Symantec 2014 Annual Report Download - page 90

Available Information
Our Internet address is www.symantec.com. We make available free of charge our annual reports on
Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as
soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) on our investor relations website located at www.symantec.com/invest. The information
contained, or referred to, on our website is not part of this annual report unless expressly noted. The SEC
maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding our
filings at http://www.sec.gov
Item 1A. Risk Factors
A description of the risk factors associated with our business is set forth below. The list is not exhaustive and you
should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties before investing in our common stock.
If we are unsuccessful at addressing our business challenges, our business and results of operations may be
adversely affected and our ability to invest in and grow our business could be limited.
In January 2013, under the direction of our then-new chief executive officer, we commenced a plan to revitalize
our business model, with a focus on operations, sales and organizational structure with the goal of improving our
existing products and services. At the same time we laid out a roadmap to develop new, innovative products and
services that solve important unmet or underserved needs. One set of challenges relates to leadership under our
new business model as, in recent periods, we have experienced transitions of several senior officers, including
our chief executive officer. While our board of directors remains committed to our strategic direction,
management transitions can be disruptive and result in loss of institutional focus and employee morale, making
execution of business strategies more difficult. We are also in the process of seeking to address the challenges of
dynamic and accelerating market trends, such as the decline in the PC market, the market shift towards tablets
within mobility and architectural shifts in the provision of security and storage solutions, all of which has made it
more difficult for us to compete effectively and requires us to improve our product and service offerings. A third
set of challenges relates to GTM execution as we have significantly reorganized our sales structure and have only
recently announced our new product strategy. We may experience delays in the anticipated timing of activities
related to our efforts to address these challenges and higher than expected or unanticipated execution costs. In
addition, we are vulnerable to increased risks associated with these efforts given our multiple business units and
the broad range of geographic regions in which we and our customers and partners operate. If we do not succeed
in these efforts, or if these efforts are more costly or time-consuming than expected, our business and results of
operations may be adversely affected, which could limit our ability to invest in and grow our business.
If we are unable to attract and retain qualified employees, lose key personnel, fail to integrate replacement
personnel successfully, or fail to manage our employee base effectively, we may be unable to develop new and
enhanced products and services, effectively manage or expand our business, or increase our revenues.
Our future success depends upon our ability to recruit and retain key management, technical, sales, marketing,
finance, and other personnel. Our officers and other key personnel are employees-at-will, and we cannot assure
you that we will be able to retain them. Competition for people with the specific skills that we require is
significant. In order to attract and retain personnel in a competitive marketplace, we believe that we must provide
a competitive compensation package, including cash and equity-based compensation. The volatility in our stock
price may from time to time adversely affect our ability to recruit or retain employees. In addition, we may be
unable to obtain required stockholder approvals of future increases in the number of shares available for issuance
under our equity compensation plans, and accounting rules require us to treat the issuance of equity-based
compensation as compensation expense. As a result, we may decide to issue fewer equity-based incentives and
may be impaired in our efforts to attract and retain necessary personnel. If we are unable to hire and retain
qualified employees, or conversely, if we fail to manage employee performance or reduce staffing levels when
required by market conditions, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
11