large service providers can involve a lengthy sales cycle, which may impact the timing of our revenues and result in us expending significant resources without making any sales.
The length of our sales cycles to large service providers, including carriers, mobile operators and cable operators, is generally lengthy because these end-customers consider our products to be capital equipment and undertake significant testing to assess the performance of our products within their networks. As a result, we often invest significant time from initial contact with a large service provider until that end-customer decides to incorporate our products in its network. We may also expend significant resources attempting to persuade large service providers to incorporate our products into their networks without success. Even after deciding to purchase our products, initial network deployment of our products by a large service provider may last up to three years. If a competitor succeeds in convincing a large service provider to adopt that competitor’s product, it may be difficult for us to displace the competitor because of the cost, time, effort and perceived risk to network stability involved in changing solutions. As a result, we may incur significant expense without generating any sales.
We depend for a material portion of our business on third parties to market, sell, install, and provide initial technical support for our products.
We depend for a material portion of our business on third party channel partners, such as distributors, resellers, OEMs and system integrators, to market and sell our products to end-customers. Our channel partners are also responsible for installing our products and providing initial customer support for them. As a result, we depend on the ability of our channel partners to market and sell our products successfully to these end-customers. We also depend on our ability to maintain our relationships with existing channel partners and develop relationships in key markets with new channel partners. We cannot assure you that our channel partners will market our products effectively, receive and fulfill customer orders of our products on a timely basis or continue to devote the resources necessary to provide us with effective sales, marketing and technical support. In addition, any failure by our channel partners to provide adequate initial support to end-customers could result in customer dissatisfaction with us or our products, which could result in a loss of customers, harm our reputation and delay or limit market acceptance of our products. Our products are complex and it takes time for a new channel partner to gain experience in their operation and installation. Therefore, it may take a period of time before a new channel partner can successfully market, sell and support our products if an existing channel partner ceases to sell our products.
Our agreements with channel partners are generally not exclusive and our channel partners may market and sell products that compete with our products. Our agreements with our distributors and resellers are usually for an initial one-year term and following the expiration of this term, they can be terminated by either party. We can give no assurance that these agreements will not be terminated upon proper notice and any such termination may adversely affect our profitability and results of operations.
The complexity and scope of the solutions and services we provide to larger service providers is increasing. Larger projects entail greater operational risk and an increased chance of failure.
The complexity and scope of the solutions and services we provide to larger service providers is increasing. The larger and more complex such projects are, the greater the operational risks associated with such projects. These risks include failure to fully integrate our products into the service provider’s network, with third party products and complex environments, and our dependence on subcontractors and partners for the successful and timely completion of such projects. Failure to complete a larger project successfully could expose us to potential contractual penalties, claims for breach of contract and in extreme cases, to cancellation of the entire project, or increase the likelihood we have difficulty in collecting payment and recognizing revenues.
We are dependent on our traffic management systems and network management application suites for the substantial majority of our revenues.
In the past three years, we increased sales of our Service Gateway platforms and our SMP network management application suite. However, sales of our NetEnforcer traffic management system and NetXplorer network management system continued to account for a significant portion of our revenues in 2010 and we currently expect these systems will continue to account for a considerable portion of our revenues for the immediate future. As a result, any factor adversely affecting our ability to sell, or the pricing of or demand for, our NetEnforcer traffic management system and NetXplorer network management system would severely harm our ability to generate revenues.
We integrate various third-party solutions into, or together with, our products and may integrate or offer additional third-party solutions in the future. If we lose the right to use such solutions, our sales could be disrupted and we would have to spend additional capital to replace such components.
We integrate various third-party solutions into, or together with, our products and may integrate or offer additional third-party solutions in the future. Sales of our products could be disrupted if such third party solutions were either no longer available to us or no longer offered to us on commercially reasonable terms. In either case, we would be required to spend additional capital to either redesign our products to function with alternate third party solutions or develop substitute components ourselves. We might as a result be forced to limit the features available in our current or future product offerings.
Our products are highly technical, and any undetected software or hardware errors in our products could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Our products are complex and are incorporated into broadband networks which are a major source of revenue for service providers and which support critical applications for subscribers and enterprises. Due to the complexity of our products and variations among customers’ network environments, we may not detect product defects until full deployment in our customers’ networks. Regardless of whether warranty coverage exists for a product, we may be required to dedicate significant technical resources to resolve any defects. If we encounter significant product problems, we could experience, among other things, loss of major customers, cancellation of product orders, increased costs, delay in recognizing revenues, and damage to our reputation. In addition, we could face claims for product liability, tort, or breach of warranty. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, is costly and may divert management’s attention. In addition, if our business liability insurance is inadequate or future coverage is unavailable on acceptable terms or at all, our financial condition could be harmed.
Demand for our products depends in part on the rate of adoption of bandwidth-intensive broadband applications, such as Internet video and online video gaming applications and applications highly sensitive to network delays such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).
Our products are used by service providers and enterprises to monitor and manage bandwidth-intensive applications that cause congestion in broadband networks and impact the quality of experience of users. Demand for our products is driven particularly by the growth in applications, which are highly sensitive to network delays and therefore require efficient network management. These applications include VoIP, Internet video and television and online video gaming applications. If the rapid growth in adoption of VoIP and in the popularity of Internet video and online video gaming applications does not continue, the demand for our products may not grow as anticipated.
We currently depend on a single subcontractor to manufacture and provide hardware warranty support for our Service Gateway platforms and our NetEnforcer traffic management systems. If this subcontractor experiences delays, disruptions, quality control problems or a loss in capacity, it could materially adversely affect our operating results.
We currently depend on a single subcontractor, Flextronics (Israel) Ltd., a subsidiary of Flextronics, a global electronics manufacturing, services company, to manufacture, assemble, test, package and provide hardware warranty support for our Service Gateway platforms and our NetEnforcer traffic management systems. In addition, our agreement with Flextronics (Israel) requires it to procure and store key components for our products at its facilities. If Flextronics (Israel) experiences delays, disruptions or quality control problems in manufacturing our products, or if we fail to effectively manage the relationship with it, shipments of products to our customers may be delayed and our ability to deliver products to customers could be materially adversely affected. Our agreement with Flextronics (Israel) is automatically renewed annually for additional one-year terms. Flextronics (Israel) may terminate our agreement at any time during the term upon 180 days prior notice. We expect that it would take approximately six months to transition manufacturing of our products to an alternate manufacturer and our inventory of completed products may not be sufficient for us to continue delivering products to our customers on a timely basis during any such transition. Therefore, the loss of Flextronics (Israel) would adversely affect our sales and operating results, and harm our reputation.
Certain hardware components for our products come from single or limited sources, and we could lose sales if these sources fail to satisfy our supply requirements.
Certain hardware components used in our products are obtained from single or limited sources. Since our systems have been designed to incorporate these specific components, any change in these components due to an interruption in supply or our inability to obtain such components on a timely basis would require engineering changes to our products before we could incorporate substitute components. Such changes could be costly and result in lost sales. In particular, the central processing unit for our Service Gateway platforms and our NetEnforcer AC-1400, AC-3000, AC-5000 and AC-10000 is from NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. The agreements with our suppliers do not contain any minimum purchase or supply commitments.
If we or our contract manufacturer fail to obtain components in sufficient quantities when required, our business could be harmed. Our suppliers also sell products to our competitors. Our suppliers may enter into exclusive arrangements with our competitors, stop selling their products or components to us at commercially reasonable prices or refuse to sell their products or components to us at any price. Our inability to obtain sufficient quantities of single-source or limited-sourced components, or to develop alternative sources for components or products would harm our ability to maintain and expand our business.
If we fail to attract and retain skilled employees, we may not be able to timely develop, sell or support our products.
Our success depends in large part on the continued contribution of our research and development, sales and marketing and managerial personnel. If our business continues to grow, we will need to hire additional qualified research and development, sales and marketing and managerial personnel to succeed. The process of hiring, training and successfully integrating qualified personnel into our operation is a lengthy and expensive one. The market for qualified personnel is very competitive because of the limited number of people available with the necessary technical skills, sales skills and understanding of our products and technology. This is particularly true in Israel, where competition for qualified personnel is intense. Our failure to hire and retain qualified personnel could cause our revenues to decline and impair our ability to meet our research and development and sales objectives.
We may expand our business or enhance our technology through acquisitions that could result in diversion of resources and extra expenses. This could disrupt our business and adversely affect our financial condition.
Part of our strategy is to selectively pursue partnerships and acquisitions that provide us access to complementary technologies and accelerate our penetration into new markets. In 2008, we acquired the business of Esphion, a developer of network protection solutions for carriers and internet service providers, which increased the scope of our product offering. The negotiation of acquisitions, investments or joint ventures, as well as the integration of acquired or jointly developed businesses or technologies, could divert our management’s time and resources. Acquired businesses, technologies or joint ventures may not be successfully integrated with our products and operations. We may not realize the intended benefits of any acquisition, investment or joint venture and we may incur future losses from any acquisition, investment or joint venture.
In addition, acquisitions could result in:
|
Ÿ
|
substantial cash expenditures;
|
|
Ÿ
|
potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities;
|
|
Ÿ
|
the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities;
|
|
Ÿ
|
a decrease in our profit margins; and
|
|
Ÿ
|
amortization of intangibles and potential impairment of goodwill.
|
If acquisitions disrupt our operations, our business may suffer.
If we are unable to successfully protect the intellectual property embodied in our technology, our business could be harmed significantly.
Know-how relating to networking protocols, building carrier-grade systems and identifying applications is an important aspect of our intellectual property. To protect our know-how, we customarily require our employees, distributors, resellers, software testers and contractors to execute confidentiality agreements or agree to confidentiality undertakings when their relationship with us begins. Typically, our employment contracts also include the following clauses: assignment of intellectual property rights for all inventions developed by employees, non-disclosure of all confidential information, and non-compete clauses, which generally restrict the employee for six months following termination of employment. The enforceability of non-compete clauses in certain jurisdictions in which we operate may be limited. We cannot provide any assurance that the terms of these agreements are being observed and will be observed in the future. Because our product designs and software are stored electronically and thus are highly portable, we attempt to reduce the portability of our designs and software by physically protecting our servers through the use of closed networks, which prevent external access to our servers. We cannot be certain, however, that such protection will adequately deter individuals or groups from wrongful access to our technology. Monitoring unauthorized use of intellectual property is difficult, and some foreign laws do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the law of the United States. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken to protect our proprietary information will be sufficient. In addition, to protect our intellectual property, we may become involved in litigation, which could result in substantial expenses, divert the attention of management, cause significant delays, materially disrupt the conduct of our business or adversely affect our revenue, financial condition and results of operations.
As of December 31, 2010, we had a limited patent portfolio. We had two issued U.S. patents and three pending U.S. patent applications. While we plan to protect our intellectual property with, among other things, patent protection, there can be no assurance that:
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current or future U.S. or foreign patents applications will be approved;
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our issued patents will protect our intellectual property and not be held invalid or unenforceable if challenged by third parties;
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we will succeed in protecting our technology adequately in all key jurisdictions in which we or our competitors operate;
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the patents of others will not have an adverse effect on our ability to do business; or
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others will not independently develop similar or competing products or methods or design around any patents that may be issued to us.
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The failure to obtain patents, inability to obtain patents with claims of a scope necessary to cover our technology, or the invalidation of our patents, may weaken our competitive position and may adversely affect our revenues.
We may be subject to claims of intellectual property infringement by third parties that, regardless of merit, could result in litigation and our business, operating results or financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
There can be no assurance that we will not receive communications from third parties asserting that our products and other intellectual property infringe, or may infringe their proprietary rights. We are not currently subject to any proceedings for infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights and are not aware of any parties that intend to pursue such claims against us. Any such claim, regardless of merit, could result in litigation, which could result in substantial expenses, divert the attention of management, cause significant delays and materially disrupt the conduct of our business. As a consequence of such claims, we could be required to pay a substantial damage award, develop non-infringing technology, enter into royalty-bearing licensing agreements, stop selling our products or re-brand our products. If it appears necessary, we may seek to license intellectual property that we are alleged to infringe. Such licensing agreements may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Litigation is inherently uncertain and any adverse decision could result in a loss of our proprietary rights, subject us to significant liabilities, require us to seek licenses from others and otherwise negatively affect our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us and our failure or inability to develop non-infringing technology or license the infringed or similar technology, our business, operating results or financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
We use certain “open source” software tools that may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, the assertion of which could impair our product development plans, interfere with our ability to support our clients or require us to pay licensing fees.
Certain of our products contain open source code and we may use more open source code in the future. Open source code is code that is covered by a license agreement that permits the user to liberally copy, modify and distribute the software without cost, provided that users and modifiers abide by certain licensing requirements. The original developers of the open source code provide no warranties on such code.
As a result of our use of open source software, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source code and we may incur expenses in defending claims that we did not abide by the open source code license. If we are not successful in defending against such claims, we may be subject to monetary damages or be required to remove the open source code from our products. Such events could disrupt our operations and the sales of our products, which would negatively impact our revenues and cash flow. In addition, under certain conditions, the use of open source code to create derivative code may obligate us to make the resulting derivative code available to others at no cost. If we are required to publicly disclose the source code for such derivative products or to license our derivative products that use an open source license, our previously proprietary software products would be available to others, including our customers and competitors without charge.
We monitor our use of such open source code to avoid subjecting our products to conditions we do not intend. The use of such open source code, however, may ultimately subject some of our products to unintended conditions so that we are required to take remedial action that may divert resources away from our development efforts.
Unfavorable global economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
The 2008 and 2009 crisis in the financial and credit markets in the United States, Europe and Asia led to a global economic slowdown, with economies in those territories showing significant weakness. Although global economic conditions have stabilized or improved, there is continuing economic uncertainty. If the economies of any part of the world remain uncertain or further deteriorate, many enterprises, telecommunications carriers and service providers may reduce or postpone their capital investments significantly. This could result in reductions in sales of our products or services and longer sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition. We continuously monitor market trends and intend to take such steps as we deem appropriate to adjust our operations. Since a substantial portion of our operating expenses consist of salaries, we may not be able to reduce our operating expenses in line with any reduction in revenues or may elect not to do so for business reasons. We will need to continue to generate increased revenues and manage our costs to achieve profitability. If global economic and market conditions do not improve, or continue to remain uncertain, it may lead to increase in our inventories, decrease our revenues, result in additional pressure on the price of our products, prolong payment terms, and increase the risk that we incur bad debts, each of which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flow from operations.
Our international operations expose us to the risk of fluctuation in currency exchange rates.
Our revenues are generated primarily in U.S. dollars and partially in euros and other currencies. A major portion of our expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars. As a result, we consider the U.S. dollar to be our functional currency. Other significant portion of our expenses is denominated in shekels and to a lesser extent in euros and other Asian currencies. Our shekel-denominated expenses consist principally of salaries and related personnel expenses. We anticipate that a material portion of our expenses will continue to be denominated in shekels. In 2010, the shekel continued to fluctuate against the U.S. dollar, devaluating by approximately 3% in the first half of the year and then appreciating by approximately 8% in the second half of the year. In total, during 2010, the shekel appreciated by 6% against the U.S. dollar. If the U.S. dollar weakens against the shekel or other currencies we are exposed to, there will be a negative impact on our results of operations. We use derivative financial instruments, such as foreign exchange forward contracts, to mitigate the risk of changes in foreign exchange rates on balance sheet accounts and forecast cash flows. We may not purchase derivative instruments adequately to insulate ourselves from foreign currency exchange risks. The volatility in the foreign currency markets may make it challenging to hedge our foreign currency exposures effectively. In addition, since a portion of our revenue is not incurred in dollars, therefore, fluctuations in exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which such revenue is incurred may have a material effect on our results of operations and financial condition and if we wish to maintain the dollar-denominated value of our products in non-U.S. markets, devaluation in the local currencies of our customers relative to the U.S. dollar could cause our customers to cancel or decrease orders or default on payment. See “ITEM 11: Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.”
Risks Related to Our Ordinary Shares
The share price of our ordinary shares has been and may continue to be volatile.
Our quarterly financial performance is likely to vary in the future, and may not meet our expectations or the expectations of analysts or investors, which may lead to additional volatility in our share price. The market price of our ordinary shares may be volatile and could fluctuate substantially due to many factors, including, but not limited, to:
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announcements or introductions of technological innovations or new products, or product enhancements or pricing policies by us or our competitors;
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winning or loss of contracts with service providers;
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disputes or other developments with respect to our or our competitors’ intellectual property rights;
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announcements of strategic partnerships, joint ventures or other agreements by us or our competitors;
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recruitment or departure of key personnel;
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regulatory developments in the markets in which we sell our products;
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our sale of ordinary shares or other securities in the future;
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changes in the estimation of the future size and growth of our markets; or
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market conditions in our industry, the industries of our customers and the economy as a whole.
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Share price fluctuations may be exaggerated if the trading volume of our ordinary shares is too low. The lack of a trading market may result in the loss of research coverage by securities analysts. Moreover, we cannot assure you that any securities analysts will initiate or maintain research coverage of our company and our ordinary shares. If our future quarterly operating results are below the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the price of our ordinary shares would likely decline. Securities class action litigation has often been brought against companies following periods of volatility. In April 2007, we announced that our revenue and earnings estimates for the first quarter of 2007 and that the 2007 fiscal year would be lower than previously projected. The closing price of our ordinary shares on the date following the announcement was $2.04, or 22%, lower than the closing price on the previous day. Subsequently, in May and June 2007, we and certain of our officers and directors were named as defendants in a number of purported securities class action lawsuits filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. See “ITEM 8: Financial Information—Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”
Our shareholders do not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of a U.S. listed company because we have elected to use an exemption available to foreign private issuers from certain NASDAQ corporate governance requirements.
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5615(a)(3) to follow Israeli corporate governance practices instead of the NASDAQ Stock Market requirements that apply to U.S. listed companies. As a condition to following Israeli corporate governance practices, we must disclose which requirements we are not following and the equivalent Israeli requirement. We must also provide NASDAQ with a letter from our outside counsel in our home country, Israel, certifying that our corporate governance practices are not prohibited by Israeli law. We rely on this “foreign private issuer exemption” with respect to the following two items: First, we follow the requirements of Israeli law with respect to the quorum requirement for meetings of our shareholders, which are different from the requirements of Rule 5620(c). As a result, the quorum required for an ordinary meeting of shareholders consists of at least two shareholders present in person, by proxy or by written ballot, who hold or represent between them at least 25% of the voting power of our shares. Second, we follow Israeli law requirements with respect to the requirement to seek shareholder approval for equity compensation plans, which are significantly different the requirements of Rule 5635(c). Under Israeli law, we may amend our 2006 Incentive Compensation Plan by approval of our board of directors and without shareholder approval as is generally required under Rule 5635(c). As a result of these exemptions, our shareholders do not have the same protections as are afforded to shareholders of a U.S. listed company. We may in the future provide NASDAQ with an additional letter or letters notifying NASDAQ that we are following our home country practices, consistent with Israeli law and practices, in lieu of other requirements of Rule 5600.
A small number of significant beneficial owners of our shares acting together will have a significant influence over matters requiring shareholder approval, which could delay or prevent a change of control.
Our executive officers and directors and their affiliates beneficially own approximately 17.3% of our outstanding ordinary shares. As a result, these shareholders, acting together, could exercise significant influence over our operations and business strategy and will have sufficient voting power to influence the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval.
These matters may include:
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the composition of our board of directors which has the authority to direct our business and to appoint and remove our officers;
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approving or rejecting a merger, consolidation or other business combination;
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raising future capital; and
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amending our articles of association which govern the rights attached to our ordinary shares.
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This concentration of ownership of our ordinary shares could delay or prevent proxy contests, mergers, tender offers, open-market purchase programs or other purchases of our ordinary shares that might otherwise give you the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our ordinary shares. This concentration of ownership may also adversely affect our share price.
Future sales of our ordinary shares in the public market and low trading volume could adversely affect our share price.
As of December 31, 2010, we had 23,806,313 ordinary shares outstanding. Approximately 12.2% of these shares are “restricted securities” available for resale on the NASDAQ Stock Market subject, however, to volume limitations under Rule 144. Most of these restricted securities are held by the largest beneficial owners of our shares. Future sales of these restricted shares, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares. We have experienced a low trading volume of our ordinary shares since our initial public offering and if one or a small number of parties buys or sells a large number of our ordinary shares, we may experience volatility in our share price and the price and liquidity of our shares may be adversely affected.
Our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences if we are characterized as a passive foreign investment company.
Although we did not use the market capitalization method to value our assets in 2008 and 2009, as noted in our prior Form 20-Fs, we are relying on the market capitalization method to determine the fair market value of our assets for the taxable year ended December 31, 2010. Based on certain estimates of our gross income and gross assets, the nature of our business and the anticipated amount of goodwill (which is determined in large part by the price of our stock), we believe that we were not a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2010. A Non-U.S. company will generally be characterized as a PFIC for any taxable year that 75% or more of its gross income is passive income or that 50% or more of the average value of its gross assets produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income.
If we are characterized as a PFIC, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our ordinary shares treated as ordinary income, rather than capital gain income, and having potentially punitive interest charges apply to the proceeds of share sales. Similar rules apply to distributions that are “excess distributions.”
It is possible that the United States Internal Revenue Service could attempt to treat us as a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2010 or prior years. The tests for determining PFIC status are applied annually and it is difficult to make accurate predictions of our future income, assets, activities and market capitalization, including fluctuations in the price of our ordinary shares, which are relevant to this determination. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not become a PFIC in 2011 or in subsequent years. For a discussion of the rules relating to passive foreign investment companies and related tax consequences, see “ITEM 10: Additional Information—Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”
Risks Relating to our Location in Israel
Conditions in Israel could adversely affect our business.
We are incorporated under Israeli law and our principal offices, and research and development facilities are located in Israel. Accordingly, political, economic and military conditions in Israel directly affect our business. Since the State of Israel was established in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have occurred between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Several countries, principally in the Middle East, still restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies if hostilities in Israel continue or increase. These restrictions may limit materially our ability to sell our solutions to companies in these countries. Any hostilities involving Israel or the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its present trading partners, or a significant downturn in the economic or financial condition of Israel, could adversely affect our operations and product development, cause our revenues to decrease and adversely affect the share price of publicly traded companies having operations in Israel, such as us. Additionally, any hostilities involving Israel may have a material adverse effect on our principal subcontractor and its facilities in which event, all or a portion of our inventory may be damaged, and our ability to deliver products to customers may be materially adversely affected.
Our operations may be disrupted by the obligations of personnel to perform military service.
As of December 31, 2010, we employed 264 people, of whom 184 were based in Israel. Some of our executive officers and employees in Israel are obligated to perform annual military reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces, depending on their age and position in the army. Additionally, they may be called to active reserve duty at any time under emergency circumstances for extended periods of time. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence for a significant period of one or more of our executive officers or key employees due to military service, and any significant disruption in our operations could harm our business. The full impact on our workforce or business if some of our executive officers and employees will be called upon to perform military service, especially in times of national emergency, is difficult to predict. Additionally, the absence of a significant number of the employees at either of our principal subcontractors related to military service may disrupt their operations in which event our ability to deliver products to customers may be materially adversely affected.
The tax benefits that are available to us require us to meet several conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which would increase our costs and taxes.
Our investment program in equipment at our facility in Hod-Hasharon, Israel has been granted approved enterprise status and we are therefore eligible for tax benefits under the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959, referred to as the Investments Law. We expect to utilize these tax benefits after we utilize our net operating loss carry forwards. As of December 31, 2010, our net operating loss carry forwards for Israeli tax purposes amounted to approximately $43 million. To remain eligible for these tax benefits, we must continue to meet certain conditions stipulated in the Investments Law and its regulations and the criteria set forth in the specific certificate of approval, including, among other conditions, that the approved enterprise be operated over a seven-year period and that at least 30% of our investment in fixed assets of the approved enterprise be funded by additional paid-up ordinary share capital. If we do not meet the conditions stipulated in the Investments Law and its regulations and the criteria set forth in the specific certificate of approval in the future, the tax benefits would be canceled and we could be required to refund any tax benefits that we have received. These tax benefits may not be continued in the future at their current levels or at any level.
Effective April 1, 2005, the Investments Law was amended. As a result, the criteria for new investments qualified to receive tax benefits were revised. No assurance can be given that we will, in the future, be eligible to receive additional tax benefits under this law. The termination or reduction of these tax benefits would increase our tax liability in the future, which would reduce our profits or increase our losses. Additionally, if we increase our activities outside of Israel, for example, by future acquisitions, our increased activities might not be eligible for inclusion in Israeli tax benefit programs. See “ITEM 10: Additional Information—Taxation—Israeli Tax Considerations and Government Programs—Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959.”
The government grants we have received for research and development expenditures restrict our ability to manufacture products and transfer technologies outside of Israel and require us to satisfy specified conditions. If we fail to comply with such restrictions or these conditions, we may be required to refund grants previously received together with interest and penalties, and may be subject to criminal charges.
We have received royalty-bearing grants from the government of Israel through the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, for the financing of a portion of our research and development expenditures in Israel, pursuant to the provisions of The Encouragement of Industrial Research and Development Law, 1984, referred to as the Research and Development Law. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, we received and accrued grants totaling $2.7, 2.4 and $2.8 million from the Office of the Chief Scientist, representing 18.3%, 20.8% and 19.9%, respectively, of our gross research and development expenditures in these periods. We may not receive future grants or may receive significantly smaller grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist and our failure to receive grants in the future could adversely affect our profitability.
The terms of the grants prohibit us from manufacturing products outside of Israel or transferring intellectual property rights in technologies developed using these grants inside or outside of Israel without special approvals. Even if we receive approval to manufacture our products outside of Israel, we may be required to pay an increased total amount of royalties, which may be up to 300% of the grant amount plus interest, depending on the manufacturing volume that is performed outside of Israel. This restriction may impair our ability to outsource manufacturing or engage in similar arrangements for those products or technologies. Know-how developed under an approved research and development program may not be transferred to any third parties, except in certain circumstances and subject to prior approval. In addition, if we fail to comply with any of the conditions and restrictions imposed by the Research and Development Law or by the specific terms of under which we received the grants, we may be required to refund any grants previously received together with interest and penalties, and may be subject to criminal charges. In recent years, the government of Israel has accelerated the rate of repayment of the Office of Chief Scientist grants and may further accelerate them in the future.
It may be difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment against us, our officers and directors in Israel or the United States, or to assert U.S. securities laws claims in Israel or serve process on our officers and directors.
We are incorporated in Israel. The majority of our executive officers and directors are not residents of the United States, and the majority of our assets and the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. Therefore, it may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to enforce a U.S. court judgment based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us or any of these persons in a U.S. or Israeli court, or to effect service of process upon these persons in the United States. Additionally, it may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on a violation of U.S. securities laws on the grounds that Israel is not the most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. Even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proved as a fact which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel addressing the matters described above.
Provisions of Israeli law and our articles of association may delay, prevent or make undesirable an acquisition of all or a significant portion of our shares or assets.
Our articles of association contain certain provisions that may delay or prevent a change of control, including a classified board of directors. In addition, Israeli corporate law regulates acquisitions of shares through tender offers and mergers, requires special approvals for transactions involving significant shareholders and regulates other matters that may be relevant to these types of transactions. These provisions of Israeli law could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be beneficial to our shareholders, and may limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for our ordinary shares. Furthermore, Israeli tax considerations may make potential transactions undesirable to us or to some of our shareholders. See “ITEM 10: Additional Information—Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association—Anti-Takeover Measures” and “—Acquisitions under Israeli Law.”
If the price of our ordinary shares declines, we may be more vulnerable to an unsolicited or hostile acquisition bid.
Notwithstanding provisions of our articles of association and Israeli law, a decline in the price of our ordinary shares may result in us becoming subject to an unsolicited or hostile acquisition bid. In the event that such a bid is publicly disclosed, it may result in increased speculation regarding our company and volatility in our share price even if our board of directors decides not to pursue a transaction. If our board does wish to pursue a transaction, there can be no assurance that it will be consummated successfully or that the price paid will represent a premium above the original price paid for our shares by all of our shareholders. See “ITEM 10: Additional Information—Description of Share Capital—Anti-Takeover Measures” and “—Acquisitions under Israeli Law.”
ITEM 4: Information on Allot
A. History and Development of Allot
Our History
Our legal and commercial name is Allot Communications Ltd. We are a company limited by shares organized under the laws of the State of Israel. Our principal executive offices are located at 22 Hanagar Street, Neve Ne’eman Industrial Zone B, Hod-Hasharon 45240, Israel, and our telephone number is +972 (9) 761-9200. We have irrevocably appointed Allot Communications, Inc. as our agent to receive service of process in any action against us in any United States federal or state court. The address of Allot Communications, Inc. is 300 TradeCenter, Suite 4680, Woburn, MA 01801-7422.
We were incorporated in late 1996 as “Ariadne Ltd.” and commenced operations in 1997. In September 1997, we changed our name to “Allot Communications Ltd.” In November 2006, we listed our shares on NASDAQ. In 2007, we introduced our Service Gateway platform that enables broadband providers to build efficient, secure, manageable and profitable intelligent networks that are optimized to deliver Internet-based content and services. In January 2008, we completed the acquisition of the business of Esphion Limited, a developer of network protection solutions for carriers and internet service providers. In November 2010, we listed our shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, or TASE, and began applying the reporting reliefs afforded under the Israeli Securities Law to companies whose securities are dually listed on NASDAQ and the TASE.
We paid for capital expenditures of $2.3 million in 2010, $3.6 million in 2009 and $1.7 million in 2008. We have financed our capital expenditures with cash generated through net proceeds from our initial public offering and private placements of our equity securities.
Our capital expenditures during 2008, 2009 and 2010 consisted primarily of investments in lab equipment for research and development, as well as customer support and demo units.
B. Business Overview
Overview
We are a leading provider of intelligent IP service optimization solutions for mobile, DSL and wireless broadband carriers, cable operator service providers and enterprises. Our portfolio of hardware platforms and software applications utilizes advanced deep packet inspection, or DPI, technology to transform broadband pipes into smart networks that can rapidly and efficiently manage data over mobile and wireline networks and deploy value added Internet services. Our scalable, carrier-grade solutions provide the visibility, security, application control and subscriber management that are vital to managing Internet service delivery, guaranteeing quality of experience, or QoE, containing operating costs, and maximizing revenue in broadband networks.
Industry Background
The rapid proliferation of broadband networks in recent years has been largely driven by demand from users for faster and more reliable access to the Internet and by the proliferation in the number and complexity of broadband applications, as well as the proliferation of mobile data-enhanced smart phones.
Rising Network Operational Costs Due to the Rapid Adoption of Broadband Applications
The increasing adoption of broadband access has enabled a growing number of applications and content delivered over broadband networks. In contrast to traditional applications, such as e-mail and web-browsing, many newer applications, such as P2P, Internet over-the-top video, online gaming and online content sites, require large and increasing amounts of bandwidth and are highly sensitive to network delays. In response to these challenges, service providers have been forced to invest heavily in network infrastructure upgrades and customer support services in order to maintain the quality of experience for subscribers.
Rising Data Traffic in Mobile Networks
The mobile data market is growing very rapidly, with the growth of smartphones, as well as the rise in use of mobile modems in laptop computers (“dongles”) and tablets. To put this into perspective, an average smartphone user generates multiple times the data traffic as a non-smartphone user.
The cost of deploying mobile bandwidth at the access point, or the GGSN, in mobile networks is significantly higher than that in wireline networks. As a result, mobile operators are already beginning to feel economic and infrastructure challenges in meeting the rising tide of data traffic over their networks. In addition, as capacity increases in mobile networks, smartphone users will have increased expectations with respect to speed and performance.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that unmanaged 3G, and even 4G mobile networks, will not be able to cope with the rising tide of data traffic, without implementing intelligent bandwidth management solutions.
Service Providers Demand for the Ability to Offer Premium and Differentiated Services
Most service providers offer flat-fee broadband access, regardless of the type of applications and data used by subscribers. These operators provide the same level of service to all subscribers and do not guarantee access quality, regardless of a subscriber’s willingness to pay for premium services and network performance. In addition, competition among service providers has increased because of multiple broadband delivery options, such as cable, DSL, wireless and satellite. As a result of these factors, broadband access has become a commodity, contributing to downward price pressure and high churn rates.
To address these issues and increase the average revenue per user, or ARPU, service providers have begun to offer premium, differentiated services, such as improved quality for VoIP and Internet video. By offering such tiered services and charging subscribers according to the value of these services or according to accumulated usage, service providers can capitalize on the revenue enhancement opportunities enabled by broadband applications. To offer premium services and to guarantee service levels for those services, service providers need enhanced visibility into and control of network traffic, including visibility into the type of applications used on the network and levels of traffic generated by different subscribers.
Increasing Enterprise Demand for Visibility and Delivery of Mission-Critical Applications
The proliferation of network applications also presents significant challenges for enterprises operating wide-area networks. Applications such as e-mail, customer relationship management, or CRM, enterprise resource planning and other online transactional and business applications are critical to enterprises’ ability to operate efficiently. Enterprises have also become increasingly dependent on broadband Internet and Intranet access, as content distribution between partners and customers, employee remote access, and even VoIP, have become more common. At the same time, the openness of the Internet allows employees to use a wide variety of recreational and non-business applications on enterprise networks, resulting in network congestion and negatively impacting employee productivity. As a result, enterprises have experienced diminished performance of their mission-critical applications.
Network Security Threats
As reliance on the Internet has grown, service providers and subscribers have become increasingly vulnerable to a wide range of security threats, including denial of service attacks. The attacks hinder the ability of service providers to provide high quality broadband access to subscribers, prevent enterprises from using mission-critical applications and compromise network and data integrity. We believe that users increasingly expect service providers to protect them from these threats. Therefore, it has become imperative for service providers and enterprises to identify and block malicious traffic at very early stages.
The Challenge of Implementing Intelligent Networks
Service providers are seeking to transform generic access broadband networks into intelligent broadband networks. The ability to identify, distinguish and prioritize different applications plays a major role in intelligent network management, allowing service providers to optimize bandwidth usage and reduce operational costs, while maintaining high quality of service. Application designers are employing increasingly sophisticated methods to avoid detection by network operators who desire to manage network use. Traditional network infrastructure devices, such as routers and switches, do not generally have sufficient computing resources or the required algorithms to distinguish between different and rapidly evolving applications. The dilemma of implementing intelligent networks is further complicated by today’s higher speed broadband networks, which carry tremendous amounts of data and serve millions of customers. Unlike traditional network infrastructure devices, such as switches and routers, which can perform only a very limited examination of packets, DPI solutions offer active management of each application and subscriber in the network requiring significant processing power and speed, greater memory and special algorithms.
The Allot Solution
Our solutions enable service providers to optimize and monetize their wireline and mobile data networks. These solutions employ advanced deep packet inspection, or DPI, which identifies applications by examining the content encapsulated in packets, including header and application information. By correlating data from multiple packets and flows, searching for application signatures and recognizing application behavior, our solutions identify each subscriber and application in the network and provide in-depth, real time information about their behavior. Once an application has been identified, it can be managed using predetermined policies that determine the level of network resources allocated for that application based on the business strategy of the service provider or enterprise. We have developed market-leading DPI technology that accurately identifies hundreds of application protocols at high speeds and creates customized detailed usage analyses and reports. Our vision is that our technology will become a platform for a range of value-added services, rather than an added feature on a router. Once our DPI engine is able to provide information regarding applications running over the network, we believe our platform will enable service providers to use this information to drive additional revenues by enabling additional functionalities on our DPI platform, such as our ServiceProtector, MediaSwift and WabSafe.
Our Products
Traffic Management Systems
Our traffic management systems consist of the Service Gateway platform and the NetEnforcer product lines.
The Service Gateway platform is an open standards-based platform for broadband service control and optimization based on DPI. It is based on an AdvancedTCA®-compliant chassis with modular, hot-swappable DPI blades. A single platform provides up to 16 Gigabit Ethernet ports or sixteen 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, supporting up to 160 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of throughput. The Service Gateway may, through additional blades on the platform, include traffic prioritization and Quality of Service, or QoS, optimization, filtering (including parental control), blocking security threats (Clean Line and denial-of-service-prevention), media caching or collecting records for real-time charging or offline usage-based charging.
The Service Gateway is designed to reduce the cost and complexity of developing new services. It increases operation efficiency by enabling service providers to deploy multiple services through a single multi-purpose platform rather than by using multiple single purpose appliances. Using the Service Gateway, service providers are able to manage all services using the same policy control rules and management application.
The Service Gateway platform may be managed through our powerful NetXplorer centralized management software and is fully integrated with our Subscriber Management Platform, described below.
Our NetEnforcer traffic management system inspects, monitors and controls network traffic by application and by user. NetEnforcer devices are positioned at multiple strategic network locations where the most traffic traverses and can be monitored and managed. These locations include network access points, or “peering points,” where the network connects to other networks and data centers. NetEnforcer includes the NetXplorer management software and can also be managed by other vendor management applications through an interface that integrates with the end-customer’s operating environment. These applications include policy servers, provisioning systems, customer care and billing applications.
Our traffic management devices are available in several different models to address the needs of a wide range of service providers and enterprises:
Series
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Target Market
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Operation Speeds
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Subscribers(1)
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NetEnforcer AC-400
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Small to medium enterprise networks and service provider networks
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Up to 200 Mbps
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Up to 4,000
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NetEnforcer AC-1400/ AC-3000
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Carrier-class solutions used by large enterprise networks and medium and large service provider networks
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Up to 2 Gbps and 8 Gbps, respectively
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160,000
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NetEnforcer AC-5000
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Carrier-class solutions used by medium and large service provider networks with 1G and 10GE networks
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Up to 15 Gbps
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400,000
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NetEnforcer AC-10000
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Carrier-class solutions used by medium and large service provider networks with 1G and 10GE networks
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Up to 30 Gbps
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Up to 800,000
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Service Gateway – Omega/Sigma
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Carrier-class solutions used by medium and large service provider networks
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Up to 160 Gbps
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Up to 2,000,000
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(1)
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Represents the maximum number of subscribers that a system can handle simultaneously. Typically, due to network topology, redundancy requirements and other constraints, such as total bandwidth available per subscriber, the actual number per product unit is lower.
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Our Service Gateway platforms are designed to meet NEBS Level 3 certification requirements to ensure operation in extreme environmental conditions.
Network Management Application Suites
Our network management application suites consist of the NetXplorer management application and the Subscriber Management Platform.
The NetXplorer management application suite provides service providers and enterprise customers a highly granular, real time view of all traffic on the network. This centralized management suite, works in conjunction with our Service Gateway and NetEnforcer products to provide network traffic intelligence and enable enterprises and service providers to effectively manage broadband services and set policies for the use of their networks. The data provided from multiple systems are aggregated, analyzed and conveyed using our NetXplorer management application suite.
NetXplorer architecture consists of four elements: first, the client element is the NetXplorer graphical user interface application; second, the server element consisting of the actual NetXplorer application, including the database; third, the optional collector element, which assists in collecting large amounts of data from multiple Service Gateways or NetEnforcers; and fourth, an agent element that is an add-on to the Service Gateway or the NetEnforcer that enables them to be managed by the NetXplorer and support all network management functions.
Our Subscriber Management Platform, or SMP, is a scalable system that helps service providers build an intelligent service network designed to deliver the QoE that each subscriber expects, while allowing providers to manage network usage. The SMP monitors subscriber behavior to identify, track and report short- or long-term usage trends. Behavior can be tracked on an individual basis or for groups of subscribers. By analyzing these trends, providers can know which services are the most popular and with whom. This allows the provider to quickly roll out new or packaged services based on individual subscriber demand and preferred delivery. The SMP supports per-subscriber QoS policy definition, enabling providers to rapidly create and deploy tiered service plans that allow different subscribers to have different quality parameters on a per-service basis. This capability, together with the SMP’s tiered services control and quota management features, create an opportunity for innovative service packaging and pricing based on individual subscriber demand and preferred delivery. This flexible and customized delivery helps service providers increase ARPU, reduce churn and facilitate the introduction of new revenue-generating services without service interruption.
Value Added Services
ServiceProtector
Our ServiceProtector ensures service continuity and guards network integrity against known and unknown threats. Through immediate identification of Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS) attacks, Zero Day attacks, worms, Zombies and botnets, the ServiceProtector enables fast, surgical mitigation by automatically blocking, limiting or isolating only the offending traffic while allowing legitimate traffic to flow. The ServiceProtector’s scalable, carrier-grade performance supports up to 10Gbps throughput and is compatible with 1 GE and 10 GE networks.
MediaSwift
The solution synergizes our DPI and caching competences and is designed to save network costs to service providers and to enhance QoE to end users by caching and accelerating popular internet video. MediaSwift is offered as an external solution with our Service Gateway or as an integrated blade therein and it is also offered as a solution with other Allot platforms.
WebSafe
The solution is a network service designed to block access to illegal websites defined by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). At the same time, it allows operators to comply with emerging legislation surrounding online child sexual abuse images and other illegal content. WebSafe is offered as an integrated service within our Service Gateway and it is also offered as a solution with other Allot platforms.
Customers
We have a global, diversified end-customer base consisting primarily of service providers and enterprises. Our direct customers are generally distributors, resellers, OEMs and system integrators, who we refer to as our channel partners. In 2010, we derived 60% of our revenues from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 22% from Asia and Oceania and 18% from the Americas. We generally only have direct contact with end-customers in the case of larger projects, as smaller projects are driven by our channel partners. In 2010, we had a significant customer which accounted for 30% of our revenues.
Channel Partners
We market and sell our products to end-customers both by direct sales and through our channel partners, which include distributors, resellers, OEMs and system integrators. Our channel partners generally purchase our products from us upon receiving orders from end-customers and are responsible for installing and providing initial customer support for our products. Our channel partners are located around the world and address most major markets. Our channel partners target a range of end-users, including carriers, alternative carriers, cable operators, private networks, data centers and enterprises in a wide range of industries, including government, financial institutions and education. Our agreements with channel partners that are distributors or resellers are generally non-exclusive and are for an initial term of one year and automatically renew for successive one-year terms unless terminated. After the first year, such agreements may be terminated by either party upon ninety days prior notice.
We offer support to our channel partners. This support includes the generation of leads through marketing events, seminars and web-based leads and incentive programs as well as technical and sales training.
Our sales staff’s direct contact with end-customers consists mainly of developing leads for our channel partners. A significant portion of our sales occur through our channel partners.
Sales and Marketing
The sales and deployment cycle for our products varies based upon the intended use by the end-customer. The sales cycle for initial network deployment may generally last between one and three years for large and medium service providers, six to twelve months for small service providers, and one to six months for enterprises. Follow-on orders and additional deployment of our products usually require shorter cycles. Large and medium service providers generally take longer to plan the integration of our solutions into their existing networks and to set goals for the implementation of the technology.
We focus our marketing efforts on product positioning, increasing brand awareness, communicating product advantages and generating qualified leads for our sales organization. We rely on a variety of marketing communications channels, including our website, trade shows, industry research and professional publications, the press and special events to gain wider market exposure.
We have organized our worldwide sales efforts into the following three territories: North and South America, Europe the Middle East and Africa, and Asia and Oceania. We have regional offices in the U.S., Israel, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan and China, and a dedicated regional presence in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, India, Hong Kong and Australia. We also maintain a regional presence in Mexico and Brazil.
As of December 31, 2010, our sales and marketing staff, including product management and business development functions, consisted of 60 employees.
Service and Technical Support
We believe our technical support and professional services capabilities are a key element of our sales strategy. Our technical staff assists in presales activities and advises channel partners on the integration of our solutions into end-user networks. Our basic warranty extended to end-customers through our channel partners is three months for software and twelve months for hardware. Generally, end-customers are also offered, through our channel partners, a choice of one year or three-year customer support programs when they purchase our products. These customer support programs can be renewed at the end of their terms. Our end-customer support plans offer the following features:
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expedited replacement units in the event of a warranty claim; and
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software updates and upgrades offering new features and addressing new network applications.
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Our channel partner support plans are designed to maximize network up-time and minimize operating costs. Our channel partners and their end-customers are entitled to take advantage of our around-the-clock technical support which we provide through our four help desks, located in France, Israel, Singapore and the United States. We also offer our channel partners 24-hour access to an external web-based technical knowledge base, which provides technical support information and enables them to support their customers independently and obtain follow up and support from us. We manage our channel partner and customer support efforts through a single database which enables us to track seamlessly any response provided to a channel partner or end-customer from a different office and to escalate automatically any customer inquiry after a predetermined period of time.
The expenditures associated with the technical support staff are allocated in our statements of operations between sale and marketing expenses and cost of goods sold based on the roles of and tasks performed by personnel.
As of December 31, 2010, our technical staff consisted of 62 employees.
Research and Development
Our research and development activities take place in Israel and New Zealand. As of December 31, 2010, 95 of our employees were engaged primarily in research and development. We devote a significant amount of our resources towards research and development to introduce and continuously enhance products to support our growth strategy. We have assembled a core team of experienced engineers, many of whom are leaders in their particular field or discipline and have technical degrees from top universities and experience working for leading Israeli networking companies. These engineers are involved in advancing our core technologies, as well as in applying these core technologies to our product development activities. Our research and development efforts have benefited from royalty-bearing grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist. The State of Israel does not own any proprietary rights in technology developed with the Office of the Chief Scientist funding and there is no restriction related to the Office of the Chief Scientist on the export of products manufactured using technology developed with Office of the Chief Scientist funding. For a description of restrictions on the transfer of the technology and with respect to manufacturing rights, please see “ITEM 3: Key Information—Risk Factors—The government grants we have received for research and development expenditures restrict our ability to manufacture products and transfer technologies outside of Israel and require us to satisfy specified conditions. If we fail to comply with such restrictions or these conditions, we may be required to refund grants previously received together with interest and penalties, and may be subject to criminal charges.”
Manufacturing
We subcontract the manufacture and repair of our Service Gateway platforms and our NetEnforcer products to Flextronics (Israel) Ltd., a subsidiary of Flextronics, a global electronics manufacturing services company. This strategy enables us to reduce our fixed costs, focus on our core research and development competencies and provide flexibility in meeting market demand. Flextronics (Israel) are contractually obligated to provide us with manufacturing services based on agreed specifications, including manufacturing, assembling, testing, packaging and procuring the raw materials for our devices. We are not required to provide any minimum orders. Our agreement with Flextronics (Israel) is automatically renewed annually for additional one-year terms. Flextronics (Israel) may terminate our agreement with them at any time during the term upon 180 days prior notice. We retain the right to procure independently any of the components used in our products. Flextronics (Israel) has a U.S. affiliate to which it can, with the prior consent of the Office of the Chief Scientist, transfer manufacturing of our products if necessary, in which event we may be required to pay increased royalties to the Office of the Chief Scientist. We expect that it would take approximately six months to transition manufacturing of our products to an alternate manufacturer.
We design and develop internally a number of the key components for our products, including printed circuit boards and software. Some of our product’s hardware components are obtained from single or limited sources. Since our products have been designed to incorporate these specific components, any change in these components due to an interruption in supply or our inability to obtain such components on a timely basis would require engineering changes to our products before we could incorporate substitute components. In particular, we purchase the central processing unit for our Service Gateway platforms and for our NetEnforcer products from NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. We carry approximately three to six months of inventory of key components. We also work closely with our suppliers to monitor the end-of-life of the product cycle for integral components, and believe that in the event that they announce end of life, we will be able to increase our inventory to allow enough time for replacing such components. The agreements with our suppliers do not contain any minimum purchase or supply commitments. Product testing and quality assurance is performed by our contract manufacturer using tests and automated testing equipment and according to controlled test documentation we specify. We also use inspection testing and statistical process controls to assure the quality and reliability of our products.
Competition
Our principal competitors are Cisco Systems (through the acquisitions of P-Cube and Starent Networks, Corp.) and Sandvine in the service provider market, and Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (through its acquisition of Packeteer) in the enterprise market. We also compete with a number of smaller competitors such as CloudShield Technologies, Inc. and Procera Networks, Inc., and we compete indirectly with router and switch infrastructure companies that offer features, which address some of the problems that our products address. We also face competition from companies that offer partial solutions addressing only one aspect of the challenges facing broadband providers, such as network monitoring or security. We compete on the basis of product performance, such as speed and number of applications identified, ease of use and installation, and customer support. Price is also an important, although not the principal, basis on which we compete. See “ITEM 3: Key Information—Risk Factors—We may be unable to compete effectively with other companies in our market who offer, or may in the future offer, competing technologies.”
Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property rights are very important to our business. We believe that the complexity of our products and the know-how incorporated in them makes it difficult to copy them or replicate their features. We rely on a combination of confidentiality and other protective clauses in our agreements, copyright and trademarks to protect our know-how. We also restrict access to our servers physically and through closed networks since our product designs and software are stored electronically and thus are highly portable.
We customarily require our employees, distributors, resellers, software testers and contractors to execute confidentiality agreements or agree to confidentiality undertakings when their relationship with us begins. Typically, our employment contracts also include the following clauses: assignment of intellectual property rights for all inventions developed by employees, non-disclosure of all confidential information, and non-compete clauses, which generally restrict the employee for six months following termination of employment. The enforceability of non-compete clauses in certain jurisdictions in which we operate may be limited. Because our product designs and software are stored electronically and thus are highly portable, we attempt to reduce the portability of our designs and software by physically protecting our servers through the use of closed networks, which prevent external access to our servers.
The communications equipment industry is characterized by constant product changes resulting from new technological developments, performance improvements and lower hardware costs. We believe that our future growth depends to a large extent on our ability to be an innovator in the development and application of hardware and software technology. As we develop the next generation products, we intend to pursue patent protection for our core technologies in the telecommunications segment. We plan to seek patent protection in our largest markets and our competitors’ markets, for example in the United States and Europe. As we continue to move into markets, such as Japan, Korea and China, we will evaluate how best to protect our technologies in those markets. We intend to vigorously prosecute and defend the rights of our intellectual property.
As of December 31, 2010, we had two U.S. patents and three pending patent applications in the United States. We expect to formalize our evaluation process for determining which inventions to protect by patents or other means. We cannot be certain that patents will be issued as a result of the patent applications we have filed.
We have obtained U.S. trademark registrations for certain of our key marks that we use to identify our products or services, including “NetEnforcer” and “Allot Communications.”
Government Regulation
See “ITEM 5: Overview—Government Grants” for a description of grants received from the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor.
C. Organizational Structure
We conduct our global operations through six wholly-owned subsidiaries: (1) Allot Communications, Inc., headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts; (2) Allot Communication Europe SARL, headquartered in Sophia, France; (3) Allot Communications Japan K.K., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan; (4) Allot Communication (UK) Limited, headquartered in Guildford, England; (5) Allot Communications (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., headquartered in Singapore; and (6) Allot Communications (New Zealand) Limited, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. Our U.S. subsidiary commenced operations in 1997 and engages in the sale, marketing and technical support services in the United States, Canada and Central and Latin America of products manufactured by and imported from our company. Our French, U.K., Japanese and Singapore subsidiaries engage in marketing and technical support services of our products in Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific, respectively. Our New Zealand subsidiary engages in development and technical support services.
D. Property, Plants and Equipment
Our principal administrative and research and development activities are located in a 43,895 square foot (4,078 square meter) facility in Hod-Hasharon, Israel. The lease for this facility commenced in July 2006 and will expire in July 2013.
We also lease a 5,862 square foot (545 square meter) facility in Woburn, MA, for the purposes of our U.S. sales and marketing operations pursuant to a lease that expires in August 2014. We lease other smaller facilities for the purpose of our development, sales and marketing and support activities in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Spain, China, Japan and New Zealand.
ITEM 4A: Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
ITEM 5: Operating and Financial Review and Prospects
A. Operating Results
Overview
We are a leading provider of intelligent IP service optimization solutions for DSL, wireless and mobile broadband carriers, cable operator service providers and enterprises. Our portfolio of hardware platforms and software applications use advanced DPI technology to transform broadband pipes into smart networks that can rapidly and efficiently manage data over mobile and wireline networks and deploy value-added Internet services. End-customers use our solutions to create sophisticated policies to monitor network applications, enforce quality of service policies that guarantee mission-critical application performance, mitigate security risks and leverage network infrastructure investments. Our carrier-class products are used by service providers to offer subscriber-based and application-based tiered services that enable them to optimize their service offerings, reduce churn rates and increase ARPU. We market and sell our products through a variety of channels, including direct sales and through our channel partners, which include distributors, resellers, OEMs and system integrators. End customers of our products include carriers, mobile operators, cable operators, wireless, wireline and satellite Internet service providers, educational institutions, governments and enterprises.
There has been a rapid proliferation of broadband networks in recent years, which has been largely driven by demand from users for faster and more reliable access to the Internet and by the proliferation in the number and complexity of broadband applications. The Internet, which was designed originally to support web surfing and e-mail applications, now supports numerous advanced services, such as interactive gaming and video conferencing. In addition, there has been an exponential increase in over-the-top Internet services, such as VoIP and video streaming. These and other bandwidth-heavy applications are driving large service providers to explore ways to efficiently manage bandwidth resources. As a result, a number of these service providers are considering deploying intelligent IP service optimization solutions in their networks. We believe that large service providers, as well as cable and mobile operators, present a significant market opportunity and are an important element of our long-term strategy.
In 2010, the primary driver of our growth was the mobile market, which was highlighted by our ongoing relationship with a global Tier 1 mobile operator group. Revenues from this customer in 2010 accounted for 30% of our total revenues.
Revenues
We generate revenues from two sources: (1) sales of our network traffic management systems and our application suites, and (2) maintenance and support services, including installation and training. We generally provide maintenance and support services pursuant to a one- or three-year maintenance and support program, which may be purchased by customers at the time of product purchase or on a renewal basis.
We recognize revenues from product sales when persuasive evidence of an agreement exists, delivery of the product has occurred, no significant obligations with respect to implementation remain, the fee is fixed or determinable and collection is probable. We grant a one-year hardware and software warranty on all of our products and record a liability at the time the product’s revenue is recognized. We estimate the liability of possible warranty claims based on our historical experience. Warranty claims have to date been immaterial to our results of operations. Maintenance and support revenues are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the applicable maintenance and support agreement. See “—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Revenue Recognition” below.
Customer concentration. We derived 30% and 15% of our total revenues in 2010 and 2009, respectively, from one global Tier 1 mobile operator group. In 2008, no single customer accounted for 10% or more of our revenues. The increase in 2010 is primarily attributable to deployment of our products in additional sites of the Tier 1 mobile operator group.
Geographical breakdown. The following table sets forth the geographic breakdown of our revenues by percentage for the periods indicated:
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Year Ended December 31,
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United States
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21 |
% |
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15 |
% |
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14 |
% |
Europe
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33 |
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45 |
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53 |
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Asia and Oceania
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30 |
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26 |
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22 |
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Middle East and Africa
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7 |
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7 |
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7 |
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Americas (excluding United States)
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9 |
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7 |
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4 |
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Total
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100 |
% |
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100 |
% |
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100 |
% |
Cost of revenues and gross margins
Our products’ cost of revenues consists primarily of costs of materials, manufacturing services and overhead, warehousing, product testing and royalties paid primarily to the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, or the Office of the Chief Scientist. Our services’ cost of revenues consists primarily of salaries and related personnel costs for our customer support staff as well as the royalty payments mentioned above. We expect cost of revenues to increase as a result of an increase in our product and service revenues, an increase in sales of our higher end products, primarily our Service Gateway platforms, and sales of extended service suites to large customers that we expect will require additional personnel hiring and other operational expenditures related to such sales. Such increases may be partially offset by increased sales of our network management application suites as their related cost of revenues is generally lower. As a result, our gross margins as a percentage of revenues may decrease in the future.
Operating expenses
Research and development. Our research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and related personnel costs, costs for subcontractor services, depreciation, rent and costs of materials consumed in connection with the design and development of our products. We expense all of our research and development costs as they are incurred. Our net research and development expenses are comprised of gross research and development expenses offset by financing through royalty-bearing grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist. Such participation grants are recognized at the time at which we are entitled to such grants on the basis of the costs incurred and included as a deduction of research and development expenses (see “—Government Grants” below). We believe that significant investment in research and development is essential to our future success and expect that in future periods our research and development expenses will increase on an absolute basis.
Sales and marketing. Our sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries and related personnel costs, travel expenses, costs associated with promotional activities such as public relations, conventions and exhibitions, rental expenses, depreciation and commissions paid to third parties. We intend to continue our activities to target the service provider market, and therefore we expect that sales and marketing expenses will increase on an absolute basis in the future as we hire additional sales, marketing and presale support personnel to continue to promote our brand, establish new marketing channels and expand our presence worldwide.
General and administrative. Our general and administrative expenses consist of salaries and related personnel costs, rental expenses, costs for professional services and depreciation. We expect these expenses to increase on an absolute basis as we hire additional personnel and incur additional costs related to the growth of our business as we increase our global presence. General and administrative expenses also include costs associated with corporate governance, tax compliance, compliance with the rules implemented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, NASDAQ and the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange and premiums for our director and officer liability insurance.
Financial expenses, net
Financial expenses, net consists primarily of interest earned on our cash balances and other financial investments, foreign currency exchange gains or losses, gains or losses resulting from the sale of marketable securities and bank fees.
As of December 31, 2010, we held $15.5 million in available for sale marketable securities. The increase in financial and other expenses, net in 2010 compared to 2009 is primarily attributable to the realization of $5.5 million of unrealized losses that were recorded as a separate component in equity and resulted from a net impairment related to auction-rate securities, or ARS, recorded in previous periods that were sold during 2010 and an additional loss recorded to the same ARS in the amount of $2.2 million related to the sale thereof in 2010.
In addition, financial and other expenses, net, may fluctuate due to foreign currency exchange gains or losses, as well as interest rate changes. See “—Factors Affecting Our Performance”.
Approved and Privileged Enterprise
Our facilities in Hod-Hasharon, Israel have been granted Approved Enterprise status under the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law, 1959 and enjoy certain tax benefits under this program. We expect to utilize these tax benefits after we utilize our net operating loss carryforwards. As of December 31, 2010, our net operating loss carryforwards for Israeli tax purposes totaled approximately $43.0 million. Income derived from other sources, other than through our “Approved Enterprise” status, during the benefit period will be subject to the regular corporate tax rate.
Government Grants
Our research and development efforts have been financed, in part, through grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist under our approved plans in accordance with the Israeli Law for Encouragement of Research and Development in the Industry, 1984, or the Research and Development Law. Through December 31, 2010, we had received approval and recorded in our books grants totaling $22.0 million from the Office of the Chief Scientist, including $4.1 million attributed to NetReality products. Under Israeli law and the approved plans, royalties on the revenues derived from sales of all of our products are payable to the Israeli government, at the rate of 3.5%, up to the amount of the received grants as adjusted for fluctuation in the U.S. dollar/shekel exchange rate. The amounts received after January 1, 1999 bear interest at the twelve-month LIBOR as at the beginning of the year in which a grant is approved. Our obligation to pay these royalties is contingent upon actual consolidated sales of our products and no payment is required if no sales are made. As of December 31, 2010, we had an outstanding contingent obligation to pay royalties in the amount of $11.7 million.
The government of the State of Israel does not own proprietary rights in knowledge developed using its funding, and there is no restriction related to such funding on the export of products manufactured using such know-how. The know-how should belong solely to the company receiving the benefits, and consequently we must ensure that our engagements with third parties involved in development intellectual property related to such plans clearly provide for our ownership of the developed intellectual property. In addition, the know-how is subject to other legal restrictions, including an obligation to manufacture the product based on the know-how in Israel and to obtain the Office of the Chief Scientist’s consent to transfer the know-how to a third party, whether inside or outside Israel. These restrictions may impair our ability to outsource manufacturing, enter into agreements with customers requiring ownership of work-product developed based on their specific request or enter into similar arrangements for those products or technologies, and such restrictions continue to apply even after we have paid the full amount of royalties payable for the grants.
If the Office of the Chief Scientist consents to the manufacture of the products outside of Israel, the regulations allow the Office of the Chief Scientist to require the payment of increased royalties, ranging from 120% to 300% of the amount of the grant plus interest, depending on the percentage of foreign manufacturing. If the manufacturing is performed outside of Israel by us, the rate of royalties payable by us on revenues from the sale of such products will increase by 1% over the regular rates. If the manufacturing, marketing and distribution are carried out outside of Israel, the rate of royalties payable by us on those revenues will be calculated in accordance with the proportion between the grant received and the grant plus the amount of our own investments in the research and development of such technology. The Research and Development Law further permits the Office of the Chief Scientist, among other things, to approve the transfer of manufacturing or manufacturing rights outside of Israel in exchange for an import of certain manufacturing or manufacturing rights into Israel as a substitute in lieu of the increased royalties.
The Research and Development Law provides that the consent of the Office of the Chief Scientist for the transfer outside of Israel of know-how derived from an approved plan may only be granted under special circumstances and subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions specified in the Research and Development Law as follows: (a) the grant recipient pays to the Office of the Chief Scientist an amount based on the scope of the support received, the royalties that were paid by the company, the amount of time that has elapsed since the date on which the grants were received, and the sale price (according to certain formulas, which were amended and may be further amended in the future), except if the grantee receives from the transferee of the know-how an exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual unlimited license to fully utilize the know-how and all related rights; (b) the grant recipient receives know-how from a third party in exchange for its Office of the Chief Scientist funded know-how; or (c) such transfer of any Office of the Chief Scientist funded know-how arises in connection with certain types of cooperation in research and development activities.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Our business, financial position and results of operations, as well as the period-to-period comparability of our financial results, are significantly affected by a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
Customer concentration. We derived 30% of our total revenues in 2010 from one global Tier 1 mobile operator group. While we have some visibility into the likely scope of the customer’s projects, our relationship is conducted solely on a purchase order basis and we do not have any commitment for future purchase orders from this customer. The loss of such significant customer could harm our results of operations and financial condition.
Size of end-customers and sales cycles. We have a global, diversified end-customer base consisting primarily of service providers and enterprises. The deployment of our products by small and midsize enterprises and service providers can be completed relatively quickly with a limited number of NetEnforcer and/or Service Gateway systems compared to the number required by large service providers. In 2010, we have increased the portion of our sales to large service providers. Large service providers take longer to plan the integration of our solutions into their existing networks and to set goals for the implementation of the technology. Sales to large service providers are therefore more complicated as they involve a relatively larger number of network elements and solutions, as well as NetEnforcer and/or Service Gateway systems. We are seeking to achieve further significant customer wins in the large service provider market that would positively impact our future performance. The longer sales cycles associated with the increased sales to large service providers of our platforms may increase the unpredictability of the timing of our sales and may cause our quarterly and annual operating results to fluctuate if a significant customer delays its purchasing decision and/or defers an order. Furthermore, longer sales cycles may result in delays from the time we increase our operating expenses and make investments in inventory to the time that we generate revenue from related product sales.
Average selling prices. Our performance is affected by the selling prices of our products. We price our products based on several factors, including manufacturing costs, the stage of the product’s life cycle, competition, technical complexity of the product, discounts given to channel partners in certain territories, customization and other special considerations in connection with larger projects. We typically are able to charge the highest price for a product when it is first introduced to the market. The average selling prices for our products decrease over the product’s life cycle as our competitors introduce new products. In order to maintain or increase our current prices, we expect that we will need to enhance the functionality of our existing products by offering higher system speeds, additional value-added services and features, such as additional security functions, supporting additional applications and providing enhanced reporting tools. We also from time to time introduce enhanced products, typically higher-end models that include new architecture and design and new capabilities. Such enhanced products typically increase our average selling price. To further offset such declines, we sell maintenance and support programs for our products, and as our customer base and number of field installations grow, our related service revenues are expected to increase.
Cost of revenues and cost reductions. Our cost of revenues as a percentage of total revenues was 26.1% for 2008, 28.3% for 2009 and 28.1% for 2010. Our products use off-the-shelf components and typically the prices of such components decline over time. However, the introduction and sale of new or enhanced products and services may result in an increase in our cost of revenues. We make a continuous effort to identify cheaper components of comparable performance and quality. We also seek improvements in engineering and manufacturing efficiency that will reduce costs. Since our cost of revenues also include royalties paid to the Office of the Chief Scientist, our cost of sales may be impacted positively or negatively by the Israeli government changing the royalty rate. Our products incorporate features that require the payment of royalties to third parties. In addition, new products usually have higher costs during the initial introduction period. We generally expect such costs to decline as the product matures and sales volume increases. The introduction of new products may also involve a significant decrease in demand for older products. Such a decrease may result in a devaluation or write-off of such older products and their respective components. In 2010, we recorded a write-off of $1.1 million of inventory to our cost of revenues for products and components. The growth of our customer base is usually coupled with increased service revenues primarily resulting from increased maintenance and support. In addition, the growth of our installed base with large service providers may result in increased demand for professional services, such as training and installation services. An increase in demand for such services may require us to hire additional personnel and incur other expenditures. However, these additional expenses, handled efficiently, may be utilized to further support the growth of our customer base and increase service revenues.
Currency exposure. A majority of our revenues and a substantial portion of our expenses are denominated in the U.S. dollar. However, a significant portion of the expenses associated with our global operations, including personnel and facilities-related expenses, are incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. This is the case primarily in Israel and to a lesser extent in other countries in Europe and Asia. Consequently, a decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to local currencies will increase the dollar cost of our operations in these countries. A relative decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar would be partially offset to the extent that we generate revenues in such currencies. In order to partially mitigate this exposure we have decided in the past and may decide from time to time in the future to enter into hedging transactions. We may discontinue hedging activities at any time. As such decisions involve substantial judgment and assessments primarily regarding future trends in foreign exchange markets, which are very volatile, as well as our future level and timing of cash flows of these currencies, we cannot provide any assurance that such hedging transactions will not affect our results of operations when they are realized. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for further information.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates and judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty and actual results may differ. Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. Certain of our accounting policies are particularly important to the portrayal of our financial position and results of operations. In applying these critical accounting policies, our management uses its judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in making certain estimates. Those estimates are based on our historical experience, the terms of existing contracts, our observance of trends in our industry, information provided by our customers and information available from other outside sources, as appropriate. With respect to our policies on revenue recognition and warranty costs, our historical experience is based principally on our operations since we commenced selling our products in 1998. Our estimates are primarily guided by observing the following critical accounting policies:
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Allowance for doubtful accounts
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·
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Accounting for stock-based compensation
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·
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Impairment of goodwill and long lived assets
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Since each of the accounting policies listed above require certain judgments and the use of estimates, actual results may differ from our estimations and as a result would increase or decrease our future revenues and net income.
Revenue Recognition. We generate revenues primarily from the sale of hardware and software products and from the provision of maintenance and support services. We sell our products primarily through resellers, distributors, OEMs, system integrators and value-added resellers, all of whom are considered end-customers from our perspective. We recognize revenues from sales of our products in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification No. 985-605. When an arrangement does not require significant production, modification or customization of software or does not contain services considered to be essential to the functionality of the software, revenue is recognized when the following four criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (ii) delivery has occurred; (iii) the fee is fixed and determinable; and (iv) collection is probable.
Many of our product sales include multiple elements. Such elements typically include several or all of the following: hardware, software licenses, hardware and software maintenance, technical support and training services. For multiple-element arrangements that do not involve significant modification or customization of the software and do not involve services that are considered essential to the functionality of the software, we use the residual method to allocate value to each element when sufficient specific objective evidence exists for all undelivered elements, but does not exist for the delivered element, typically the hardware appliance and software license. Under the residual method, each undelivered element is allocated with a value based on vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value for that element and the remainder of the total arrangement fee is allocated to the delivered element(s).
Maintenance and support revenue, including any portion deferred from multiple element arrangements based on the principles mentioned above, are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the applicable maintenance and support agreement.
We provide a provision for sales incentives, product returns and stock rotation based on the specific arrangements, if any, and our experience with historical sales returns, stock rotations and other known factors, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification No. 605, “Revenue Recognition When Right of Return Exists” (“ASC No. 605”), at the time the related revenue is recognized.
We grant a one-year hardware and software warranty on all of our products. We estimate the costs that may be incurred under our warranty arrangements and record a liability in the amount of such costs at the time product revenue is recognized. We periodically assess the adequacy of the recorded warranty liabilities and adjust the amounts as necessary.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. We evaluate the collectability of our accounts receivable on a specific basis. We estimate this allowance based on our judgment as to our ability to collect outstanding receivables. We primarily base this judgment on an analysis of significant outstanding invoices, the age of the receivables, our historical collection experience and current economic trends. In circumstances where we are aware of a specific customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations to us, we record a specific allowance against amounts due to reduce the net recognized receivable to the amount we reasonably believe will be collected.
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification No. 718 (“ASC No. 718”). ASC No. 718 requires companies to estimate the fair value of equity-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as an expense over the requisite service periods in our consolidated statement of operations. We recognize compensation expense for the value of awards granted based on the straight-line method over the requisite service period of each of the awards, net of estimated forfeitures. ASC No. 718 requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of the grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. We applies ASC No. 718 and Accounting Standards Codification No. 505-50, “Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees” (“ASC No. 505-50”) with respect to options issued to non-employees. Accordingly, option valuation models measure the fair value of the options at the measurement date as defined in ASC No. 505-50.
We recognize compensation expenses for the value of awards granted based on the straight-line method over the requisite service period of each of the awards, net of estimated forfeitures. ASC No. 718 requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of the grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
In connection with the grant of options, we recorded total stock-based compensation expense of $1.7 million in 2008, $2.3 million in 2009 and $2.0 million in 2010. In 2010, $0.1 million, $0.3 million, $0.9 million and $0.7 million of our stock-based compensation expense resulted from cost of revenue, research and development expenses, sales and marketing expenses and general and administrative expenses, respectively, based on the department in which the recipient of the option grant was employed. As of December 31, 2010, we had an aggregate of $3.5 million of deferred unrecognized stock-based compensation remaining to be recognized. We estimate that this deferred unrecognized stock-based compensation balance will be amortized as follows: $1.6 million in 2011, $1.0 million in 2012 and $0.9 million in 2013 and thereafter.
Inventories. We value our inventories at the lower of cost or estimated market value. Cost is determined based on the First In, First Out (“FIFO”) cost method for raw materials and out-of-pocket manufacturing costs. Indirect costs are allocated on an average basis. We estimate market value based on our current pricing, market conditions and specific customer information. We write off inventory for slow-moving items or technological obsolescence. We also assess our inventories for obsolescence based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Actual future results may differ from our assessments and result in further devaluations or write-downs that will affect our future results of operations. Once inventory is written off, a new cost basis for these assets is established for future periods. Inventory write offs totaled $0.2 million in 2008, $0.8 million in 2009 and $1.1 million in 2010.
Marketable securities. We account for our investments in marketable securities using Accounting Standards Codification No. 320, “Investments – Debt and Equity Securities” (“ASC No. 320”).
We determine the appropriate classification of marketable securities at the time of purchase and evaluate such designation as of each balance sheet date. We classify all of our marketable securities as available for sale. Available for sale securities are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported in “accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” in shareholders’ equity. Realized gains and losses on sales of investments are included in earnings and are derived using the specific identification method for determining the cost of securities. The amortized cost of debt securities is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. Such amortization together with interest and dividends on securities are included in financial income, net, if any.
Until 2009, we recognized an impairment charge when a decline in the fair value of our investments below the cost basis is judged to be other-than-temporary. The entire difference between amortized cost and fair value is recognized in earnings. Factors considered in making such a determination include the duration and severity of the impairment, the reason for the decline in value and the potential recovery period.
In April 2009, we adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s updated guidance relating to investments and debt securities, which amends the other-than-temporary impairment ("OTTI") guidance in U.S. GAAP. Under the updated guidance, if other-than-temporary impairment occurs, and it is more likely than not that we will not sell the investment or debt security before the recovery of its amortized cost basis, then the other-than-temporary impairment is separated into (a) the amount representing the credit loss and (b) the amount related to all other factors. The amount of the total other-than-temporary impairment related to credit loss is recognized in earnings. The amount of the total other-than-temporary impairment related to other factors is recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income. As a result of the adoption of this updated accounting guidance, we recorded a cumulative effect adjustment of $7.7 million to reclassify the non-credit component of previously recognized impairments from accumulated deficit to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for further information.
During 2010, we sold our entire ARS portfolio, reclassified the loss recorded in accordance with ASC No. 320 in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the amount of $5.5 million to financing expenses net and recognized an additional loss of $2.2 million.
As of December 31, 2010, we held available for sale marketable securities of $15.5 million. As of December 31, 2010, the unrealized loss recorded to other comprehensive income was immaterial.
Impairment of Goodwill and Long Lived Assets. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets of purchased businesses and is recorded as goodwill. Under Accounting Statement Codification No. 350, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” (“ASC No. 350”), goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are tested for impairment annually, or more often if there are indicators of impairment present.
We perform our annual impairment analysis of goodwill as of December 31 of each year, or more often as applicable. The provisions of ASC No. 350 require that a two-step impairment test be performed on goodwill at the level of the reporting units. In the first step we compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value. If the fair value exceeds the carrying value of the net assets, goodwill is considered not impaired, and we are not required to perform further testing. If the carrying value of the net assets exceeds the fair value, then we must perform the second step of the impairment test in order to determine the implied fair value of goodwill. If the carrying value of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, then we would record an impairment loss equal to the difference. If and when we are required to perform a second-step analysis, the determination of the fair value of our net assets and off-balance sheet intangibles would require us to make judgments that involve the use of significant estimates and assumptions.
We believe that our business activity and management structure meet the criterion of being a single reporting unit for accounting purposes.
Our long lived assets consist primarily of property and equipment and other intangible assets. Our long lived assets are amortized using the straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The carrying amount of these assets to be held and used is reviewed whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of the asset to the future undiscounted cash flows the asset is expected to generate. If the asset is considered to be impaired, the amount of any impairment is measured as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the impaired asset. As this test requires considerable judgment and estimation of future cash flows, changes in these estimations may affect our results of operations significantly. Based on the impairment test performed as of December 31, 2010, no impairment was identified.
Contingencies. From time to time, we are a defendant or plaintiff in various legal actions, which arise in the normal course of business. We are required to assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required for these contingencies, if any, which would impact our results of operations, is made after considered analysis of each individual action together with our legal advisors. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in circumstances and estimations. A change in the required reserves would impact our results of operations in the period the change is made.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In September 2009, the FASB reached a consensus on Accounting Standards Update 2009-13, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) — Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements(“ ASU 2009-13”) and Accounting Standards Update 2009-14, Software (Topic 985) — Certain Revenue Arrangements That Include Software Elements (“ASU 2009-14”). ASU 2009-13 modifies the requirements that must be met for an entity to recognize revenue from the sale of a delivered item that is part of a multiple-element arrangement when other items have not yet been delivered. ASU 2009-13 establishes a selling price hierarchy that allows for the use of an estimated selling price to determine the allocation of arrangement consideration to a deliverable in a multiple element arrangement where neither VSOE nor third-party evidence, or TPE, is available for that deliverable. In the absence of VSOE or TPE of the standalone selling price for one or more delivered or undelivered elements in a multiple-element arrangement, entities are required to estimate the selling prices of those elements. Overall arrangement consideration is allocated to each element (both delivered and undelivered items) based on their relative selling prices, regardless of whether those selling prices are evidenced by VSOE or TPE or are based on the entity’s estimated selling price. The residual method of allocating arrangement consideration has been eliminated.
The amendments in ASU 2009-13 and ASU 2009-14 are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning of their first fiscal year beginning on or after June 15, 2010. Entities may elect to adopt this amendment through either prospective application for revenue arrangements entered into, or materially modified, after the effective date or through retrospective application to all revenue arrangements for all periods presented. Early adoption is permitted;
ASU 2009-14 modifies the software revenue recognition guidance to exclude from its scope tangible products that contain both software and non-software components that function together to deliver a product’s essential functionality. However, an entity must select the same transition method and same period for the adoption of both ASU 2009-13 and ASU 2009-14.
We adopted ASU 2009-13 and ASU 2009-14 as of January 1, 2011. Therefore, we will not account for our products sales following the adoption of ASU 2009-14 in accordance with ASC No. 985-605. We expect that the adoption of ASU 2009-13 and ASU 2009-14 will not have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
We may elect to adopt the update prospectively, to new or materially modified arrangements beginning on the adoption date, or retrospectively, for all periods presented.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth our statements of operations as a percentage of revenues for the periods indicated:
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Revenues:
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Products
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73.1 |
% |
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71.0 |
% |
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71.7 |
% |
Services
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26.9 |
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29.0 |
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28.3 |
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Total revenues
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100.0 |
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100.0 |
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100.0 |
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Cost of revenues:
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Products
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22.1 |
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24.2 |
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24.6 |
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Services
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4.0 |
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4.2 |
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3.5 |
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Total cost of revenues
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26.1 |
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28.4 |
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28.1 |
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Gross profit
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73.9 |
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71.6 |
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71.9 |
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Operating expenses:
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Research and development, net
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32.2 |
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22.1 |
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19.8 |
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Sales and marketing
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53.3 |
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48.9 |
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38.7 |
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General and administrative
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16.6 |
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13.3 |
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9.6 |
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In process research and development
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0.7 |
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- |
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- |
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Total operating expenses
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102.8 |
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84.3 |
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68.1 |
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Operating profit ( loss)
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(28.9 |
) |
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(12.7 |
) |
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3.8 |
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Financing and other expenses, net
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(14.9 |
) |
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(5.5 |
) |
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(13.8 |
) |
Loss before income tax expense
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(43.9 |
) |
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(18.2 |
) |
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(10.0 |
) |
Income tax expense
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0.6 |
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0.1 |
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0.1 |
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Net loss
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(44.5 |
)% |
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(18.3 |
)% |
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(10.1 |
)% |
Year Ended December 31, 2010 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2009
Revenues
Products. Product revenues increased by $11.3 million, or 38%, to $40.9 million in 2010 from $29.6 million in 2009. The increase is primarily attributable to increased sales of our high-end products, primarily the Service Gateway platforms, driven by orders placed by a global Tier 1 mobile operator group. The increase in 2010 is primarily attributable to deployment of our products in additional sites of the Tier 1 mobile operator group.
Services. Services revenues increased by $4.0 million, or 33%, to $16.1 million in 2010 from $12.1 million in 2009. The increase in services revenues is primarily attributable to an increase in our installed base in 2010.
Product revenues comprised 71.7% of our total revenues in 2010, an increase of 0.7% compared to 2009 while services revenues’ portion of total revenues decreased by a similar percentage.
During 2010, revenues in Europe increased by $11.7 million, or 62%, compared to 2009, which was primarily attributable to orders placed by the global Tier 1 mobile operator group. Revenues in the Americas increased by $1.2 million, or 13%, in 2010 compared to 2009, and revenues in Asia and Oceania increased by $1.5 million, or 13%, in 2010 compared to 2009. Revenues in the Middle East and Africa increased by $0.9 million, or 30%, compared to 2009.
Cost of revenues and gross margin
Products. Products cost of revenues increased by $3.9 million, or 39%, to $14 million in 2010 from $10.1 million in 2009. This increase is consistent with the increase in product revenues. Product gross margin slightly decreased to 65.7% in 2010 from 65.9% in 2009.
Services. Services cost of revenues increased by $0.3 million, or 18 %, to $2.0 million in 2010 from $1.7 million in 2009. This increase is primarily attributable to higher support personnel expenses associated with deployment of our products with large service providers. Services gross margin increased to 87.8 % in 2010 from 85.7% in 2009.
Total gross margin increased marginally to 71.9% in 2010 from 71.6% in 2009. This increase is primarily attributable to the increase in services gross margin as described above.
Operating expenses
Research and development. Gross research and development expenses increased by $2.3 million, or 20%, to $14.0 million in 2010 from $11.7 million in 2009. This increase is primarily attributable to an increase in salaries and labor costs of approximately $1.5 million, which principally resulted from a minor increase in head count, an increase in accrued bonuses and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel. In addition, costs of materials and contractors increased by $0.5 million and depreciation and other overhead expenses increased by $0.3 million.
Research and development expenses, net of received and accrued grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist, increased by $2.0 million, or 22%, to $11.3 million in 2010 from $9.3 million in 2009. Grants received from the Office of the Chief Scientist totaled $2.8 million in 2010 compared to $2.4 million in 2009. The increase in grants received is attributable to an increase in the approved grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist, and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel. Research and development expenses, net, as a percentage of revenues decreased to 20% in 2010 from 22% in 2009.
Sales and marketing. Sales and marketing expenses increased by $1.6 million, or 8%, to $22.0 million in 2010 from $20.4 million in 2009. This increase is primarily attributable to increased salaries of approximately $0.9 million, resulted from increased head count, an increase in accrued bonuses and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel. Commission expenses increased by approximately $0.9 million resulting from increased sales, and other overhead expenses increased by $0.3 million. The increase of the expenses was partially offset by a decrease in depreciation expenses that resulted from a write-off of old demonstration units of $0.4 million in 2009.
Sales and marketing expenses, as a percentage of total revenues decreased to 39% in 2010 from 49% in 2009.
General and administrative. General and administrative expenses in 2010 were $5.5 million, the same level as in 2009. Increased accrued bonuses of $0.2 million and minor increases in salaries resulted mainly from the devaluation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel, and a slight increase in professional services were offset by a decrease in stock-based compensation expenses.
General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 10% in 2010 from 13% in 2009.
Financial and other expenses, net. Financial and other expenses, net increased to $7.9 million in 2010 from $2.3 million in 2009. The increase in financial and other expenses, net is primarily attributable to a loss in the amount of $4.7 million related to our investment in ARS a decrease in interest received on cash balances and marketable securities of $0.4 million, which was primarily attributable to the decline in interest rates in 2010 and an increase of $0.8 million in foreign currency transactions and other related financial expenses.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense in 2010 was $0.1 million, the same level as in 2009.
Year Ended December 31, 2009 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2008
Revenues
Products. Products revenues increased by $2.5 million, or 9%, to $29.6 million in 2009 from $27.1 million in 2008. The increase is primarily attributable to increased sales of our high-end products, primarily the Service Gateway platforms, driven by the agreement we signed with a global Tier 1 mobile operator group. This increase was partially offset by a decrease in sales of our low-end products.
Services. Services revenues increased by $2.1 million, or 21.3%, to $12.1 million in 2009 from $10.0 million in 2008. The increase in services revenues is primarily attributable to an increase in our installed base.
Products revenues comprised 71% of our total revenues in 2009a decrease of 2.1% compared to 2008, while services revenues increased by a similar percentage.
During 2009, revenues in Europe increased by $6.5 million, or 53%, compared to 2008, which was primarily attributable to an agreement signed with a global Tier 1 mobile operator group. Revenues in the Americas decreased by $1.9 million, or 17%, compared to 2008. Revenues in Asia and Oceania decreased by $0.2 million, or 2%, compared to 2008. Revenues in the Middle East and Africa increased by $0.2 million, or 9%, compared to 2008.
Cost of revenues and gross margin
Products. Products cost of revenues increased by $1.9 million, or 23%, to $10.0 million in 2009 from $8.2 million in 2008. This increase is consistent with the increase in product revenues. Product gross margin decreased to 65.9% in 2009 from 69.7% in 2008. This decrease is primarily attributable to higher sales volume of our high-end products, which require higher material and labor costs as well as an increased inventory write-off, of which $0.5 million is attributable to the introduction of new products in 2009.
Services. Service cost of revenues increased by $0.2 million, or 16.2 %, to $1.7 million in 2009 from $1.5 million in 2008. This increase is primarily attributable to higher support personnel expenses. Services gross margin increased to 85.6 % in 2009 from 85.0% in 2008.
Total gross margin decreased to 71.6% in 2009 from 73.9% in 2008. This decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in product gross margin as described above.
Operating expenses
Research and development.
Gross research and development expenses decreased by $2.9 million, or 19.8%, to $11.7 million in 2009 from $14.6 million in 2008. This decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in salaries and labor costs of approximately $2.7 million, which principally resulted from efficiency measures taken by management, consisting primarily of a salary reduction and certain reductions in the work force at the beginning of the year, as well as appreciation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel and decrease of $0.2 million in maintenance car expenses, which resulted from a reduction in car leasing.
Research and development expenses, net of received and accrued grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist, decreased by approximately $2.7 million, or 22.5%, to $9.3 million in 2009 from $12.0 million in 2008. Grants received from the Office of the Chief Scientist totaled $2.4 million in 2009 compared to $2.7 million in 2008. The decrease in grants received is primarily attributable to the appreciation of U.S. dollar relative to the shekel. Research and development expenses, net, as a percentage of revenues decreased to 22.2% in 2009 from 32.2% in 2008.
Sales and marketing. Sales and marketing expenses increased by $0.6 million, or 3.2%, to $20.4 million in 2009 from $19.8 million in 2008. This increase is primarily attributable to increased commissions of approximately $0.5 million, increased stock-based compensation expenses of approximately $0.3 million, increased travel expenses of approximately $0.5 million, both resulting from increased sales. In addition, this is attributable to increased depreciation primarily related to a write-off of old demonstration units of approximately $0.4 million due to the introduction of new products, partially offset by $1.1 million attributable to decreases in salaries and related expenses, primarily related to salary reductions, appreciation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel and a decrease in the average level of employees compared to 2008.
Sales and marketing expenses, as a percentage of revenues decreased to 48.9% in 2009 from 53.3% in 2008.
General and administrative. General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.7 million, or 10.3%, to $5.5 million in 2009 from $6.2 million in 2008. This decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease of approximately $0.4 million in salaries and related expenses primarily due to salary reductions and an appreciation of the U.S. dollar relative to the shekel, a decrease of $0.1 million in insurance expenses and a decrease of variable overhead and personnel expenses of approximately $0.4 million, partially offset by an increase of $0.2 million in stock-based compensation expenses.
General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 13.2% in 2009 from 16.6% in 2008.
Financial and other expenses, net. Financial and other expenses, net decreased by $3.2 million to $2.3 million in 2009 from $5.5 million in 2008. The decrease in financial and other expenses, net is primarily attributable to a decrease in net impairment charge of $4.7 million related to our investment in ARS and a decrease of $0.2 million in foreign currency transactions and other related financial expenses, partially offset by a decrease in interest received on cash balances and marketable securities of $1.7 million, primarily attributable to a decline in interest rates in 2009.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense was $0.1 million in 2009 compared to an income tax expense of $0.2 million in 2008. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in our tax provisions in the United States.
B. Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2010, we had $42.9 million in cash and cash equivalents, $15.5 million available for sale marketable securities, and $1.1 million in restricted cash and deposits. As of December 31, 2010, our working capital, which we calculate by subtracting our current liabilities from our current assets, was $59.8 million.
Based on our current business plan, we believe that our existing cash balances, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures for at least the next twelve months. If our estimates of revenues, expense or capital or liquidity requirements change or are inaccurate and are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or arrange additional debt financing. In addition, we may seek to sell additional equity or arrange debt financing to give us financial flexibility to pursue attractive acquisition or investment opportunities that may arise in the future.
Operating activities. During 2010, we generated $7.3 million in cash and cash equivalents from operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities consisted of a loss of $7.7 million related to the sale of our ARS portfolio, depreciation and amortization of fixed and intangible assets of $2.7 million, stock-based compensation expenses of $2.0 million and an increase of $7.2 million in deferred revenues attributable to sales for which we received cash but the revenue recognition criteria has not been met. This was partially offset by a net loss of $5.8 million, an increase of $5.8 million in inventories, an increase of $1.5 million in other receivables and prepaid expenses and an increase in trade payable of $2.0 million.
Net cash used in operating activities in 2009 was $0.4 million. Net cash used in operating activities consisted of a net loss of $7.7 million, an increase of $0.7 million in inventories, an increase of $1.7 million in trade receivables, an increase of $0.2 million in accrued severance pay, net, an increase of $1.6 million in other receivables and a capital gain adjustment to our net loss of $0.1 million. This was partially offset by non-cash expenses primarily attributable to a $3.0 million impairment charge against ARS, depreciation and amortization of fixed and intangible assets, including a fixed assets write-off of $3.0 million and $2.3 million of stock-based compensation expense, as well as, changes in balance sheet items that included a decrease of $0.3 million in long-term deferred taxes, an increase of $0.7 million in deferred revenues and an increase of $2.3 million in trade and other payables.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities in 2010 was $4.0 million, primarily attributable to the purchase of property and equipment of $2.3 million and an investment in available for sale marketable securities of $16.8 million. This was partially offset by the redemption and sale of marketable securities of $13.6 million, redemption of short-term deposits of $1.3 million and $0.2 million in proceeds from sales of property and equipment.
Net cash used in investing activities in 2009 was $3.7 million, primarily attributable to the purchase of property and equipment of $3.6 million and a $0.2 million increase in short-term bank deposits and restricted cash and deposits offset by $0.1 million in proceeds from the sale of property and equipment.
We expect that our capital expenditures will total approximately $2.3 million in 2011. We anticipate that these capital expenditures will be primarily related to further investments in lab equipment for research and development, as well as customer support and demo units.
Financing activities. Net cash provided by financing activities in 2010 was $3.0 million, which was attributable to the issuance of shares through the exercise of stock options.
Net cash provided by financing activities in 2009 was $0.5 million, which was attributable to the issuance of shares through the exercise of stock options.
C. Research and Development, Patents and Licenses
Our research and development activities take place in Israel and New Zealand. As of December 31, 2010, 95 of our employees were engaged primarily in research and development. We devote a significant amount of our resources towards research and development to introduce and continuously enhance products to support our growth strategy.
Our research and development efforts have benefited from royalty-bearing grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist. The government grants we have received for research and development expenditures restrict our ability to manufacture products and transfer technologies outside of Israel and require us to satisfy specified conditions. If we fail to comply with such restrictions or these conditions, we may be required to refund grants previously received together with interest and penalties, and may be subject to criminal charges.
Total research and development expenses, before royalty bearing grants, were approximately $14.6 million, $11.7 million and $14.0 million in the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. Royalty bearing grants amounted to $2.7 million, $2.4 million and $2.8 million in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.
D. Trend Information
See “ITEM 5: Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” above.
E. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We are not a party to any material off-balance sheet arrangements. In addition, we have no unconsolidated special purpose financing or partnership entities that are likely to create material contingent obligations.
F. Contractual Obligations
The following table of our material contractual and other obligations known to us as of December 31, 2010, summarizes the aggregate effect that these obligations are expected to have on our cash flows in the periods indicated.
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(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
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|
Operating leases — offices(1)
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|
$ |
2,150 |
|
|
$ |
848 |
|
|
$ |
1,222 |
|
|
$ |
80 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
Operating leases — vehicles
|
|
|
663 |
|
|
|
369 |
|
|
|
294 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Purchase obligations
|
|
|
3,.672 |
|
|
|
3,672 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Accrued severance pay(2)
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|
|
191 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
191 |
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Other(3)
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|
75 |
|
|
|
75 |
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|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
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Total
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|
$ |
6,751 |
|
|
$ |
4,964 |
|
|
$ |
1,516 |
|
|
$ |
80 |
|
|
$ |
191 |
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_____________________
(1)
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Consists primarily of an operating lease for our facilities in Hod-Hasharon, Israel, as well as operating leases for facilities leased by our subsidiaries.
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(2)
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Severance pay relates to accrued severance obligations to our Israeli employees as required under Israeli labor law. These obligations are payable only upon termination, retirement or death of the respective employee and there is no obligation if the employee voluntarily resigns. Of this amount, $0.2 million is unfunded.
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(3)
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Uncertain income tax position under FASB ASC No. 740-10, “Income Taxes,” (originally issued as FIN 48) is due upon settlement, and we are unable to reasonably estimate the ultimate amount or timing of settlement. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for further information regarding our liability under ASC No. 740-10.
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ITEM 6: Directors, Senior Management and Employees
A. Directors and Senior Management
Our directors and executive officers, their ages and positions as of June 1, 2011, are as follows:
Name
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Age
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Position
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Directors
|
|
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Shraga Katz
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58
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Chairman of the Board
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Rami Hadar
|
47
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Director, Chief Executive Officer and President
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Dr. Eyal Kishon(1)(2)
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51
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Director
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Nurit Benjamini(1)(2)
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44
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Director
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Shai Saul(1)
|
49
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Director
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Steven D. Levy(2)
|
55
|
Director
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Yigal Jacoby
|
50
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Director
|
|
|
|
Executive Officers
|
|
|
Nachum Falek
|
40
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
Amir Hochbaum
|
51
|
Vice President — Research and Development
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Anat Shenig
|
42
|
Vice President — Human Resources
|
Andrei Elefant
|
37
|
Vice President — Product Management and Marketing
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Eli Cohen
|
43
|
Vice President — International Sales
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Jay Klein
|
47
|
Vice President — Chief Technology Officer
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Lior Moyal
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40
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Vice President — Business Development
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Pini Gvili
|
45
|
Vice President — Operations
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Ramy Moriah
|
55
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Vice President — Customer Care and Information Technology
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Vin Costello
|
53
|
Vice President and General Manager — The Americas
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_______________________
(1) Member of our compensation and nomination committee.
(2) Member of our audit committee.
Directors
Shraga Katz has served as the Chairman of our board of directors since 2008. Mr. Katz is a Venture Partner of Magma Venture Partners, a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in communication, semiconductors, internet and media. Mr. Katz has over 30 years of experience in the technology sector and has specialized for over 20 years in the communications industry. In 1996, Mr. Katz founded Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT), a global provider of high capacity wireless networking solutions for mobile and fixed operators and private networks, and served as its President and CEO until mid-2005. Prior to founding Ceragon, Mr. Katz served in the Israeli Defense Forces for 17 years. Mr. Katz was head of the Electronic Research and Development Department of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Mr. Katz is a two-time winner of the Israel Defense Award, Israel’s most prestigious recognition for research and development. Mr. Katz holds a B.Sc. from the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University.
Rami Hadar has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since 2006 and is a member of our board of directors. Prior to joining us, Mr. Hadar founded CTP Systems, a developer of cordless telephony systems in 1989 and served as Chief Executive Officer until its acquisition by DSP Communications in 1995. Mr. Hadar continued with DSP Communication’s executive management team for two years, and thereafter, in 1999, the company was acquired by Intel. In 1997, Mr. Hadar co-founded Ensemble Communications, a pioneer in the broadband wireless space and the WiMax standard, where he served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing until 2002. Mr. Hadar also served as Chief Executive Officer of Native Networks from 2002 to 2005, which was successfully sold and integrated to Alcatel. Mr. Hadar holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Technion — Israel Institute of Technology.
Dr. Eyal Kishon has served as a director since 1998. In 1996, Dr. Kishon co-founded Genesis Partners, an Israeli technology-driven venture capital fund, and currently serves as Founder and Managing Partner. From 1993 to 1996, Dr. Kishon served as the Associate Director of the Polaris Fund, now Pitango. Prior to that, Dr. Kishon served as Chief Technology Officer at Yozma Venture Capital from 1992 to 1993. From 1991 to 1992, he worked at the IBM Research Center, and from 1989 to 1991 he worked at the AT&T Bell Laboratories’ Robotics Research Department. Dr. Kishon also serves as a director of AudioCodes Ltd. (NASDAQ: AUDC) and Celtro Inc. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Robotics from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University and a B.A. in Computer Science from the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology. Dr. Kishon has written a number of scientific publications and holds a patent for signature verification for interactive security systems.
Nurit Benjamini has served as an outside director since 2007. Ms. Benjamini serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Wixpres Ltd., a company that allows anyone to create flash content anywhere on the web since May 2011. Previously, Ms. Benjamini has served as the Chief Financial Officer of CopperGate Communications Ltd., from 2007 to 2011. Prior to her position with CopperGate Communications, Ms. Benjamini served as the Chief Financial Officer of Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN) from 2000 to 2007. From 1998 to 2000, Ms. Benjamini served as the Chief Financial Officer of Phone-Or Ltd. Between 1993 and 1998, Ms. Benjamini served as the Chief Financial Officer of Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. (formerly NASDAQ: ALDN). Ms. Benjamini holds a B.A. in Economics and Business and an M.B.A. in Finance, both from Bar Ilan University, Israel.
Shai Saul has served as a director since 2000. Mr. Saul is currently Managing General Partner of DFJ Tamir Fishman Ventures, which he co-founded in 1999. From 2000 to 2009, Mr. Saul acted as Chairman of the Board for CopperGate Communications Ltd. (acquired by Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM). During 2001, Mr. Saul acted as interim-Chief Executive Officer of CopperGate Communications. From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Saul acted as Executive Vice President for Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALDN, acquired by Vector /SafeNet), a leading provider of digital security solutions. From 1993 to 1994, Mr. Saul served as Chief Executive Officer of cleantech vendor Ganot Ltd. Mr. Saul also serves as member of the board of EZChip Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ: EZCH), SuperFish Inc., Aniboom Ltd., Polls Boutique Ltd., Internet Fields Forever Ltd. Mr. Saul holds an LL.B. from Tel Aviv University.
Steven D. Levy has served as an outside director since 2007. Mr. Levy served as a Managing Director and Global Head of Communications Technology Research at Lehman Brothers from 1998 to 2005. Before joining Lehman Brothers, Mr. Levy was a Director of Telecommunications Research at Salomon Brothers from 1997 to 1998, Managing Director and Head of the Communications Research Team at Oppenheimer & Co. from 1994 to 1997 and a senior communications analyst at Hambrecht & Quist from 1986 to 1994. Mr. Levy has also served as a director of PCTEL, a broadband wireless technology company since January 2006. Mr. Levy holds a B.Sc. in Materials Engineering and an M.B.A., both from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Yigal Jacoby co-founded our company in 1996 and serves as member of our board of directors. Mr. Jacoby was Chairman of our board of directors until 2008. Prior to co-founding Allot, Mr. Jacoby served as General Manager of Bay Network’s Network Management Division in Santa Clara from 1996 to 1997. In 1992, he founded Armon Networking, a manufacturer of RMON-based network management solutions, which was sold to Bay Networks in 1996. He also held various engineering and marketing management positions at Tekelec, a manufacturer of Telecommunication monitoring and diagnostic equipment, including Director, OSI & LAN Products from 1989 to 1992 and Engineering Manager from 1987 to 1989. Mr. Jacoby has founded several startups in the communications field and served on their boards. Mr. Jacoby has a B.A., cum laude, in Computer Science from Technion — Israel Institute of Technology and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from University of Southern California.
Executive Officers
Nachum Falek has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2010. Prior to joining Allot, Mr. Falek served from 2003 as the CFO of AudioCodes (NASDAQ: AUDC), a leading provider of Voice over IP (VoIP) technologies and Voice Network products. From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Falek was the Director of Finance of AudioCodes. Earlier in his career, Mr. Falek served as a Controller at ScanVec-Amiable Ltd., and as a Manager at Ernst & Young Israel. Mr. Falek is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a B.A. in Accounting and Economics from Haifa University and a M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University.
Amir Hochbaum has served as our Vice President — Research and Development since 2008. Before joining Allot, Mr. Hochbaum served as the Chief Operating Officer of Axerra Networks. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Hochbaum was Senior Vice President, Research, Development and Operations of Vyyo Israel (NASDAQ: VYYO) where he also served as a member of Vyyo’s executive management team. Prior to Vyyo, between 1994 and 2005, Mr. Hochbaum held a succession of management positions at Avaya (formerly Lucent, Madge and Lannet) including Managing Director and Vice President of R&D. Between 1984 and 1994, Mr. Hochbaum held a succession of management positions at ServiceSoft, including management of engineering, product development, product management and customer service . Mr. Hochbaum holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science and an M.S. in Computer Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Anat Shenig joined our company in 2000 and has served as our Vice President — Human Resources since 2007. Ms. Shenig is responsible for human resources recruiting, welfare policy and employees’ training. Prior to joining us, Ms. Shenig served as Human Resource Manager for Davidoff insurance company and as an organizational consultant for Aman Consulting. Ms. Shenig holds bachelor degrees in Psychology and Economics from Tel Aviv University and an M.B.A. in organizational behavior from Tel Aviv University.
Andrei Elefant joined our company in 2000 and has served as our VP Product Management since 2007. Mr. Elefant assumed responsibility to our marketing activities in 2008. Mr. Elefant is responsible for product management, product marketing and strategic project management. Prior to joining us, Mr. Elefant served as officer in the Israeli air force. Mr. Elefant holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Tel-Aviv University.
Eli Cohen has served as our Vice President International Sales since 2008. Prior to joining us, from 2006 through 2008, Mr. Cohen was general manager of the Access Line business and before that the Vice President of Sales and Sales Operations for the Broadband Access Division at ECI Telecom, a supplier of networking infrastructure for carriers and service provider networks. Previously, Mr. Cohen held various senior positions in sales and marketing from 2002 to 2006 at ECI. Before that, between 1999 and 2002, Mr. Cohen was CEO and Director of Sales & Marketing of GigaSpaces Technologies, an e-commerce start-up company in the field of infrastructure for business and residential applications. Mr. Cohen has a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering from Coventry University and an M.B.A. from Manchester University.
Jay Klein joined our company in 2006 and has served as our VP and CTO since 2007. Mr. Klein is responsible for driving our technology strategy, expanding our core algorithmic competence and driving intellectual property development, industry standards involvement and academic cooperation. Prior to joining us, between 2004 and 2006, Mr. Klein served as VP at DSPG (VoIP and multimedia silicon solutions) where he was responsible for strategic technology acquisitions. Between 1997 and 2003, Mr. Klein was Co-Founder and CTO of Ensemble Communications, a wireless access systems manufacturer and was one of the founders and creators of WiMAX and IEEE 802.16. Prior to that, between 1993 and 1997, he served as CTO and VP of R&D at CPT Systems, a cellular systems manufacturer, which was acquired by DSP Communications and later by Intel. Mr. Klein holds a B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Tel-Aviv University.
Lior Moyal has served as VP Business Development since 2009. Mr. Moyal is responsible for driving the company’s global business development strategy including developing partnerships with global system integrators, creating alliances with value added network and subscriber services partners, and recruiting and managing worldwide OEM partners. Prior to joining us, from 2008 to 2009, Mr. Moyal was VP of Business Development of AudioCodes (NASDAQ: AUDC). Previously, from 2005 to 2007, Mr. Moyal was AudioCodes’ VP of Marketing. Before that, from 2004 to 2005, Mr. Moyal was VP of Business Development at BridgeWave Communications. Prior to that, Mr. Moyal held variety of management positions in Orckit (NASDAQ: ORCT), including VP of Product Management and VP of Business Development. Mr. Moyal holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University.
Pini Gvili has served as our Vice President — Operations since 2006. Prior to joining us, from 2004 to 2006, he served as Vice President Operations for Celerica, a start-up company specializing in solutions for cellular network optimization. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Gvili was the Vice President — Operations and IT at Terayon Communication Systems, and from 1998 to 2000, held the position of Manager of Integration and Final Testing at Telegate. Mr. Gvili was also a hardware/software engineer at Comverse/Efrat, a world leader of voice mail and digital recording systems, from 1994 to 1997. Mr. Gvili has a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Champlain University and was awarded a practical electronics degree from ORT Technical College.
Ramy Moriah has served as our Vice President — Customer Care & IT since 2005. Prior to joining us, Mr. Moriah was a founding member of Daisy System’s Design Center in Israel, in 1984. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Moriah held the position of Manager of Software Development at Orbot Instruments, a world leader of Automatic Optical Inspection manufacturer for the VLSI Chip Industry. Mr. Moriah was also the acting General Manager at ACA, 3D CAD/solid modeling software for architecture from 1995 to 1997, and served there as Vice President — Research and Development from 1995 to 1997. Mr. Moriah holds a B.Sc., cum laude , in Computer Engineering from the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology and an M.Sc. in Management and Information Systems from the Tel Aviv University School of Business Administration.
Vin Costello has served as our VP and General Manager – Americas since 2006. Mr. Costello began his career with NYNEX and rapidly rose through the ranks achieving the title of Vice President, Business Network Solutions and Vice President Global Sales. Mr. Costello founded and headed NYNEX Network Integration and upon the merger with Bell Atlantic, was named President and CEO of Bell Atlantic Network Integration. Mr. Costello departed Verizon for an optical networking start-up where he served as VP of Sales and assisted Corvis Corporation, in their successful initial public offering. Mr. Costello was subsequently named VP and General Manager of the Managed Storage Division after Corvis purchased Broadwing and reinvented itself as a service provider. Mr. Costello holds a B.Sc. in Computer Applications and Information Systems as well as Business Management (double major) from New York University and earned an M.Sc. in Telecommunications and Computing Management from Polytechnic University.
B. Compensation of Officers and Directors
The aggregate compensation paid to or accrued on behalf of our directors and executive officers as a group during 2010 consisted of approximately $2.1 million in salary, fees, bonus, commissions and directors’ fees and approximately $0.4 in amounts set aside or accrued to provide pension, retirement or similar benefits, but excluding amounts we expended for automobiles made available to our officers, expenses, including dues for professional and business associations, business travel and other expenses, and other benefits commonly reimbursed or paid by companies in Israel.
We pay our chairman of the board of directors an annual fee of NIS 270,000 (approximately $77,000). We pay each of our directors, Shai Saul, Dr. Eyal Kishon and Yigal Jacoby, an annual fee of NIS 45,000 (approximately $13,000) and a per meeting attendance fee of NIS 3,750 (approximately $1,100). We pay each of our outside directors fees as required by the Companies Law. Each director also was granted upon his or her election and reelection options to purchase 15,000 of our ordinary shares, which vest on a quarterly basis over a period of three years.
During 2010, our officers and directors received, in the aggregate, options to purchase 375,500 ordinary shares under our equity based compensation plan. These options have a weighted average exercise price of approximately $5.04 and the options will expire ten years after the date the options were granted.
C. Board Practices
Corporate Governance Practices
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5615(a)(3) to follow Israeli corporate governance practices instead of the NASDAQ Stock Market requirements, provided we disclose which requirements we are not following and the equivalent Israeli requirement. See “ITEM 16F: Corporate Governance Requirements” for a discussion of those ways in which our corporate governance practices differ from those required by NASDAQ for domestic companies.
Board of Directors
Terms of Directors
Our articles of association provide that we may have not less than five directors and up to nine directors.
Under our articles of association our directors (other than the outside directors, whose appointment is required under the Companies Law; see “—Outside Directors”) are divided into three classes. Each class of directors consists, as nearly as possible, of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire board of directors (other than the outside directors). At each annual general meeting of our shareholders, the election or re-election of directors following the expiration of the term of office of the directors of that class of directors, will be for a term of office that expires on the third annual general meeting following such election or re-election, such that each year the term of office of only one class of directors will expire. Shraga Katz who is a Class I director, will hold office until our annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2013. Class II directors, consisting of Dr. Eyal Kishon and Shai Saul, will hold office until our annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2011. Class III directors, consisting of Yigal Jacoby and Rami Hadar, will hold office until our annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2012. The directors shall be elected by a vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power present and voting at that meeting. Each director, will hold office until the annual general meeting of our shareholders for the year in which his term expires and until his successor is elected and qualified, unless the tenure of such director expires earlier pursuant to the Companies Law or unless he resigns or is removed from office as described below.
Under the Israeli Companies Law, a director (including an outside director) may be appointed to serve in a public company only if he or she has declared in writing that he or she has the required skills and the ability to dedicate the time required to serve as a director, in view of such company's requirements and scale, and that he or she was not convicted in a judgment of certain criminal and securities law offenses, was not determined by applicable court or pursuant to a ruling of an enforcement administrative committee appointed pursuant to the Israeli Securities Law as unqualified to serve as a director, and the relevant time period forbidding such appointment has not yet elapsed. Additionally, a director (including an outside director) may be appointed only provided that he or she is not restricted by any court or executive authority from serving as a director, was never declared incompetent by a court, and was either never declared bankrupt or was declared bankrupt but was later discharged by the court. A director that ceases to meet the statutory requirements for his or her appointment must immediately notify us of the same and his or her office will become vacated upon such notice.
Under our articles of association the approval of a special majority of the holders of at least 75.0% of the voting rights present and voting at a general meeting is generally required to remove any of our directors (other than the outside directors) from office. The holders of a majority of the voting power present and voting at a meeting may elect directors in their stead or fill any vacancy, however created, in our board of directors. In addition, vacancies on our board of directors, other than vacancies created by an outside director, may be filled by a vote of a simple majority of the directors then in office. A director so chosen or appointed will hold office until the next annual general meeting of our shareholders, unless earlier removed by the vote of a majority of the directors then in office prior to such annual meeting. See “—Outside Directors” for a description of the procedure for election of outside directors.
Outside Directors
Qualifications of Outside Directors
The Israeli Companies Law requires companies incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel with shares that have been offered to the public in or outside Israel to appoint at least two outside directors. Our outside directors are Ms. Benjamini and Mr. Levy.
A person may not serve as an outside director if he is a relative of the controlling shareholder, or if at the date of the person’s appointment or within the prior two years, the person, the person’s relatives, entities under the person’s control, any person or entity to whom such person is subordinated (whether directly or indirectly) or the person’s partners or employer, have or had any affiliation with us, with any person or entity which controls us at the time of such person’s appointment or their relatives, and if there is no controlling shareholder(s) or holder of 25% of the voting power of our shares, no affiliation to our chief executive officer, chairman of the board, holder of 5% of the voting power of our shares or the holder of the most senior financing position.
The term affiliation includes:
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Ÿ
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an employment relationship;
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Ÿ
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a business or professional relationship maintained on a regular basis or through control; and
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Ÿ
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service as an office holder.
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The above affiliation includes also business and professional relationships, which are not on an on-going basis, other than negligible relationships. The term relative is defined as spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents or descendants of a person as well as descendants, siblings or parents of that person’s spouse, and the spouses of each of the foregoing.
The term office holder is defined as a general manager, chief business manager, deputy general manager, vice general manager or any other person assuming the responsibilities of any of the foregoing positions, without regard to such person’s title, and a director or other manager directly subordinated to the general manager. Each person listed under “—Directors and Senior Management” is an office holder.
No person can serve as an outside director if the person’s position or other business create, or may create, a conflict of interests with the person’s responsibilities as a director or may otherwise interfere with the person’s ability to serve as a director. If at the time an outside director is appointed all current members of the board of directors, who are not controlling shareholders of the company or their relatives, are of the same gender, then that outside director must be of the other gender.
The Companies Law provides that each outside director must meet certain professional qualifications or have financial and accounting expertise, and that at least one outside director must have financial and accounting expertise. However, if at least one of our directors meets the independence requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market rules for membership on the audit committee and also has financial and accounting expertise as defined in the Companies Law and applicable regulations, then our outside directors are required to meet the professional qualifications only. Under applicable regulations, a director with financial and accounting expertise is a director who, by reason of his or her education, professional experience and skill, has a high level of proficiency in and understanding of business accounting matters and financial statements. He or she must be able to thoroughly comprehend the financial statements of the company and initiate debate regarding the manner in which financial information is presented. The regulations define a director with the requisite professional qualifications as a director who satisfies one of the following requirements: (1) the director holds an academic degree in either economics, business administration, accounting, law or public administration, (2) the director either holds an academic degree in any other field or has completed another form of higher education in the company’s primary field of business or in an area which is relevant to the office of an outside director, or (3) the director has at least five years of cumulative experience serving in one or more of the following capacities: (a) a senior business management position in a corporation with a substantial scope of business, (b) a senior position in the company’s primary field of business or (c) a senior position in public administration. An outside director that ceases to meet the statutory requirements for his or her appointment must immediately notify us of the same and his or her office will become vacated upon such notice.
Until the lapse of two years from termination of office, neither a company nor its controlling shareholder (s) or a corporation controlled by the controlling shareholder(s) may provide any benefit, directly or indirectly, to an outside director, his or her spouse or child, including through the appointment of the outside director, his or her spouse or child to serve as an office holder and cannot employ or receive professional services for payment from that person, either directly or indirectly, through a company or other entity controlled by the controlling shareholder(s). The above limitation shall apply to other relatives of the outside director for a one-year period after termination of his or her office.
Election of Outside Directors
Outside directors are elected by a majority vote at a shareholders’ meeting, provided that either:
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the majority of shares voted at the meeting, including at least majority the shares of non-controlling shareholders and shareholders not having personal interest in the election of the outside director, voted at the meeting, excluding abstentions, vote in favor of the election of the outside director; or
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the total number of shares of non-controlling shareholders and shareholders not having personal interest in the election of the outside director voted against the election of the outside director does not exceed two percent of the aggregate voting rights in the company.
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The initial term of an outside director is three years and he or she may be reelected to additional terms of three years each by a majority vote at a shareholders’ meeting, subject to the conditions described above for election of outside directors. Reelection to each additional term beyond the first extension must comply with the following additional conditions: (1) the audit committee and, subsequently, the board of directors confirmed that the reelection for an additional term is for the benefit of the company, taking into account the outside director’s expertise and special contribution to the function of the board of directors and its committees, and (2) the general meeting of the company’s shareholders, prior to its approval of the reelection of the outside director, was informed of the term previously served by him or her and of the reasons of the board of directors and audit committee for the extension of the outside director’s term. Outside directors may only be removed by the same majority of shareholders as is required for their election, or by a court, and then only if the outside directors cease to meet the statutory qualifications for their appointment or if they violate their duty of loyalty to the company. If the vacancy of an outside directorship causes the company to have fewer than two outside directors, a company’s board of directors is required under the Companies Law to call a special general meeting of the company’s shareholders as soon as possible to appoint a new outside director. Each committee of a company’s board of directors which is authorized to exercise the board of directors’ authorities is required to include at least one outside director, except for the audit committee, which is required to include all outside director.
An outside director is entitled to compensation as provided in regulations promulgated under the Companies Law and is otherwise prohibited from receiving any other compensation, directly or indirectly, in connection with services provided as an outside director, other than providing indemnification, obligation to indemnify, exemption or insurance as permitted pursuant to the Companies Law.
NASDAQ Requirements
Under the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, a majority of directors must meet the definition of independence contained in those rules. Our board of directors has determined that all of our directors, other than Shraga Katz, Yigal Jacoby and Rami Hadar, meet the independence standards contained in the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. We do not believe that any of these directors have a relationship that would preclude a finding of independence under these rules and, in reaching its determination, our board of directors determined that the other relationships that these directors have with us do not impair their independence.
Audit Committee
Companies Law Requirements
Under the Companies Law, the board of directors of any public company must also appoint an audit committee comprised of at least three directors including all of the outside directors, but excluding the chairman of the board of directors, controlling shareholder or a relative of a controlling shareholder and any director employed by the company or who provides services to the company on a regular basis. Effective as of September 15, 2011, the majority of the members of the audit committee should be independent directors; for this purpose, independent directors are either outside directors or directors that: (i) qualify as independent directors according to the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market; (ii) are not affiliated with the company as required from outside directors under the Companies Law; and (iii) is serving as a member of the board of directors for a period that is not longer than nine years (with a period of up to two years in which he or she did not serve as a board member also being included in such nine-year period). Notwithstanding the above, a company may extend the service of an independent director beyond nine years, for additional periods of up to three years each, if the audit committee and the board approves that it is required in view of the expertise and special contribution of such director to the board and its committees, and that such additional service is beneficial for the company. In addition, effective as of September 15, 2011, any director employed by, or providing services on a regular basis to, the controlling shareholder(s) or a company controlled by the controlling shareholder(s), or director mainly supported by the controlling shareholder, shall not serve as member of the audit committee, and the chairperson of this committee will be an outside director.
NASDAQ Requirements
Under the NASDAQ Stock Market rules, we are required to maintain an audit committee consisting of at least three independent directors, all of whom are financially literate and one of whom has accounting or related financial management expertise. Our audit committee members are required to meet additional independence standards, including minimum standards set forth in rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and adopted by the NASDAQ Stock Market.
Approval of Transactions with Office Holders and Controlling Shareholders
The approval of the audit committee is required to effect specified actions and transactions with office holders and controlling shareholders. The term controlling shareholder means a shareholder with the ability to direct the activities of the company, other than by virtue of being an office holder. A shareholder is presumed to be a controlling shareholder if the shareholder holds 50.0% or more of the voting rights in a company or has the right to appoint the majority of the directors of the company or its general manager. For the purpose of approving transactions with controlling shareholders, the term also includes any shareholder that holds 25.0% or more of the voting rights of the company if the company has no shareholder that owns more than 50.0% of its voting rights. For purposes of determining the holding percentage stated above, two or more shareholders who have a personal interest in a transaction that is brought for the company’s approval are deemed as joint holders. The audit committee may not approve an action or a transaction with a controlling shareholder or with an office holder unless at the time of approval two outside directors are serving as members of the audit committee and at least one of them was present at the meeting at which the approval was granted.
Audit Committee Role
Our board of directors has adopted an audit committee charter setting forth the responsibilities of the audit committee consistent with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the NASDAQ Global Market rules, which include:
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retaining and terminating the company’s independent auditors, subject to shareholder ratification;
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pre-approval of audit and non-audit services provided by the independent auditors; and
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approval of transactions with office holders and controlling shareholders, as described above, and other related-party transactions.
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Additionally, under the Companies Law, the role of the audit committee is to identify irregularities in the business management of the company in consultation with the internal auditor or the company’s independent auditors and suggest an appropriate course of action to the board of directors, to consider related-party actions and transactions and their classification per the instructions of the Companies Law and to approve the yearly or periodic work plan proposed by the internal auditor to the extent required. In addition, as of September 2011, the role of the audit committee according to the Companies Law will be expanded and will also include the examination of the performance of the internal auditor and the resources made available to the internal auditor, review of the work performed by the company’s accountants and their compensation, and determining arrangements for handling employees’ complaints regarding irregularities in the business management. The audit committee charter states that in fulfilling this role the committee is entitled to rely on interviews and consultations with our management, our internal auditor and our independent auditor, and is not obligated to conduct any independent investigation or verification. Our Audit Committee also serves as our Financial Statement Review Committee, as defined in regulations promulgated under the Companies Law recently enacted and applicable to the review process of financial statements commencing from the 2010 year-end financial statements.
Our audit committee consists of our directors, Ms. Nurit Benjamini, Mr. Steven Levy and Dr. Eyal Kishon. The financial expert on the audit committee pursuant to the definition of the Securities and Exchange Commission is Ms. Benjamini.
Compensation and Nominating Committee
We have established a compensation and nominating committee consisting of our directors, Dr. Eyal Kishon, Ms. Nurit Benjamini and Mr. Shai Saul. This committee also oversees matters related to our corporate governance practices. Our board of directors has adopted a compensation and nominating committee charter setting forth the responsibilities of the committee consistent with the NASDAQ Stock Market rules, which include:
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determining the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers;
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granting options to our employees and the employees of our subsidiaries;
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recommending candidates for nomination as members of our board of directors; and
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developing and recommending to the board corporate governance guidelines and a code of business ethics and conduct in accordance with applicable laws.
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Internal Auditor
Under the Companies Law, the board of directors of a public company must appoint an internal auditor nominated by the audit committee. The role of the internal auditor is, among other things, to examine whether a company’s actions comply with applicable law and orderly business procedure. The internal auditor may be an employee of the company but not an interested party or an office holder or a relative of an interested party or an office holder, nor may the internal auditor be the company’s independent auditor or the representative of the same. An interested party is defined in the Companies Law as a holder of 5.0% or more of the issued share capital or voting power in a company, any person or entity who has the right to designate one director or more or the chief executive officer of the company or any person who serves as a director or as a chief executive officer. In February 2007, our board of directors approved the appointment of the firm of Haikin, Rubin, Cohen & Gilboa as the internal auditor of the Company.
Exculpation, Insurance and Indemnification of Office Holders
Under the Companies Law, a company may not exculpate an office holder from liability for a breach of the duty of loyalty. However, a company may approve an act performed in breach of the duty of loyalty of an office holder provided that the office holder acted in good faith, the act or its approval does not harm the company, and the office holder discloses the nature of his or her personal interest in the act and all material facts and documents a reasonable time before discussion of the approval. An Israeli company may exculpate an office holder in advance from liability to the company, in whole or in part, for damages caused to the company as a result of a breach of duty of care but only if a provision authorizing such exculpation is inserted in its articles of association. Our articles of association include such a provision. An Israeli company may not exculpate a director for liability arising out of a prohibited dividend or distribution to shareholders or prohibited purchase of its securities.
An Israeli company may indemnify an office holder in respect of certain liabilities either in advance of an event or following an event provided a provision authorizing such indemnification is inserted in its articles of association. Our articles of association contain such an authorization. An undertaking provided in advance by an Israeli company to indemnify an office holder with respect to a financial liability imposed on him or her in favor of another person pursuant to a judgment, settlement or arbitrator’s award approved by a court must be limited to events which in the opinion of the board of directors can be foreseen based on the company’s activities when the undertaking to indemnify is given, and to an amount or according to criteria determined by the board of directors as reasonable under the circumstances, and such undertaking shall detail the above mentioned events and amount or criteria. In addition, a company may undertake in advance to indemnify an office holder against the following liabilities incurred for acts performed as an office holder:
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reasonable litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by the office holder as a result of an investigation or proceeding instituted against him or her by an authority authorized to conduct such investigation or proceeding, provided that (i) no indictment was filed against such office holder as a result of such investigation or proceeding; and (ii) no financial liability, such as a criminal penalty, was imposed upon him or her as a substitute for the criminal proceeding as a result of such investigation or proceeding or, if such financial liability was imposed, it was imposed with respect to an offense that does not require proof of criminal intent or in connection with a monetary sanction; and
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reasonable litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by the office holder or imposed by a court in proceedings instituted against him or her by the company, on its behalf or by a third party or in connection with criminal proceedings in which the office holder was acquitted or as a result of a conviction for an offense that does not require proof of criminal intent.
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An Israeli company may insure an office holder against the following liabilities incurred for acts performed as an office holder if and to the extent provided in the company’s articles of association:
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a breach of duty of loyalty to the company, to the extent that the office holder acted in good faith and had a reasonable basis to believe that the act would not prejudice the company;
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a breach of duty of care to the company or to a third party, including a breach arising out of the negligent conduct of the office holder; and
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a financial liability imposed on the office holder in favor of a third party.
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An Israeli company may not indemnify or insure an office holder against any of the following:
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a breach of duty of loyalty, except to the extent that the office holder acted in good faith and had a reasonable basis to believe that the act would not prejudice the company;
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a breach of duty of care committed intentionally or recklessly, excluding a breach arising out of the negligent conduct of the office holder;
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an act or omission committed with intent to derive illegal personal benefit; or
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a fine, civil fine, monetary sanction or forfeit levied against the office holder.
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Under the Companies Law, exculpation, indemnification and insurance of office holders must be approved by our audit committee (or a special compensation committee of the board provided such committee complies with the requirements of the audit committee under the Companies Law) and our board of directors and, in respect of our directors, by our shareholders, provided that changes to existing arrangements may be approved by the audit committee if it approves that such changes are immaterial.
Our articles of association allow us to indemnify and insure our office holders to the fullest extent permitted by the Companies Law. Our office holders are currently covered by a directors and officers’ liability insurance policy. In May 2007, we and certain of our officers and directors were named as defendants in a number of purported securities class action lawsuits filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and that were consolidated to “In re Allot Communications Ltd. Securities Litigation.” under Master File No. 07-cv-03455 (RJH). See “ITEM 8: Financial Information—Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.” As of the date of this annual report, no other claims for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance have been filed under our policies and we are not aware of any pending or threatened litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors or officers in which indemnification is sought.
We have entered into agreements with each of our directors and with certain of our office holders exculpating them, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from liability to us for damages caused to us as a result of a breach of duty of care, and undertaking to indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by law. This indemnification is limited to events determined as foreseeable by the board of directors based on our activities, and to an amount or according to criteria determined by the board of directors as reasonable under the circumstances, and the insurance is subject to our discretion depending on its availability, effectiveness and cost. The current maximum amount set forth in such agreements is the greater of (1) with respect to indemnification in connection with a public offering of our securities, the gross proceeds raised by us and/or any selling shareholder in such public offering, and (2) with respect to all permitted indemnification, including a public offering of our securities, an amount equal to 50% of the our shareholders’ equity on a consolidated basis, based on our most recent financial statements made publicly available before the date on which the indemnity payment is made.
In the opinion of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, however, indemnification of directors and office holders for liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and therefore unenforceable.
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Manufacturing and operations
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|
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16 |
|
|
|
16 |
|
|
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16 |
|
Research and development
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|
|
94 |
|
|
|
92 |
|
|
|
95 |
|
Sales, marketing, service and support
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|
102 |
|
|
|
114 |
|
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|
123 |
|
Management and administration
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31 |
|
|
|
30 |
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|
|
30 |
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
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243 |
|
|
|
252 |
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|
|
264 |
|
Under applicable Israeli law, we and our employees are subject to protective labor provisions such as restrictions on working hours, minimum wages, minimum vacation, sick pay, severance pay and advance notice of termination of employment as well as equal opportunity and anti-discrimination laws. Orders issued by the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor make certain industry-wide collective bargaining agreements applicable to us. These agreements affect matters such as cost of living adjustments to salaries, length of working hours and week, recuperation, travel expenses, and pension rights. Our employees are not represented by a labor union. We provide our employees with benefits and working conditions which we believe are competitive with benefits and working conditions provided by similar companies in Israel. We have never experienced labor-related work stoppages and believe that our relations with our employees are good.
E. Share Ownership
Beneficial Ownership of Executive Officers and Directors
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of June 1, 2011, of each of our directors and executive officers.
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Number of Shares
Beneficially Held(1)
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Directors
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Shai Saul(2)
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2,359,093 |
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9.7 |
% |
Yigal Jacoby(3)
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664,658 |
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2.7 |
% |
Rami Hadar
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564,677 |
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2.3 |
% |
Eyal Kishon
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|
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* |
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* |
|
Nurit Benjamini
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|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Shraga Katz
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|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Steven D. Levy
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|
|
* |
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|
|
* |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive Officers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amir Hochbaum
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|
|
* |
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|
* |
|
Anat Shenig
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|
|
* |
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|
|
* |
|
Andrei Elefant
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|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Eli Cohen
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|
|
* |
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|
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* |
|
Jay Klein
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|
|
* |
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|
|
* |
|
Lior Moyal
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|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Nachum Falek
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|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Pini Gvili
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|
|
* |
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|
|
* |
|
Ramy Moriah
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|
|
* |
|
|
|
* |
|
Vin Costello
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|
|
* |
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|
|
* |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All directors and executive officers as a group
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|
|
4,199,040 |
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17.3 |
% |
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___________________________________
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*
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Less than one percent of the outstanding ordinary shares.
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(1)
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As used in this table, “beneficial ownership” means the sole or shared power to vote or direct the voting or to dispose or direct the disposition of any security. For purposes of this table, a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of securities that can be acquired within 60 days from June 1, 2011 through the exercise of any option or warrant. Ordinary shares subject to options or warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days are deemed outstanding for computing the ownership percentage of the person holding such options or warrants, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the ownership percentage of any other person. The amounts and percentages are based upon 24,200,838 ordinary shares outstanding as of June 1, 2011.
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(2)
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Consists of 2,331,593 shares held by the Tamir Fishman Ventures and options to purchase 27,500 shares held by Shai Saul. Mr. Saul is a managing partner of Tamir Fishman and, by virtue of his position, may be deemed to have voting and investment power, and thus beneficial ownership, with respect to the shares held by the Tamir Fishman Ventures. Mr. Saul disclaims such beneficial ownership except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
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(3)
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Consists of 435,410 shares held by Odem Rotem Holdings Ltd., a company wholly-owned and controlled by Yigal Jacoby, 165,200 shares held by Yigal Jacoby and 61,548 shares jointly held by Yigal Jacoby and his spouse, Anat Jacoby, and an option to purchase 2,500 shares held by Yigal Jacoby.
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Our directors and executive officers hold, in the aggregate, options exercisable into 1,903,684 ordinary shares. The 1,903,684 options have a weighted average exercise price of approximately $4.31 per share and have expiration dates until 2021.
Share Option Plans
We have adopted four share option plans and, as of June 1, 2011, we had 4,442,984 ordinary shares reserved for issuance under these plans, with respect to which (i) options to purchase 3,378,878 ordinary shares at a weighted average exercise price of $5.08 per share were outstanding, and (ii) options to purchase 3,725,896 ordinary shares were already exercised by certain of the grantees and such shares were issued by us. As of June 1, 2011, options to purchase 1,685,809 ordinary shares were vested and exercisable.
We will only grant options or other equity incentive awards under the 2006 Incentive Compensation Plan, although previously-granted options will continue to be governed by our other plans.
2006 Incentive Compensation Plan
The 2006 plan is intended to further our success by increasing the ownership interest of certain of our and our subsidiaries’ employees, directors and consultants and to enhance our and our subsidiaries’ ability to attract and retain employees, directors and consultants.
The number of ordinary shares that we may issue under the 2006 plan will increase on the first day of each fiscal year during the term of the 2006 plan, in each case in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 1,000,000 shares, (ii) 3.5% of our outstanding ordinary shares on the last day of the immediately preceding year, or (iii) an amount determined by our board of directors. The number of shares subject to the 2006 plan is also subject to adjustment if particular capital changes affect our share capital. Ordinary shares subject to outstanding awards under the 2006 plan or our 2003 plan or 1997 plans that are subsequently forfeited or terminated for any other reason before being exercised will again be available for grant under the 2006 plan. As of June 1, 2011, options or other awards to purchase 4,624,246 ordinary shares had been granted under the 2006 plan and 491,271 remained available for future options or other awards.
Israeli participants in the 2006 plan may be granted options subject to Section 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance. Section 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance, allows employees, directors and officers, who are not controlling shareholders and are considered Israeli residents to receive favorable tax treatment for compensation in the form of shares or options. Our non-employees service providers and controlling shareholders may only be granted options under another section of the Tax Ordinance, which does not provide for similar tax benefits. Section 102 includes two alternatives for tax treatment involving the issuance of options or shares to a trustee for the benefit of the grantees and also includes an additional alternative for the issuance of options or shares directly to the grantee. The most favorable tax treatment for the grantees is under Section 102(b)(2) of the Tax Ordinance, the issuance to a trustee under the “capital gain track.” However, under this track we are not allowed to deduct an expense with respect to the issuance of the options or shares. Any stock options granted under the 2006 plan to participants in the United States will be either “incentive stock options,” which may be eligible for special tax treatment under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or options other than incentive stock options (referred to as “nonqualified stock options”), as determined by our compensation and nominating committee and stated in the option agreement.
Our compensation and nominating committee administers the 2006 plan and it will select which of our and our subsidiaries’ and affiliates’ eligible employees, directors and/or consultants shall receive options or other awards under the 2006 plan and will determine the terms of the grant, including, exercise prices, method of payment, vesting schedules, acceleration of vesting and the other matters necessary in the administration of the plan.
If we undergo a change of control, as defined in the 2006 plan, subject to any contrary law or rule, or the terms of any award agreement in effect before the change of control, (a) the compensation and nominating committee may, in its discretion, accelerate the vesting, exercisability and payment, as applicable, of outstanding options and other awards; and (b) the compensation and nominating committee, in its discretion, may adjust outstanding awards by substituting ordinary shares or other securities of any successor or another party to the change of control transaction, or cash out outstanding options and other awards, in any such case, generally based on the consideration received by our shareholders in the transaction.
Allot Communications Ltd. Key Employee Share Incentive Plan (2003)
Our 2003 share option plan provides for the grant of options to our and our affiliates’ employees, directors, officers, consultants, advisers and service providers. As of June 1, 2011, there were outstanding options to purchase 599,430 ordinary shares under the plan, all of which were vested and exercisable and options to purchase 2,387,900 ordinary shares were already exercised for ordinary shares. We no longer grant options under this plan, and ordinary shares underlying any option granted under this plan that terminates without exercise become available for future issuance under our 2006 plan.
The terms of the 2003 plan are in compliance with Section 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance, which allows employees, directors and officers, who are not controlling shareholders and are considered Israeli residents to receive favorable tax treatment for compensation in the form of shares or options. Our non-employees service providers and controlling shareholders may only be granted options under another section of the Tax Ordinance, which does not provide for similar tax benefits.
We have elected to issue our options under the capital gain track and, accordingly, all options granted under this plan to Israeli residents have been granted under the capital gain track. Section 102 also provides for an income tax track, under which, among other things, the benefits to the employees would be taxed as ordinary income, we would be allowed to recognize expenses for tax purposes and the minimum holding period for the trustee will be twelve months from the end of the calendar year in which such options are granted, and if granted after January 1, 2006, twelve months after the date of grant. In order to comply with the terms of the capital gain track, all options, as well as the ordinary shares issued upon exercise of these options and other shares received subsequently following any realization of rights with respect to such options, such as stock dividends and stock splits are granted to a trustee and should be held by the trustee for the lesser of thirty months from the date of grant, or two years following the end of the tax year in which the options were granted and if granted after January 1, 2006 only two years after the date of grant. Under this plan, all options, whether or not granted pursuant to said Section 102, the ordinary shares issued upon their exercise and other shares received subsequently following any realization of rights are issued to a trustee.
The plan is administered by our board of directors which has delegated certain responsibilities to our compensation and nomination committee.
In the event of our being acquired by means of merger with or into another entity, in which our outstanding shares are exchanged for securities or other consideration issued, or caused to be issued, by the acquiring company or its subsidiary, or in the event of the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, to the extent it has not been previously exercised, each vested or unvested option will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction. The plan further provides that, in the event of our consolidation or merger with or into another corporation, the compensation committee may, in its absolute discretion and without obligation, agree that instead of termination: (i) each unexercised option, if possible, will be assumed or an equivalent option will be substituted by our successor corporation or a parent or subsidiary of our successor corporation; or (ii) we will pay to the grantee an amount equivalent to the valuation of the grantee’s unexercised options on an as converted basis at that time.
Allot Communications Ltd. Key Employees Share Incentive Plan and Key Employees of Subsidiaries and Consultants Share Incentive Plan (1997)
Our Key Employees Share Incentive Plan, adopted in 1997, provides for the grant of options to any of our directors, officers and employees, and our Key Employees of Subsidiaries and Consultants Share Incentive Plan, also adopted in 1997, provides for the grant of options to any of our or our subsidiaries’ directors, officers, employees, or consultants. The terms of both plans are identical, except that the grant of options under the first plan was made in compliance with the provisions of Section 102 of the Tax Ordinance, as was in effect in 1997 and prior to its amendments in 2003, which allows employees who are considered Israeli residents to receive favorable tax treatment.
As of June 1, 2011, there were outstanding options to purchase 910 ordinary shares under the two plans, all of which were vested, and options to purchase 765,161 ordinary shares that were already exercised for ordinary shares. We no longer grant options under these plans, and ordinary shares underlying any option granted under these plans that terminate without exercise become available for future issuance under our 2006 plan.
The plans are administered by our compensation and nominating committee.
ITEM 7: Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions
A. Major Shareholders
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our outstanding ordinary shares as of June 1, 2011, by each person who we know beneficially owns 5.0% or more of the outstanding ordinary shares. Each of our shareholders has identical voting rights with respect to its shares. All of the information with respect to beneficial ownership of the ordinary shares is given to the best of our knowledge.
|
|
Ordinary Shares
Beneficially Owned(1)
|
|
|
Percentage of Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brookside Capital Fund(2)
|
|
|
3,426,638 |
|
|
|
14.2 |
% |
Zohar Zisapel(3)
|
|
|
2,842,378 |
|
|
|
11.7 |
% |
Diker Management(4)
|
|
|
2,400,040 |
|
|
|
9.9 |
% |
Tamir Fishman Ventures(5)
|
|
|
2,354,093 |
|
|
|
9.7 |
% |
(1)
|
As used in this table, “beneficial ownership” means the sole or shared power to vote or direct the voting or to dispose or direct the disposition of any security. For purposes of this table, a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of securities that can be acquired within 60 days from June 1, 2011 through the exercise of any option or warrant. Ordinary shares subject to options or warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days are deemed outstanding for computing the ownership percentage of the person holding such options or warrants, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the ownership percentage of any other person. The amounts and percentages are based upon 24, 200,838 ordinary shares outstanding as of June 1, 2011.
|
(2)
|
Based on a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 14, 2011. Consists of 3,426,638 shares held by Brookside Capital Partners Fund, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership. Brookside Capital Investors, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership is the sole general partner of the Brookside Capital Partners Fund, L.P. Brookside Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is the sole general partner of Brookside Capital Investors, L.P. Domenic J. Ferrante is the sole managing member of Brookside Capital Management, LLC. The address of the Brookside entities and the foregoing individual is 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02199.
|
(3)
|
Based on a Schedule 13G/A filed on January 13, 2011. Consists of 2,777,487 shares are held by Zohar Zisapel and 64,891 shares are held by Lomsha Ltd., an Israeli company controlled by Zohar Zisapel. The address of Mr. Zisapel and Lomsha Ltd. is 24 Raoul Wallenberg Street, Tel Aviv 69719, Israel.
|
(4)
|
Based on a Schedule 13G filed on February 14, 2011. The address of Diker Management, LLC is 745 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1409, New York, New York 10151.
|
(5)
|
Based on a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 14, 2011. Consists of 1,165,014 shares held by Tamir Fishman Ventures II L.P., 804,842 shares held by Tamir Fishman Venture Capital II Ltd., 155,904 shares held by Tamir Fishman Ventures II (Israel) L.P., 138,310 shares held by Tamir Fishman Ventures II (Cayman Islands) L.P., 54,543 shares held by Tamir Fishman Ventures II CEO Funds (U.S.) L.P., 12,980 shares held by Tamir Fishman Ventures II CEO Funds L.P. and an option to purchase 27,500 shares held by Shai Saul. Tamir Fishman Ventures II, LLC is the sole general partner of each of the foregoing limited partnerships and has management rights over the shares held by Tamir Fishman Venture Capital II Ltd. by virtue of a management agreement with Tamir Fishman Ventures II, LLC. The managing members of Tamir Fishman Ventures II, LLC are Shai Saul, Michael Elias and Tamir Fishman & Co. Ltd. Eldad Tamir and Danny Fishman are Co-Presidents and Co-Chief Executive Officers of Tamir Fishman & Co. Ltd. and, by virtue of their positions, may be deemed to be beneficial owners of the securities held thereby. Each of the foregoing entities and individuals disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities except to the extent of its or his pecuniary interest therein. The address of the Tamir Fishman entities and the foregoing individuals is 21 Haarbaa, Tel Aviv 64739 Israel.
|
Significant Changes in the Ownership of Major Shareholders
As of June 1, 2011, Zohar Zisapel was the beneficial owner of 2,842,378, or 11.7%, of our ordinary shares, and Diker Management was the beneficial owner of 2,400,040, or 9.9%, of our ordinary shares. As of April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2009, Zohar Zisapel was the beneficial owner of 2,292,319, or 10.2%, of our ordinary shares and Diker Management was the beneficial owner of 2,160,061, or 9.6%, of our ordinary shares.
As of June 1, 2011, the Gemini Group and Yigal Jacoby were no longer major shareholders. As of April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the Gemini Group was the beneficial owner of 1,702,679, or 7.6%, of our ordinary shares and Yigal Jacoby was the beneficial owner of 1,524,431, or 6.6%, of our ordinary shares.
Record Holders
Based on a review of the information provided to us by our transfer agent, as of June 1, 2011, there were 24 record holders of ordinary shares, of which 9 consisted of United States record holders holding approximately 88% of our outstanding ordinary shares. The United States record holders included Cede & Co., the nominee of the Depositary Trust Company.
B. Related Party Transactions
Our policy is to enter into transactions with related parties on terms that, on the whole, are no more favorable, or no less favorable, than those available from unaffiliated third parties. Based on our experience in the business sectors in which we operate and the terms of our transactions with unaffiliated third parties, we believe that all of the transactions described below met this policy standard at the time they occurred.
We have entered into an amended and restated investors rights agreement with certain of our shareholders, pursuant to which such holders are entitled to certain registration rights as described below. Under such agreement, Tamir Fishman Ventures, which beneficially owns more than 5.0% of our ordinary shares and our founder and member of the board of directors, Yigal Jacoby and Odem Rotem Holdings, a company wholly-owned and controlled by Mr. Jacoby, are entitled to registration rights.
Demand registration rights. We are required to file a registration statement in respect of ordinary shares held by our former preferred shareholders as follows:
|
Ÿ
|
two registrations at the request of one or more of our shareholders holding ordinary shares representing in the aggregate a majority of ordinary shares resulting from conversion of our Series A preferred shares, Series B preferred shares, collectively, referred to as the B Registrable Securities, and Series C preferred shares and all ordinary shares issued in respect of such shares;
|
|
Ÿ
|
one registration at the request of one of more of our shareholders holding ordinary shares representing in the aggregate a majority of ordinary shares resulting from conversion of our Series D preferred shares and all ordinary shares issued in respect of such shares;
|
|
Ÿ
|
one registration at the request of one of more of our shareholders holding ordinary shares representing in the aggregate a majority of ordinary shares resulting from conversion of our Series E preferred shares and all ordinary shares issued in respect of such shares; and
|
|
Ÿ
|
provided that (1) the aggregate proceeds from any such registration are estimated in good faith to be in excess of $5.0 million and (2) we are not required to effect a registration within 180 days after the effective date of our initial public offering or a registration statement for any subsequent offering.
|
Following a request to effect a registration by our shareholders as described above, we are required to offer the other shareholders that are entitled to registration rights an opportunity to include their shares in the registration statement. In the event that the managing underwriter advises the registering shareholders in writing that marketing factors require a limitation on the number of shares that can be included in the registration statement, certain preferences will apply with respect to the inclusion of the registrable securities.
Registration on Form F-3. Shareholders holding registrable securities may request that we register such registrable securities on Form F-3, provided that each such registration generates proceeds of at least $2.0 million. This right may be exercised up to twice in any twelve-month period. We are required to give notice of any such request to the other holders of registrable securities and offer them an opportunity to include their shares in the registration statement. In the event that the managing underwriter advises in writing that marketing factors require a limitation on the number of shares that can be included in the registration statement, the shares will be included in the registration statement in an agreed order of preference between the shareholders holding registrable securities.
Piggyback registration rights. Shareholders holding registrable securities also have the right to request that we include their registrable securities in any registration statements filed by us in the future for the purposes of a public offering, subject to specified exceptions. In the event that the managing underwriter advises in writing that marketing factors require a limitation on the number of shares that can be included in the registration statement, the shares will be included in the registration statement in an agreed order of preference between the shareholders holding registrable securities.
Termination. All registration rights granted to holders of registrable securities will terminate on the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering and, with respect to any of our holders of registrable securities, when the shares held by such shareholder can be sold within a ninety-day period under Rule 144.
Expenses. We will pay all expenses in carrying out the above registrations.
Agreements with Directors and Officers
Employment of Shraga Katz. In June 2008, we entered into an agreement with Shraga Katz governing the terms of his employment with us for the provision of advisory services. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Katz is required to devote 20% of his time to his position with us. In November 2008, Mr. Katz was elected as the Chairman of our board of directors and his monthly compensation was increased. The agreement contains standard employment provisions, including provisions relating to confidentiality and assignment of inventions. We may terminate Mr. Katz’s employment on a prior notice pursuant to applicable law, or we may terminate Mr. Katz’s employment without notice if we give a pay in lieu of notice.
Employment Agreements. We have entered into employment agreements with each of our officers who work for us as employees. These agreements all contain provisions standard for a company in our industry regarding noncompetition, confidentiality of information and assignment of inventions. The enforceability of covenants not to compete in Israel may be limited.
Exculpation, Indemnification and Insurance. Our articles of association permit us to exculpate, indemnify and insure our office holders to the fullest extent permitted by the Companies Law. We have entered into agreements with each of our directors and certain office holders, exculpating them from a breach of their duty of care to us to the fullest extent permitted by law and undertaking to indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by law, to the extent that these liabilities are not covered by insurance. See “ITEM 6: Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Board Practices—Exculpation, Insurance and Indemnification of Office Holders.”
C. Interests of experts and counsel
Not applicable.
ITEM 8: Financial Information
A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information.
Consolidated Financial Statements
For our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, please see pages F-2 to F-41 of this report.
Export Sales
See “ITEM 5: Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” under the caption “Geographic Breakdown of Revenues” for certain details of export sales for the last three fiscal years.
Legal Proceedings
On May 1, 2007, a securities class action complaint, Brickman Investment Inc. v. Allot Communications Ltd. et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. At least three substantially similar complaints were filed in the same court after the original action was filed. We and certain of our directors and officers are named as defendants. The securities class action complaints allege that the defendants violated Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 by making false and misleading statements and omissions in our registration statement for our initial public offering in November 2006. The claims are purportedly brought on behalf of persons who purchased our stock pursuant to and/or traceable to the initial public offering on or about November 15, 2006 through April 2, 2007. The plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory damages against the defendants, as well as attorney’s fees and costs. Motions for consolidation and for appointment of lead plaintiff were filed on July 2, 2007 and were decided on March 27, 2008, with an order granting consolidation and appointing co-lead plaintiffs. The Consolidated Amended Compliant was served on June 9, 2008. The defendants moved to dismiss the Consolidated Amended Compliant on August 8, 2008. While the defendants’ motion to dismiss was still pending, the parties reached on March 31, 2010 an agreement in principle to settle this litigation. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, the Company will pay to the plaintiffs, for the benefit of the class members, $1.3 million in cash, which amount is to be funded by our insurance carrier. The Court held the final approval hearing on April 29, 2011. At the hearing, the Court granted final approval of the settlement. Under the terms of the Stipulation of Settlement, the agreement’s Effective Date was May 31, 2011. The Company has recorded a liability in its financial statements for the proposed amount of the settlement. In addition, because the insurance carrier has agreed to pay the entire settlement amount and recovery from the insurance carrier is probable, a receivable has also been recorded for the same amount. Accordingly, there is no impact to the Company’s statements of operations or cash flows because the amounts of the settlement and the insurance recovery fully offset each other.
We may, from time to time in the future be involved in legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business.
Dividends
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the future. We currently intend to retain all future earnings to finance our operations and to expand our business. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and future prospects and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant.
B. Significant Changes
Since the date of our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report, there have not been any significant changes in our financial position.
ITEM 9: The Offer and Listing
Not applicable, except for Items 9.A.4 and 9.C, which are detailed below.
Stock Price History
The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices for our ordinary shares as reported by the NASDAQ Global Market, in U.S. dollars, and as reported by the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (since December 2010), in NIS, for each of the last five years:
|
|
NASDAQ Global Market
|
|
|
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
|
|
Year
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
2007 |
|
$ |
11.50 |
|
|
$ |
4.35 |
|
|
NIS—
|
|
|
NIS—
|
|
2008 |
|
|
4.85 |
|
|
|
1.60 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
2009 |
|
|
4.25 |
|
|
|
1.42 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
2010 |
|
|
11.64 |
|
|
|
4.00 |
|
|
|
42.57 |
|
|
|
37.20 |
|
2011 |
|
|
16.35 |
|
|
|
12.29 |
|
|
|
58.50 |
|
|
|
38.49 |
|
|
|
NASDAQ Global Market
|
|
|
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
|
|
2009
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
First Quarter
|
|
$ |
1.80 |
|
|
$ |
1.42 |
|
|
NIS—
|
|
|
NIS—
|
|
Second Quarter
|
|
|
3.08 |
|
|
|
1.52 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Third Quarter
|
|
|
4.20 |
|
|
|
3.00 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Fourth Quarter
|
|
|
4.25 |
|
|
|
3.70 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
NASDAQ Global Market
|
|
|
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
|
|
2010
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
First Quarter
|
|
$ |
5.15 |
|
|
$ |
4.00 |
|
|
NIS—
|
|
|
NIS—
|
|
Second Quarter
|
|
|
5.83 |
|
|
|
4.40 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Third Quarter
|
|
|
6.27 |
|
|
|
4.25 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Fourth Quarter
|
|
|
11.64 |
|
|
|
6.11 |
|
|
|
42.57 |
|
|
|
37.20 |
|
|
|
NASDAQ Global Market
|
|
|
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
|
|
Most Recent Six Months
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
May 2011 |
|
$ |
15.63 |
|
|
$ |
13.31 |
|
|
NIS54.82
|
|
|
NIS45.16
|
|
April 2011 |
|
|
16.35 |
|
|
|
14.10 |
|
|
|
54.99 |
|
|
|
47.21 |
|
March 2011 |
|
|
16.16 |
|
|
|
12.29 |
|
|
|
58.50 |
|
|
|
43.93 |
|
February 2011 |
|
|
15.94 |
|
|
|
12.61 |
|
|
|
57.47 |
|
|
|
43.74 |
|
January 2011 |
|
|
13.68 |
|
|
|
10.84 |
|
|
|
48.49 |
|
|
|
38.49 |
|
December 2010 |
|
|
11.64 |
|
|
|
8.51 |
|
|
|
42.57 |
|
|
|
37.20 |
|
Markets
Our ordinary shares have been quoted under the symbol “ALLT” on the NASDAQ Stock Market since November 16, 2006 and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since December 21, 2010.
ITEM 10: Additional Information
A. Share Capital
Not applicable.
B. Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association
Memorandum and Articles of Association
We are registered with the Israeli Registrar of Companies in Jerusalem. Our registration number is 51-239477-6.
A description of our memorandum and articles of association was previously provided in our registration statement on Form F-1 (Registration Statement 333-138313) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 2006, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Acquisitions under Israeli Law
Full Tender Offer. A person wishing to acquire shares of a public Israeli company or voting rights in such company and who would as a result hold over 90.0% of the target company’s issued and outstanding share capital is required by the Companies Law to make a tender offer to all of the company’s shareholders for the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the company. A person wishing to acquire shares of a public Israeli company and who would as a result hold over 90.0% of the issued and outstanding share capital of a certain class of shares is required to make a tender offer to all of the shareholders who hold shares of the same class for the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the same class. If the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold less than 5.0% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company or of the applicable class, and more than half of the offerees who do not have a personal interest in the acceptance of the tender offer agreed to the tender offer, all of the shares that the acquirer offered to purchase will be transferred to the acquirer by operation of law. Notwithstanding the above, if the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold less than 2.0% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company or of the applicable class, the offer will be accepted. However, a shareholder that had its shares so transferred may, within six months from the date of acceptance of the tender offer, petition the court to determine that tender offer was for less than fair value and that the fair value should be paid as determined by the court. The offering person may determine in his offer that any accepting shareholder may not petition the court as aforesaid, but such condition will not be valid if the full information required under the Companies Law was not provided prior to the acceptance date.
Special Tender Offer. The Companies Law provides that an acquisition of shares of a public Israeli company must be made by means of a special tender offer if as a result of the acquisition the purchaser would become a holder of at least 25.0% of the voting rights in the company. This rule does not apply if there is already another holder of at least 25.0% of the voting rights in the company. Similarly, the Companies Law provides that an acquisition of shares in a public company must be made by means of a tender offer if as a result of the acquisition the purchaser would become a holder of more than 45.0% of the voting rights in the company, if there is no other shareholder of the company who holds more than 45.0% of the voting rights in the company. These requirements do not apply if the acquisition (i) occurs in the context of a private placement by the company that received shareholder approval, (ii) was from a shareholder holding at least 25.0% of the voting rights in the company and resulted in the acquirer becoming a holder of at least 25.0% of the voting rights in the company or (iii) was from a holder of more than 45.0% of the voting rights in the company and resulted in the acquirer becoming a holder of more than 45.0% of the voting rights in the company. The special tender offer may be consummated only if at least 5.0% of the voting rights attached to the company’s outstanding shares will be acquired by the offeror.
In the event that a special tender offer is made, a company’s board of directors is required to express its opinion on the advisability of the offer, or shall abstain from expressing any opinion if it is unable to do so, provided that it gives the reasons for its abstention. An office holder in a target company who, in his or her capacity as an office holder, performs an action the purpose of which is to cause the failure of an existing or foreseeable special tender offer or is to impair the chances of its acceptance, is liable to the potential purchaser and shareholders for damages, unless such office holder acted in good faith and had reasonable grounds to believe he or she was acting for the benefit of the company. However, office holders of the target company may negotiate with the potential purchaser in order to improve the terms of the special tender offer, and may further negotiate with third parties in order to obtain a competing offer.
A special tender offer shall only be accepted by a majority of the votes of those offerees who gave notice of their position in respect of the offer. In counting the votes of offerees, the votes of the controlling shareholders in the offeror, of any person with personal interest in the acceptance of the special tender offer or holder of more than 45.0% of the voting rights in the company (if there is no other shareholder of the company who holds more than 45.0% of the voting rights in the company), or any person acting on their or on the offeror’s behalf, including their relatives or corporations under their control, shall not be taken into account. If a special tender offer was accepted, then shareholders who did not announce their stand or who had objected to the offer may accept the offer within four days of the last day set for the acceptance of the offer.
In the event that a special tender offer is accepted, then the purchaser or any person or entity controlling it or under common control with the purchaser or such controlling person or entity shall refrain of making a subsequent tender offer for the purchase of shares of the target company and cannot execute a merger with the target company for a period of one year from the date of the offer, unless the purchaser or such person or entity undertook to effect such an offer or merger in the initial special tender offer.
Merger. The Companies Law permits merger transactions if approved by each party’s board of directors and, unless certain requirements described under the Companies Law are met, a certain percentage of each party’s shareholders. The board of directors of a merging company is required pursuant to the Companies Law to discuss and determine whether in its opinion there exists a reasonable concern that as a result of a proposed merger, the surviving company will not be able to satisfy its obligations towards its creditors, such determination taking into account the financial status of the merging companies. If the board has determined that such a concern exists, it may not approve a proposed merger. Following the approval of the board of directors of each of the merging companies, the boards must jointly prepare a merger proposal for submission to the Israeli Registrar of Companies.
Under the Companies Law, if the approval of a general meeting of the shareholders is required, merger transactions may be approved by holders of a simple majority of our shares (including the separate vote of each class of shares of the party to the merger which is not the surviving entity) present, in person, by proxy or by written ballot, at a general meeting and voting on the transaction. In determining whether the required majority has approved the merger, if shares of the company are held by the other party to the merger, or by any person holding at least 25.0% of the voting rights or 25.0% of the means of appointing directors or the general manager of the other party to the merger, then a vote against the merger by holders of the majority of the shares present and voting, excluding shares held by the other party or by such person, or any person or entity acting on behalf of, related to or controlled by either of them, is sufficient to reject the merger transaction. If the transaction would have been approved but for the separate approval of each class or the exclusion of the votes of certain shareholders as provided above, a court may still approve the merger upon the request of holders of at least 25.0% of the voting rights of a company, if the court holds that the merger is fair and reasonable, taking into account the value of the parties to the merger and the consideration offered to the shareholders.
Under the Companies Law, each merging company must inform its secured creditors of the proposed merger plans. Creditors are entitled to notice of the merger pursuant to the regulations adopted under the Companies Law. Upon the request of a creditor of either party to the proposed merger, the court may delay or prevent the merger if it concludes that there exists a reasonable concern that, as a result of the merger, the surviving company will be unable to satisfy the obligations of any of the parties to the merger, and may further give instructions to secure the rights of creditors.
In addition, a merger may not be completed unless at least fifty days have passed from the date that a proposal for approval of the merger was filed with the Israeli Registrar of Companies and thirty days from the date that shareholder approval of both merging companies was obtained.
Anti-Takeover Measures
Undesignated preferred stock. The Companies Law allows us to create and issue shares having rights different to those attached to our ordinary shares, including shares providing certain preferred or additional rights to voting, distributions or other matters and shares having preemptive rights. We do not have any authorized or issued shares other than ordinary shares. In the future, if we do create and issue a class of shares other than ordinary shares, such class of shares, depending on the specific rights that may be attached to them, may delay or prevent a takeover or otherwise prevent our shareholders from realizing a potential premium over the market value of their ordinary shares. The authorization of a new class of shares will require an amendment to our articles of association which requires the prior approval of a simple majority of our shares represented and voted at a general meeting. In addition, we undertook towards the TASE that, as long as our stock is registered for trading with the TASE we will not issue or authorize shares of any class other than the class currently registered with the TASE, unless such issuance is in accordance with certain provisions of the Israeli Securities Law determining that a company registering its shares for trade on the TASE may not have more than one class of shares for a period of one year following registration with the TASE, and following such period the company is permitted to issue preferred shares if the preference of those shares is limited to a preference in the distribution of dividends and these preferred shares have no voting rights.
Supermajority voting. Our articles of association require the approval of the holders of at least two thirds of our combined voting power to effect certain amendments to our articles of association.
Classified board of directors. Our articles of association provide for a classified board of directors. See “ITEM 6: Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Board Practices—Term of Directors.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our ordinary shares is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company. Its address is 59 Maiden Lane, New York, New York 10038 and its telephone number is (718) 921-8200.
C. Material Contracts
Summaries of the following material contracts and amendments to these contracts are included in this annual report in the places indicated:
Material Contract
|
|
Location
|
Agreement with Flextronics (Israel) Ltd.
|
|
“ITEM 4.B: Information on the Company–Business Overview–Manufacturing.”
|
Esphion Limited
|
|
“ITEM 5: Operating and Financial Review and Prospects–Operating Results–Overview.”
|
Second Amended and Restated Investor Rights Agreement
|
|
“ITEM 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions–Related Party Transactions–Registration Rights.”
|
D. Exchange Controls
In 1998, Israeli currency control regulations were liberalized significantly, so that Israeli residents generally may freely deal in foreign currency and foreign assets, and non-residents may freely deal in Israeli currency and Israeli assets. There are currently no Israeli currency control restrictions on remittances of dividends on the ordinary shares or the proceeds from the sale of the shares provided that all taxes were paid or withheld; however, legislation remains in effect pursuant to which currency controls can be imposed by administrative action at any time.
Non-residents of Israel may freely hold and trade our securities. Neither our memorandum of association nor our articles of association nor the laws of the State of Israel restrict in any way the ownership or voting of ordinary shares by non-residents, except that such restrictions may exist with respect to citizens of countries which are in a state of war with Israel. Israeli residents are allowed to purchase our ordinary shares.
E. Taxation
Israeli Tax Considerations and Government Programs
The following is a general discussion only and is not exhaustive of all possible tax considerations. It is not intended, and should not be construed, as legal or professional tax advice and should not be relied upon for tax planning purposes. In addition, this discussion does not address all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to purchasers of our ordinary shares in light of their particular circumstances, or certain types of purchasers of our ordinary shares subject to special tax treatment. Examples of this kind of investor include residents of Israel and traders in securities who are subject to special tax regimes not covered in this discussion. Each individual/entity should consult its own tax or legal advisor as to the Israeli tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares.
To the extent that part of the discussion is based on new tax legislation, which has not been subject to judicial or administrative interpretation, we cannot assure that the tax authorities or the courts will accept the views expressed in this section.
The following summary describes the current tax structure applicable to companies in Israel, with special reference to its effect on us. The following also contains a discussion of the material Israeli tax consequences to holders of our ordinary shares.
General Corporate Tax Structure in Israel
Taxable income of Israeli companies is subject to tax at the rate of 27% in 2008, 26% in 2009, and 25% in 2010 and thereafter. In July 2009, Israel's Parliament (the Knesset) passed the Economic Efficiency Law (Amended Legislation for Implementing the Economic Plan for 2009 and 2010), 2009, which prescribes, among other things, an additional gradual reduction in the Israeli corporate tax rate and real capital gains tax rate starting from 2011 to the following tax rates: 2011 - 24%, 2012 - 23%, 2013 - 22%, 2014 - 21%, 2015 - 20%, 2016 and thereafter - 18%.
Tax Benefits and Grants for Research and Development
Israeli tax law allows, under certain conditions, a tax deduction for expenditures, including capital expenditures, for the year in which they are incurred. Expenditures are deemed related to scientific research and development projects, if:
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The expenditures are approved by the relevant Israeli government ministry, determined by the field of research;
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The research and development must be for the promotion of the company; and
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The research and development is carried out by or on behalf of the company seeking such tax deduction.
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The amount of such deductible expenses is reduced by the sum of any funds received through government grants for the finance of such scientific research and development projects. No deduction under these research and development deduction rules is allowed if such deduction is related to an expense invested in an asset depreciable under the general depreciation rules of the income Tax Ordinance, 1961. Expenditures not so approved are deductible in equal amounts over three years.
From time to time we may apply the Office of the Chief Scientist for approval to allow a tax deduction for all research and development expenses during the year incurred. There can be no assurance that such application will be accepted.
Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Taxes), 1969
The Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Taxes), 1969, generally referred to as the Industry Encouragement Law, provides several tax benefits for industrial companies. We believe that we currently qualify as an “Industrial Company” within the meaning of the Industry Encouragement Law. The Industry Encouragement Law defines “Industrial Company” as a company resident in Israel, of which 90% or more of its income in any tax year, other than of income from defense loans, capital gains, interest and dividend, is derived from an “Industrial Enterprise” owned by it. An “Industrial Enterprise” is defined as an enterprise whose major activity in a given tax year is industrial production activity.
The following corporate tax benefits, among others, are available to Industrial Companies:
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Amortization of the cost of purchased know-how and patents and of rights to use a patent and know-how which are used for the development or advancement of the company, over an eight-year period;
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Accelerated depreciation rates on equipment and buildings;
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Under specified conditions, an election to file consolidated tax returns with additional related Israeli Industrial Companies; and
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Expenses related to a public offering in Israel and in recognized stock markets outside Israel, are deductible in equal amounts over three years.
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Under certain tax laws and regulations, an “Industrial Enterprise” may be eligible for special depreciation rates for machinery, equipment and buildings. These rates differ based on various factors, including the date the operations begin and the number of work shifts. An “Industrial Company” owning an approved enterprise may choose between these special depreciation rates and the depreciation rates available to the approved enterprise.
Eligibility for the benefits under the Industry Encouragement Law is not subject to receipt of prior approval from any governmental authority. We can give no assurance that we qualify or will continue to qualify as an “Industrial Company” or that the benefits described above will be available in the future.
Special Provisions Relating to Taxation Under Inflationary Conditions
The Income Tax Law (Inflationary Adjustments), 1985, generally referred to as the Inflationary Adjustments Law, represents an attempt to overcome the problems presented to a traditional tax system by an economy undergoing rapid inflation.
According to the Inflationary Adjustments Law, until 2007, the results for tax purposes were adjusted for the changes in the Israeli CPI. In February 2008, the “Knesset,” the Israeli parliament, passed an amendment to the Inflationary Adjustments Law, which limits the scope of the law starting 2008 and thereafter. Starting 2008, the results for tax purposes are measured in nominal values, excluding certain adjustments for changes in the Israeli CPI carried out in the period up to December 31, 2007. The amendment to the Inflationary Adjustments Law includes, inter alia, the elimination of the inflationary additions and deductions and the additional deduction for depreciation starting 2008.
Israeli Transfer Pricing Regulations
On November 29, 2006, the Income Tax Regulations (Determination of Market Terms), 2006, promulgated under Section 85A of the Tax Ordinance, came into effect (the “TP Regulations”). Section 85A of the Tax Ordinance and the TP Regulations generally require that all cross-border transactions carried out between related parties be conducted on an arm’s length basis and be taxed accordingly. The TP Regulations are not expected to have a material effect on us.
Tax Benefits Under the Law for Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959
Tax benefits prior the 2005 amendment
The Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959, as amended (effective as of April 1, 2005), generally referred to as the Investments Law, provides that a proposed capital investment in eligible facilities may, upon application to the Investment Center of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the State of Israel, be designated as an “Approved Enterprise.” The Investment Center bases its decision as to whether or not to approve an application, among other things, on the criteria set forth in the Investments Law and regulations, the policy of the Investment Center, and the specific objectives and financial criteria of the applicant. Each certificate of approval for an Approved Enterprise relates to a specific investment program delineated both by its financial scope, including its capital sources, and by its physical characteristics, such as the equipment to be purchased and utilized pursuant to the program.
The Investments Law provides that an approved enterprise is eligible for tax benefits on taxable income derived from its approved enterprise programs. The tax benefits under the Investments Law also apply to income generated by a company from the grant of a usage right with respect to know-how developed by the Approved Enterprise, income generated from royalties, and income derived from a service which is auxiliary to such usage right or royalties, provided that such income is generated within the Approved Enterprise’s ordinary course of business. If a company has more than one approval or only a portion of its capital investments are approved, its effective tax rate is the result of a weighted average of the applicable rates. The tax benefits under the Investments Law are not, generally, available with respect to income derived from products manufactured outside of Israel. In addition, the tax benefits available to an Approved Enterprise are contingent upon the fulfillment of conditions stipulated in the Investments Law and regulations and the criteria set forth in the specific certificate of approval, as described above. In the event that a company does not meet these conditions, it would be required to refund the amount of tax benefits, plus a consumer price index linkage adjustment and interest.
The Investments Law also provides that an Approved Enterprise is entitled to accelerated depreciation on its property and equipment that are included in an Approved Enterprise program in the first five years of using the equipment.
Taxable income of a company derived from an Approved Enterprise is subject to corporate tax at the maximum rate of 25%, rather than the regular corporate tax rate, for the benefit period. This period is ordinarily seven years commencing with the year in which the approved enterprise first generates taxable income after the commencement of production, and is limited to twelve years from commencement of production or fourteen years from the date of approval, whichever is earlier. This time limitation does not apply to the exemption period described below.
Should we derive income from sources other than the Approved Enterprise during the relevant period of benefits, such income will be taxable at the regular corporate tax rates.
Under certain circumstances (as further detailed below), the benefit period may extend to a maximum of ten years from the commencement of the benefit period.
A company may elect to receive an alternative package of benefits. Under the alternative package of benefits, a company’s undistributed income derived from the Approved Enterprise will be exempt from corporate tax for a period of between two and ten years from the first year the company derives taxable income under the program, after the commencement of production, depending on the geographic location of the Approved Enterprise within Israel, and such company will be eligible for a reduced tax rate for the remainder of the benefits period. The year’s limitation does not apply to the exemption period.
A company that has elected the alternative package of benefits, such as us, that subsequently pays a dividend out of income derived from the approved enterprise(s) during the tax exemption period will be subject to corporate tax in the year the dividend is distributed in respect of the gross amount distributed, at the rate which would have been applicable had the company not elected the alternative package of benefits, (generally 10%-25%, depending on the percentage of the company’s ordinary shares held by foreign shareholders). The dividend recipient is subject to withholding tax at the reduced rate of 15% applicable to dividends from approved enterprises, if the dividend is distributed during the tax exemption period or within twelve years thereafter. In the event, however, that the company is qualifies as a foreign investors’ company, there is no such time limitation.
As of December 31, 2010, we believe that we are meeting the aforementioned conditions.
Foreign Investor’s Company (“FIC”)
A company that has an Approved Enterprise program is eligible for further tax benefits if it qualifies as a foreign investors’ company. A foreign investors’ company is a company of which, among other criteria, more than 25% of its share capital and combined share and loan capital is owned by non-Israeli residents. A company that qualifies as a foreign investors’ company and has an approved enterprise program is eligible for tax benefits for a ten-year benefit period. As specified above, depending on the geographic location of the approved enterprise within Israel, income derived from the approved enterprise program may be entitled to the following:
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Extension of the benefit period to up to ten years.
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An additional period of reduced corporate tax liability at rates ranging between 10% and 25%, depending on the level of foreign (that is, non-Israeli) ownership of our shares. Those tax rates and the related levels of foreign investment are as set forth in the following table:
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Region A
Rate of Reduced Tax |
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Reduced Tax Period |
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Tax Exemption Period |
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Percent of Foreign Ownership |
25
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0 years
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10 years
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0-25%
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25
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0 years
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10 years
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25-48.99%
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20
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0 years
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10 years
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49-73.99%
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15
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0 years
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10 years
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74-89.99%
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10
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0 years
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10 years
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90-100%
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Region B