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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Business Description
We are a leading global provider of business and mission-critical and IoT connectivity products, services and solutions. We help our customers create next-generation connected products to deploy, monitor and manage critical communications infrastructures and compliance standards in demanding environments with high levels of security and reliability. We have two reportable operating segments: (i) IoT Products & Services; and (ii) IoT Solutions.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Reclassifications
The subcategories within total revenue and total cost of sales were redefined in 2019 into "Product" and "Service". Fiscal 2018 hardware product and services and solutions amounts have been reclassified to conform to our fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 presentation.

Accounting Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents consist of money market accounts and other highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less. The carrying amounts approximate fair value due to the short maturities of these investments. We maintain our cash and cash equivalents in bank accounts which may exceed federally insured limits at times. We have not experienced any losses in these accounts.
Marketable Securities
Marketable securities previously consisted of certificates of deposit, commercial paper, corporate bonds and government municipal bonds. All marketable securities were accounted for as available-for-sale and were carried at fair value on our Consolidated Balance Sheets with unrealized gains and losses recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss within stockholders’ equity. In order to estimate the fair value for each security in our investment portfolio, we obtained quoted market prices and trading activity for each security when available. We obtained relevant information from our investment advisor and, if warranted, we may have reviewed the financial solvency of certain security issuers.
We regularly monitored and evaluated the value of our marketable securities. When assessing marketable securities for other-than-temporary declines in value, we considered several factors. These factors included: how significant the decline in value is as a percentage of the original cost, how long the market value of the investment has been less than its original cost, the underlying factors contributing to a decline in the prices of securities in a single asset class, the performance of the issuer’s stock price in relation to the stock price of its competitors within the industry, expected market volatility, analyst recommendations, the views of external investment managers, any news or financial information that has been released specific to the investee and the outlook for the overall industry in which the issuer operates. If events and circumstances indicate that a decline in the value of a security had occurred and is other-than-temporary, we would record a charge to other income, net.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are stated at the amount we expect to collect. This amount is net of an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments and a reserve for future credit returns and pricing adjustments.  The following factors are considered when determining the collectability of specific customer accounts:  customer creditworthiness, past transaction history with the customer, and changes in customer payment terms or practices.  In addition, overall historical collection experience, current economic industry trends, and a review of the current status of trade accounts receivable are considered when determining the required allowance for doubtful accounts.  Based on
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our assessment, we provide for estimated uncollectible amounts through a charge to earnings and a credit to our allowance for doubtful accounts.  Balances that remain outstanding after we have used reasonable collection efforts are written off through a charge to the allowance for doubtful accounts and a credit to accounts receivable. Estimated reserves for future credit returns and pricing adjustments are established based on an analysis of historical patterns of credit returns and price adjustments compared to received credit returns and distribution sales for the current period. Estimated reserves for future credit returns and price adjustments are charged against revenue in the same period as the corresponding sales are recorded. Estimated sales returns for our distributor stock rotation program are accounted for under the guidance of Accounting Standard Codification (ASC) 845 Nonmonetary Transactions.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Appropriate consideration is given to deterioration, obsolescence and other factors in evaluating net realizable value.
Property, Equipment and Improvements, Net
Property, equipment and improvements are carried at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided by charges to operations using the straight-line method over the estimated asset useful lives. Furniture and fixtures, purchased software and other equipment are depreciated over a period of three years to ten years. Building improvements and buildings are depreciated over ten years and thirty-nine years, respectively. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset. Long-lived assets to be held and used, such as property, equipment and improvements, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.
Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred, while major renewals and betterments are capitalized. The assets and related accumulated depreciation accounts are adjusted for asset retirements and disposals with the resulting gain or loss included in operations.
Identifiable Intangible Assets
Purchased proven technology, license agreements, covenants not to compete and other identifiable intangible assets are recorded at fair value when acquired in a business acquisition, or at cost when not purchased in a business acquisition. All other identifiable intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of three years to 14.5 years. Useful lives for identifiable intangible assets are estimated at the time of acquisition based on the periods of time from which we expect to derive benefits from the identifiable intangible assets. Amortization of purchased and core technology is included in cost of sales in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Amortization of all other acquired identifiable intangible assets is charged to operating expenses as a component of general and administrative expense.
Identifiable intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that undiscounted expected future cash flows are not sufficient to recover the carrying value amount. Impairment losses, if any, are recorded in the period the impairment is identified. There were no impairments identified in fiscal 2020, 2019 or 2018.
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of identifiable assets acquired.  Goodwill is quantitatively tested for impairment on an annual basis as of June 30, or more frequently if events or circumstances occur which could indicate impairment.
We have two reportable operating segments, our IoT Products & Services segment and our IoT Solutions segment (see Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements). As a result, we concluded that the IoT Products & Services segment and the IoT Solutions segment constitute separate reporting units for purposes of the ASC 350-20-35 "Goodwill Measurement of Impairment" assessment and both units were tested individually for impairment.

For our quantitative goodwill impairment tests, we determine the estimated fair value of each reporting unit and compare it to the carrying value of the reporting unit, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit is higher than its estimated fair value, then an impairment loss must be recognized for the excess. Fair values for both reporting units were each estimated on a standalone basis using a weighted combination of the income approach and market approach.
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The income approach indicates the fair value of a business based on the value of the cash flows the business or asset can be expected to generate in the future. A commonly used variation of the income approach used to value a business is the discounted cash flow (“DCF”) method. The DCF method is a valuation technique in which the value of a business is estimated on the earnings capacity, or available cash flow, of that business. Earnings capacity represents the earnings available for distribution to stockholders after consideration of the reinvestment required for future growth. Significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of future cash flows for each reporting unit and the relative risk of achieving those cash flows.
The market approach indicates the fair value of a business or asset based on a comparison of the business or asset to comparable publicly traded companies or assets and transactions in its industry as well as our prior acquisitions. This approach can be estimated through the guideline company method. This method indicates fair value of a business by comparing it to publicly traded companies in similar lines of business. After identifying and selecting the guideline companies, we make judgments about the comparability of the companies based on size, growth rates, profitability, risk, and return on investment in order to estimate market multiples. These multiples are then applied to the reporting units to estimate a fair value.
Results of our Fiscal 2020 Annual Impairment Test
We had a total of $157.1 million of goodwill for the IoT Products & Services reporting unit and $49.6 million of goodwill for the IoT Solutions reporting unit as of June 30, 2020. At June 30, 2020, fair value exceeded the carrying value by more than 10% for both reporting units. Implied fair values for both reporting units were each calculated on a standalone basis using a weighted combination of the income approach and market approach. The implied fair values of each reporting unit were added together to get an indicated value of total equity to which a range of indicated value of total equity was derived. This range was compared to the total market capitalization of $338.2 million as of June 30, 2020. This implied a range of control premiums of 17.0% to 29.1%. This range of control premiums fell below the control premiums observed in the last five years in the communications equipment industry. As a result, the market capitalization reconciliation analysis proved support for the reasonableness of the fair values estimated for each individual reporting unit.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, we assessed various qualitative factors to determine whether or not an additional goodwill impairment assessment was required as of September 30, 2020, and we concluded that no additional impairment assessment was required.
Assumptions and estimates to determine fair values under the income and market approaches are complex and often subjective.  They can be affected by a variety of factors. These include external factors such as industry and economic trends. They also include internal factors such as changes in our business strategy and our internal forecasts. Changes in circumstances or a potential event could negatively affect the estimated fair values. We will continue to monitor potential COVID-19 industry and demand impacts as this could potentially affect our cash flows and market capitalization. If our future operating results do not meet current forecasts or if we experience a sustained decline in our market capitalization that is determined to be indicative of a reduction in fair value of one or more of our reporting units, we may be required to record future impairment charges for goodwill.
Contingent Consideration
We measure our contingent consideration liabilities recognized in connection with business combinations at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as defined in ASC 820 "Fair Value Measurement". We used a probability-weighted discounted cash flow approach as a valuation technique to determine the fair value of the contingent consideration on the acquisition date. At each subsequent reporting period, the fair value is re-measured with the change in fair value recognized in general and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. Amounts, if any, paid to the seller in excess of the amount recorded on the acquisition date will be classified as cash flows used in operating activities. Payments to the seller not exceeding the acquisition-date fair value of the contingent consideration will be classified as cash flows used in financing activities.
Warranties
In general, we warrant our hardware products to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service. The warranty periods generally range from one year to five years. We typically have the option to either repair or replace hardware products we deem defective with regard to material or workmanship. Estimated warranty costs are accrued in the period that the related revenue is recognized based upon an estimated average per unit repair or replacement cost applied to
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the estimated number of units under warranty. These estimates are based upon historical warranty incidents and are evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure the adequacy of the warranty accrual.
We also warrant our software or firmware incorporated into our products generally for a period of one year and offer to provide a bug fix or software patch within a reasonable period. We have not accrued specifically for this warranty and have not had claims specifically related to software or firmware. We are not responsible for, and do not warrant that, custom software versions, created by OEM customers based upon our software source code, will function in a particular way, will conform to any specifications or are fit for any particular purpose. Further, we do not indemnify these customers from any third-party liability as it relates to or arises from any customization or modifications made by the OEM customer.
Treasury Stock 
We record treasury stock at cost. Treasury stock may be acquired from employees for tax withholding purposes related to vesting of restricted stock awards as part of our stock-based compensation program.

Revenue Recognition
We recognize hardware product revenue upon transfer of control of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services.
We determine the amount of revenue to be recognized through application of the following steps:
identification of the contract, or contracts with a customer;
identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
determination of the transaction price;
allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
recognition of revenue when or as we satisfy the performance obligations.
Hardware Product Revenue and SmartSense by Digi® Equipment Revenue and Associated Installation Fees
Our hardware product revenue is derived primarily from the sale of wired and wireless hardware products to our distributors and direct/original equipment manufacturer (“Direct/OEM”) customers. Product revenue generally is recognized upon shipment of the product to a customer. Sales to authorized domestic distributors and Direct/OEM customers typically are made with certain rights of return and price adjustment provisions. Estimated reserves for future credit returns and pricing adjustments are established based on an analysis of historical patterns of credit returns and price adjustments compared to received credit returns and distribution sales for the current period. Estimated reserves for future credit returns and price adjustments are charged against revenue in the same period as the corresponding sales are recorded. Material differences between the historical trends used to determine estimated reserves and actual credit returns and pricing adjustments could result in a material change to our consolidated results of operations or financial position. Estimated sales returns for our distributor stock rotation program are accounted for under the guidance of ASC 845 Nonmonetary Transactions.
Equipment revenue from SmartSense by Digi® within our IoT Solutions segment is recognized upon shipment of the equipment to a customer. Installation service charges from these sales are recorded when the product is installed.
Subscription and Support Services Revenue
We derive service revenue from our Digi Remote Manager®, a platform-as-a-service (“PaaS”) offering, whereby customers pay for services consumed based on the number of devices being managed or monitored. This revenue is recognized over the life of the service term and is included in our IoT Products & Services segment. 
Digi Support Services revenues are recognized over the life of the support contract and included in our IoT Products & Services segment. Some of Digi Support Services revenue is for training and this revenue is recognized as the services are performed.
Our SmartSense by Digi® subscription revenue is recorded on a monthly basis. These subscriptions are generally in a range from one year to five years, and may contain an evergreen renewal provision. Generally, our subscription renewal charges per month are the same as the original contract term.
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Professional Services Revenue
Professional services revenue is derived from our Digi Wireless Design Services contracts on either on a time-and-materials or a fixed-fee basis. These revenues, which are included in our IoT Products & Services segment are recognized as the services are performed for time-and-materials contracts, or when milestones are achieved and accepted by the customer for fixed-fee contracts.
Contracts with Multiple Performance Obligations
From time to time we have contracts from customers with multiple performance obligations. Our hardware products may be combined with our Digi Remote Manager® PaaS offering as well as other support services in an individual contract. Our SmartSense by Digi® revenues typically are derived from contracts with multiple performance obligations. These obligations may include: delivery of monitoring equipment that the customer either purchases out-right or uses while we retain ownership, monitoring services, providing condition alerts of assets being monitored, and recertification of sensor equipment. When we retain ownership of the equipment, we charge an implementation fee to the customer so they can begin using the equipment. In these instances, all revenue derived from the above obligations is recognized over the subscription term of the contract. If the customer purchases the equipment out-right, that portion of the revenue is recognized at the stand-alone selling price at the time the equipment is shipped and all other revenue is recognized over the subscription term of the contract. We have made an accounting policy election to exclude from the measurement of our revenues any sales or similar taxes we collect from customers.
Research and Development
Research and development costs are expensed when incurred. Research and development costs include compensation, allocation of corporate costs, depreciation, utilities, professional services and prototypes. Software and firmware development costs are expensed as incurred until the point that both the technological feasibility and the proven marketability of the product are established. To date, the time period between the establishment of technological feasibility and completion of software development has been short and no significant development costs have been incurred during that period. Accordingly, we have not capitalized any software development costs to date.
Income Taxes
Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each year end based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Income tax expense is equal to the tax payable for the period and the change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities as well as changes in income tax reserves. We maintain valuation allowances unless it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will be realized. Changes in valuation allowances from period to period are included in our tax provision in the period of change. We recognize the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense represents the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award. This cost must be recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide the service (usually the vesting period).
Foreign Currency Translation
Financial position and results of operations of our international subsidiaries are measured using local currencies as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of these operations are translated at the exchange rates in effect at the end of each reporting period. For our international subsidiaries, our statements of operations accounts are translated at the weighted average rates of exchange prevailing during each reporting period. Translation adjustments arising from the use of differing currency exchange rates from period to period are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity. Gains and losses on foreign currency exchange transactions, as well as translation gains or losses on transactions denominated in currencies other than an entity’s functional currency, are reflected in the statement of operations. During fiscal 2020, 2019 and
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2018 there were net transaction (losses) gains of $(0.6) million, $0.4 million and $0.1 million, respectively that were recorded in other income, net. We manage our net asset or net liability position for U.S. dollar accounts in our foreign locations to reduce our foreign currency risk. We have not implemented a formal hedging strategy.
Comprehensive Income
Our comprehensive income is comprised of net income, foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale marketable securities. These items are charged or credited to the accumulated other comprehensive loss account in stockholders’ equity.
Net Income Per Common Share
Basic net income per common share is calculated based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive common shares of our stock result from common stock options and restricted stock units. We use the treasury stock method to calculate the weighted-average shares used in the diluted earnings per share computation. Under this method the proceeds from exercise of an option, any amount of compensation cost for future service that we have not yet recognized, and the amount of estimated tax benefits that would be recorded in paid-in capital when the option is exercised are assumed to have been used to repurchase shares in the current period.
The following table is a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators in the net income per common share calculations (in thousands, except per common share data):
 Fiscal year ended September 30,
 202020192018
Numerator:   
Net income$8,411 $9,958 $1,631 
Denominator:   
Denominator basic net income per common share — weighted average shares outstanding28,849 27,905 27,083 
Effect of dilutive securities:   
Stock options and restricted stock units697 649 569 
Denominator diluted net income per common share — adjusted weighted average shares29,546 28,554 27,652 
Net income per common share, basic$0.29 $0.36 $0.06 
Net income per common share, diluted$0.28 $0.35 $0.06 
Because their effect would be anti-dilutive at period end, certain potentially dilutive shares related to stock options to purchase common shares were excluded in the above computation of diluted earnings per share because the options’ exercise prices were greater than the average market price of our common shares. At September 30, 2020, 2019 and 2018, such excluded stock options were 1,143,411, 744,513 and 925,063, respectively.
Recent Accounting Developments
Adopted
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which provides for comprehensive changes to lease accounting. The standard requires that a lessee recognize a lease obligation liability and a right-to-use asset for virtually all leases, subsequently amortized over the lease term.
We adopted this standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, following the modified retrospective application approach that applies the new standard to all applicable leases existing at the date of initial application and not restating comparative periods. We have completed our implementation efforts. These efforts included identification and analysis of our lease portfolio, analysis and evaluation of the new reporting and disclosure requirements of the new guidance, and an evaluation of our lease-
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related processes and internal controls. The adoption of this standard resulted in the recognition of a right-of-use asset included in other non-current assets of approximately $14.1 million. It also resulted in a lease liability of approximately $17.9 million
included in other current liabilities and other non-current liabilities. Both of these were recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. In adopting the new standard, we elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, as well as the practical expedient not to separate non-lease components from lease components. We also elected the practical expedient to use hindsight in determining the lease term when considering options to extend or terminate a lease, options to purchase the underlying asset, and in assessing the impairment of right-of-use assets. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Statements of Operations or Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. We have identified new and updated existing internal controls and processes to support measurement, recognition and disclosure under this new standard. Such changes were not deemed to be material to our overall system of internal control over financial reporting.
Not Yet Adopted
In August 2018, FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement - Disclosure Framework (Topic 820).  The updated guidance changes the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. We will adopt this standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2021. We do not expect this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The amendments in this update replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses. This update is intended to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses. We will adopt this standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, following the modified-retrospective approach. We do not expect this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.