Motorola Solutions (MSI) Risk Factors

We rely extensively on our information systems to manage our business operations. We are consistently subject to attempts to compromise our information technology systems from both internal and external sources and, like all information technology systems, our systems are potentially vulnerable to damage, unauthorized access or interruption from a variety of sources, including but not limited to, cyberattack, cyber intrusion, computer viruses, security breach, denial-of-service attacks, ransomware or other malware, energy blackouts, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, terrorism, sabotage, war, insider trading, human error and computer and telecommunication failures. As a provider of mission-critical communications systems for customers in critical infrastructure sectors of the U.S. and globally, including systems that we operate and maintain for certain customers of ours or as a software-based service, we face additional risk as a potential target of sophisticated attacks aimed at compromising both our company's and our customers' sensitive information and intellectual property. This risk is heightened because these systems may contain sensitive governmental information or personally identifiable or other protected information. Our vulnerability and that of our third-party vendors, to cyber and other information technology risks may also be increased by factors such as cyberattacks related to geopolitical conflicts (which may be heightened by our global presence) and the large portion of our office workforce that continues to work from home. Additionally, the volume, frequency and sophistication of these threats continues to grow and the complexity and scale of the systems to be protected continues to increase. Like other enterprise software companies, we also use open source software from time to time, which may be more susceptible to vulnerabilities that may not be identified with scanning tools. In an effort to protect against such attacks, we maintain insurance related to cybersecurity risks and employ a number of countermeasures and security controls, including training, audits, encryption, and utilization of commercial information security threat sharing networks. If we fail to effectively manage our cybersecurity, our business, products, and services could suffer from the resulting weaknesses in our infrastructure, systems or controls. Further, our company outsources certain business operations, including, but not limited to IT, network connectivity, HR information systems, manufacturing, repair, distribution and engineering services. We are dependent, in certain instances, upon our outsourced business partners, suppliers, and customers to adequately protect our IT systems and those IT systems that we manage for our customers, including the hosts of our cloud infrastructure on top of which our cloud-based solutions are built, as well as the network connectivity upon which some of our services are built. Some of our customers are exploring broadband solutions that use public carrier networks on which our solutions would operate. We do not have direct oversight or influence over how public carrier networks manage the security, quality, or resiliency of their networks, and because they are an attractive high value target due to their role in critical infrastructure, they expose customers to an elevated risk over our private networks. In addition, we maintain certain networked equipment at customer locations and are reliant on those customers to protect and maintain that equipment. A cyberattack or other significant disruption involving our IT systems or those of our outsource partners, suppliers or our customers could result in substantial costs to repair or replace our IT systems or the loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our ability, or that of our customers, to perform critical functions. Such disruption may also result in the unauthorized release of proprietary, confidential or sensitive information of us or our customers, or the disruption of services provided to customers and essential for their mission. Such unauthorized access to, or release of, information or disruption of services could: (i) allow others to unfairly compete with us, (ii) compromise safety or security, given the mission-critical nature of our customers' systems, (iii) subject us to claims for breach of contract, tort, and other civil claims without adequate indemnification from our suppliers, (iv) subject us to time-intensive notification requirements, (v) damage our reputation, and (vi) require us to provide modifications or replacements to our products and services. Our potential liability related to such claims by customers or third-parties described above may not be contractually capped nor fully covered by our insurance. We could face regulatory penalties, enforcement actions, remediation obligations and/or private litigation by parties whose data is improperly disclosed or misused. Any or all of the foregoing could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow.

We envision a future in which AI operating in our products and services will help our public safety and enterprise customers build safer communities with stronger communication platforms. As we increasingly build AI, including generative AI, into our offerings, we may enable or offer solutions that draw controversy due to their actual or perceived impact on social and ethical issues resulting from the use of new and evolving AI in such offerings. AI may not always operate as intended and datasets may be insufficient or contain illegal, biased, harmful or offensive information, which could negatively impact our results of operations, business reputation or customers' acceptance of our AI offerings. Although we work to responsibly meet our customers' needs for products and services that use AI, including through AI governance programs and internal technology oversight committees, we may still suffer reputational or competitive damage as a result of any inconsistencies in the application of the technology or ethical concerns, both of which may generate negative publicity. Further, we face significant competition from other companies that are developing their own AI systems. Other companies may develop AI systems that are similar or superior to our technologies or more cost-effective to develop and deploy. Additionally, customer demand for AI-based analytics may continue to increase at a fast rate. Therefore, the research and development cost we may incur to compete with such AI systems and meet increased customer demand for AI-based analytics may increase the cost of our offerings. If we are unable to mitigate these risks, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

Some of the products we sell may have quality issues resulting from the design or manufacture of the product, or from the software used in the product. Sometimes, these issues may be caused by components we purchase from suppliers, or from finished products we purchase from other manufacturers, which we then resell to customers. Often these issues are identified prior to the shipment of the products and may cause delays in shipping products to customers, or even the cancellation of orders by customers. Sometimes, we discover quality issues in the products after they have been shipped to our customers, requiring us to resolve such issues in a timely manner that is the least disruptive to our customers, particularly in light of the mission-critical nature of our communications products. Such pre-shipment and post-shipment quality issues can have legal, financial and reputational ramifications, including: (i) delays in the recognition of revenue, loss of revenue or future orders, (ii) customer-imposed penalties for failure to meet contractual requirements, (iii) increased costs associated with repairing or replacing products, and (iv) a negative impact on our goodwill and brand name reputation. In some cases, if the quality issue affects the product's performance, safety or regulatory compliance, then such a "defective" product may need to be "stop-shipped" or recalled. Depending on the nature of the quality issue and the number of products in the field, it could cause us to incur substantial recall or corrective field action costs, in addition to the costs associated with the potential loss of future orders and the damage to our goodwill or brand reputation. In addition, we may be required, under certain customer contracts, to pay damages for failed performance that might exceed the revenue that we receive from the contracts. Recalls and field actions involving regulatory non-compliance could also result in fines and additional costs. Recalls and field actions could result in third-party litigation by persons or companies alleging harm or economic damage as a result of the use of the products. In addition, privacy advocacy groups and other technology and industry groups have established or may establish various new or different self-regulatory standards that may place additional obligations on us. Our customers may expect us to meet voluntary certifications or adhere to other standards established by third-parties. If we are unable to maintain these certifications or meet these standards, it could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business.

Global economic and political conditions, including impacts from the inflationary cost environment, continue to be challenging for many of our government and enterprise markets, as economic growth in many countries has remained low or declined, currency fluctuations have impacted profitability, credit markets have remained tight for certain counterparties of ours and some of our customers are dependent on government grants to fund purchases of our products and services. In addition, conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere have created many economic and political uncertainties that continue to impact worldwide markets, including impacts relating to new or increased tariffs and potential trade wars, and threats to national security vulnerabilities linked to country of origin. The length of time these adverse economic and political conditions may persist is unknown. These global economic and political conditions have impacted and could continue to impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows in a number of ways, including: - Requests by certain of our government and enterprise customers that we provide vendor financing, including in response to financial challenges surrounding state and local governments, which may cause us to retain exposure to the credit quality of our customers who we finance if we are unable to sell these receivables on terms acceptable to us. - The inability of certain of our customers to obtain financing in order to make purchases from us and/or maintain their business, which may negatively impact our financial results. - Challenges we face in budgeting and forecasting due to economic uncertainties in various parts of the U.S. and world economy, which could negatively impact our financial results if such budgets or forecasts are inaccurate. - Deferment or cancellation of purchases and orders by customers may occur due to uncertainty about current and future global economic conditions, which could reduce future demand for our products and negatively impact our financial results. - Intensifying political instability in a number of markets in which we operate could have a significant impact on our ability to grow and, in some cases, operate in such locations, which could negatively impact our financial results.

Our business operations, and the operations of our customers and suppliers, are subject to interruption by natural disasters (including climate change-related events), flooding, fire, power shortages, the widespread outbreak of infectious diseases and pandemics, terrorist acts or the outbreak or escalation of armed hostilities, and other events beyond our control. If a new pandemic or health outbreak were to occur, we could experience varied impacts similar to what we experienced related to the impacts of COVID-19, including impacts to our workforce and supply chain, inflationary pressures and increased costs, schedule or production delays, market volatility and other financial impacts. These events such as COVID-19 have had, and in the future could continue to have, a negative impact on our ability to manage our business and/or cause disruption of economic activity, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position, cash flows and stock price.

In order to position ourselves to take advantage of growth opportunities or to meet other strategic needs such as product or technology gaps, we have made, and expect to continue to make, strategic acquisitions that involve significant risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include: (i) the inability to realize our business plan with respect to the acquired businesses, (ii) the difficulty or inability in integrating newly-acquired businesses and operations in an efficient and effective manner, including ensuring proper integration of acquired businesses' legal and regulatory compliance programs, information technology systems and financial reporting and internal control systems, (iii) the challenges in integrating acquired businesses to create the operating platform for public safety, (iv) the challenges in achieving strategic objectives, cost savings and other benefits from acquisitions, (v) the risk that our contractual relationships or the markets served do not evolve as anticipated and that the technologies acquired do not prove to be those needed to be successful in those markets, (vi) the potential loss of key employees of the acquired businesses, (vii) the risk of diverting the attention of senior management from our operations, (viii) the risks of entering new markets in which we have limited experience, (ix) future impairments of goodwill, (x) the potential loss of intellectual property due to actions of employees in connection with such acquisitions and (xi) the potential identified or unknown security vulnerabilities in acquired products that expose us to additional security risk. Certain acquisition candidates in the industries in which we participate may carry higher relative valuations (based on revenues, earnings, cash flow, or other relevant multiples) than we do. This is particularly evident in recurring revenue businesses, software businesses and certain services businesses. Acquiring a business that has a higher relative valuation than Motorola Solutions may be dilutive to our earnings. In addition, we may not pursue opportunities that are highly dilutive to near-term earnings. Key employees of acquired businesses may receive substantial value in connection with a transaction in the form of cash payments for their ownership interest, particularly in the case of founders and other shareholder employees, or as a result of change-in-control agreements, acceleration of stock options and the lifting of restrictions on other equity-based compensation rights. To retain such employees and integrate the acquired business, we may offer additional retention incentives, but it may still be difficult to retain certain key employees.