--- ticker: DELL company: Dell Technologies Inc. filing_type: 10-K year_current: 2025 year_prior: 2024 risks_added: 5 risks_removed: 4 risks_modified: 16 risks_unchanged: 18 source: SEC EDGAR url: https://riskdiff.com/dell/2025-vs-2024/ markdown_url: https://riskdiff.com/dell/2025-vs-2024/index.md generated: 2026-05-10 --- # Dell Technologies Inc.: 10-K Risk Factor Changes 2025 vs 2024 > Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR) > Generated: 2026-05-10 > All data extracted directly from official filings. No hallucinated content. > **[AI-Generated Summary]** The paragraph below was produced by a language > model and may contain errors. All other content on this page is deterministically > extracted from the original SEC filing. > Dell significantly reframed its risk profile around artificial intelligence, adding three AI-specific risks while removing a broader technology ethics risk, reflecting a shift from general AI concerns to operational and demand-specific AI challenges. The company elevated supply chain vulnerability by introducing single-source supplier risks and added compliance burdens related to environmental and safety regulations, while simultaneously removing risks tied to vendor pricing and natural disasters. With 16 of 27 substantive modifications concentrated in areas including government contracts, debt obligations, and capital market access, Dell's 2025 risk disclosure emphasizes execution risks around cost efficiency and financial flexibility over external macroeconomic and product quality concerns. --- ## Summary | Status | Count | |--------|-------| | New risks added | 5 | | Risks removed | 4 | | Risks modified | 16 | | Unchanged | 18 | --- ## New in Current Filing: Our use of single-source or limited-source suppliers may adversely affect the availability or timely delivery of some critical products or components. We maintain several single-source or limited-source supplier relationships, including relationships with third-party software providers, either because multiple sources are not readily available or because the relationships are advantageous due to performance, quality, support, delivery, capacity, or price considerations. A delay in the supply of a critical single- or limited-source product or component may prevent the timely shipment of the related product in desired quantities or configurations. In addition, we may not be able to replace the functionality provided by third-party software currently offered with our products if that software becomes obsolete, defective, or incompatible with future product versions or is not adequately maintained or updated. Even where multiple sources of supply are available, qualification of the alternative suppliers and establishment of reliable supplies could result in delays and a possible loss of sales, which could harm our operating results. --- ## New in Current Filing: The nature of the demand for AI solutions may have adverse effects on our operating performance. While we expect the buyer base for our AI solutions to continue to expand, to date our AI solutions have been purchased primarily by a small number of larger customers and cloud service providers. If we are not successful in continuing to expand sales to a broader base of customers, our ability to maintain growth in this area may be limited. Sales of AI to large customers may also cause fluctuations in our results of operations, as such large orders may occur in some periods and not others and are generally subject to intense competition and pricing pressure, which can have an impact on our margin and results of operations. Larger orders may also require greater commitments of working capital, such as for purchases of key components, which could adversely affect our cash flow and expose us to the risk of holding excess and obsolete inventory due to delays or cancellations. These transactions may also involve larger amounts of credit or longer payment terms than have been typical for our business, increasing our risks in the event customers do not pay or make timely payment, particularly where our payment terms with major suppliers of underlying components differ from the payment terms of our customers. In addition, the accelerated rate of innovation of components from our suppliers may result in higher defects or failure of our offerings to perform, which could cause us to incur increased warranty costs, inventory provisions or impairments and could impact future sales. --- ## New in Current Filing: Risks associated with management of our AI solutions and use of AI in our internal functions and operations could result in reputational harm, legal liability, and other adverse effects on our business. The use of AI in our products and services presents ethical and legal risks to our business, financial condition, and results of operations. If our use of AI becomes controversial, we may experience loss of user trust, as well as brand or reputational harm, competitive injury, or legal liability. The use of AI technologies also could expose us to an increased risk of cybersecurity threats and incidents and claims or other adverse effects from infringements or violations of intellectual property, including claims related to AI technologies considered to have similarities to other AI technologies. Our use of such technologies could increase the risk of exposure of our or other parties' proprietary confidential information, or other confidential or sensitive information, to unauthorized recipients, including inadvertent disclosure of confidential or sensitive information into publicly available third-party training sets, and may affect our ability to realize the benefit of, or adequately maintain, protect and enforce, our intellectual property or confidential information. Such risks related to the use of AI could, whether directly or indirectly, harm our results of operations, competitive position, and business. AI is the subject of evolving review by various domestic and international governmental and regulatory agencies, including the SEC and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and laws, rules, directives and regulations governing the use of AI, such as the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, are changing and evolving rapidly. We may not always be able to anticipate how to respond to these legal frameworks for AI use and we may have to expend resources to adjust or audit our products and services in certain jurisdictions, especially if the legal frameworks are not consistent across jurisdictions. In particular, use of personal data in foundational models and intellectual property ownership and license rights, including copyright, of generative and other AI output, have not been fully interpreted by courts or regulations. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with laws, rules, directives, and regulations governing the use of AI could have an adverse impact on our business, and we may not be able to claim intellectual property ownership and license rights on content or source code that we create using AI. 19 19 19 Table of Contents Table of Contents --- ## New in Current Filing: Failure to successfully implement our cost efficiency plans may negatively affect our future results. We continue to make significant changes to modernize the way we work and make decisions, improve business outcomes and the customer experience, and reduce costs by leveraging new technology and optimizing business processes. We are pursuing disciplined cost management in coordination with our ongoing business modernization initiatives and will continue to take certain measures to reduce costs, including limitation of external hiring, employee reorganizations, and other actions to align our investments with our strategic priorities and customer needs. As a result of these actions, we may experience a loss of continuity, loss of accumulated knowledge, diminished employee productivity, disruptions to our operations, and operational inefficiencies during transitional periods. These actions could also negatively impact employee retention. We may experience delays or unanticipated costs in implementing our cost efficiency plans, which could prevent the timely or full achievement of expected cost efficiencies and adversely affect our competitive position and results of operations. --- ## New in Current Filing: Our compliance with current or future environmental and safety laws could have an adverse effect on our business. Our operations are subject to environmental and safety regulations in all areas in which we conduct business. Product design and procurement operations must comply with new and future requirements relating to climate change laws and regulations, materials composition, sourcing, energy efficiency and collection, recycling, treatment, transportation, and disposal of electronics products, including restrictions on mercury, lead, cadmium, lithium metal, lithium ion, and other substances. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations regarding the transportation, source, use, and sale of such regulated substances, we could be subject to liability. The costs and timing of costs under environmental and safety laws are difficult to predict, but could have an adverse impact on our business. --- ## No Match in Current: If we fail to achieve favorable pricing from vendors, our profitability could be adversely affected. *This section from the 2024 filing does not have a high-confidence textual match in 2025. It may have been removed, merged, or substantially reworded.* Our profitability is affected by our ability to achieve favorable pricing from vendors and contract manufacturers, including through negotiations for vendor rebates, marketing funds, and other vendor funding received in the normal course of business. Because these supplier negotiations are continual and reflect the evolving competitive environment, the variability in timing and amount of incremental vendor discounts and rebates can affect our profitability. The vendor programs may change periodically, potentially resulting in adverse profitability trends if we cannot adjust pricing or variable costs. An inability to establish a cost and product advantage, or determine alternative means to deliver value to customers, may adversely affect our revenue and profitability. --- ## No Match in Current: Social and ethical issues relating to the use of new and evolving technologies, such as AI, in our offerings may result in reputational harm and liability. *This section from the 2024 filing does not have a high-confidence textual match in 2025. It may have been removed, merged, or substantially reworded.* We view our continued investment in AI and generative AI ("GAI") research and development as an opportunity to enhance our solutions, strengthen our competitive advantage, and contribute to the responsible advancement of AI and GAI technology. While we aim to do so in a responsible, legal, and ethical manner, social, ethical, regulatory, and legal issues relating to the use of AI and GAI in our offerings may result in reputational harm or liability, and may cause us to incur additional research, development, and compliance costs. As with many innovations, AI and GAI present risks that could affect their adoption and contribution to our business. If we enable or offer solutions that draw controversy due to their perceived or actual impact on society, we may experience brand or reputational harm, competitive harm, or legal liability. Potential government regulation related to AI and GAI use and ethics also may increase the burden and cost of research and development and delay implementation of these technologies. --- ## No Match in Current: Failure to deliver high-quality products, software, and services could lead to loss of customers and diminished profitability. *This section from the 2024 filing does not have a high-confidence textual match in 2025. It may have been removed, merged, or substantially reworded.* We must identify and address quality issues associated with our products, software, and services, many of which include third-party components. Although quality testing is performed regularly to detect quality problems and implement required solutions, failure to identify and correct significant product quality issues before the sale of such products to customers could result in lower sales, increased warranty or replacement expenses, and reduced customer confidence, which could harm our operating results. --- ## No Match in Current: Natural disasters, terrorism, armed hostilities, or public health issues could harm our business. *This section from the 2024 filing does not have a high-confidence textual match in 2025. It may have been removed, merged, or substantially reworded.* Natural disasters, terrorism or armed hostilities, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, or tensions across the Taiwan Strait, or public health issues, such as those that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, whether in the United States or in other countries, could cause damage or disruption to us or our suppliers and customers, or could create political or economic instability, any of which impacts could harm our business. Any such events could cause a decrease in demand for our products, make it difficult or impossible to deliver products or for suppliers to deliver components, and create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain. --- ## Modified: Loss of government contracts could harm our business. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "Our contracts with U.S." **Prior (2024):** Contracts with U.S. federal, state, and local governments and with foreign governments are subject to future funding that may affect the extension or termination of programs and to the right of such governments to terminate contracts for convenience or non-appropriation. There is pressure on governments, both domestically and internationally, to reduce spending. Funding reductions or delays could adversely affect public sector demand for our products and services. In addition, if we violate legal or regulatory requirements, the applicable government could suspend or disbar us as a contractor, which would unfavorably affect our net revenue and profitability. **Current (2025):** Our contracts with U.S. federal, state, and local governments and with foreign governments represent a significant source of business and are subject to future funding that may affect the extension or termination of programs and to the right of such governments to terminate contracts for convenience or non-appropriation. In addition, there is pressure to reduce spending on governments, both domestically and internationally, notably in recent periods on U.S. federal government agencies. Funding reductions, uncertainties or delays could adversely affect public sector demand for our products and services. In addition, if we violate legal or regulatory requirements, the applicable government could suspend or disbar us as a contractor, which would unfavorably affect our net revenue and profitability. --- ## Modified: We have outstanding indebtedness and may incur additional debt in the future, which could adversely affect our financial condition. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "As of January 31, 2025, we and our subsidiaries had approximately $24.6 billion of indebtedness." **Prior (2024):** As of February 2, 2024, we and our subsidiaries had approximately $26.0 billion aggregate principal amount of indebtedness. As of the same date, we and our subsidiaries also had an additional $6.0 billion available for borrowing under our revolving credit facility and $5.0 billion of availability under our commercial paper program. Although continued debt paydown is part of our overall capital allocation strategy, a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations is used to make interest and other debt service payments, which reduces funds available to us for other purposes such as working capital, capital expenditures, other general corporate purposes, and potential acquisitions. Our indebtedness could also reduce our flexibility in responding to current and changing industry and financial market conditions. We may be able to incur significant additional secured and unsecured indebtedness under the terms of our existing debt, which generally do not restrict our ability to incur additional unsecured debt and contain significant exceptions to the covenant restricting our ability to incur additional secured debt. **Current (2025):** As of January 31, 2025, we and our subsidiaries had approximately $24.6 billion of indebtedness. As of the same date, we and our subsidiaries may incur up to $5.0 billion of short-term indebtedness under our commercial paper program and up to $6.0 billion of additional indebtedness under our revolving credit facility, which acts as a backstop to provide liquidity for the commercial paper program. Although continued debt paydown is part of our overall capital allocation strategy, a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations is used to make interest and other debt service payments, which reduces funds available to us for other purposes such as working capital, capital expenditures, other general corporate purposes, and potential acquisitions. Our indebtedness could also reduce our flexibility in responding to current and changing industry and financial market conditions. We may be able to incur significant additional secured and unsecured indebtedness under the terms of our existing debt, which generally do not restrict our ability to incur additional unsecured debt and contain significant exceptions to the covenant restricting our ability to incur additional secured debt. --- ## Modified: Our financial performance is dependent on access to the capital markets by us or some of our customers. **Key changes:** - Added sentence: "The debt and capital markets may experience extreme volatility and disruption from time to time, which could result in higher credit spreads in such markets and higher funding costs for us." - Reworded sentence: "Deterioration in our business performance, a credit rating downgrade, volatility in the capital markets, changes in financial services regulation, or adverse changes in the economy could lead to reductions in the availability of debt financing." - Removed sentence: "23 23 23 Table of Contents Table of Contents" **Prior (2024):** We may access debt and capital sources to provide financing for customers and to obtain funds for general corporate purposes, including working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and funding of customer receivables. In addition, we maintain customer financing relationships with some companies that rely on access to the debt and capital markets to meet significant funding needs. Any inability of these companies to access such markets could compel us to self-fund transactions with such companies or to forgo customer financing opportunities, which could harm our financial performance. The debt and capital markets may experience extreme volatility and disruption from time to time, which could result in higher credit spreads in such markets and higher funding costs for us. Deterioration in our business performance, a credit rating downgrade, volatility in the securitization markets, changes in financial services regulation, or adverse changes in the economy could lead to reductions in the availability of debt financing. In addition, these events could limit our ability to continue asset securitizations or other forms of financing from debt or capital sources, reduce the amount of financing receivables that we originate, or negatively affect the costs or terms on which we may be able to obtain capital. Any of these developments could adversely affect our net revenue, profitability, and cash flows. 23 23 23 Table of Contents Table of Contents **Current (2025):** We may access debt and capital sources to provide financing for customers and to obtain funds for general corporate purposes, including working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and funding of customer receivables. The debt and capital markets may experience extreme volatility and disruption from time to time, which could result in higher credit spreads in such markets and higher funding costs for us. In addition, we maintain customer financing relationships with some companies that rely on access to the debt and capital markets to meet significant funding needs. Any inability of these companies to access such markets could compel us to self-fund transactions with such companies or to forgo customer financing opportunities, which could harm our financial performance. Deterioration in our business performance, a credit rating downgrade, volatility in the capital markets, changes in financial services regulation, or adverse changes in the economy could lead to reductions in the availability of debt financing. In addition, these events could limit our ability to continue asset securitizations or other forms of financing from debt or capital sources, reduce the amount of financing receivables that we originate, or negatively affect the costs or terms on which we may be able to obtain capital. Any of these developments could adversely affect our net revenue, profitability, and cash flows. --- ## Modified: We may not continue to pay cash dividends or to pay cash dividends at the same rate as announced in February 2025. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "31 31 31 Table of Contents Table of Contents" **Prior (2024):** Our payment of cash dividends, as well as the rate at which we pay dividends, is solely at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Further, dividend payments, if any, are subject to our financial results and the availability of statutory surplus to pay dividends. These factors could result in a change to our current dividend policy. 32 32 32 Table of Contents Table of Contents **Current (2025):** Our payment of cash dividends, as well as the rate at which we pay dividends, is solely at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Further, dividend payments, if any, are subject to our financial results and the availability of statutory surplus to pay dividends. These factors could result in a change to our current dividend policy. 31 31 31 Table of Contents Table of Contents --- ## Modified: Weak economic conditions, changing customer mix, and additional regulation could harm our financial services activities. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "Our financial services activities, conducted primarily through Dell Financial Services, can be negatively affected by adverse economic conditions that contribute to loan delinquencies and defaults." **Prior (2024):** Our financial services activities primarily through DFS can be negatively affected by adverse economic conditions that contribute to loan delinquencies and defaults. An increase in loan delinquencies and defaults would result in greater net credit losses, which may require us to increase our reserves for customer receivables. In addition, the implementation of new financial services regulation, or the application of existing financial services regulation, in countries where we conduct our financial services and related supporting activities, could unfavorably affect the profitability and cash flows of our consumer financing activities. **Current (2025):** Our financial services activities, conducted primarily through Dell Financial Services, can be negatively affected by adverse economic conditions that contribute to loan delinquencies and defaults. An increase in loan delinquencies and defaults would result in greater net credit losses, which may require us to increase our reserves for customer receivables. In addition, the implementation of new financial services regulation, or the application of existing financial services regulation, in countries where we conduct our financial services and related supporting activities, could unfavorably affect the profitability and cash flows of our consumer financing activities. --- ## Modified: Our multi-class common stock structure with different voting rights may adversely affect the trading price of the Class C Common Stock. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "Because of these disparate voting rights, Michael Dell and the Susan Lieberman Dell Separate Property Trust (the "MD stockholders") and certain investment funds affiliated with Silver Lake Partners (the "SLP stockholders") collectively held common stock representing approximately 91.4% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock as of March 17, 2025." **Prior (2024):** Each share of our Class A Common Stock and each share of our Class B Common Stock has ten votes, while each share of our Class C Common Stock has one vote. Because of these disparate voting rights, Michael Dell and the Susan Lieberman Dell Separate Property Trust (the "MD stockholders") and certain investment funds affiliated with Silver Lake Partners (the "SLP stockholders") collectively held common stock representing approximately 94.0% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock as of March 18, 2024. The limited ability of holders of the Class C Common Stock to influence matters requiring stockholder approval may adversely affect the trading price of the Class C Common Stock. Because of our multi-class share structure, we have been and will likely continue to be excluded from certain stock indices. FTSE Russell has changed its eligibility criteria to exclude certain companies with multiple classes of shares of common stock from being added to some of its stock indices. Under the current criteria, new and, beginning in September 2022, existing constituents of its indices must have greater than 5% of their voting rights in the hands of public stockholders, as calculated by FTSE Russell. Previously, S&P Dow Jones also had excluded companies with multiple share classes, such as Dell Technologies, from its indices, including the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up the S&P Composite 1500. In April 2023, S&P Dow Jones reversed this policy and announced that companies with multi-class capital structures will again be eligible for inclusion on its indices. We cannot be sure that such policy, or the policies of other indices, will not change further and make us ineligible for inclusion in the S&P Composite 1500, or other indices, in the future. After this rule change by the S&P Dow Jones, the Russell 2000 continues to have, and other indices may have, limitations on inclusion based on multiple share class structures. It is unclear what effect, if any, exclusion from any indices has on the valuations of the affected publicly-traded companies. It is possible that such policies may depress the valuations of public companies excluded from such indices compared to valuations of companies that are included. **Current (2025):** Each share of our Class A Common Stock and each share of our Class B Common Stock has ten votes, while each share of our Class C Common Stock has one vote. Because of these disparate voting rights, Michael Dell and the Susan Lieberman Dell Separate Property Trust (the "MD stockholders") and certain investment funds affiliated with Silver Lake Partners (the "SLP stockholders") collectively held common stock representing approximately 91.4% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock as of March 17, 2025. The limited ability of unaffiliated holders of the Class C Common Stock to influence matters requiring stockholder approval may adversely affect the trading price of the Class C Common Stock. Because of our multi-class share structure, we have in the past been, and may in the future be, excluded from certain stock indices. Previously, the FTSE Russell and S&P Dow Jones had excluded companies with multiple share classes, such as Dell Technologies, from its indices. We cannot be sure that the policies of the FTSE Russell or S&P Dow Jones or the policies of other sponsors of indices will not change and make us ineligible for inclusion in their indices in the future. It is unclear what effect, if any, exclusion from any indices has on the valuations of the affected publicly-traded companies. It is possible that such policies may depress the valuations of public companies excluded from such indices compared to valuations of companies that are included. --- ## Modified: Global climate change, and legal, regulatory, or market measures related to climate change, may negatively affect our business, operations, and financial results. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "26 26 26 Table of Contents Table of Contents Concern over climate change could also result in transition risks such as shifting customer preferences or regulatory changes." - Reworded sentence: "Concern over climate change could result in new legal requirements for us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of our operations, improve our energy efficiency, or undertake sustainability measures that exceed those we currently pursue." - Removed sentence: "Our reputation and brand could be harmed if we fail, or are seen as having failed, to respond responsibly and effectively to changes in legal and regulatory measures adopted to address climate change." - Removed sentence: "27 27 27 Table of Contents Table of Contents" **Prior (2024):** We are subject to risks associated with the long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and on the IT industry in particular. The physical risks associated with climate change include the adverse effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Extreme weather and natural disasters within or outside the United States could make it more difficult and costly for us to manufacture and deliver our products to our customers, obtain production materials from our suppliers, or perform other critical corporate functions. The increasing concern over climate change could also result in transition risks such as shifting customer preferences or regulatory changes. Changing customer preferences may result in increased demands regarding our solutions, products, and services, including the use of packaging materials and other components in our products and their environmental impact on sustainability. These demands may cause us to incur additional costs or make other changes to other operations to respond to such demands, which could adversely affect our financial results. If we fail to manage transition risks, including such demands, in an effective manner, customer demand for our solutions, products, and services could diminish, and our profitability could suffer. The increasing concern over climate change could result in new domestic or international legal requirements for us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of our operations, improve our energy efficiency, or undertake sustainability measures that exceed those we currently pursue. Any such regulatory requirements could cause disruptions in the manufacture of our products and result in increased procurement, production, and distribution costs. Our reputation and brand could be harmed if we fail, or are seen as having failed, to respond responsibly and effectively to changes in legal and regulatory measures adopted to address climate change. 27 27 27 Table of Contents Table of Contents **Current (2025):** We are subject to risks associated with the long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and on the IT industry in particular. The physical risks associated with climate change include the adverse effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Extreme weather and natural disasters within or outside the United States could make it more difficult and costly for us to manufacture and deliver our products to our customers, obtain production materials from our suppliers, or perform other critical corporate functions. 26 26 26 Table of Contents Table of Contents Concern over climate change could also result in transition risks such as shifting customer preferences or regulatory changes. Changing customer preferences may result in increased demands regarding our solutions, products, and services, including the use of packaging materials and other components in our products and their environmental impact on sustainability. These demands may cause us to incur additional costs or make other changes to other operations to respond to such demands, which could adversely affect our financial results. Concern over climate change could result in new legal requirements for us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of our operations, improve our energy efficiency, or undertake sustainability measures that exceed those we currently pursue. Any such regulatory requirements could cause disruptions in the manufacture of our products and result in increased procurement, production, and distribution costs. --- ## Modified: Adverse global economic conditions may harm our business and result in reduced net revenue and profitability. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "As a global company with customers operating in a broad range of businesses and industries, our performance is affected by global and regional economic conditions and the demand for technology products and services in international markets." - Added sentence: "Trade policies and disputes could result in increased tariffs and other trade restrictions and protectionist measures, which could increase our manufacturing costs, increase prices of and reduce demand for our products, limit our ability to sell to certain customers, hamper our procurement of components or raw materials, or impede or slow the movement of our goods across borders." **Prior (2024):** As a global company with customers operating in a broad range of businesses and industries, our performance is affected by global economic conditions and the demand for technology products and services in international markets. Adverse economic conditions may negatively affect customer demand, and could result in postponed or decreased spending amid customer concerns over unemployment or slowing demand for their products, reduced asset values, volatile energy costs, the availability and cost of credit, and the stability and solvency of financial institutions, financial markets, businesses, local and state governments, and sovereign nations. In Fiscal 2024, global economic uncertainty adversely affected the demand for our products and services as some of our larger customers exhibited increased caution in their IT spending. Factors contributing to weak or unstable global economic conditions, including those attributable to geopolitical volatility (such as ongoing military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and tensions across the Taiwan Strait), international trade protection measures and disputes, such as those between the United States and China, or public health issues such as the coronavirus pandemic also could harm our business by contributing to product shortages or delays, supply chain disruptions, insolvency of key suppliers, customer and counterparty insolvencies, increased product costs and associated price increases, reduced global sales, and other adverse effects on our operations. Any such effects could have a negative impact on our net revenue and profitability. **Current (2025):** As a global company with customers operating in a broad range of businesses and industries, our performance is affected by global and regional economic conditions and the demand for technology products and services in international markets. Adverse economic conditions may negatively affect customer demand, and could result in postponed or decreased spending amid customer concerns over elevated inflation and interest rates or slowing demand for their products, reduced asset values, volatile energy costs, the availability and cost of credit, and the stability of financial institutions, financial markets, businesses, local and state governments, and sovereign nations. In Fiscal 2025, global economic uncertainty adversely affected the demand for our products and services as some of our larger customers exhibited caution in their IT spending. Factors contributing to weak or unstable global or regional economic conditions, including those attributable to geopolitical volatility (such as ongoing military conflicts and terrorism), extreme weather events (such as wildfires or flooding), international trade protection measures and disputes, or public health issues also could harm our business by contributing to product shortages or delays, supply chain disruptions, insolvency of key suppliers, customers and counterparties, increased product costs and associated price increases, reduced global sales, and other adverse effects on our operations. Any such effects could have a negative impact on our net revenue and profitability. Trade policies and disputes could result in increased tariffs and other trade restrictions and protectionist measures, which could increase our manufacturing costs, increase prices of and reduce demand for our products, limit our ability to sell to certain customers, hamper our procurement of components or raw materials, or impede or slow the movement of our goods across borders. --- ## Modified: Security incidents, including cyber-attacks, could disrupt our operations and result in the compromise of networks, systems, and assets, and the breach or loss of proprietary, personal, or confidential information of our company or of our workforce, customers, partners, or third parties. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "We routinely receive, collect, manage, store, transmit, and process large amounts of proprietary information and confidential data, including personally identifiable and other sensitive information, relating to our operations, products, partners, and customers." - Reworded sentence: "Our cybersecurity program may not always successfully manage or mitigate the effects of these risks." - Reworded sentence: "The costs associated with cybersecurity tools and infrastructure and competition for scarce cybersecurity and IT resources have at times limited, and may in the future limit, our ability to identify, eliminate, or remediate cybersecurity or other security vulnerabilities or problems or enact changes to minimize the attack surface of our network." - Reworded sentence: "Our proactive measures and remediation efforts may not always be successful or timely." - Reworded sentence: "21 21 21 Table of Contents Table of Contents Hardware, software, and applications that we produce or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other deficiencies, including security vulnerabilities that could interfere with the operation or security of our products, services, and offerings." **Prior (2024):** We routinely receive, collect, manage, store, transmit, and otherwise process large amounts of proprietary information and confidential data, including personally identifiable and other sensitive information, relating to our operations, products, partners, and customers. We face numerous sophisticated and evolving cyber threats of significant scale, volume, severity, and complexity, including threats specifically designed for or directly targeted at us, making it increasingly difficult to defend against security incidents successfully or to implement adequate preventative measures. 20 20 20 Table of Contents Table of Contents Despite our cybersecurity governance and investment in controls and security measures, criminal or other unauthorized threat actors, including nation states and state-sponsored organizations, pose a significant risk of penetrating or bypassing our security defenses, breaching our information technology systems, and misappropriating, breaching, or compromising confidential and proprietary information of our company, our partners, or our customers, causing system disruptions and shutdowns, or introducing ransomware, malware, or vulnerabilities into our products, systems, and networks or those of our customers and partners. We also face a risk that employees, contractors, or other insiders, particularly those with connectivity to our systems, may introduce vulnerabilities into our environments, facilitate a cybersecurity attack, or take actions to misappropriate our intellectual property and proprietary information. Continued work-from-home and flexible work arrangements further increase our risk, as employees and contractors of our company and third-party providers are working remotely and using home networks that may pose an increased risk to our networks, data, and cybersecurity. In addition, our business may be adversely affected by cyber-attacks and data thefts resulting from ongoing wars and geopolitical conflicts. In the past, we have been targeted by criminal and other threat actors that attempted cyber-attacks of our systems and networks. These attacks are common in our industry for companies of our size and can include such malicious techniques as ransomware, network intrusions, exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities, distributed denial of service, man-in-the-middle, phishing, vishing, domain name system spoofing, password spraying and other credential attacks, structural query language injection, and malware. The costs associated with cybersecurity tools and infrastructure and competition for scarce cybersecurity and IT resources have at times limited, and may in the future limit, our ability to efficiently identify, eliminate, or remediate cybersecurity or other security vulnerabilities or problems or enact changes to minimize the attack surface of our network. While our security systems and controls have successfully protected us against, and mitigated the impacts of, many attacks of this nature, we have experienced security incidents that negatively affected our business and expect that we will experience similar incidents in the future. The costs to address cybersecurity risks, both before and after a security incident, could be significant, regardless of whether incidents result from an attack on us directly, on customers we service, or on partners or third-party vendors upon which we rely. Our customers, partners, and third-party vendors continue to experience security incidents of varying severity, including, among others, ransomware attacks, network intrusions, and exploitations of product and software security vulnerabilities. These parties also possess or transmit our proprietary information and confidential data, including personal data, personally identifiable information, and other sensitive information, which may be exfiltrated if they are impacted by a security incident. Targeted cyber-attacks or those that result from a security incident directed at a partner or third-party vendor create a risk of compromise to our internal systems, products, services, and offerings, as well as the systems of our customers, which could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service that could disrupt business operations for us and our customers. Our proactive measures and remediation efforts are not always successful or timely. In addition, breaches of our security measures, including through the use and the unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our customers, partners or other third parties, could impair our intellectual property rights and expose us, our customers, partners, or such other third parties to a risk of loss or misuse of such information or data. Any such incidents could subject us to government investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, litigation, potential liability, and damage to our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business and operations. Hardware, software, and applications that we produce or procure from third parties also may contain defects in design or manufacture or other deficiencies, including security vulnerabilities that could interfere with the operation or security of our products, services, and offerings. In the event of a security vulnerability or other flaws in third-party components or software code, we may have to rely on multiple third parties to mitigate vulnerabilities. The mitigation techniques they deploy may be ineffective or result in adverse performance, system instability, or data loss, and may not always be available, or available on a timely basis. Any actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in our products or services, or those of third-party products we sell, could lead to loss of existing or potential customers, and may impede our sales, manufacturing, distribution, outsourcing services, information technology solutions, and other critical functions and offerings. Failure to comply with internal security policies and standards, including secure development lifecycle practices, or to prevent or promptly mitigate security vulnerabilities in our products and offerings may adversely affect our brand and reputation and subject us to government investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, litigation, and potential liability resulting from our inability to fulfill our contractual obligations to our customers and partners. 21 21 21 Table of Contents Table of Contents As a global enterprise, we are subject to compliance risks under a significant and increasing number of laws and regulations in the United States, the European Union, China, and numerous other countries relating to cybersecurity, product and software supply chain security, and the collection, use, residency, transfer, and protection of data, including customer data, and other personal, sensitive, confidential, and proprietary information. Such information security, data protection, and privacy laws and regulations continue to evolve and may be interpreted and applied differently in different jurisdictions, making it difficult to determine how they may develop and apply to us. Our execution of transactions and processing and use of customer data, including personal data and personal identifiable information and other data in the conduct of our business, the operation of our products and offerings, and the provision of services to our customers subject us to increased obligations to comply with applicable laws and regulations and may require us to notify regulators, customers, employees, or other third parties of our data processing and data transfer activities, cybersecurity and data protection practices, as well as to provide notification and disclosure of security incidents and data or privacy breaches. We also face the increasing cost of disparate global regulatory compliance obligations and potential enforcement activities and litigation action in the event we experience a significant disruption of our operations or breach, loss, or other compromise of proprietary or confidential information as a result of a cyber-attack or insider activity. While we continue to incur significant expenditures to comply with mandatory privacy, security, data protection and localization requirements imposed by law, regulation, industry standards and contractual obligation, we may fail to comply fully with these requirements. Any such non-compliance could adversely affect our ability to conduct business or sell our products or offerings in a specific jurisdiction or result in fines or penalties that could impact our financial results. **Current (2025):** We routinely receive, collect, manage, store, transmit, and process large amounts of proprietary information and confidential data, including personally identifiable and other sensitive information, relating to our operations, products, partners, and customers. We face numerous sophisticated and evolving cyber threats of significant scale, volume, severity, and complexity, including threats specifically designed for or directly targeted at us, making it increasingly difficult to defend against security incidents successfully or to implement adequate preventative measures. Our cybersecurity program may not always successfully manage or mitigate the effects of these risks. Future cyber-attacks or incidents, such as some of those we have experienced in the past, could persist undetected in our environments for a period of time. Despite our cybersecurity governance and investment in controls and security measures, threat actors, including nation states and state-sponsored organizations, pose a significant risk of penetrating or bypassing our security defenses, including by utilizing insider threat tactics or utilizing AI tools against our defenses, breaching our information technology systems, and misappropriating or compromising confidential and proprietary information of our company, our partners, or our customers, causing system disruptions and shutdowns, introducing ransomware, malware, or vulnerabilities into our products, systems, and networks or those of our customers and partners, or accessing systems and networks of our customers or partners through connectivity to or credentials taken from our network. In some cases these incidents, which are common in our industry for companies of our size, have resulted in successful attacks on our IT environments. We are targeted by criminal and other threat actors that conduct cyber-attacks of our systems and networks on an ongoing basis. We have experienced cyber-attacks that leveraged compromised credentials of our partners, employees, and customers to gain unauthorized access to Dell Technologies, partner, and vendor systems and confidential information, including information about our customers, employees, and partners. These incidents have caused, and may in the future cause, disruption to parts of our business operations and could result in regulatory, investigative, recovery, remediation, and litigation expenses. We anticipate that our systems and networks will continue to be targeted by criminal and other threat actors with increasing frequency and potential harm. In particular, we expect that attacks by nation state actors and their agents may intensify during periods of geopolitical conflict. The costs to address cybersecurity risks, both before and after a security incident, could be significant, regardless of whether incidents result from an attack on us directly, on customers we service, or on partners or third-party vendors upon which we rely. The costs associated with cybersecurity tools and infrastructure and competition for scarce cybersecurity and IT resources have at times limited, and may in the future limit, our ability to identify, eliminate, or remediate cybersecurity or other security vulnerabilities or problems or enact changes to minimize the attack surface of our network. Our customers, partners, and third-party vendors continue to experience security incidents of varying severity and differing attack methods. These parties possess or transmit our proprietary information and confidential data, including personal data, personally identifiable information, and other sensitive information, which may be exfiltrated if they are affected by a security incident. Targeted cyber-attacks or those that result from a security incident directed at a partner or third-party vendor create a risk of compromise to our internal systems, products, services, and offerings, as well as the systems of our customers, which could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service that could disrupt business operations for us and our customers. Our proactive measures and remediation efforts may not always be successful or timely. In addition, compromises of our security measures, including through the use and the unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our customers, partners or other third parties, could impair our intellectual property rights and expose us, our customers, partners, or such other third parties to a risk of loss or misuse of such information or data. Any such incidents could subject us to government investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, litigation, potential liability, and damage to our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business and operations. 21 21 21 Table of Contents Table of Contents Hardware, software, and applications that we produce or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other deficiencies, including security vulnerabilities that could interfere with the operation or security of our products, services, and offerings. In the event of a security vulnerability or other flaws in third-party components or software code, we may have to rely on multiple third parties to mitigate vulnerabilities. The mitigation techniques they deploy may be ineffective or result in adverse performance, system instability, or data loss, and may not always be available, or available on a timely basis. Further, our use of AI technologies, including generative AI, may make us susceptible to unanticipated security threats from adversaries as we incorporate such technologies into our internal systems, customer-facing services and products, while our understanding of AI-related security risks and protection methods continues to develop. Any actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in our products or services, or those of third-party products we sell or in the open-source software we utilize, could lead to loss of existing or potential customers, and may impede our sales, manufacturing, distribution, outsourcing services, information technology solutions, and other critical functions and offerings. Failure to comply with internal security policies and standards, including secure development lifecycle practices, or to prevent or promptly mitigate security vulnerabilities in our products and offerings may adversely affect our brand and reputation, impact our ability to sell products in certain jurisdictions, and subject us to government investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, litigation, and potential liability resulting from our inability to fulfill our contractual obligations to our customers and partners. As a global enterprise, we face compliance risks under a significant and increasing number of laws and regulations in the United States, the European Union, China, and numerous other jurisdictions relating to cybersecurity, product security, software supply chain security and AI, and the collection, use, residency, transfer, and protection of data. Such laws and regulations continue to evolve, may be applied differently in different jurisdictions, and could result in increased costs in the event of a significant disruption of our operations, data or privacy breach, loss, or other compromise of proprietary or confidential information as a result of a cyber-attack or insider activity. It is likely that in some cases, we will fail to comply with such requirements, and any such non-compliance could adversely affect our ability to conduct business or sell our products or offerings in a specific jurisdiction or result in fines or penalties that could negatively affect our financial results. --- ## Modified: Failure to deliver high-quality products, software, and services, or to manage solutions and product and services transitions in an effective manner, could reduce demand and negatively affect the profitability of our operations. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "We must identify and address quality issues associated with our products, software, and services, many of which include third-party components." - Reworded sentence: "We frequently source new products and transition existing products through our contract manufacturers and manufacturing outsourcing relationships to generate cost efficiencies and better serve our customers." **Prior (2024):** Continuing improvements in technology result in the frequent introduction of new solutions, products, and services, improvements in product performance characteristics, and short product life cycles. If we fail to effectively manage transitions to new solutions and offerings, the products and services associated with such offerings and customer demand for our solutions, products, and services could diminish, and our profitability could suffer. We increasingly source new products and transition existing products through our contract manufacturers and manufacturing outsourcing relationships to generate cost efficiencies and better serve our customers. The success of product transitions depends on a number of factors, including the availability of sufficient quantities of components at an acceptable cost. Product transitions also present execution uncertainties and risks, including the risk that new or upgraded products may have quality problems or other defects. **Current (2025):** We must identify and address quality issues associated with our products, software, and services, many of which include third-party components. Although quality testing is performed regularly to detect quality problems and implement required solutions, failure to identify and correct significant product quality issues before the sale of such products to customers could result in lower sales, increased warranty or replacement expenses, and reduced customer confidence, which could harm our operating results. In addition, continuing improvements in technology, and the development of new technology, result in the frequent introduction of new solutions, products, and services, improvements in product performance characteristics, and short product life cycles. If we fail to effectively manage transitions to new solutions and offerings, the products and services associated with such offerings and customer demand for our solutions, products, and services could diminish, and our profitability could suffer. We frequently source new products and transition existing products through our contract manufacturers and manufacturing outsourcing relationships to generate cost efficiencies and better serve our customers. The success of product transitions depends on various factors that include the availability of sufficient quantities of components at an acceptable cost. Product transitions also present execution uncertainties and risks, including the risk that new or upgraded products may have quality problems or other defects. --- ## Modified: Compliance requirements of anti-corruption laws, economic sanctions and other trade laws, human rights laws and other laws regulating our international operations may expose us to potential liability, increase our operating costs and otherwise harm our business. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "We and our subsidiaries are subject to various anti-corruption laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and are also subject to export controls, country and product specific tariffs, customs, economic sanctions laws, and embargoes imposed by the U.S." - Reworded sentence: "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other anti-corruption laws or export control, customs, trade, or economic sanctions laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions and penalties, and we and our subsidiaries may be subject to other liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition." **Prior (2024):** Our operations are subject to environmental and safety regulations in all areas in which we conduct business. Product design and procurement operations must comply with new and future requirements relating to climate change laws and regulations, materials composition, sourcing, energy efficiency and collection, recycling, treatment, transportation, and disposal of electronics products, including restrictions on mercury, lead, cadmium, lithium metal, lithium ion, and other substances. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations regarding the transportation, source, use, and sale of such regulated substances, we could be subject to liability. The costs and timing of costs under environmental and safety laws are difficult to predict, but could have an adverse impact on our business. In addition, we and our subsidiaries are subject to various anti-corruption laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and are also subject to export controls, customs, economic sanctions laws, including those currently imposed on Russia, and embargoes imposed by the U.S. government. Violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other anti-corruption laws or export control, customs, or economic sanctions laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions and penalties, and we and our subsidiaries may be subject to other liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We are subject to various human rights laws, including provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act intended to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of minerals originating from the conflict zones of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. We incur costs to comply with the disclosure requirements of this law and other costs relating to the sourcing and availability of minerals used in our products. Further, we may face reputational harm if our customers or other stakeholders conclude that we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins of the minerals used in our products. **Current (2025):** We and our subsidiaries are subject to various anti-corruption laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and are also subject to export controls, country and product specific tariffs, customs, economic sanctions laws, and embargoes imposed by the U.S. government. Violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other anti-corruption laws or export control, customs, trade, or economic sanctions laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions and penalties, and we and our subsidiaries may be subject to other liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We are subject to various human rights laws, including provisions of the EU Forced Labor Regulations, US Uniform Forced Labor Protection Act, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act intended to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of minerals originating from the conflict zones of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. We incur costs to comply with the disclosure requirements of this law and other costs relating to the sourcing and availability of minerals used in our products. Further, we may face reputational harm if our customers or other stakeholders conclude that we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins of the minerals used in our products. --- ## Modified: Competitive pressures may adversely affect our industry unit share position, revenue, and profitability. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "We operate in an industry in which there are rapid technological advances in hardware, software, and services offerings, including AI, cloud, and security-related offerings." - Reworded sentence: "Our efforts to balance the mix of products and services to optimize profitability, liquidity, and growth may put pressure on our industry position." - Added sentence: "17 17 17 Table of Contents Table of Contents" **Prior (2024):** We operate in an industry in which there are rapid technological advances in hardware, software, and services offerings. As a result, we face aggressive offering and price competition from both branded and generic competitors. We compete based on our ability to offer to our customers integrated solutions that provide desired features at a competitive price. Our competitors may provide offerings that are less costly, perform better, or include additional features. Further, our offering portfolios may quickly become outdated or our market share may quickly erode. Efforts to balance the mix of products and services to optimize profitability, liquidity, and growth may put pressure on our industry position. As the technology industry continues to expand, there may be new and increased competition in different geographic regions. The generally low barriers to entry into the technology industry increase the potential for challenges from new competitors. Competition also may intensify from an increase in alternatives for mobile and cloud computing solutions. In addition, companies with which we have strategic alliances may become competitors in other product areas, or current competitors may enter into new strategic relationships with new or existing competitors, all of which may further increase competitive pressures. **Current (2025):** We operate in an industry in which there are rapid technological advances in hardware, software, and services offerings, including AI, cloud, and security-related offerings. Our ability to respond to such advances and to develop new or improved offerings is critical to our continued success. We face aggressive competition from a variety of competitors in all areas of our business, including companies that specialize in one or more of our product or service lines. Our competitors may provide offerings that are less costly, perform better, or include additional features. Further, our offering portfolios may quickly become outdated or our market share may quickly erode. Our efforts to balance the mix of products and services to optimize profitability, liquidity, and growth may put pressure on our industry position. If we do not successfully adapt to industry developments and changing demand, and evolve our business to keep pace with the demands of current and prospective customers, we may be unable to develop and maintain a competitive advantage, which would adversely affect our unit share position, revenue, and profitability. In addition, companies with which we have strategic alliances may become competitors in other product areas, or current competitors may enter into new strategic relationships with new or existing competitors, all of which may further increase competitive pressures. 17 17 17 Table of Contents Table of Contents --- ## Modified: The operating results of our business units may be adversely affected if we fail to successfully execute our strategy and related initiatives. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "We pursue a strategy of providing broad and innovative technology solutions for the data and artificial intelligence era and being at the forefront of AI, software-defined, and cloud native infrastructure solutions." - Reworded sentence: "Such pressures could result in the erosion of revenue and operating income and negatively affect ISG's results of operations." - Reworded sentence: "CSG largely relies on sales of notebooks, desktops, and workstations." - Reworded sentence: "CSG faces risks and uncertainties from fundamental changes in the personal computer market, including a decline in worldwide revenues for notebooks, desktops, and workstations, and lower shipment forecasts for these products due to a general lengthening of the replacement cycle." **Prior (2024):** Our strategy involves enabling the digital transformation of our customers while leading in the core infrastructure markets in which we compete. Accordingly, we must continue to expand our customer base through direct sales, new distribution channels, continued development of new growth businesses, further development of relationships with resellers, and augmentation of selected business areas through targeted acquisitions and other commercial arrangements. As we reach more customers through new distribution channels and expanded reseller relationships, we may fail to effectively manage the increasingly difficult tasks of inventory management and demand forecasting. Our ability to implement this strategy depends on efficiently transitioning sales capabilities, successfully adding to the breadth of our solutions capabilities through internal development and selective acquisitions of other businesses, and effectively managing the consequences of these strategic initiatives. If we are unable to meet these challenges, our results of operations could be adversely affected. We are organized into two business units consisting of ISG and CSG that are each important components of our strategy. ISG offers a portfolio of storage, server, and networking solutions, including AI-optimized technologies, and faces intense competition from existing on-premises competitors and increasing competitive pressures from Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers. Accordingly, we expect we will be required to make additional investments to address such competitive pressures and drive future growth. Such pressures could result in the erosion of revenue and operating income and adversely affect ISG's results of operations. To address industry trends, we have developed and continue to develop traditional, converged, and hyper-converged infrastructure solutions as well as AI-optimized products and solutions. ISG's results of operations could be adversely affected if such products and solutions are not adopted by our customers or potential customers, or if customers move rapidly to adopt public cloud solutions. 19 19 19 Table of Contents Table of Contents CSG largely relies on sales of desktops, workstations, and notebooks. Revenue from CSG absorbs our overhead costs and provides for scaled procurement. CSG faces risk and uncertainties from fundamental changes in the personal computer market, including a decline in worldwide revenues for desktops, workstations, and notebooks, and lower shipment forecasts for these products due to a general lengthening of the replacement cycle. Reduced demand for PC products or a significant increase in competition could cause our operating income to fluctuate and adversely impact CSG's results of operations. **Current (2025):** We pursue a strategy of providing broad and innovative technology solutions for the data and artificial intelligence era and being at the forefront of AI, software-defined, and cloud native infrastructure solutions. To successfully execute our strategy, we must continue to improve cost structures, optimize sales coverage, improve channel execution, manage the increasingly difficult tasks of inventory management and demand forecasting, and strengthen our capabilities in our areas of strategic focus, while continuing to achieve product innovation that builds on our strategic capabilities in areas such as edge computing, hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, data center networking, network security, and high-performance computing. The operating results of our business units may be adversely affected if we fail to successfully execute our strategy and related initiatives. We are organized into two business units consisting of ISG and CSG that are each important components of our strategy. ISG offers a portfolio of storage, server, and networking solutions, including AI-optimized technologies, and faces intense competition from existing on-premises competitors and increasing competitive pressures from Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers. Accordingly, we expect we will be required to make additional investments to address such competitive pressures and drive future growth. Such pressures could result in the erosion of revenue and operating income and negatively affect ISG's results of operations. To address industry trends, we have developed and continue to develop traditional, converged, and hyper-converged infrastructure solutions as well as AI-optimized products and solutions. ISG's results of operations could be adversely affected if such products and solutions are not adopted by our customers or potential customers, or if customers move rapidly to adopt public cloud solutions. CSG largely relies on sales of notebooks, desktops, and workstations. Revenue from CSG absorbs our overhead costs and provides for scaled procurement. CSG faces risks and uncertainties from fundamental changes in the personal computer market, including a decline in worldwide revenues for notebooks, desktops, and workstations, and lower shipment forecasts for these products due to a general lengthening of the replacement cycle. Reduced demand for PC products or a significant increase in competition could cause our operating income to fluctuate and adversely impact CSG's results of operations. --- ## Modified: Our relationships with our product and component vendors could harm our business by adversely affecting product availability, delivery, reliability, and cost. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "Our reliance on vendors subjects us to a greater risk of shortages and reduced control over delivery schedules of components and products, as well as a greater risk of increases in product and component costs." - Reworded sentence: "We may experience additional supply shortages and price increases caused by changes to raw material availability, manufacturing capacity, labor shortages, public health issues, tariffs, trade disputes and protectionist measures, extreme weather events or effects of climate change, and significant changes in the financial condition of our suppliers." - Added sentence: "Our profitability is affected by our ability to achieve favorable pricing from vendors and contract manufacturers, including through negotiations for vendor rebates, marketing funds, and other vendor funding received in the normal course of business." - Added sentence: "Because these supplier negotiations are continual and reflect the evolving competitive environment, the variability in timing and amount of incremental vendor discounts and rebates can affect our profitability." - Added sentence: "The vendor programs may change periodically, and changes in our business may result in increased reliance of vendors with less favorable pricing terms, potentially resulting in adverse profitability trends if we cannot adjust pricing or variable costs." **Prior (2024):** We maintain several single-source or limited-source supplier relationships, including relationships with third-party software providers, either because multiple sources are not readily available or because the relationships are advantageous due to performance, quality, support, delivery, capacity, or price considerations. A delay in the supply of a critical single- or limited-source product or component may prevent the timely shipment of the related product in desired quantities or configurations. In addition, we may not be able to replace the functionality provided by third-party software currently offered with our products if that software becomes obsolete, defective, or incompatible with future product versions or is not adequately maintained or updated. Even where multiple sources of supply are available, qualification of the alternative suppliers and establishment of reliable supplies could result in delays and a possible loss of sales, which could harm our operating results. 18 18 18 Table of Contents Table of Contents We obtain many products and all of our components from third-party vendors, many of which are located outside of the United States. In addition, significant portions of our products are assembled by contract manufacturers, primarily in various locations in Asia. A significant concentration of such outsourced manufacturing is performed by only a few contract manufacturers, often in single locations. We sell components to these contract manufacturers and generate large non-trade accounts receivables, an arrangement that would present a risk of uncollectibility if the financial condition of a contract manufacturer should deteriorate. Although these relationships generate cost efficiencies, they limit our direct control over production. The increasing reliance on vendors subjects us to a greater risk of shortages and reduced control over delivery schedules of components and products, as well as a greater risk of increases in product and component costs. We experienced some of these adverse effects in recent periods, primarily as a result of impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. We may experience additional supply shortages and price increases caused by changes to raw material availability, manufacturing capacity, labor shortages, public health issues, tariffs, trade disputes and protectionist measures, natural catastrophes or the effects of climate change (such as extreme weather conditions, sea level rise, drought, flooding, and wildfires), and significant changes in the financial condition of our suppliers. Because we maintain minimal levels of component and product inventories, a disruption in component or product availability could harm our ability to fill customer orders on a timely basis and at an acceptable price. The impact of supply constraints on our operations may be more acute during periods of rapid growth in demand for new products and services, such as the current demand for AI-optimized solutions. We are also subject to risks associated with our receipt from vendors of defective parts and products, which could require the replacement of such parts and products and expose us to reputational harm. **Current (2025):** Our reliance on vendors subjects us to a greater risk of shortages and reduced control over delivery schedules of components and products, as well as a greater risk of increases in product and component costs. We obtain many products and all of our components from third-party vendors, many of which are located outside of the United States. In addition, significant portions of our products are assembled by contract manufacturers, primarily in various locations in Asia. A significant concentration of such outsourced manufacturing is performed by only a few contract manufacturers, often in single locations. We sell components to these contract manufacturers and generate large non-trade accounts receivables, an arrangement that would present a risk of uncollectibility if the financial condition of a contract manufacturer should deteriorate. We may experience additional supply shortages and price increases caused by changes to raw material availability, manufacturing capacity, labor shortages, public health issues, tariffs, trade disputes and protectionist measures, extreme weather events or effects of climate change, and significant changes in the financial condition of our suppliers. Because we generally maintain minimal levels of component and product inventories, a disruption in component or product availability could harm our ability to fill customer orders on a timely basis and at an acceptable price. The impact of supply constraints on our operations may be more acute during periods of rapid growth in demand for new products and services, such as the current demand for AI-optimized solutions. We are also subject to risks associated with our receipt from vendors of defective parts and products, which could require the replacement of such parts and products and expose us to reputational harm. Our profitability is affected by our ability to achieve favorable pricing from vendors and contract manufacturers, including through negotiations for vendor rebates, marketing funds, and other vendor funding received in the normal course of business. Because these supplier negotiations are continual and reflect the evolving competitive environment, the variability in timing and amount of incremental vendor discounts and rebates can affect our profitability. The vendor programs may change periodically, and changes in our business may result in increased reliance of vendors with less favorable pricing terms, potentially resulting in adverse profitability trends if we cannot adjust pricing or variable costs. An inability to establish a cost and product advantage, or determine alternative means to deliver value to customers, may adversely affect our revenue and profitability. 18 18 18 Table of Contents Table of Contents --- ## Modified: Strategic acquisitions and dispositions we pursue may require us to incur costs and expose us to liabilities that could harm our business and adversely affect our financial performance. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "We may make additional strategic acquisitions of other companies as part of our growth strategy." - Reworded sentence: "Acquisitions may result in a delay or reduction of sales because of customer uncertainty and may disrupt our existing business by diverting resources and management attention." - Reworded sentence: "Such debt financings could involve financial or restrictive covenants that might limit our capital-raising activities and operating flexibility." - Reworded sentence: "These divestitures require significant investment of time and resources, may disrupt our business and distract management from other responsibilities, and may result in losses on disposition or continued financial involvement in the divested business, including through indemnification or other financial arrangements, which could adversely affect our financial results." **Prior (2024):** We make strategic acquisitions of other companies as part of our growth strategy. We could experience unforeseen operating difficulties in integrating the businesses, technologies, services, products, personnel, or operations of acquired companies, especially if we are unable to retain the key personnel of an acquired company. Further, future acquisitions may result in a delay or reduction of sales for both us and the acquired company because of customer uncertainty about the continuity and effectiveness of solutions offered by either company and may disrupt our existing business by diverting resources and significant management attention that otherwise would be focused on development of the existing business. Acquisitions also may negatively affect our relationships with strategic partners if the acquisitions are seen as bringing us into competition with such partners. To complete an acquisition, we may be required to use substantial amounts of cash, engage in equity or debt financings, or enter into credit agreements to secure additional funds. Such debt financings could involve restrictive covenants that might limit our capital-raising activities and operating flexibility. Further, an acquisition may negatively affect our results of operations because it may expose us to unexpected liabilities, require the incurrence of charges and substantial indebtedness or other liabilities, have adverse tax consequences, result in acquired in-process research and development expenses, or in the future require the amortization, write-down, or impairment of amounts related to deferred compensation, goodwill, and other intangible assets, or fail to generate a financial return sufficient to offset acquisition costs. In addition, we periodically divest businesses, including businesses that are no longer a part of our strategic plan. These divestitures similarly require significant investment of time and resources, may disrupt our business and distract management from other responsibilities, and may result in losses on disposition or continued financial involvement in the divested business, including through indemnification or other financial arrangements, for a period following the transaction, which could adversely affect our financial results. We continue to focus on minimizing operating expenses through cost improvements and simplification of our corporate structure. Cost saving measures, reorganizations, and divestitures have resulted in workforce reductions and consolidation of facilities. As a result of these actions, we may experience a loss of continuity, loss of accumulated knowledge, diminished employee productivity, disruptions to our operations, and inefficiency during transitional periods. These actions could also impact employee retention. We may experience delays or unanticipated costs in implementing our cost efficiency plans, which could prevent the timely or full achievement of expected cost efficiencies and adversely affect our competitive position. 22 22 22 Table of Contents Table of Contents **Current (2025):** We may make additional strategic acquisitions of other companies as part of our growth strategy. These transactions may fail to generate a financial return sufficient to offset acquisition costs. We could experience unforeseen operating difficulties in integrating the businesses, technologies, services, products, personnel, or operations of acquired companies, especially if we are unable to retain the key personnel of an acquired company. Acquisitions may result in a delay or reduction of sales because of customer uncertainty and may disrupt our existing business by diverting resources and management attention. Acquisitions also may negatively affect our relationships with strategic partners if they view the transactions as bringing us into competition. To complete an acquisition, we may be required to use substantial amounts of cash, engage in equity or debt financings, or enter into credit agreements to secure additional funds. Such debt financings could involve financial or restrictive covenants that might limit our capital-raising activities and operating flexibility. Further, an acquisition may expose us to unexpected liabilities, require the incurrence of charges and substantial indebtedness or other liabilities, have adverse tax consequences, result in acquired in-process research and development expenses, or require the amortization, write-down, or impairment of amounts related to deferred compensation, goodwill, and other intangible assets. In addition, we periodically divest businesses, including businesses that are no longer a part of our strategic plan. These divestitures require significant investment of time and resources, may disrupt our business and distract management from other responsibilities, and may result in losses on disposition or continued financial involvement in the divested business, including through indemnification or other financial arrangements, which could adversely affect our financial results. 20 20 20 Table of Contents Table of Contents --- ## Modified: Evolving and varied stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements with respect to sustainability and ESG activities could harm our reputation, adversely affect our business, and expose us to regulatory proceedings and litigation. **Key changes:** - Reworded sentence: "Many stakeholders are increasingly focused on ESG considerations with evolving and varied expectations that could expose us to heightened scrutiny and various financial, legal, reputational, operational, compliance, and other risks." **Prior (2024):** Many governments, regulators, investors, employees, customers, and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on environmental, social and governance ("ESG") considerations relating to businesses, including climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, human and civil rights, and diversity and inclusion. We make statements about our ESG goals and initiatives through our SEC filings, our annual ESG report, our other non-financial reports, information provided on our website, press statements and other communications. Responding to these ESG considerations and implementation of these goals and initiatives involves risks and uncertainties, requires investments, and depends in part on third-party performance or data that is outside our control. We cannot guarantee that we will achieve our announced ESG goals and initiatives. In addition, some stakeholders may disagree with our goals and initiatives. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to achieve our goals, further our initiatives, adhere to our public statements, comply with federal, state, or international ESG laws and regulations, or meet evolving and varied stakeholder expectations could harm our reputation, adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, and expose us to liabilities under regulatory proceedings or litigation instituted in the United States or in other countries. We are or soon will be obligated to comply with new climate-related reporting requirements. Sustainability reporting frameworks may require us to provide detailed public disclosures about the greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-related effects our activities produce, the climate-related operating and financial risks we face, and the strategies we pursue to reduce and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We expect to incur substantial costs to prepare these disclosures. If we fail to compile, assess, and report the required information in a timely manner and in accordance with mandatory reporting standards, we could be exposed to fines and other sanctions. **Current (2025):** Many stakeholders are increasingly focused on ESG considerations with evolving and varied expectations that could expose us to heightened scrutiny and various financial, legal, reputational, operational, compliance, and other risks. We make statements about sustainability and ESG goals and initiatives through our SEC filings, our annual ESG report, our other non-financial reports, information provided on our website, press statements and other communications. Responding to these considerations and successful implementation of these goals and initiatives involves risks and uncertainties, is not guaranteed, and is subject to numerous conditions, as well as standards, processes, regulations, and methodologies that continue to evolve. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to achieve our sustainability and ESG goals, further our initiatives, adhere to our public statements, comply with federal, state, or international ESG laws and regulations, or meet evolving and varied stakeholder expectations could harm our reputation, adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, and expose us to liabilities under regulatory proceedings or litigation instituted in the United States or in other countries. In recent periods, regulators in various jurisdictions have increasingly expressed or pursued opposing views, legislation, and expectations with respect to sustainability initiatives. Conflicting regulations and a lack of harmonization of ESG legal and regulatory environments across the jurisdictions in which we operate may create enhanced compliance risks and costs. --- *Data sourced from SEC EDGAR. Last updated 2026-05-10.*