The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

Qualys, Inc. (the “Company”, "we", "us", "our") was incorporated in the state of Delaware on December 30, 1999. The Company is headquartered in Foster City, California and has wholly-owned subsidiaries throughout the world. The Company is a pioneer and leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions that enable organizations to identify security risks to their IT infrastructures, help protect their IT systems and applications from ever-evolving cyber-attacks and achieve compliance with internal policies and external regulations. The Company’s cloud solutions address the growing security and compliance complexities and risks that are amplified by the dissolving boundaries between internal and external IT infrastructures and web environments, the rapid adoption of cloud computing and the proliferation of geographically dispersed IT assets. Organizations can use the Company’s integrated suite of solutions delivered on its Qualys cloud platform to cost-effectively obtain a unified view of their security and compliance posture across globally-distributed IT infrastructures.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and condensed footnotes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP") for interim financial information as well as the instructions to Form 10-Q and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain information and disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018, included herein, was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date but does not include all disclosures, including notes required by U.S. GAAP. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations expected for the entire year ending December 31, 2019 or for any other future annual or interim periods. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2019. Certain corrections have been made to the prior year disclosures of revenue by sales channel (Note 4) and property and equipment, net by geographic area (Note 13) to conform to current year presentation. These corrections have no effect on net income, total assets or stockholders’ equity as previously reported.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported results of operations during the reporting period. The Company’s management regularly assesses these estimates, which primarily affect revenue recognition, the valuation of accounts receivable, goodwill and intangible assets, capitalization of internally developed software, stock-based compensation and the provision for income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences may be material to the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivative financial instruments are utilized by the Company to reduce foreign currency exchange risks. The Company uses foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations of certain non-U.S. Dollar denominated asset positions, to date primarily cash and accounts receivable (non-designated forward contracts), as well as to manage foreign currency fluctuation risk related to forecasted transactions (designated cash flow hedges). Open contracts are recorded within prepaid expenses and other current assets or accrued liabilities in

the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Gains and losses resulting from currency exchange rate movements on non-designated forward contracts are recognized in other income (expense), net. Any gains or losses from designated cash flow hedges are first accumulated in other comprehensive income ("AOCI") and then reclassified to revenue when the hedged item impacts the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The cash flow effects of the Company's derivative contracts for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 were included within net cash provided by operating activities on its condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. As of September 30, 2019, the Company had €19.9 million and £9.8 million of notional amounts outstanding on designated cash flow hedges. The Company had no designated cash flow hedges as of September 30, 2018.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company recognizes the fair value of its employee stock options and restricted stock units over the requisite service period for those awards ultimately expected to vest. The fair value of each option is estimated on date of grant using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model and the fair value of each restricted stock unit is based on the fair value of the Company's stock on the date of grant. Forfeitures are estimated on the date of grant and revised if actual or expected forfeiture activity differs materially from original estimates.

The Company has issued performance-based awards and accounts for these awards as stock-based compensation with multiple performance conditions. For these performance-based awards, the Company records compensation expense for only the performance milestones that are probable of being achieved, with such expense recorded on a straight-line basis over the expected vesting period. The Company reassesses performance-based estimates each reporting period and, if the estimated service period changes, the Company recognizes all remaining compensation expense over the remaining service period and, if the probability of achievement changes to or from “probable,” the Company recognizes the cumulative effect. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company recorded approximately $0.2 million and $0.7 million of stock-based compensation cost for these awards, respectively.

Internally Developed Software Costs

The Company capitalizes certain costs incurred to develop new internal-use software. Capitalized costs include salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation charges for employees that are directly involved in developing its cloud security platform during the application development stage. These capitalized costs are included in other noncurrent assets on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. Upon general release, such costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of three years. Amortization of internally developed software is recorded to cost of revenues. Capitalization of internally developed software cost was $0.1 million and $0.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. Unamortized cost for capitalized internally developed software was $1.6 million at September 30, 2019 and $1.2 million at December 31, 2018. Amortization expense for capitalized internally developed software was insignificant for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. Management evaluates the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets. 

Cost Method Investments

In the second quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company invested $2.5 million in preferred stock of a privately-held company. The investment has been accounted for using the cost method and included in other noncurrent assets on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company's cost method investment is assessed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The Company has not recorded any dividends or other-than-temporary impairment charges related to its cost method investment. The fair value of the investment is not readily available, and there are no quoted market prices for the investment. During the three months ended June 30, 2019, the Company made an advance payment of $0.6 million to the investee for certain development work, which is recorded in other noncurrent assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. During the three months ended September 30, 2019, the Company made an additional investment of $0.6 million in a convertible security issued by this investee and recorded it in other current assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. 

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize all leases, including operating leases, on the balance sheet as a lease asset and lease liability, unless the lease is a short-term lease. ASU 2016-02 also requires additional disclosures regarding leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and early adoption is permitted. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Targeted Improvements - Leases (Topic 842). This update provides an optional transition method that allows entities to elect to apply the standard prospectively at its effective date, versus recasting the prior periods presented. If elected, an entity would recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. Pursuant to the leasing criteria, most of the Company's leased space and equipment leases will be required to be accounted for as right-of-use assets ("ROU") on the balance sheet with offsetting financing obligations. In the statement of operations, what was formerly rent expense for operating leases will be lease expense; and finance leases will be bifurcated into amortization of right-of-use assets and interest on lease liabilities. The Company adopted the ASU utilizing the current period adjustment method on January 1, 2019, and recognized an ROU asset of $30.8 million and a lease liability of $41.6 million on its condensed consolidated financial statements. As of January 1, 2019, $3.9 million of deferred rent and $6.9 million related to tenant improvement allowance was removed upon adoption. As part of this adoption, the Company elected the package of transitional practical expedients to not reassess (1) whether any contracts that existed prior to adoption have or contain leases, (2) the classification of existing leases or (3) initial direct costs for existing leases. The Company also elected to make the accounting policy election for short-term leases, permitting the Company to not apply the recognition requirements of this standard to short-term leases with terms of 12 months or less.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2019. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (Topic 350). This standard eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test, instead requiring an entity to recognize a goodwill impairment charge for the amount by which the goodwill carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. This ASU is effective for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 with early adoption permitted. This ASU must be applied on a prospective basis. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract. This ASU aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs related to internal-use software. ASU 2018-15 is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 and early adoption is permitted.  The adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments–Credit Losses (Topic 326) as modified by subsequently issued ASU No. 2018-19, 2019-04 and 2019-05, which introduces a new accounting model, Current Expected Credit Losses ("CECL"). CECL requires earlier recognition of credit losses, while also providing additional transparency about credit risk. CECL utilizes a lifetime expected credit loss measurement objective for the recognition of credit losses at the time the financial asset is originated or acquired. The expected credit losses are adjusted each period for changes in expected lifetime credit losses. The ASUs are effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. The adoption of the ASUs is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.