6. INCOME TAXES:

The Company recorded a tax provision of $1.5 million and a tax benefit of $(1.5) million for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2017, respectively. The Company recorded a tax provision of $1.1 million and $584 thousand for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively. The reported tax provision for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2017 results in an effective tax rate of 239.5% and 29.3%, respectively. The effective tax rates reflected our combined federal and state income tax rates, foreign income tax provisions and the recognition of U.S. deferred tax liabilities for differences between the book and tax basis of goodwill.

We assess the realizability of our deferred tax assets and assess the need for a valuation allowance on an ongoing basis. The periodic assessment of the net carrying value of our deferred tax assets under the applicable accounting rules is highly judgmental. We are required to consider all available positive and negative evidence in evaluating the likelihood that we will be able to realize the benefit of our deferred tax assets in the future. Such evidence includes scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies and the results of recent operations. Since this evaluation requires consideration of events that may occur some years into the future, there is significant judgment involved, and our conclusion could be materially different should certain of our expectations not transpire.

When assessing all available evidence, we consider the following to be important pieces of objective evidence:

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The majority of our federal net operating loss carryforwards expire in 2020, reducing the time period over which the Company has to generate sufficient income to realize future benefit from the loss carryforward amounts.

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The Company did not achieve 100% of its plans and/or projections through the first six months of 2017.

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Our forecasts have increased risk associated with operations due to current disruption in our sales pipeline attributable to our channel partners pushing customers toward cloud-based service offerings and away from on-premise applications.

During the three-month period ended June 30, 2017 the Company increased the deferred tax asset valuation allowance by $1.1 million. As of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the recorded deferred tax asset valuation allowance balance was $9.3 and 8.2 million, respectively.

Our policy is to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. This policy has been consistently applied in all periods. No such amounts were recognized in the three- or six-month periods ended June 30, 2017 or 2016. We have reviewed the tax positions taken, or to be taken, in our tax returns for all tax years currently open to examination by a taxing authority. We have identified no uncertain tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the twelve months ending June 30, 2018. We remain subject to examination until the statute of limitations expires for each respective tax jurisdiction.

The Company adopted the recent Accounting Standards Update related to stock-based compensation during the three-month period ended March 31, 2017. This adoption had an impact on the tax treatment for stock option exercises during the first quarter of 2017 (as well as a cumulative adjustment for prior period activity). In connection with the adoption of this standard, all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies will be recognized in the statement of comprehensive income in the period in which they occur. The Company recognized $779 thousand of tax benefit related to current year stock option exercises during the six-month period ended June 30, 2017 and the Company has also recorded a $1.4 million cumulative adjustment to retained earnings to present the impact of prior period activity in accordance with the newly adopted standard in the three-month period ended March 31, 2017.