EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1419951
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1419951_10-K_2023_0001731122-23-000536.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
The Industry and Opportunity
Data Storage Corporation provides Cloud Managed Services and technologies across multiple platforms. The Company’s technical assets are in geographically diverse, Tier 3 compliant data centers throughout the USA and Canada.
Hybrid and Multi-Cloud have become mainstream technological offerings of the Cloud infrastructure managed services industry as companies have moved away from legacy, on-premises technology solutions. This approach has grown more complex, as companies utilize disparate technical environments, including on-premises equipment and software, multi-clouds interfacing with Software as a Service providers, Amazon AWS and others while focusing on the remote employee or a contractor for higher levels of security, driving growth in managed cloud services.
Cloud Managed Service Providers assist businesses in achieving their desired security levels, technical cloud infrastructure and financial objectives while optimizing the value of these technologies and cloud resources through multi-cloud management, ensuring business continuity, governance, and operational efficiencies.
One subset of this five hundred-billion-dollar industry and a highly-focused segment of the Company is the IBM Power server; of which AWS, Google and Microsoft are not competitors. It’s estimated that businesses in USA and Canada are operating over one million virtual IBM Power servers, known as LPAR’s. According to the most recent information received from IBM, the typical industries utilizing IBM Power servers are finance, retail, healthcare, government, and distribution organizations.
The Company, through its CloudFirst subsidiary, is a leader in providing IBM Power cloud infrastructure, disaster recovery and the creation of these unique offerings for over 15 years.
The opportunity for the Company, in the IBM Power server portfolio segment is capturing a share of this annual recurring revenue marketplace that is currently under migration to cloud infrastructure.
The Company believes businesses are increasingly under pressure to improve the efficiency of their information and storage systems accelerating the migration from self-managed technical equipment and solutions to fully managed multi-cloud technologies to reduce cost, protect capital, ensure disaster recovery, protect the custom applications developed for these systems, and compete effectively. These trends create an opportunity for cloud technology service providers.
The Company’s market opportunity is derived from the demand for fully managed cloud and cybersecurity services across all major operating systems.
CloudFirst’s addressable market is approximately $36 billion in the United States and Canada with limited competition today.
Our Flagship subsidiary provides business continuity and infrastructure solutions combining on-premises equipment and software with its value-added managed services to business customers. Flagship maintains strong partner relationships with some of the largest IT Manufactures such as the IBM Corporation in supplying the technology behind the highly technical designs built for business customers. Flagship’s vision is to expand its multi-cloud infrastructure solutions with more managed services, highlighted by its expanding Cyber Security offerings to capture more of the marketplace outside of the CloudFirst sales and marketing programs.
Our Nexxis subsidiary is a voice and data solution provider that utilizes major nationwide carriers and providers. The subsidiary provides a suite of communications services including Hosted VoIP, Internet Access, Data Transport, and SD-WAN. The Nexxis complete voice and data solution combines elements of these services into a fully managed option that delivers high reliability and is engineered to further enhance business continuity. Nexxis’s goal is to provide a higher level of technology yet simplify management and combine cost savings for our clients wherever possible.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the Cloud Managed Services industry in North America was $16.3 billion in 2019 and has been growing at a rate of 13.8% CAGR bringing us to $24 billion by the end of 2022. Disaster Recovery is projected to be a $3.6 billion in the US by the end of 2022 which is 35% of the $10.3 billion globally based on Grandview Research Disaster Recovery Solutions Market Size report. Cyber Security, specifically the MDR segment, is an established market recognized by buyers. Gartner observed a 35% growth in end users’ inquiries on the topic in the last year. Gartner estimates that by 2025, the MDR market will reach $2.15 billion in revenue, up from $1.03 billion in 2021, for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.2%. The Company’s VOIP solutions fit well into this steadily growing segment which is expected to reach $90 billion worldwide in 2022 with a CAGR of 3.1% with $17 billion in the US according to Globe Newswire Market Analysis and Insights: Global VoIP Market.
Company Overview
Data Storage Corporation, is headquartered in Melville, New York. DTST operates through three subsidiaries; DSC, a Delaware corporation now referred to as CloudFirst Technologies Corporation; Flagship Solutions, LLC; and Nexxis Inc. These subsidiaries provide solutions and services to a broad range of clients in several industries including healthcare, banking and finance, distribution services, manufacturing, construction, education, and government. The subsidiaries maintain business development teams, as well as independent distribution channels.
The Company typically provides long-term subscription-based disaster recovery, and cloud infrastructure, cyber security, third party cloud management, managed services, dedicated internet access and UCaaS / VoIP services.
During 2022, based on the May 2021 capital raise and the up list to Nasdaq, the Company has accelerated organic growth strategies by adding distribution, marketing, and technical personnel. Management continues to be focused on building the Company’s sales and marketing strategy and expanding its technology assets throughout its data center network.
The Company believes businesses are increasingly under pressure to improve the reliability and efficiency of their information and storage systems accelerating the migration from self-managed technical equipment and solutions to fully managed multi-cloud technologies to reduce cost and compete effectively. Further, in today’s environment, capital preservation is an encouragement to move from a capital-intensive, on-premises technology, to a pay as you grow, CapEx to OpEx model. These trends create an opportunity for Cloud Technology Service providers.
The Company’s market opportunity is derived from the demand for fully managed cloud and cybersecurity services across all major operating systems.
CloudFirst alone has an addressable market estimated at $36 billion in annual recurring revenue in the United States and Canada with limited competition.
The Company has designed and built its solutions and services to support demand for cloud-based IBM Power System that support client critical workloads and custom in-house developed applications, manage hybrid cloud deployments and continue to provide solutions that keep data and workloads protected from disasters and security attacks.
The Company’s business offices are located in New York, Florida and Texas. The New York and Florida offices include a technology center and labs adapted to meet the technical requirements of the Company’s clients. The Company maintains its own infrastructure, storage, and networking equipment required to provide subscription solutions in seven geographically diverse data centers located in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida and North Carolina, and in Canada, Toronto, and Barrie, serving clients in the United States and Canada.
The Company’s disaster recovery and business continuity solutions allow clients to quickly recover from system outages, human and natural disasters, and cyber security attacks, such as Ransomware. The Company’s managed cloud services begin with migration to the cloud and provide ongoing system support and management that enables its clients to run their software applications and technical workloads in a multi-cloud environment. The Company’s cyber security offerings include comprehensive consultation and a suite of data security, disaster recovery, and remote monitoring services and technologies that are incorporated into the Company’s cloud solutions or are delivered as a standalone managed security offering covering the client site endpoint devices, users, servers, and equipment.
The Company’s solution architects, and business development teams work with organizations identifying and solving critical business problems. The Company carefully plans and manages the migration and configuration process, continuing the relationship and advising its clients long after the services have been implemented. Reflecting on client satisfaction, the Company’s renewal rate on client subscription solutions is approximately 94% after their initial contract term expired.
Growth Strategies
The Company will continue to drive revenues by expanding distribution channels while expanding digital and direct marketing programs. The Company will accelerate building upon its social and digital lead generation programs. Further, the Company will continue to seek synergetic acquisitions that expand distribution, leading a technology trend, add to its existing technical staff and create economies of scale improving gross profit margins.
The Company increases revenue and drives growth by developing and managing collaborative solutions as well as joint marketing initiatives. The Company has a diverse community of distribution partners, ranging from IBM Business Partners, Software Vendors, IT resellers, Managed Service Providers, application support providers, consultants, and other cloud infrastructure providers.
The Company believes there is a significant need for its solutions on a global basis and, accordingly, the opportunity for it to grow its business through international expansion as these markets increase their use of multi-cloud solutions.
The Company’s Core Services: The Company provides an array of multi-cloud information technology solutions in highly secure, enterprise-level cloud services for companies using IBM Power Systems, Microsoft Windows, and Linux. Specifically, the Company’s support services cover:
Cyber Security Solutions:
● ezSecurity™ offers a suite of comprehensive cyber security solutions that can be utilized on systems at the client’s location or on systems hosted in the Company. These solutions include fully managed endpoint (PCs and other user devices) security with active threat mitigation, system security assessments, risk analysis, and applications to ensure continuous security. ezSecurity™ contains a specialized offering for protecting and auditing IBM systems including a package designed to protect IBM systems against Ransomware attacks.
Data Protection and Recovery Solutions:
● ezVault™ solution is at the core of the Company’s data protection services and allows its clients to have their data protected and stored offsite with unlimited data retention in a secure location that uses encrypted, enterprise-grade storage which allows for remote recovery from system outages, human and natural disasters, and cyber security attacks like Ransomware and viruses allowing restoration of data from a known good point in time prior to an attack.
● ezRecovery™ provides standby systems, networking, and storage in the Company’s cloud infrastructure that allows for faster recovery from client backups stored using ezVault™ at the same cloud based hosted location.
● ezAvailability™ solution offers reliable real-time data replication for mission-critical applications with Recovery Time Objective under fifteen minutes and near-zero Recovery Point Objective, with optional, fully managed replication services. The Company’s ezAvailability™ service consists of a full-time enterprise system, storage, and network resources, allowing quick and easily switched production workloads to the Company’s cloud when needed. The Company’s ezAvailability™ services are backed by a Service-Level Agreement (“SLA”) to help assure performance, availability, and access.
● ezMirror™ solution provides replication services that mirror the clients’ data at the storage level and allows for similar near-zero Recovery Point Objective as ezAvailability with less application management and Recovery Time Objective under 1 hour.
Cloud Hosted Production Systems: ezHost™ solution provides managed cloud services that removes the burden off system management from its clients and ensures that their software applications and IT workloads are running smoothly. ezHost™ provides full-time, scalable compute, storage, and network infrastructure resources to run clients’ workloads on the Company’s enterprise-class infrastructure. ezHost™ replaces the cost of support, maintenance, system administration, space, electrical power, and cooling of the typical hardware on-premises systems with a predictable monthly expense. The Company’s ezHost services are backed by an SLA governing performance, availability, and access.
Voice & Data Solutions: Nexxis, our voice and data division, specializes in stand-alone and fully-managed VoIP, Internet Access, and Data Transport solutions that satisfy the requirements of the traditional corporate and modern remote workforce. Nexxis dedicated internet access services with speeds of up to 10 Gbps and data transport circuits are typically delivered over fiber-optic networks while shared internet access is typically delivered via fiber, coaxial, and wireless networks to help businesses stay fully connected from any location. SD-WAN options provide the ability for multi-site companies to prioritize their data traffic from site to site while FailSAFE, a Cloud-first SD-WAN solution, can be used by a single location to gain industry-leading connectivity to cloud services and the internet. Nexxis Hosted VoIP with Unified Communications is a full-featured cloud-based PBX solution with built-in redundancy that provides business continuity and includes the option to integrate with Microsoft Teams.
Corporate History
On October 20, 2008, the Company consummated a share exchange transaction with Euro Trend Inc. The Company subsequently changed its name from Euro Trend Inc. to Data Storage Corporation.
Data Storage Corporation acquired the assets of SafeData, LLC in June 2010, and the assets of Message Logic LLC, (“Message Logic”) in October 2012.
In November 2012, the Company entered into an agreement with an IBM partner, ABC Services, Inc. to provide an IBM Power cloud infrastructure offering, marketed under the name Secure Infrastructure & Services LLC (“SIAS”), a New York limited liability company.
In October 2016, the Company purchased the assets of ABC Services, Inc., which included the remaining 50% of the SIAS company.
On June 1, 2021, the Company merged its Florida company with Flagship Solutions, LLC. This transaction with an IBM Gold Business Partner was synergetic to the Company’s services and added new solutions.
The result of these acquisitions, combined with the Company’s business continuity disaster recovery and IBM Power cloud infrastructure solutions, positions Data Storage Corporation as a leader.
Competitive Landscape
The markets for the Company’s products and services are competitive. However, competition is limited, in the CloudFirst subsidiary for this $36 billion marketplace, compared to the limitless competitors, competing against Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, and Microsoft today which hold an estimated 51% of the marketplace for X86 cloud infrastructure and X86 disaster recovery platforms. Today, the IBM Power community, based on a recent IBM user survey, only 15% of the IBM Power server community utilizes the cloud. Other Company services and solutions, outside of the IBM Power user community face many competitors for cyber security, however, these solutions and services are typically provided by the Company to their existing clients and distribution companies.
These markets are characterized by frequent product introductions and rapid technological advances. The Company’s financial condition and operating results can be adversely affected by these and other industry-wide downward pressures on gross margins. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include price, product features, relative price and performance, product quality and reliability, strong third-party software, marketing and distribution capability, service and support and corporate reputation.
The Company is focused on expanding its market opportunities globally related to disaster recovery and cloud infrastructure, primarily focused on the IBM community. These markets are highly competitive and include several large, well-funded and experienced participants.
The Company’s future financial condition and operating results depend on the Company’s ability to continue to provide a high-quality solution as well as increase distribution of the solutions in each of the markets in which it competes.
Flagship Solutions, LLC.
On February 4, 2021, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Data Storage FL, LLC, a Florida limited liability company and our wholly-owned subsidiary (the “Merger Sub”), Flagship Solutions, LLC (“Flagship”), a Florida limited liability company, and the owners (collectively, the “Equity holders”) of all of the issued and outstanding limited liability company membership interests in Flagship (collectively, the “Equity Interests”), pursuant to which, upon the Closing (as defined below), we acquired Flagship through the merger of Merger Sub with and into Flagship (the “Merger”), with Flagship being the surviving company in the Merger and becoming, as a result, our wholly-owned subsidiary. The closing of the Merger (the “Closing”) was completed on June 1, 2021. Flagship is a provider of IBM equipment and solutions, managed services and cloud solutions that include cloud-based server monitoring and management, 24×7 help desk support, and data center infrastructure management.
Concurrently with the Closing, Flagship and Mark Wyllie, Flagship’s Chief Executive Officer, entered into an Employment Agreement (the “Wyllie Employment Agreement”), which became effective upon consummation of the Closing, pursuant to which Mr. Wyllie will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Flagship following the Closing on the terms and conditions set forth therein. Flagship’s obligations under the Wyllie Employment Agreement will also be guaranteed by the Company. The Wyllie Employment Agreement contains customary salary, bonus, employee benefits, severance and restrictive covenant provisions. In addition, pursuant to the Wyllie Employment Agreement, Mr. Wyllie was appointed to serve as a member of the Board during the term of his employment thereunder. Mr. Wyllie, as of November 11, 2021, became an Officer of the Company.
Mr. Wyllie resigned from all positions he held with Flagship and the Company on October 28, 2022. Thomas Kempster has been appointed President of Flagship Solutions Group.
The foregoing information has been filed as an exhibit to the 2021 Annual Report. Readers should review those agreements for a complete understanding of the terms and conditions associated with this transaction.
On April 30, 2020, the Company was granted a loan from a banking institution, in the principal amount of $481,977 (the “Loan”), pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) under Division A, Title I of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), which was enacted on March 27, 2020. The Loan, which was in the form of a Note dated April 30, 2020, matures on April 30, 2022, and bears interest at a fixed rate of 1.00% per annum, payable monthly to Signature Bank, as the lender, commencing on November 5, 2020. Funds from the loan may only be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage payments, lease payments and utility payments. Management used the entire Loan amount for qualifying expenses. Under the terms of the PPP, certain amounts of the Loan may be forgiven if they are used for qualifying expenses as described in the CARES Act. The Company received forgiveness for the full amount during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Government Regulation
The Company is subject to various federal, state, local and international laws with respect to its receipt, storage and processing of personal information and other customer data.
The Company receives, stores, and processes personal information and other customer data. Personal privacy has become a significant issue in the United States and in many other countries where the Company may provide its offering of solutions. The regulatory framework for privacy issues worldwide is currently complex and evolving, and it is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. There are numerous federal, state, local, and foreign laws regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure, and protection of personal information and other customer data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among countries or conflict with other rules. The Company generally seeks to comply with industry standards and is subject to the terms of its privacy policies and privacy-related obligations to third parties. The Company strives to comply with all applicable laws, policies, legal obligations, and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection to the extent possible. Any failure or perceived failure by the Company to comply with its privacy policies, its privacy-related obligations to customers or other third parties, its privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other customer data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation, or public statements against the Company by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause its customers to lose trust in it, which could have an adverse effect on its reputation and business. Any significant change to applicable laws, regulations, or industry practices regarding the use or disclosure of the Company’s customer’s data, or regarding the manner in which the express or implied consent of customers for the use and disclosure of such data is obtained, could require the Company to modify its solutions and features, possibly in a material manner, and may limit its ability to develop new services and features that make use of the data that its customers voluntarily share with the Company.
The Company’s solutions are used by customers in the health care industry, and the Company must comply with numerous federal and state laws related to patient privacy in connection with providing its solutions to these customers. In particular, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) include privacy standards that protect individual privacy by limiting the uses and disclosures of individually identifiable health information and implementing data security standards. Because the Company’s solutions may backup individually identifiable health information for its customers, its customers are mandated by HIPAA to enter into written agreements with the Company known as business associate agreements that require it to safeguard individually identifiable health information. Business associate agreements typically include:
● a description of the Company’s permitted uses of individually identifiable health information;
● a covenant not to disclose that information except as permitted under the agreement and to make the Company’s subcontractors, if any, subject to the same restrictions;
● assurances that appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards are in place to prevent misuse of that information;
● an obligation to report to the Company’s customers any use or disclosure of that information other than as provided for in the agreement;
● a prohibition against the Company’s use or disclosure of that information if a similar use or disclosure by its customers would violate the HIPAA standards;
● the ability of the Company’s customers to terminate their subscription to its solution if the Company breaches a material term of the business associate agreement and are unable to cure the breach;
● the requirement to return or destroy all individually identifiable health information at the end of the customer’s subscription; and
● access by the Department of Health and Human Services to the Company’s internal practices, books, and records to validate that the Company is safeguarding individually identifiable health information.
Human Capital Resources
We believe that our success depends upon our ability to attract, develop and retain key personnel. As of March 31, 2023, we employed 45 full-time employees, of which six are executive management, seven are administration and finance, nine are sales staff, several of which are dedicated to support our network of distribution partners, two are marketing staff and twenty-one were part of our technical team. The Company also maintains a group of independent contractors to provide service support and installations on a as needed basis. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements, and management considers relations with our employees to be in good standing. Although we continually seek to add additional talent to our work force, management believes that it has sufficient human capital to operate its business successfully.
The Company’s compensation programs are designed to align the compensation of its employees with its performance and to provide the proper incentives to attract, retain and motivate employees to achieve superior results. The structure of the Company’s compensation programs balances incentive earnings for both short-term and long-term performance.
The health and safety of the Company’s employees is its highest priority, and this is consistent with its operating philosophy.
Corporate Information
The primary mailing address for the Company is 48 South Service Road, Suite 203, Melville, NY 11747.
Available Information
The Company’s corporate website address is www.dtst.com. All filings the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, its Current Reports on Form 8-K, its proxy statements and any amendments thereto filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available for free in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. The reference to the Company’s website address does not constitute inclusion or incorporation by reference of the information contained on the Company’s website in this Form 10-K or other filings with the SEC, and the information contained on the Company’s website is not part of this document.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in the Company’s common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks together with the other information in this Annual Report.
Risks Related to Data Storage’s Business
The Company has not generated a significant amount of net income and it may not be able to sustain profitability in the future.
As reflected in the consolidated financial statements, the Company had a net (loss) income available to shareholders of $(4,356,802) and $204,161 for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had cash of $2,286,722, marketable securities of $9,010,968, and working capital of $10,855,407.
If the Company is unable to attract new customers to its infrastructure and disaster recovery/ cloud subscription services on a cost-effective basis, its revenue and operating results would be adversely affected.
The Company generates the majority of its revenue from the sale of subscriptions to its infrastructure and disaster recovery/cloud solutions as well as contracted managed services and software and hardware renewals. In order to grow, the Company must continue to reach the many businesses in need of our unique services, many of whom may have not previously used infrastructure as a service and cloud disaster recovery backup solutions. The Company uses and periodically adjusts a diverse mix of advertising and marketing programs to promote its solutions. Significant increases in the pricing of one or more of the Company’s advertising channels would increase its advertising costs or cause it to choose less expensive and perhaps fewer effective channels. As the Company adds to or changes the mix of its advertising and marketing strategies, it may expand into channels with significantly higher costs than its current programs, which could adversely affect its operating results. The Company may incur advertising and marketing expenses significantly in advance of the time it anticipates recognizing any revenue generated by such expenses, and it may only at a later date, or never, experience an increase in revenue or brand awareness as a result of such expenditures. Additionally, because the Company recognizes revenue from customers over the terms of their subscriptions, a large portion of its revenue for each quarter reflects deferred revenue from subscriptions entered into during previous quarters, and downturns or upturns in subscription sales or renewals may not be reflected in the Company’s operating results until later periods. It has made in the past, and may make in the future, significant investments to test new advertising, and there can be no assurance that any such investments will lead to the cost-effective acquisition of additional customers. If the Company is unable to maintain effective advertising programs, its ability to attract new customers could be adversely affected, its advertising and marketing expenses could increase substantially, and its operating results may suffer.
A portion of the Company’s potential customers locate its website through search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. The Company’s ability to maintain the number of visitors directed to its website is not entirely within its control. If search engine companies modify their search algorithms in a manner that reduces the prominence of the Company’s listing, or if its competitors’ search engine optimization efforts are more successful than the Company’s, fewer potential customers may click through to its website. In addition, the cost of purchased listings has increased in the past and may increase in the future. A decrease in website traffic or an increase in search costs could adversely affect the Company’s customer acquisition efforts and its operating results.
The Company expects to continue to acquire or invest in other companies, which may divert its management’s attention, result in additional dilution to its stockholders, and consume resources that are necessary to sustain its business.
Having completed the merger with Flagship, the Company expects to continue to acquire complementary solutions, services, technologies, or businesses in the future. The Company may also, enter into relationships with other businesses to expand its portfolio of solutions or its ability to provide its solutions in foreign jurisdictions, which could involve preferred or exclusive licenses, additional channels of distribution, discount pricing, or investments in other companies. Negotiating these transactions can be time-consuming, difficult and expensive, and its ability to complete these transactions may often be subject to conditions or approvals that are beyond its control. Consequently, these transactions, even if a definitive purchase agreement is executed and announced, may not close.
Acquisitions may also disrupt the Company’s business, divert its resources, and require significant management attention that would otherwise be available for the development of its business. Moreover, the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, investment, or business relationship may not be realized on a timely basis or at all or the Company may be exposed to known or unknown liabilities, including litigation against the companies that it may acquire. In connection with any such transaction, the Company may:
● issue additional equity securities that would dilute its stockholders;
● use cash that the Company may need in the future to operate its business;
● incur debt on terms unfavorable to the Company, that it’s unable to repay, or that may place burdensome restrictions on its operations;
● incur large charges or substantial liabilities; or
● become subject to adverse tax consequences or substantial depreciation, deferred compensation, or other acquisition-related accounting charges.
Any of these risks could harm the Company’s business and operating results.
Integration of an acquired company’s operations may present challenges.
The integration of an acquired company requires, among other things, coordination of administrative, sales and marketing, accounting and finance functions, and expansion of information and management systems. Integration may prove to be difficult due to the necessity of coordinating geographically separate organizations and integrating personnel with disparate business backgrounds and accustomed to different corporate cultures. The Company may not be able to retain key employees of an acquired company. Additionally, the process of integrating a new solution or service may require a disproportionate amount of time and attention of the Company’s management and financial and other resources. Any difficulties or problems encountered in the integration of a new solution or service could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
The Company intends to continue to acquire businesses that it believes will help achieve its business objectives. As a result, the Company’s operating costs will likely continue to grow. The integration of an acquired company may cost more than the Company anticipates, and it is possible that the Company will incur significant additional unforeseen costs in connection with such integration, which may negatively impact its earnings.
In addition, the Company may only be able to conduct limited due diligence on an acquired company’s operations. Following an acquisition, the Company may be subject to liabilities arising from an acquired company’s past or present operations, including liabilities related to data security, encryption and privacy of customer data, and these liabilities may be greater than the warranty and indemnity limitations that the Company negotiates. Any liability that is greater than these warranty and indemnity limitations could have a negative impact on the Company’s financial condition.
Even if successfully integrated, there can be no assurance that the Company’s operating performance after an acquisition will be successful or will fulfill management’s objectives.
Risks Related to the Merger with Flagship
On May 31, 2021, the Company completed the Merger. The Company expects that Flagship’s business will be synergistic with its existing IBM business and anticipates meaningful operation efficiency and that the Merger will provide a comprehensive one-stop provider to cross-sell solutions across each organization’s respective enterprise, as well as middle-market customers. Key offerings for the combined companies are expected to include a wide array of multi-cloud information technology solutions in highly secure, reliable enterprise level cloud services for companies using IBM Power systems, Microsoft Windows and Linux, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Disaster Recovery of digital information (DRaaS), and Cyber Security as a Service (CSaaS).
Since having completed the merger, however, the Company still faces risks and unknowns associated with the Merger. Ultimately, the Company may not realize the anticipated benefits of the merger with Flagship and integrating and operating Data Storage’s and Flagship’s business may be more difficult, time-consuming, or costly than expected. Additionally, integrating and operating the Flagship business could result in higher capital expenditures than anticipated, which could result in the Company’s need to raise additional capital for its operations.
The Company may fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which may result in material misstatements of its consolidated financial statements or cause it to fail to meet its periodic reporting obligations.
The Company has identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting, concluding that its disclosure controls were not effective as of December 31, 2022, based on material weaknesses which ultimately contributed to the Company not designing and maintaining formal controls to analyze, account for, and disclose complex transactions, including the accounting for certain consideration received from a vendor. These material weaknesses resulted in the restatement of the Company’s previously filed quarterly condensed consolidated financial information for the periods ended June 30, 2022, related to accrued expenses, cost of goods sold, gross profit, loss from operations, net loss, earnings per share and the related disclosures.
In response to such material weaknesses, management has expended and will continue to expand a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting. In November of 2022, management and its advisors began evaluating and documenting the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and their work is ongoing.
The Company can give no assurance that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future. The Company’s failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in its consolidated financial statements that could result in a restatement of its financial statements and could cause it to fail to meet its reporting obligations, any of which could diminish investor confidence in the Company and cause a decline in the price of its common stock.
The Company is controlled by three principal stockholders who serve as its executive officers and directors.
As of March 31, 2023, through their aggregate voting power, Messrs. Piluso, Schwartz and Kempster control approximately 37% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, giving them the ability to control a significant portion of the votes for the Company’s directors and all other matters requiring the approval of its stockholders, including the election of all of its directors and the approval of a reverse stock split.
Risks Related to the Company’s Industry
The market for cloud solutions is highly competitive, and if the Company does not compete effectively, its operating results will be harmed.
The market for the Company’s services is highly competitive, quickly evolving and subject to rapid changes in technology. The Company expects to continue to face intense competition from its existing competitors as well as additional competition from new market entrants in the future as the market for its services continues to grow.
The Company competes with cloud backup and infrastructure providers and providers of traditional hardware-based systems and IBM Power Systems. Its current and potential competitors vary by size, service offerings, and geographic region. These competitors may elect to partner with each other or with focused companies to grow their businesses. They include:
● in-house IT departments of its customers and potential customers;
● traditional global infrastructure providers, including, but not limited to, large multi-national providers, such as IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services (AWS);
● cloud and software service providers and digital systems integrators;
● regional managed services providers; and
● colocation solutions providers, such as Equinix, Rackspace and TierPoint.
Many of these competitors benefit from significant competitive advantages over the Company, given their desire to enter into this niche marketplace, such as greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more varied services, and larger marketing budgets, as well as greater financial, technical, and other resources. In addition, many of these competitors have established marketing relationships and major distribution agreements with computer manufacturers, internet service providers, and resellers, giving them access to larger customer bases. Some of these competitors may make acquisitions or enter into strategic relationships to offer a more comprehensive service than the Company does. As a result, some of these competitors may be able to:
● develop superior products or services, gain greater market acceptance, and expand their service offerings more efficiently or more rapidly;
● adapt to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements more quickly;
● bundle their offerings, including hosting services with other services they provide at reduced prices;
● streamline their operational structure, obtain better pricing, or secure more favorable contractual terms, allowing them to deliver services and products at a lower cost;
● take advantage of acquisition, joint venture and other opportunities more readily;
● adopt more aggressive pricing policies and devote greater resources to the promotion, marketing and sales of their services, which could cause us to have to lower prices for certain services to remain competitive in the market; and
● devote greater resources to the research and development of their products and services.
In addition, demand for the Company’s cloud solutions is sensitive to price. Many factors, including the Company’s customer acquisition, advertising and technology costs, and its current and future competitors’ pricing and marketing strategies, can significantly affect its pricing strategies. Certain of the Company’s competitors offer, or may in the future offer, lower-priced or free solutions that compete with its solutions.
Additionally, consolidation activity through strategic mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures may result in new competitors that can offer a broader range of products and services, may have a greater scale or a lower cost structure. To the extent such consolidation results in the ability of vertically integrated companies to offer more integrated services to customers than the Company can, customers may prefer the single-source approach and direct more business to such competitors, thereby impairing the Company’s competitive position. Furthermore, new entrants not currently considered to be competitors may enter the market through acquisitions, partnerships or strategic relationships. As the Company looks to market and sell its services to potential customers, the Company must convince its internal stakeholders that the Company’s services are superior to their current solutions. If the Company is unable to anticipate or react to these competitive challenges, its competitive position would weaken, which could adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These combinations may make it more difficult for the Company to compete effectively and its inability to compete effectively would negatively impact its operating results. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Company will not be forced to engage in price-cutting initiatives, or to increase its advertising and other expenses to attract and retain customers in response to competitive pressures, either of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s revenue and operating results.
If a cyberattack was able to breach the Company’s security protocols and disrupt its data protection platform and solutions, and any such disruption could increase its expenses, damage its reputation, harm its business and adversely affect its stock price.
The Company has implemented various protocols and regularly monitors its systems via security software to reduce any security vulnerabilities. The Company also relies on third-party providers for a number of critical aspects of its infrastructure cloud and disaster recovery business continuity services, and consequently, it does not maintain direct control over the security or stability of those associated systems. Furthermore, the firmware, software, and/or open-source software that its data protection solutions may utilize could be susceptible to hacking or misuse. In the event of the discovery of a significant security vulnerability, the Company would incur additional substantial expenses and its business would be harmed.
The process of developing new technologies is complex and uncertain, and if the Company fails to accurately predict customers’ changing needs and emerging technological trends or if the Company fails to achieve the benefits expected from its investments, its business could be harmed. The Company believes that it must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to its research and development efforts to maintain its competitive position and it must commit significant resources to develop new solutions before knowing whether its investments will result in solutions the market will accept. The Company’s new solutions or solution enhancements could fail to attain sufficient market acceptance or harm its business for many reasons, including:
● delays in releasing its new solutions or enhancements to the market;
● failure to accurately predict market demand or customer demands;
● inability to protect against new types of attacks or techniques used by hackers;
● difficulties with software development, design, or marketing that could delay or prevent its development, introduction, or implementation of new solutions and enhancements;
● defects, errors or failures in its design or performance;
● negative publicity about its performance or effectiveness;
● introduction or anticipated introduction of competing solutions by its competitors;
● poor business conditions for its customers, causing them to delay information technology purchases;
● the perceived value of its solutions or enhancements relative to their cost; and
● easing of regulatory requirements around security or storage.
In addition, new technologies have the risk of defects that may not be discovered until after the product launches, resulting in adverse publicity, loss of revenue or harm to the Company’s business and reputation.
Any significant disruption in service, in the Company’s computer systems, or caused by its third-party storage and system providers could damage its reputation and result in a loss of customers, which would harm its business, financial condition, and operating results.
The Company’s reputation, and ability to attract, retain and serve its customers is dependent upon the reliable performance of its network infrastructure and payment systems, and its customers’ ability to readily access their stored files. The Company has experienced interruptions in these systems in the past, including server failures that temporarily slowed down its customers’ ability to access their stored files, or made the Company’s infrastructure inaccessible, and it may experience interruptions or outages in the future.
In addition, while the Company both operates and maintains elements of network infrastructure, some elements of this complex system are operated by third parties that the Company does not control and that would require significant time to replace. The Company expects this dependence on third parties to increase. In particular, the Company utilizes IBM and Intel to provide equipment and support. All of these third-party systems are located in data center facilities operated by third parties. While these data centers are of the highest level, Tier 3, there can be no assurance that they will not experience disruptions that will adversely impact the Company’s ability to service its customers. The Company’s data center leases expire at various times between 2021 and 2023 with rights of extension. If the Company were unable to renew these agreements on commercially reasonable terms, it may be required to transfer that portion of its computing and storage capacity to new data center facilities, and it may incur significant costs and possible service interruption in connection with doing so.
The Company also relies upon third-party colocation providers to host its main servers. If these providers are unable to handle current or higher volumes of use, experience any interruption in operations or cease operations for any reason or if the Company is unable to agree on satisfactory terms for continued hosting relationships, the Company would be forced to enter into a relationship with other service providers or assume hosting responsibilities itself. If the Company is forced to switch data center facilities, which in itself is a competitive industry, it may not be successful in finding an alternative service provider on acceptable terms or in hosting the computer servers itself. The Company may also be limited in its remedies against these providers in the event of a failure of service.
Interruptions, outages and/or failures in the Company’s own systems, the third-party systems and facilities on which we rely, or the use of its data center facilities, whether due to system failures, computer viruses, cybersecurity attacks, physical or electronic break-ins, damage or interruption from human error, power losses, natural disasters or terrorist attacks, hardware failures, systems failures, telecommunications failures or other factors, could affect the security or availability of infrastructure, prevent the Company from being able to continuously back up its customers’ data or its customers from accessing their stored data, and may damage or delete its customers’ stored files. If this were to occur, the Company’s reputation could be compromised, and it could be subject to liability to the customers that were affected.
Any financial difficulties, such as bankruptcy, faced by the Company’s third-party data center operators, its third-party colocation providers, or any of the service providers with whom the Company or they contract, may have negative effects on its business, the nature and extent of which are difficult to predict. Moreover, if its third-party data center providers or its third-party colocation providers are unable to keep up with the Company’s growing needs for capacity, this could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business. Interruptions in the Company’s services might reduce its revenue, cause it to issue credits or refunds to customers, subject it to potential liability, or harm its renewal rates. In addition, prolonged delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with adding storage capacity or upgrading its network architecture when required may cause the Company’s service quality to suffer. Problems with the reliability or security of the Company’s systems could harm its reputation, and the cost of remedying these problems could negatively affect the Company’s business, financial condition, and operating results.
Security vulnerabilities, data protection breaches and cyberattacks could disrupt the Company’s data protection platform and solutions, and any such disruption could increase its expenses, damage its reputation, harm its business, and adversely affect its stock price.
The Company relies on third-party providers for a number of critical aspects of its infrastructure cloud and disaster recovery business continuity services, and consequently, it does not maintain direct control over the security or stability of the associated systems. Furthermore, the firmware, software and/or open-source software that its data protection solutions may utilize could be susceptible to hacking or misuse. In the event of the discovery of a significant security vulnerability, the Company would incur additional substantial expenses and its business would be harmed.
The Company’s customers rely on its solutions for production, replication, and storage of digital copies of their files, including financial records, business information, photos, and other personally meaningful content. The Company also stores credit card information and other personal information about its customers. An actual or perceived breach of the Company’s network security and systems or other cybersecurity related events that cause the loss or public disclosure of, or access by third parties to, its customers’ stored files could have serious negative consequences for its business, including possible fines, penalties and damages, reduced demand for its solutions, an unwillingness of customers to provide the Company with their credit card or payment information, an unwillingness of its customers to use its solutions, harm to its reputation and brand, loss of its ability to accept and process customer credit card orders, and time-consuming and expensive litigation. If this occurs, the Company’s business and operating results could be adversely affected. Third parties may be able to circumvent the Company’s security by deploying viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs that are designed to attack or attempt to infiltrate its systems and networks and it may not immediately discover these attacks or attempted infiltrations. Further, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce the Company’s employees, consultants, or affiliates to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to its information or its customers’ information. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently, often are not recognized until launched against a target, and may originate from less regulated or remote areas around the world. As a result, the Company may be unable to proactively address these techniques or to implement adequate preventative or reactionary measures. In addition, employee or consultant error, malfeasance, or other errors in the storage, use, or transmission of personal information could result in a breach of customer or employee privacy. The Company maintains insurance coverage to mitigate the potential financial impact of these risks; however, its insurance may not cover all such events or may be insufficient to compensate it for the potentially significant losses, including the potential damage to the future growth of its business, that may result from the breach of customer or employee privacy. If the Company or its third-party providers are unable to successfully prevent breaches of security relating to its solutions or customer private information, it could result in litigation and potential liability for the Company, cause damage to its brand and reputation, or otherwise harm its business and its stock price.
Many states have enacted laws requiring companies to notify consumers of data security breaches involving their personal data. These mandatory disclosures regarding a security breach often lead to widespread negative publicity, which may cause the Company’s customers to lose confidence in the effectiveness of its data security measures. Any security breach, whether successful or not, would harm the Company’s reputation and could cause the loss of customers. Similarly, if a publicized breach of data security at any other cloud backup service provider or other major consumer website were to occur, there could be a general public loss of confidence in the use of the internet for cloud backup services or commercial transactions generally. Any of these events could have material adverse effects on the Company’s business, financial condition, and operating results.
The Company’s ability to provide services to its customers depends on its customers’ continued high-speed access to the internet and the continued reliability of the internet infrastructure.
The Company’s business depends on its customers’ continued high-speed access to the internet, as well as the continued maintenance and development of the internet infrastructure. While the Company also provides broadband internet services, many of its clients depend on third-party internet service providers to expand high-speed internet access, to maintain a reliable network with the necessary speed, data capacity, and security, and to develop complementary solutions and services, including high-speed solutions, for providing reliable and timely internet access and services. All of these factors are out of the Company’s control. To the extent that the internet continues to experience an increased number of users, frequency of use, or bandwidth requirements, the internet may become congested and be unable to support the demands placed on it, and its performance or reliability may decline. Any internet outages or delays could adversely affect the Company’s ability to provide services to its customers.
Currently, internet access is provided by telecommunications companies and internet access service providers that have significant and increasing market power in the broadband and internet access marketplace. In the absence of government regulation, these providers could take measures that affect their customers’ ability to use the Company’s products and services, such as attempting to charge their customers more for using the Company’s products and services. To the extent that internet service providers implement usage-based pricing, including meaningful bandwidth caps, or otherwise try to monetize access to their networks, the Company could incur greater operating expenses and customer acquisition and retention could be negatively impacted. Furthermore, to the extent network operators were to create tiers of internet access service and either charge the Company for or prohibit the Company’s services from being available to its customers through these tiers, its business could be negatively impacted. Some of these providers also offer products and services that directly compete with the Company’s own offerings, which could potentially give them a competitive advantage.
If the Company is unable to retain its existing customers, its business, financial condition, and operating results would be adversely affected.
If the Company’s efforts to satisfy its existing customers are not successful, it may not be able to retain them, and as a result, its revenue and ability to grow would be adversely affected. The Company may not be able to accurately predict future trends in customer renewals. Customers choose not to renew their subscriptions for many reasons, including if customer service issues are not satisfactorily resolved, a desire to reduce discretionary spending, or a perception that they do not use the service sufficiently, that the solution is a poor value, or that competitive services provide a better value or experience. If the Company’s approximate 94% retention rate significantly decreases, it may need to increase the rate at which it adds new customers in order to maintain and grow its revenue, which may require it to incur significantly higher advertising and marketing expenses than it currently anticipates, or its revenue may decline. A significant decrease in the Company’s retention rate would therefore have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition, and operating results. The Company’s estimates of the number of employees it retains and advertising costs are based to a large extent upon its subscription contracts, which may be terminated by customers typically upon 90 days’ notice prior to the ending term of their contract for services.
A decline in demand for the Company’s cyber security, disaster recovery, and/or infrastructure solutions, in general, would cause its revenue to decline.
The Company derives, and expects to continue to derive, a significant portion of its revenue from subscription services for business continuity, such as data protection solutions including its disaster recovery backup, replication, archive, and infrastructure as a service offering. Some of the potential factors that could affect interest in and demand for cloud solutions include:
● awareness of the Company’s brand and the cloud solutions category generally;
● the appeal and reliability of the Company’s solutions;
● the price, performance, features, and availability of competing solutions and services;
● public concern regarding privacy and data security;
● the Company’s ability to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction; and
● the rate of growth in cloud solutions generally.
In addition, substantially all of the Company’s revenue is currently derived from customers in the U.S. Consequently, a decrease of interest in and demand for the Company’s solutions in the U.S. could have a disproportionately greater impact on it than if its geographic mix of revenue was less concentrated.
The Company primarily depends upon third-party distribution companies to generate new customers. The Company’s relationships with its partners and distributors may be terminated or may not continue to be beneficial in generating new customers, which could adversely affect its ability to increase its customer base.
The Company maintains a network of distributors, which refer customers to it through links on their websites or promotion to their customers. The number of customers that the Company is able to add through these relationships is dependent on the marketing efforts of distributors, over which it has little control. If the Company is unable to maintain its relationships, or renew contracts on favorable terms, with existing partners and distributors or establish new contractual relationships with potential partners and distributors, it may experience delays and increased costs in adding customers, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company. The Company’s distributors also provide services to other third parties and therefore may not devote their full time and attention to promote the Company’s products and services.
If the Company is unable to expand its base of business customers, its future growth and operating results could be adversely affected.
The Company has committed and continues to commit substantial resources to the expansion and increased marketing of its business solutions. If the Company is unable to market and sell its solutions to businesses with competitive pricing and in a cost-effective manner its ability to grow its revenue and achieve profitability may be harmed.
If the Company is unable to sustain market recognition of and loyalty to its brand, or if its reputation were to be harmed, it could lose customers or fail to increase the number of its customers, which could harm its business, financial condition, and operating results.
Given the Company’s market focus, maintaining and enhancing its brand is critical to its success. The Company believes that the importance of brand recognition and loyalty will increase in light of the increasing competition in its markets. The Company plans to continue investing substantial resources to promote its brand, both domestically and internationally, but there is no guarantee that its brand development strategies will enhance the recognition of its brand. Some of the Company’s existing and potential competitors have well-established brands with greater recognition than we have. If the Company’s efforts to promote and maintain the Company’s brand are not successful, the Company’s operating results and its ability to attract and retain customers may be adversely affected. In addition, even if the Company’s brand recognition and loyalty increase, it may not result in increased use of its solutions or higher revenue.
The Company’s solutions, as well as those of its competitors, are regularly reviewed in computer and business publications. Negative reviews, or reviews in which the Company’s competitors’ solutions and services are rated more highly than its solutions, could negatively affect its brand and reputation. From time to time, the Company’s customers express dissatisfaction with its solutions, including, among other things, dissatisfaction with its customer support, its billing policies, and the way its solutions operate. If the Company does not handle customer complaints effectively, its brand and reputation may suffer, it may lose its customers’ confidence, and they may choose not to renew their subscriptions. In addition, many of the Company’s customers participate in online blogs about computers and internet services, including the Company’s solutions, and its success depends in part on its ability to generate positive customer feedback through such online channels where consumers seek and share information. If actions that the Company takes or changes that it makes to its solutions upset these customers, their blogging could negatively affect its brand and reputation. Complaints or negative publicity about the Company’s solutions or billing practices could adversely impact its ability to attract and retain customers and its business, financial condition, and operating results.
The Company is subject to governmental regulation and other legal obligations related to privacy, and any actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations would harm its business.
The Company receives, stores, and processes personal information and other customer data and maintains specific protocols and procedures to help safeguard the privacy of that personal information and customer data. Personal privacy has become a significant issue in the United States and in many other countries where the Company may offer its offering of solutions. The regulatory framework for privacy issues worldwide is currently complex and evolving, and it is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. There are numerous federal, state, local, and foreign laws regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal information and other customer data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among countries or conflict with other rules. The Company generally seeks to comply with industry standards and is subject to the terms of its privacy policies and privacy-related obligations to third parties. The Company strives to comply with all applicable laws, policies, legal obligations, and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection to the extent possible. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or the Company’s practices. Any failure or perceived failure by the Company to comply with its privacy policies, its privacy-related obligations to customers or other third parties, its privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other customer data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation, or public statements against the Company by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause its customers to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on the Company’s reputation and business.
The Company’s customers may also accidentally disclose their passwords or store them on a mobile device that is lost or stolen, creating the perception that its systems are not secure against third-party access. Additionally, if third parties that the Company works with, such as vendors or developers, violate applicable laws or its policies, such violations may also put its customers’ information at risk and could in turn have an adverse effect on its business. Any significant change to applicable laws, regulations, or industry practices regarding the use or disclosure of the Company’s customers’ data, or regarding the manner in which the express or implied consent of customers for the use and disclosure of such data is obtained, could require it to modify its solutions and features, possibly in a material manner, and may limit its ability to develop new services and features that make use of the data that its customers voluntarily share with the Company.
The Company’s solutions are used by customers in the health care industry, and it must comply with numerous federal and state laws related to patient privacy in connection with providing its solutions to these customers.
The Company’s solutions are used by customers in the health care industry, and it must comply with numerous federal and state laws related to patient privacy in connection with providing its solutions to these customers. In particular, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) include privacy standards that protect individual privacy by limiting the uses and disclosures of individually identifiable health information and implementing data security standards. Because the Company’s solutions may backup individually identifiable health information for its customers, its customers are mandated by HIPAA to enter into written agreements with us known as business associate agreements that require the Company to safeguard individually identifiable health information. Business associate agreements typically include:
● a description of the Company’s permitted uses of individually identifiable health information;
● a covenant not to disclose that information except as permitted under the agreement and to make the Company’s subcontractors, if any, subject to the same restrictions;
● assurances that appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards are in place to prevent misuse of that information;
● an obligation to report to the Company’s customers any use or disclosure of that information other than as provided for in the agreement;
● a prohibition against the Company’s use or disclosure of that information if a similar use or disclosure by its customers would violate the HIPAA standards;
● the ability of the Company’s customers to terminate their subscription to its solution if we breach a material term of the business associate agreement and are unable to cure the breach;
● the requirement to return or destroy all individually identifiable health information at the end of the customer’s subscription; and
● access by the Department of Health and Human Services to the Company’s internal practices, books, and records to validate that we are safeguarding individually identifiable health information.
The Company may not be able to adequately address the business risks created by HIPAA or HITECH implementation or comply with its obligations under its business associate agreements. Furthermore, the Company is unable to predict what changes to HIPAA, HITECH or other laws or regulations might be made in the future or how those changes could affect its business or the costs of compliance. Failure by the Company to comply with any of the federal and state standards regarding patient privacy may subject the Company to penalties, including civil monetary penalties and, in some circumstances, criminal penalties, which could have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition, and operating results.
Errors, failures, bugs in or unavailability of the Company’s solutions released by it could result in negative publicity, damage to its brand, returns, loss of or delay in market acceptance of its solutions, loss of competitive position, or claims by customers or others.
The Company offers solutions that operate in a wide variety of environments, systems, applications, and configurations, that are often installed and used in large-scale computing environments with different operating systems, system management software, and equipment and networking configurations. The Company’s customers’ computing environments are often characterized by a wide variety of standard and non-standard configurations that can make pre-release testing for programming or compatibility errors very difficult and time-consuming. In addition, despite testing by the Company and others, errors, failures, or bugs may not be found in new solutions or releases until after distribution. In the past, when the Company has discovered any software errors, failures or bugs in certain of its solution offerings after their introduction or when new versions are released, it, in some cases, has experienced delayed or lost revenues as a result of these errors. In addition, the Company relies on hardware purchased or leased and software licensed from third parties to offer its solutions, and any defects in, or unavailability of, its third-party software or hardware could cause interruptions to the availability of its solutions.
Errors, failures, bugs in or unavailability of the Company’s solutions released by it could result in negative publicity, damage to its brand, returns, loss of or delay in market acceptance of its solutions, loss of competitive position, or claims by customers or others. Many of the Company’s end-user customers use its solutions in applications that are critical to their business and may have a greater sensitivity to defects in its solutions than to defects in other, less critical, software solutions. In addition, if an actual or perceived breach of information integrity or availability occurs in one of its end-user customer’s systems, regardless of whether the breach is attributable to its solutions, the market perception of the effectiveness of its solutions could be harmed. Alleviating any of these problems could require significant expenditures of the Company’s capital and other resources and could cause interruptions, delays, or cessation of its solution licensing, which could cause it to lose existing or potential customers and could adversely affect its operating results.
The Company faces many risks associated with its growth and plans to expand, which could harm its business, financial condition, and operating results.
The Company continues to experience sales growth in its business. This growth has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on its management and its operational and financial infrastructure. As the Company’s operations grow in size, scope, and complexity, it will need to improve and upgrade its systems and infrastructure to attract, service, and retain an increasing number of customers. The expansion of its systems and infrastructure will require the Company to commit substantial financial, operational, and technical resources in advance of an increase in the volume of business, with no assurance that the volume of business will increase. Any such additional capital investments will increase the Company’s cost base. Continued growth could also strain the Company’s ability to maintain reliable service levels for its customers, develop and improve its operational, financial, and management controls, enhance its reporting systems and procedures, and recruit, train, and retain highly skilled personnel. If the Company fails to achieve the necessary level of efficiency in its organization as it grows, its business, financial condition, and operating results could be harmed.
The Company has office locations in New York and Florida, and data centers in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. If the Company is unable to effectively manage a large and geographically dispersed group of employees and contractors or to anticipate its future growth and personnel needs, its business may be adversely affected. As the Company expands its business, it adds complexity to its organization and must expand and adapt its operational infrastructure and effectively coordinate throughout its organization. As a result, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur additional expenses related to its continued growth.
The Company also anticipates that its efforts to expand internationally will entail the marketing and advertising of its services and brand and the development of localized websites. The Company does not have substantial experience in selling its solutions in international markets or in conforming to the local cultures, standards, or policies necessary to successfully compete in those markets, and it must invest significant resources in order to do so. The Company may not succeed in these efforts or achieve its customer acquisition or other goals. For some international markets, customer preferences and buying behaviors may be different, and the Company may use business or pricing models that are different from its traditional subscription model to provide cloud backup and related services to customers. The Company’s revenue from new foreign markets may not exceed the costs of establishing, marketing, and maintaining its international solutions, and therefore may not be profitable on a sustained basis, if at all.
The Company’s intended international expansion will subject it to risks typically encountered when operating internationally.
The Company intends to expand internationally which subjects it to new risks that it has not generally faced in the United States. These risks include:
● localization of the Company’s solutions, including translation into foreign languages and adaptation for local practices and regulatory requirements;
● lack of experience in other geographic markets;
● strong local competitors;
● cost and burden of complying with, lack of familiarity with, and unexpected changes in foreign legal and regulatory requirements, including consumer and data privacy laws;
● difficulties in managing and staffing international operations;
● potentially adverse tax consequences, including the complexities of transfer pricing, foreign value added or other tax systems, double taxation, and restrictions, and/or taxes on the repatriation of earnings;
● dependence on third parties, including channel partners with whom we do not have extensive experience;
● compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, economic sanction laws and regulations, export controls, and other U.S. laws and regulations regarding international business operations;
● increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities;
● political, social, and economic instability abroad, terrorist attacks, and security concerns in general; and
● reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries.
Operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial resources. The investment and additional resources required to establish operations and manage growth in other countries may not produce desired levels of revenue or profitability.
The Company’s software contains encryption technologies, certain types of which are subject to U.S. and foreign export control regulations and, in some foreign countries, restrictions on importation and/or use. Any failure on the Company’s part to comply with encryption or other applicable export control requirements could result in financial penalties or other sanctions under the U.S. export regulations, including restrictions on future export activities, which could harm its business and operating results. Regulatory restrictions could impair the Company’s access to technologies that it seeks for improving its solutions and may also limit or reduce the demand for its solutions outside of the U.S.
The loss of the Company’s key personnel, or its failure to attract, integrate, and retain other highly qualified personnel, could harm its business and growth prospects.
The Company depends on the continued service and performance of its key personnel. In addition, many of the Company’s key technologies and systems are custom-made for its business by its personnel. The loss of key personnel, including key members of the Company’s management team, as well as certain of its key marketing, sales, product development, or technology personnel, could disrupt its operations and have an adverse effect on its ability to grow its business. In addition, several of the Company’s key personnel have only recently been employed by it, and the Company is still in the process of integrating these personnel into its operations. The Company’s failure to successfully integrate these key employees into its business could adversely affect its business.
To execute the Company’s growth plan, it must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for these employees is intense, and the Company may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel. The Company has from time to time in the past experienced, and it expects to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly-skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. New hires require significant training and, in most cases, take significant time before they achieve full productivity. The Company’s recent hires and planned hires may not become as productive as it expects, and it may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals. Many of the companies with which it competes for experienced personnel have greater resources than it has. In addition, in making employment decisions, particularly in the internet and high-technology industries, job candidates often consider the value of the equity that they are to receive in connection with their employment. In addition, employees may be more likely to voluntarily exit the Company if the shares underlying their vested and unvested options, as well as unvested restricted stock units, have significantly depreciated in value resulting in the options they are holding is significantly above the market price of the Company’s common stock and the value of the restricted stock units decreasing. If the Company fails to attract new personnel, or fail to retain and motivate its current personnel, its business and growth prospects could be severely harmed.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
Assertions by a third party that the Company’s solutions infringe its intellectual property, whether correct, could subject the Company to costly and time-consuming litigation or expensive licenses.
There is frequent litigation in the software and technology industries based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. Any such claims or litigation may be time-consuming and costly, divert management resources, require the Company to change its services, require it to credit or refund subscription fees, or have other adverse effects on its business. Many companies are devoting significant resources to obtaining patents that could affect many aspects of the Company’s business. Third parties may claim that the Company’s technologies or solutions infringe or otherwise violate their patents or other intellectual property rights.
If the Company is forced to defend itself against intellectual property infringement claims, whether they have merit or are determined in its favor, it may face costly litigation, diversion of technical and management personnel, limitations on its ability to use its current websites and technologies, and an inability to market or provide its solutions. As a result of any such claim, the Company may have to develop or acquire non-infringing technologies, pay damages, enter into royalty or licensing agreements, cease providing certain services, adjust its marketing and advertising activities, or take other actions to resolve the claims. These actions, if required, may be costly or unavailable on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all.
Furthermore, the Company has licensed proprietary technologies from third parties that it uses in its technologies and business, and it cannot be certain that the owners’ rights in their technologies will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented. In addition to the general risks described above associated with intellectual property and other proprietary rights, the Company is subject to the additional risk that the seller of such technologies may not have appropriately created, maintained, or enforced their rights in such technology.
The Company relies on third-party software to develop and provide its solutions, including server software and licenses from third parties to use patented intellectual property.
The Company relies on software licensed from third parties to develop and offer its solutions. In addition, the Company may need to obtain future licenses from third parties to use intellectual property associated with the development of its solutions, which might not be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all. Any loss of the right to use any software required for the development and maintenance of the Company solutions could result in delays in the provision of its solutions until equivalent technology is either developed by the Company, or, if available from others, is identified, obtained, and integrated, which delay could harm its business. Any errors or defects in third-party software could result in errors or a failure of its solutions, which could harm its business.
If the Company is unable to protect its domain names, its reputation, brand, customer base, and revenue, as well as its business and operating results, could be adversely affected.
The Company has registered domain names for websites (“URLs”) that it uses in its business, such as www.datastoragecorp.com. If the Company is unable to maintain its rights in these domain names, its competitors or other third parties could capitalize on the Company’s brand recognition by using these domain names for their own benefit. In addition, although the Company owns the Company’s domain name under various global top-level domains such as .com and .net, as well as under various country-specific domains, it might not be able to, or may choose not to, acquire or maintain other country-specific versions of the Company’s domain name or other potentially similar URLs. Domain names similar to the Company have already been registered in the U.S. and elsewhere, and its competitors or other third parties could capitalize on its brand recognition by using domain names similar to the Company’s. The regulation of domain names in the U.S. and elsewhere is generally conducted by internet regulatory bodies and is subject to change. If the Company loses the ability to use a domain name in a particular country, it may be forced to either incur significant additional expenses to market its solutions within that country, including the development of a new brand and the creation of new promotional materials, or elect not to sell its solutions in that country. Either result could substantially harm its business and operating results. Regulatory bodies could establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, the Company may not be able to acquire or maintain the domain names that utilize the Company’s name in all of the countries in which we currently conduct or intend to conduct business. Further, the relationship between regulations governing domain names and laws protecting trademarks and similar proprietary rights varies among jurisdictions and is unclear in some jurisdictions. The Company may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that infringe, are similar to, or otherwise decrease the value of, its brand or its trademarks. Protecting and enforcing the Company’s rights in its domain names and determining the rights of others may require litigation, which could result in substantial costs, divert management attention, and not be decided favorably to the Company.
Risks Relating to the Company’s Common Stock and Securities
The Company’s stock price has fluctuated in the past and may be volatile in the future, and as a result, investors in its common stock could incur substantial losses.
The Company’s stock price has fluctuated in the past, has recently been volatile, and may be volatile in the future. By way of example, on May 16, 2022, the reported low sale price of the Company’s common stock was $3.10, and the reported high sales price was $3.80. For comparison purposes, on May 9, 2022, the price of the Company’s common stock closed at $2.14 per share, on May 16, 2022, its stock price closed at $3.45 per share, and on June 21, 2022, its stock price closed at $2.48 per share with no discernable announcements or developments by the Company or third parties (other than the filing of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q). The Company may incur rapid and substantial decreases in its stock price in the foreseeable future that are unrelated to its operating performance or prospects. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused broad stock market and industry fluctuations. The stock market has experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in the Company’s common stock. The market price for the Company’s common stock may be influenced by many factors, including the following:
● investor reaction to the Company’s business strategy;
● the success of competitive products or technologies;
● regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries, especially changes in laws or regulations applicable to the Company’s products;
● variations in the Company’s financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
● the Company’s ability or inability to raise additional capital and the terms on which it raises it;
● declines in the market prices of stocks generally;
● the Company’s public disclosure of the terms of any financing which it consummates in the future;
● an announcement that we have effected a reverse split of the Company’s common stock and treasury stock;
● the Company’s failure to become profitable;
● the Company’s failure to raise working capital;
● any acquisitions we may consummate, including, but not limited to, the Merger;
● announcements by the Company or its competitors of significant contracts, new services, acquisitions, commercial relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
● cancellation of key contracts;
● the Company’s failure to meet financial forecasts we publicly disclose;
● trading volume of the Company’s common stock;
● sales of the Company’s common stock by it or its stockholders;
● general economic, industry and market conditions; and
● other events or factors, including those resulting from such events, or the prospect of such events, including war, terrorism and other international conflicts, public health issues including health epidemics or pandemics, such as the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters such as fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados or other adverse weather and climate conditions, whether occurring in the United States or elsewhere, could disrupt the Company’s operations, disrupt the operations of its suppliers or result in political or economic instability.
These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of the Company’s common stock, regardless of its operating performance. Since the stock price of its common stock has fluctuated in the past, has been recently volatile and may be volatile in the future, investors in its common stock could incur substantial losses. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against the Company, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. There can be no guarantee that the Company’s stock price will remain at current prices or that future sales of its common stock will not be at prices lower than those sold to investors.
Additionally, recently, securities of certain companies have experienced significant and extreme volatility in stock price due to short sellers of shares of common stock, known as a “short squeeze.” These short squeezes have caused extreme volatility in those companies and in the market and have led to the price per share of those companies to trade at a significantly inflated rate that is disconnected from the underlying value of the company. Many investors who have purchased shares in those companies at an inflated rate face the risk of losing a significant portion of their original investment as the price per share has declined steadily as interest in those stocks has abated. While the Company has no reason to believe its shares would be the target of a short squeeze, there can be no assurance that it won’t be in the future, and you may lose a significant portion or all of your investment if you purchase the Company’s shares at a rate that is significantly disconnected from its underlying value.
Upon exercise of the Company’s outstanding options or warrants, it will be obligated to issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock which will dilute its present shareholders.
The Company is obligated to issue additional shares of its common stock in connection with any exercise or conversion, as applicable, of its outstanding options, warrants, and shares of its convertible preferred stock. As of December 31, 2022, there were options and warrants outstanding into an aggregate of 2,720,584 shares of common stock. The exercise of warrants or options will cause the Company to issue additional shares of its common stock and will dilute the percentage ownership of its shareholders. In addition, the Company has in the past, and may in the future, exchange outstanding securities for other securities on terms that are dilutive to the securities held by other shareholders not participating in such exchange.
Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of the Company’s common stock may cause the price of its common stock to decline.
Sales of large blocks of the Company’s common stock could depress the price of its common stock. The existence of these shares and shares of common stock that may be issuable upon conversion or exercise, as applicable, of outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock, warrants and options create a circumstance commonly referred to as an “overhang” which can act as a depressant to the Company’s common stock price. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, also could make the Company’s ability to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-linked securities more difficult in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate. If the Company’s existing shareholders and investors seek to convert or exercise such securities or sell a substantial number of shares of its common stock, such selling efforts may cause significant declines in the market price of its common stock. In addition, the shares of the Company’s common stock included in the Units and underlying warrants sold in the offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. As a result, a substantial number of shares of the Company’s common stock may be sold in the public market following this offering. If there are significantly more shares of common stock offered for sale than buyers are willing to purchase, then the market price of the Company’s common stock may decline to a market price at which buyers are willing to purchase the offered common stock and sellers remain willing to sell its common stock.
The Company does not expect to declare any common stock cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
The Company does not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of Data Storage common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, common stockholders may need to rely on sales of their shares after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment.
Because the Company may issue preferred stock without the approval of its shareholders and have other anti-takeover defenses, it may be more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company and could depress its stock price.
In general, the Company’s Board may issue, without a vote of its shareholders, one or more additional series of preferred stock that has more than one vote per share. Without these restrictions, the Company’s Board could issue preferred stock to investors who support it and its management and give effective control of its business to its management. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock could block an acquisition resulting in both a drop in the Company’s stock price and a decline in interest of its common stock. This could make it more difficult for shareholders to sell their common stock. This could also cause the market price of the Company’s common stock shares to drop significantly, even if its business is performing well.
Provisions of Nevada law could delay or prevent an acquisition of Data Storage, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to its stockholders and could make it more difficult for stockholders to change Data Storage’s management.
Data Storage Corporation is subject to anti-takeover provisions under Nevada law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together, these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for the Company’s securities. These provisions include: limitations on the ability to engage in any “combination” with an “interested stockholder” (each, as defined in the NRS) for two years from the date the person first becomes an “interested stockholder”; being subject to Sections 78.378 to 78.3793 of the NRS and allowing an “acquiring person” to obtain voting rights in “control shares” without shareholder approval; the ability of the Board to issue shares of currently undesignated and unissued preferred stock without prior stockholder approval; limitations on the ability of stockholders to call special meetings; and the ability of the Board to amend its amended Bylaws without stockholder approval. For more information, please see the section entitled “Description of Our Securities That We Are Offering-Nevada Anti-Takeover Statutes.”

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not Applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
The Company currently has three leases for office space, with two offices located in Melville, NY, and one office in Boca Raton, FL. The Company’s principal offices are located at 48 South Service Road, Suite 203, Melville, NY 11747. We also maintain offices located at 980 North Federal Highway, Suite 302, Boca Raton, FL 33432. The Company’s data centers are in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. The Company believes that its current offices and facilities are adequate for the near future.
From 2016 until August 31, 2019, we leased office space in Melville, NY for monthly payments of $8,382. Upon termination of the lease in August 2019, we entered into a new lease for a technology lab in a smaller space commencing on September 1, 2019. The term of this lease is for three years and 11 months and runs co-terminus with the Company’s existing lease in the same building. The base annual rent is $11,856 payable in equal monthly installments of $988.
A second lease for office space in Melville, NY, was entered into on November 20, 2017, which commenced on April 2, 2018. The term of this lease is five years and three months at $86,268 per year with an escalation of 3% per year with an ending date of July 31, 2023.
On July 31, 2021, the Company signed a three-year lease for approximately 2,880 square feet of office space at 980 North Federal Highway, Suite 302, Boca Raton, Florida. The commencement date of the lease is August 1, 2021. The monthly rent is approximately $4,820.
The lease for office space in Warwick, RI, called for monthly payments of $2,324 beginning February 1, 2015, which escalated to $2,460 on February 1, 2017. This lease commenced on February 1, 2015, and originally expired on January 31, 2019. We extended this lease until January 31, 2020, and this lease was further extended until January 31, 2021. The annual base rent was $31,176 payable in equal monthly installments of $2,598. We have satisfied the terms of the lease and no longer occupy this premise.
The Company leases technical space in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Florida. These leases are month to month and the monthly rent is approximately $43,650.
In 2020, the Company entered into a new technical space lease agreement in Dallas, TX. The lease term is 13 months and requires monthly payments of $1,403 and expires on July 31, 2023.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, the Company may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of its business. The Company is not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to it, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results, financial condition, or cash flows. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on the Company because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
The Company’s common stock trades on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “DTST”.
Holders of the Company’s Common Stock	
As of March 30, 2023, we had 33 shareholders of record of the Company’s common stock, one of which was Cede & Co., a nominee for Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). All the shares of the Company’s common stock held by brokerage firms, banks and other financial institutions as nominees for beneficial owners are deposited into participant accounts at DTC and are therefore considered to be held or recorded by Cede & Co. as one stockholder.
Dividend Policy
The Company has not declared or paid dividends on common stock since its formation and does not anticipate paying dividends in the foreseeable future. The declaration or payment of dividends, if any, in the future, will be at the discretion of Data Storage’s Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) and will depend on the then- current financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors deemed relevant by the Board. Each share of Series A Preferred Stock entitles its holder to receive cash dividends at a rate of ten percent (10%) per annum on the original issue price, compounding annually, in preference to holders of common stock. Preferred dividends are accrued quarterly. No Preferred shares are outstanding and no dividends have been paid to date since retiring in May 2021 one shareholder.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
The Company did not sell any equity securities during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, that were not registered under the Securities Act, other than as previously disclosed in its filings with the SEC.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
There were no issuer purchases of equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
See Part II-Item 12 under the heading “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters-Equity Compensation Plan Information” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for equity compensation plan information.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide disclosure pursuant to this item.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION
The following discussion of our plan of operation and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes to the financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that relate to future events or our future financial performance. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and other factors include, among others, those listed under “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” and those included elsewhere in this report.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Data Storage Corporation, headquartered in Melville, New York, together with its three subsidiaries, DSC now CloudFirst Technologies, Flagship Solutions LLC and Nexxis, Inc. provides solutions and services to a broad range of clients in several industries, including healthcare, banking and finance, distribution services, manufacturing, construction, education, and government. The subsidiaries maintain business development teams, as well as independent distribution companies. As an example, the Company’s distribution channel of companies provides long-term subscription-based disaster recovery and cloud infrastructure without investing in the infrastructure, data centers, telecommunications or specialized technical staff, which substantially lowers their barrier of entry in providing these solutions to their client base. The distribution company has typically provided equipment and software. However, a client’s awareness in 2022 of the ability to migrate to an IBM Power cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery affords the distributor the ability to maintain the client and create an annuity year after year. To further support that awareness, over 90,000 visitors arrived at the Company’s websites in 2022.
During 2021, based on the May capital raise and the up list to Nasdaq, the Company added distribution, business development representatives, marketing, and technical personnel. Management continues to be focused on building the Company’s sales and marketing strategy and expanding its technology assets throughout its data center network.
The Company’s business offices are in New York and Florida. The offices include a technology center and lab, adapted to meet the technical requirements of the Company’s clients. The Company maintains its own infrastructure, storage, and networking equipment required to provide subscription solutions in seven geographically diverse data centers located in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida and North Carolina, and in Canada, Toronto, and Barrie, serving clients in the United States and Canada.
The Company’s Business Continuity Solutions allow clients to quickly recover from system outages, human and natural disasters, and cyber security attacks, such as Ransomware. The Company’s Managed Cloud Services starts with migration to the cloud and provides ongoing system support and management that enables its clients to run their software applications and technical workloads in a multi-cloud environment. The Company’s Cyber Security offerings include comprehensive consultation and a suite of data security, disaster recovery, and remote monitoring services and technologies that can be incorporated into the Company’s cloud solutions or be delivered as a standalone managed security offering covering the client site endpoint devices, users, servers, and equipment.
Solution architects and the Company’s business development teams work with organizations identifying and solving critical business problems. The Company carefully plans and manages the migration and configuration process, continuing the relationship and advising its clients long after the services have been implemented. As of this filing the Company provides our clients subscription-based, long-term agreements for cloud disaster recovery, cloud infrastructure, telecommunications solutions, and high processing on-site computing power and software solutions. While a significant portion of our revenue has been subscription-based, we also generate revenue from the sale of equipment and software for cybersecurity, data storage, IBM Power systems equipment and managed service solutions.
2022 Business Update
On May 31, 2021, the Company completed a merger (the “Merger”) under an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Flagship Solutions, LLC (“Flagship”) (a Florida limited liability company) and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Data Storage FL, LLC, a Florida limited liability company. Flagship is a provider of IBM solutions, managed services, cyber security and cloud solutions. The Company expects that Flagship’s business will be synergistic with the Company’s existing IBM business and anticipates meaningful operation efficiency of the two organizations. The Company also believes the Merger will provide the combined entities a comprehensive one-stop provider to cross-sell solutions across each organization’s respective enterprise, as well as middle-market customers. Key offerings for the combined companies are expected to include a wide array of multi-cloud information technology solutions in highly secure, reliable enterprise level cloud services for companies using IBM Power systems, Microsoft Windows and Linux, including: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Disaster Recovery of digital information (DRaaS), and Cyber Security as a Service (CSaaS).
Flagship focuses on the IBM user community with solutions and services such as, equipment, software, cyber security, and managed cloud solutions globally. The Company expects that Flagship’s business will be synergistic with the Company’s existing IBM user community focus and anticipates meaningful operation efficiency through the integration the organizations. The Company also believes the Merger will also provide the combined entities a comprehensive one-stop provider to cross-sell solutions across each organization’s respective enterprise, as well as middle-market customers. Key offerings for the combined companies are expected to include a wide array of multi-cloud information technology solutions in highly secure, reliable enterprise level cloud services for companies using IBM Power systems, Microsoft Windows and Linux, including: cloud Infrastructure as a Service, Disaster Recovery of digital information, and Cyber Security as a Service. The Company intends to continue its strategy of growth through synergistic acquisitions.
The Company’s offices are in New York and Florida including technology centers, which are adapted to meet the requirements of its clients. In addition to office staffing, the Company employs additional remote staff. The Company maintains its infrastructure, storage and networking equipment required to provide our subscription solutions in seven geographically diverse data centers located in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Canada.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to December 31, 2021
Revenue
Sales for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased by approximately 60% to $23,870,837 as compared to sales for the year ended December 31, 2021, or $14,876,227. The Company derives its sales from five types of services that we provide: infrastructure & disaster recovery / cloud services which is the largest source of our sales, followed by equipment and software sales, managed services, professional fees, and Nexxis, VOIP and internet access services. The cloud infrastructure & disaster recovery/cloud services are subscription-based. We also provide equipment and software and actively participate in collaboration with IBM to provide innovative business solutions to clients. The professional services are providing the client cloud infrastructure and or Disaster Recovery implementation services as well as time and materials billing. Substantially all of the Company’s sales were to customers in the United States, with less than 2% of its sales to international customers.
The following chart details the changes in the Company’s sales for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
For the Year
Ended December 31,
$ Change % Change
Cloud Infrastructure & Disaster Recovery $ 8,300,378 $ 7,203,246 $ 1,097,132 15 %
Equipment and Software 6,194,634
2,080,463 4,114,171 198 %
Managed Services 8,445,455 4,661,777 3,783,678 81 %
Nexxis VoIP Services 799,675 772,344 27,331 4 %
Other 130,695 158,397 (27,702 ) (17 )%
Total Sales $ 23,870,837 $ 14,876,227 $ 8,994,610 60 %
Expenses
Cost of Sales. For the year ended December 31, 2022, cost of sales was $15,787,544, an increase of $7,328,427 or 87% compared to $8,459,117 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase of $7,328,427 was mostly related to the increase in overall sales and the increase in sales which resulted from the Flagship merger.
Impairment of goodwill . During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded an Impairment of goodwill of $2,322,000 regarding its Flagship segment.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2022, selling, general and administrative expenses were $9,837,308, an increase of $2,653,126, or 37%, as compared to $7,184,182 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The net [increase/decrease] is reflected in the chart below.
Selling, general and administrative expenses For the Year
Ended December 31,
$ Change % Change
Increase in Salaries $ 5,199,513 $ 3,768,804 $ 1,430,709 38 %
Increase in Professional Fees 927,441 804,755 122,686 15 %
Increase in Software as a Service Expense 230,725 228,119 2,606 1 %
Increase in Advertising Expenses 966,248 541,788 424,460 78 %
Increase in Commissions Expense 1,301,949 968,415 333,534 34 %
Decrease in Amortization and Depreciation Expense 294,477 342,516 (48,039 ) (14 )%
Increase in Travel and Entertainment Expense 280,763 127,676 153,087 120 %
Increase in Rent and Occupancy Expense 219,545 130,835 88,710 68 %
Increase in Insurance Expense 111,294 75,270 36,024 48 %
Increase in all other Expenses 305,353 196,004 109,349 56 %
Total Expenses $ 9,837,308 $ 7,184,182 $ 2,653,126 37 %
Salaries. Salaries increased as a result of the increased staff due to the Flagship merger, the hiring of our Chief Financial Officer and the increase in stock-based compensation.
Professional fees. Professional fees increased primarily due to a new investor relations firm, an increase in legal fees, and an increase in fees associated with being on NASDAQ.
Advertising Expenses. Advertising Expenses increased primarily due to the Flagship merger and the company sponsoring American mixed martial arts events.
Commissions Expense. Commissions expenses increased due to the Flagship merger and the sales associated with Flagship.
Travel And Entertainment. Travel And Entertainment increased primarily due to the Flagship merger and the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.
Rent and Occupancy. Rent and Occupancy increased primarily due to the Flagship merger and the WeWork in Austin, TX that started in January 2022.
All Other Expenses. Increased primarily due to the Flagship merger.
Other Income (Expense). Other income for the year ended December 31, 2022, decreased $960,210 to $(332,848) from $627,362 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in other income is primarily attributable to the increase in interest expense, the increase in impairment of deferred offering costs, and the decrease from the gain on forgiveness of debt from the PPP loan.
(Net Loss) before provision for income taxes. Net loss before provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2022, was $4,408,863, as compared to a net loss of $139,710 for the year ended December 31, 2021.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared using generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) applicable for a going concern, which assumes that the Company will realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the ordinary course of business.
To the extent the Company is successful in growing its business, identifying potential acquisition targets, and negotiating the terms of such acquisition, and the purchase price may include a cash component, the Company plans to use its working capital and the proceeds of any financing to finance such acquisition costs.
The Company’s opinion concerning its liquidity is based on current information. If this information proves to be inaccurate, or if circumstances change, The Company may not be able to meet its liquidity needs, which will require a renegotiation of related party capital equipment leases, a reduction in advertising and marketing programs, and/or a reduction in salaries for officers that are major shareholders.
The Company has long-term contracts to supply its subscription-based solutions that are invoiced to clients monthly. The Company believes its total contract value of its subscription contracts with clients based on the actual contracts that it has to date, exceeds $10 million. Further, the Company continues to see an uptick in client interest distribution channel expansion and in sales proposals. In 2023, the Company intends to continue to work to increase its presence in the IBM “Power I” infrastructure cloud and business continuity marketplace in the niche of IBM “Power” and in the disaster recovery global marketplace utilizing its technical expertise, data centers utilization, assets deployed in the data centers, 24 x 365 monitoring and software.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, Data Storage’s cash decreased $9,849,081 to $2,286,722 from $12,135,803 December 31, 2021. Net cash of $663,801 was provided by Data Storage’s operating activities resulting primarily from changes in assets and liabilities. Net cash of $9,138,225 was used in investing activities from the purchase of short-term investments and capital expenditures. Net cash of $1,374,657 was used in financing activities resulting primarily in payments on finance lease obligations and payments for deferred offering costs. This was offset by the cash received for the exercised options.
The Company’s working capital was $10,855,407 on December 31, 2022, decreasing by $1,229,408 from $12,084,815 at December 31, 2021. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in cash, deferred revenue, and leases payable related party. This was offset by an increase in short-term investments, accounts receivables, prepaids and other current assets, accounts payable, and leases payable.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, financings, or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons, also known as “special purpose entities”.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Adjusted EBITDA
To supplement our consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP and to provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we consider and are including herein Adjusted EBITDA, a Non-GAAP financial measure. We view Adjusted EBITDA as an operating performance measure and, as such, we believe that the GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to it is net income (loss). We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income adjusted for interest and financing fees, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, and other non-cash income and expenses. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides us an important measure of operating performance because it allows management, investors, debt holders and others to evaluate and compare ongoing operating results from period to period by removing the impact of our asset base, any asset disposals or impairments, stock-based compensation and other non-cash income and expense items associated with our reliance on issuing equity-linked debt securities to fund our working capital.
Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and this measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under GAAP, as the excluded items may have significant effects on our operating results and financial condition. Additionally, our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may differ from other companies’ measure of Adjusted EBITDA. When evaluating our performance, Adjusted EBITDA should be considered with other financial performance measures, including various cash flow metrics, net income and other GAAP results. In the future, we may disclose different non-GAAP financial measures in order to help our investors and others more meaningfully evaluate and compare our future results of operations to our previously reported results of operations.
The following table shows our reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively:
For the Year Ended
December 31, December 31,
Net (Loss) Income $ (4,408,863 ) $ 259,921
Non-GAAP adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization 1,225,911 1,284,345
Benefit from income taxes - (399,631 )
Flagship acquisition costs 135,512
Interest income and expense 130,087 126,746
Impairment of goodwill 2,322,000 -
Loss on disposal of assets - 44,732
Gain on forgiveness of debt - (798,840 )
Stock-based compensation 734,479 171,798
Adjusted EBITDA $ 4,384 $ 824,583
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
We believe that the following accounting policies are the most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation.”
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Estimated Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company’s financial instruments include cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and, lease commitments. Management believes the estimated fair value of these accounts on December 31 ,2022, approximate their carrying value as reflected in the balance sheet due to the short-term nature. The carrying values of certain of the Company’s notes payable and capital lease obligations approximate their fair values based upon a comparison of the interest rate and terms of such debt given the level of risk to the rates and terms of similar debt currently available to the Company in the marketplace.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives or the term of the lease using the straight-line method for financial statement purposes. Estimated useful lives in years for depreciation are five to seven years for property and equipment. Additions, betterments and replacements are capitalized, while expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operations when incurred. As units of property are sold or retired, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is recognized in income.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity financings as deferred offering costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded in stockholders’ deficit as a reduction of additional paid-in capital generated as a result of the offering. Should the planned equity financing be abandoned, the deferred offering costs will be expensed immediately as a charge to other income and expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. In accordance with this policy, for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, the Company expensed financing costs of $127,343 and $0, respectively.
Goodwill and Other Intangibles
The Company tests goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment on at least an annual basis. Impairment exists if the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value. To determine the fair value of goodwill and intangible assets, the Company uses many assumptions and estimates using a market participant approach that directly impact the results of the testing. In making these assumptions and estimates, the Company uses industry accepted valuation models and set criteria that are reviewed and approved by various levels of management.
The Company tests goodwill for impairment on an annual basis on December 31, or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change indicating that the fair value of the goodwill may be below its carrying amount. The Company has four reporting units. The Company uses an income-based approach to determine the fair value of the reporting units. This approach uses a discounted cash flow methodology and the ability of our reporting units to generate cash flows as measures of fair value of our reporting units.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, the Company completed its annual impairment tests of goodwill. The Company performed the qualitative assessment as permitted by ASC 350-20 and determined for three of its reporting units that the fair value of those reporting units was more likely than not greater than their carrying value, including Goodwill. However, based on this qualitative assessment, the Company determined that the carrying value of the Flagship reporting units was more likely than not greater than its carrying value, including Goodwill. Based on the completion of the annual impairment test, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2,322,000 and $0 for goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
Revenue Recognition
Nature of goods and services
The following is a description of the products and services from which the Company generates revenue, as well as the nature, timing of satisfaction of performance obligations, and significant payment terms for each:
1) Cloud Infrastructure and Disaster Recovery Revenue
Cloud Infrastructure provides clients the ability to migrate their on-premise computing and digital storage to DSC’s enterprise-level technical compute and digital storage assets located in Tier 3 data centers. Data Storage Corporation owns the assets and provides a turnkey solution whereby achieving reliable and cost-effective, multi-tenant IBM Power compute, x86/intel, flash digital storage, while providing disaster recovery and cyber security while eliminating client capital expenditures. The client pays a monthly fee and can increase capacity as required.
Clients can subscribe to an array of disaster recovery solutions without subscribing to cloud infrastructure. Product offerings provided directly from DSC are High Availability, Data Vaulting and retention solutions, including standby servers which allows clients to centralize and streamline their mission-critical digital information and technical environment while ensuring business continuity if they experience a cyber-attack or natural disaster Client’s data is vaulted, at two data centers with the maintenance of retention schedules for corporate governances and regulations all to meet their back to work objective in a disaster.
2) Managed Services
These services are performed at the inception of a contract. The Company provides professional assistance to its clients during the implementation processes. On-boarding and set-up services ensure that the solution or software is installed properly and function as designed to provide clients with the best solutions. In addition, clients that are managed service clients have a requirement for DSC to offer time and material billing supplementing the client’s staff.
The Company also derives both one-time and subscription-based revenue, from providing support, management and renewal of software, hardware, third party maintenance contracts and third-party cloud services to clients. The managed services include help desk, remote access, operating system and software patch management, annual recovery tests and manufacturer support for equipment and on-gong monitoring of client system performance.
3) Equipment and Software
The Company provides equipment and software and actively participates in collaboration with IBM to provide innovative business solutions to clients. The Company is a partner of IBM and the various software, infrastructure and hybrid cloud solutions provided to clients.
4) Nexxis Voice over Internet and Direct Internet Access
The Company provides VoIP, Internet access and data transport services to ensure businesses are fully connected to the internet from any location, remote and on premise. The company provides Hosted VoIP solutions with equipment options for IP phones and internet speeds of up to 10Gb delivered over fiber optics.
Transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations
The Company has the following performance obligations:
1) Data Vaulting: Subscription-based cloud service that encrypts and transfers data to a secure Tier 3 data center and further replicates the data to a second Tier 3 DSC technical center where it remains encrypted. Ensuring client retention schedules for corporate compliance and disaster recovery. Provides for twenty-four (24) hour or less recovery time and utilizes advanced data reduction, reduplication technology to shorten back-up and restore time.
2) High Availability: A managed cloud subscription-based service that provides cost-effective mirroring software replication technology and provides one (1) hour or less recovery time for a client to be back in business.
3) Cloud Infrastructure: subscription-based cloud service provides for “capacity on-demand” for IBM Power and X86 Intel server systems.
4) Internet: Subscription-based service, offering continuous internet connection combined with FailSAFE which provides disaster recovery for both a clients’ voice and data environments.
5) Support and Maintenance: Subscription based service offers support for clients on their servers, firewalls, desktops or software. Services are provided 24x7x365 to our clients.
6) Implementation / Set-Up Fees: Onboarding and set-up for cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery as well as Cyber Security.
7) Equipment sales: Sale of servers and data storage equipment to the client.
9) License: Granting SSL certificates and licenses.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset might not be recoverable. An impairment loss, measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value is recognized if the carrying amount exceeds estimated un-discounted future cash flows.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company follows the requirements of FASB ASC 718-10-10, Share-Based Payments with regards to stock-based compensation issued to employees and non-employees. The Company has agreements and arrangements that call for stock to be awarded to the employees and consultants at various times as compensation and periodic bonuses. The expense for this stock-based compensation is equal to the fair value of the stock price on the day the stock was awarded multiplied by the number of shares awarded. The Company has a relatively low forfeiture rate of stock-based compensation and forfeitures are recognized as they occur.
The valuation methodology used to determine the fair value of the options issued during the period is the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires the use of a number of assumptions including the volatility of the stock price, the average risk-free interest rate, and the weighted average expected life of the options. Risk-free interest rates are calculated based on continuously compounded risk-free rates for the appropriate term. The dividend yield is assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid or declared any cash dividends on its Common Stock and does not intend to pay dividends on its Common Stock in the foreseeable future. The expected forfeiture rate is estimated based on management’s best assessment.
Estimated volatility is a measure of the amount by which DSC’s stock price is expected to fluctuate each year during the expected life of the award. The Company’s calculation of estimated volatility is based on historical stock prices over a period equal to the expected life of the awards.
RECENTLY ISSUED AND NEWLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU-2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 affects loans, debt securities, trade receivables, and any other financial assets that have the contractual right to receive cash. The ASU requires an entity to recognize expected credit losses rather than incurred losses for financial assets. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company expects that there would be no material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon the adoption of this ASU.
In November 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers, issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. This ASU requires entities to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The update will generally result in the recognition of contract assets and contract liabilities at amounts consistent with those recorded by the acquiree immediately before the acquisition date rather than at fair value. The adoption of ASU 2021-08 did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET TRANSACTIONS
The Company has no off-balance sheet arrangements.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As a smaller reporting company, this item is not required.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB Firm ID 0089)
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022, and 2021
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, and 2021
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2022 , and 2021
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, and 2021
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Data Storage Corporation and Subsidiaries
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Data Storage Corporation and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Data Storage Corporation and Subsidiaries
The Company’s evaluation of goodwill for impairment involves the comparison of the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value. The Company uses the discounted cash flow model to estimate the fair value of each reporting unit, which requires management to make subjective estimates and assumptions related to forecasts of cash flows such as revenue growth rates and estimates of the weighted average cost of capital rate. Changes in these assumptions could have a significant impact on either the fair value, the amount of any goodwill impairment charge, or both. Management determined that the carrying value of its Flagship reporting unit exceeded the fair value as of the measurement date and as a result, an impairment of $2.3 million was recognized in the fourth quarter.
Given the significant judgments made by management to estimate the fair value of the Flagship reporting unit, performing audit procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s estimates and assumptions related to the forecasts of cash flows, such as revenue growth rates, and estimates of the weighted average cost of capital rate, required a high degree of auditor judgment.
How the Critical Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:
● Obtaining valuation reports prepared by valuation specialists engaged by management to assist in the determination of fair value of goodwill.
● Examining the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data supporting the significant assumptions and estimates used in the valuation reports, including historical and projected financial information.
● Utilizing personnel with specialized skills and knowledge in valuation to assist in: (i) evaluating the appropriateness of the valuation models, and (ii) assessing the reasonableness of the assumptions used in the determination of fair values.
/s/ Rosenberg Rich Baker Berman, P.A.
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2008.
Somerset, New Jersey
March 31, 2023
DATA STORAGE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31, 2022
December 31, 2021
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 2,286,722
$ 12,135,803
Accounts receivable (less allowance for credit losses of $27,250 and $30,000 in 2022 and 2021, respectively)
3,502,836
2,384,367
Marketable securities
9,010,968
-
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
584,666
536,401
Total Current Assets
15,385,192
15,056,571
Property and Equipment:
Property and equipment
7,168,488
6,595,236
Less-Accumulated depreciation
(4,956,698 )
(4,657,765 )
Net Property and Equipment
2,211,790
1,937,471
Other Assets:
Goodwill
4,238,671
6,560,671
Operating lease right-of-use assets
226,501
422,318
Other assets
48,437
103,226
Intangible assets, net
1,975,644
2,254,566
Total Other Assets
6,489,253
9,340,781
Total Assets
$ 24,086,235
$ 26,334,823
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 3,207,577
$ 1,343,391
Deferred revenue
281,060
366,859
Finance leases payable
359,868
216,299
Finance leases payable related party
520,623
839,793
Operating lease liabilities short term
160,657
205,414
Total Current Liabilities
4,529,785
2,971,756
Operating lease liabilities
71,772
226,344
Finance leases payable
281,242
157,424
Finance leases payable related party
256,241
364,654
Total Long-Term Liabilities
609,255
748,422
Total Liabilities
5,139,040
3,720,178
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
-
-
Stockholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock, Series A par value $.001; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 0 shares issued and outstanding in 2022 and 2021, respectively
-
-
Common stock, par value $.001; 250,000,000 shares authorized; 6,822,127 and 6,693,793 shares issued and outstanding in 2022 and 2021, respectively
6,822
6,694
Additional paid in capital
38,982,440
38,241,155
Accumulated deficit
(19,887,378 )
(15,530,576 )
Total Data Storage Corp Stockholders’ Equity
19,101,884
22,717,273
Non-controlling interest in consolidated subsidiary
(154,689 )
(102,628 )
Total Stockholder’s Equity
18,947,195
22,614,645
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
$ 24,086,235
$ 26,334,823
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated Financial Statements.
DATA STORAGE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31,
Sales
$ 23,870,837
$ 14,876,227
Cost of sales
15,787,544
8,459,117
Gross Profit
8,083,293
6,417,110
Impairment of goodwill
2,322,000
-
Selling, general and administrative
9,837,308
7,184,182
Loss from Operations
(4,076,015
)
(767,072 )
Other Income (Expense)
Interest expense, net
(130,087 )
(126,746 )
Impairment of deferred offering costs and financing costs associated with canceled financing efforts
(127,343 )
-
Other Expense
(75,418 )
-
Loss on disposal of equipment
-
(44,732 )
Gain on forgiveness of debt
-
798,840
Total Other Income (Expense)
(332,848 )
627,362
Income (Loss) before provision for income taxes
(4,408,863
)
(139,710 )
Benefit from income taxes
-
399,631
Net Income (Loss)
(4,408,863
)
259,921
Non-controlling interest in consolidated subsidiary
52,061
7,923
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Data Storage Corp
(4,356,802
)
267,844
Preferred Stock Dividends
-
(63,683 )
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common Stockholders
$ (4,356,802
)
$ 204,161
Earnings per Share - Basic
$ (0.64 )
$ 0.04
Earning pers Share - Diluted
$ (0.64 )
$ 0.03
Weighted Average Number of Shares - Basic
6,775,140
5,075,716
Weighted Average Number of Shares - Diluted
6,775,140
6,340,125
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated Financial Statements.
DATA STORAGE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021
Preferred Stock Common Stock Additional Paid-in Capital Accumulated Deficit Non-Controlling Interest Total Stockholders’ Equity
Shares Amount Shares Amount
Balance January 1, 2021 1,401,786 $ 1,402 3,214,537 $ 3,215 $ 17,745,783 $ (15,734,737 ) $ (94,705 ) $ 1,920,958
Conversion of preferred series to stock (1,401,786 ) (1,402 ) 43,806 1,358 - - -
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants - - 2,975,000 2,975 16,941,405 - - 16,944,380
Stock Options Exercise - - 5,060 (5 ) - - -
Stock warrants exercise - - 455,390 3,380,816 - - 3,381,271
Stock-based compensation - - - - 171,798 - - 171,798
Net Income (Loss) - - - - - 267,844 (7,923 ) 259,921
Preferred stock dividends - - - - - (63,683 ) - (63,683 )
Balance, December 31, 2021 - $ - 6,693,793 $ 6,694 $ 38,241,155 $ (15,530,576 ) $ (102,628 ) $ 22,614,645
Stock options exercise - - 3,334 6,931 - - 6,934
Stock-based compensation - - 125,000 734,354 - - 734,479
Net (Loss) - - - - - (4,356,802
) (52,061 ) (4,408,863
)
Balance, December 31, 2022 - $ - 6,822,127 $ 6,822 $ 38,982,440 $ (19,887,378
) $ (154,689 ) $ 18,947,195
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated Financial Statements.
DATA STORAGE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year Ended December 31,
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net (loss) income
$ (4,408,863 )
$ 259,921
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
1,225,911
1,284,345
Stock based compensation
734,479
171,798
Gain on forgiveness of debt
-
(798,840 )
Impairment of deferred offering costs and financing costs associated with canceled financing efforts
127,343
-
Impairment of goodwill
2,322,000
-
Loss on disposal of equipment
-
44,732
Deferred income taxes, release of valuation allowance
-
(399,631 )
Changes in Assets and Liabilities:
Accounts receivable
(1,118,469 )
(440,517 )
Other assets
54,788
(6,417 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
(48,265 )
(169,355 )
Right of use asset
195,817
(180,407 )
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
1,864,188
(142,233 )
Deferred revenue
(85,799 )
(163,770 )
Operating lease liability
(199,329 )
179,684
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities
663,801
(360,690 )
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Investor deposit
-
(25,000 )
Capital expenditures
(127,257 )
(455,835 )
Purchase of marketable securities
(9,010,968 )
-
Cash acquired in business acquisition
-
212,068
Cash consideration for business acquisition
-
(6,149,343 )
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
(9,138,225 )
(6,418,110 )
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Proceeds from line of credit
-
50,000
Repayments of finance lease obligations related party
(867,741 )
(968,420 )
Repayments of finance lease obligations
(386,509 )
(156,845 )
Payments for deferred offering costs
(127,343 )
-
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants
-
16,944,380
Cash received for the exercise of Warrants
-
3,381,271
Cash received for the exercise of options
6,934
-
Repayments of Dividend payable
-
(1,179,357 )
Repayment of line of credit
-
(50,024 )
Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities
(1,374,657 )
18,021,005
Increase (decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents
(9,849,081 )
11,242,205
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period
12,135,803
893,598
Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period
$ 2,286,722
$ 12,135,803
Supplemental Disclosures:
Cash paid for interest
$ 127,871
$ 116,682
Cash paid for income taxes
$ -
$ -
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Accrual of preferred stock dividend
$ -
$ 63,683
Assets acquired by finance lease
$ 1,094,051
$ 164,754
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated Financial Statements.
DATA STORAGE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022
Note 1 - Basis of Presentation, Organization and Other Matters
Data Storage Corporation (“DSC” or the “Company”) provides subscription based, long term agreements for disaster recovery solutions, cloud infrastructure, Cyber Security and Voice and Data solutions.
Headquartered in Melville, NY, DSC offers solutions and services to businesses within the healthcare, banking and finance, distribution services, manufacturing, construction, education, and government industries. DSC derives its revenues from subscription services and solutions, managed services, software and maintenance, equipment and onboarding provisioning. DSC maintains infrastructure and storage equipment in seven technical centers in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Canada.
On May 31, 2021, the Company completed a merger of Flagship Solutions, LLC (“Flagship”) (a Florida limited liability company) and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Data Storage FL, LLC. Flagship is a provider of Hybrid Cloud solutions, managed services and cloud solutions.
On January 27, 2022, we formed Information Technology Acquisition Corporation a special purpose acquisition company for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities.
Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The Consolidated Financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, (i) CloudFirst Technologies Corporation, a Delaware corporation, (ii) Data Storage FL, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, (iii) Flagship Solutions, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, (iv) Information Technology Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, and (v) its majority-owned subsidiary, Nexxis Inc, a Nevada corporation. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Business combinations.
We account for business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting, which requires us to recognize separately from goodwill, the assets acquired, and the liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair values. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recognized in our consolidated statements of operations.
Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed, restructuring liabilities, pre-acquisition contingencies, and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include future expected cash flows from product sales, customer contracts and acquired technologies, and estimated cash flows from the projects when completed and discount rates. Unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates or actual results.
Reclassifications
Certain prior period amounts in the consolidated financial statements thereto have been reclassified where necessary to conform to the current year’s presentation. These reclassifications did not affect the prior period’s total assets, total liabilities, stockholders’ deficit, net loss or net cash used in operating activities. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we adopted a change in presentation on our consolidated statements of operations in order to present technician salaries in cost of sales, the presentation of which is consistent with our peers. Prior periods have been revised to reflect this change in presentation.
Recently Issued and Newly Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU-2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 affects loans, debt securities, trade receivables, and any other financial assets that have the contractual right to receive cash. The ASU requires an entity to recognize expected credit losses rather than incurred losses for financial assets. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company expects that there would be no material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon the adoption of this ASU.
In November 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers, issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. This ASU requires entities to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The update will generally result in the recognition of contract assets and contract liabilities at amounts consistent with those recorded by the acquiree immediately before the acquisition date rather than at fair value. The adoption of ASU 2021-08 did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Estimated Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company’s financial instruments include cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and lease commitments. Management believes the estimated fair value of these accounts on December 31 ,2022, approximate their carrying value as reflected in the balance sheet due to the short-term nature. The carrying values of certain of the Company’s notes payable and capital lease obligations approximate their fair values based upon a comparison of the interest rate and terms of such debt given the level of risk to the rates and terms of similar debt currently available to the Company in the marketplace.
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis
Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. Assets and liabilities recognized or disclosed at fair value on the consolidated financial statements on a nonrecurring basis include items such as property, plant and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets, goodwill and other intangible assets. These assets are measured using Level 3 inputs, if determined to be impaired.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity or remaining maturity at the time of purchase, of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Investments
Marketable securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of selling them in the near term are classified as trading securities and are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recognized in earnings.
The following table sets forth a summary of the changes in equity investments, at cost that are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis:
Schedule of changes in equity investments measured at fair value
For the year ended December 31, 2022
Total
As of January 1, 2022
$ -
Purchase of equity investments
9,010,968
Unrealized gains
-
As of December 31, 2022
$ 9,010,968
Concentration of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties
Financial instruments and assets subjecting the Company to concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and trade accounts receivable. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents are maintained at major U.S. financial institutions. Deposits in these institutions may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits.
The Company’s customers are primarily concentrated in the United States.
As of December 30, 2022, DSC had two customers with an accounts receivable balance representing 23% and 14% of total accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had one customer with an accounts receivable balance representing 16% of total accounts receivable.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had two customers that accounted for 18% and 11% of revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company had one customer that accounted for 14% of revenue.
Accounts Receivable/Allowance for Credit Losses
The Company sells its services to customers on an open credit basis. Accounts receivables are uncollateralized, non-interest-bearing customer obligations. Accounts receivables are typically due within 30 days. The allowance for credit losses reflects the estimated accounts receivable that will not be collected due to credit losses. Provisions for estimated uncollectible accounts receivable are made for individual accounts based upon specific facts and circumstances including criteria such as their age, amount, and customer standing. Provisions are also made for other accounts receivable not specifically reviewed based upon historical experience. Clients are invoiced in advance for services as reflected in deferred revenue on the Company’s balance sheet.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives or the term of the lease using the straight-line method for financial statement purposes. Estimated useful lives in years for depreciation are five to seven years for property and equipment. Additions, betterments and replacements are capitalized, while expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operations when incurred. As units of property are sold or retired, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is recognized in income.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity financing as deferred offering costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded in stockholders’ deficit as a reduction of additional paid-in capital generated as a result of the offering. Should the planned equity financing be abandoned, the deferred offering costs will be expensed immediately as a charge to other income and expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. In accordance with this policy, for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, the Company expensed financing costs of $127,343 and $0, respectively.
Income Taxes
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. At December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, the Company had a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.
Per FASB ASC 740-10, disclosure is not required of an uncertain tax position unless it is considered probable that a claim will be asserted and there is a more-likely-than-not possibility that the outcome will be unfavorable. Using this guidance, as of December 31, 2022, and 2021, the Company has no uncertain tax positions that qualify for either recognition or disclosure in the financial statements. The Company’s 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 Federal and State tax returns remain subject to examination by their respective taxing authorities. Neither of the Company’s Federal or State tax returns are currently under examination.
Goodwill and Other Intangibles
The Company tests goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment on at least an annual basis. Impairment exists if the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value. To determine the fair value of goodwill and intangible assets, the Company uses many assumptions and estimates using a market participant approach that directly impact the results of the testing. In making these assumptions and estimates, the Company uses industry accepted valuation models and set criteria that are reviewed and approved by various levels of management.
The Company tests goodwill for impairment on an annual basis on December 31, or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change indicating that the fair value of the goodwill may be below its carrying amount. The Company has four reporting units. The Company uses an income-based approach to determine the fair value of the reporting units. This approach uses a discounted cash flow methodology and the ability of our reporting units to generate cash flows as measures of fair value of our reporting units.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, the Company completed its annual impairment tests of goodwill. The Company performed the qualitative assessment as permitted by ASC 350-20 and determined for three of its reporting units that the fair value of those reporting units was more likely than not greater than their carrying value, including Goodwill. However, based on this qualitative assessment, the Company determined that the carrying value of the Flagship reporting units was more likely than not greater than its carrying value, including Goodwill. Based on the completion of the annual impairment test, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2,322,000 and $0 for goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
Revenue Recognition
Nature of goods and services
The following is a description of the products and services from which the Company generates revenue, as well as the nature, timing of satisfaction of performance obligations, and significant payment terms for each:
1) Cloud Infrastructure and Disaster Recovery Revenue
Cloud Infrastructure provides clients the ability to migrate their on-premises computing and digital storage to DSC’s enterprise-level technical compute and digital storage assets located in Tier 3 data centers. Data Storage Corporation owns the assets and provides a turnkey solution whereby achieving reliable and cost-effective, multi-tenant IBM Power compute, x86/intel, flash digital storage, while providing disaster recovery and cyber security while eliminating client capital expenditures. The client pays a monthly fee and can increase capacity as required.
Clients can subscribe to an array of disaster recovery solutions without subscribing to cloud infrastructure. Product offerings provided directly from DSC are High Availability, Data Vaulting and retention solutions, including standby servers which allows clients to centralize and streamline their mission-critical digital information and technical environment while ensuring business continuity if they experience a cyber-attack or natural disaster Client’s data is vaulted, at two data centers with the maintenance of retention schedules for corporate governances and regulations all to meet their back to work objective in a disaster.
2) Managed Services
These services are performed at the inception of a contract. The Company provides professional assistance to its clients during the implementation processes. On-boarding and set-up services ensure that the solution or software is installed properly and function as designed to provide clients with the best solutions. In addition, clients that are managed service clients have a requirement for DSC to offer time and material billing supplementing the client’s staff.
The Company also derives both one-time and subscription-based revenue, from providing support, management and renewal of software, hardware, third party maintenance contracts and third-party cloud services to clients. The managed services include help desk, remote access, operating system and software patch management, annual recovery tests and manufacturer support for equipment and on-gong monitoring of client system performance.
3) Equipment and Software
The Company provides equipment and software and actively participate in collaboration with IBM to provide innovative business solutions to clients. The Company is a partner of IBM and the various software, infrastructure and hybrid cloud solutions provided to clients.
4) Nexxis Voice over Internet and Direct Internet Access
The Company provides VoIP, Internet access and data transport services to ensure businesses are fully connected to the internet from any location, remote and on premise. The company provides Hosted VoIP solutions with equipment options for IP phones and internet speeds of up to 10Gb delivered over fiber optics.
Disaggregation of revenue
In the following table, revenue is disaggregated by major product line, geography, and timing of revenue recognition.
Schedule of revenue is disaggregated by major product
For the Years
Ended December 31, 2022
United States International Total
Infrastructure & Disaster Recovery/Cloud Service $ 8,116,523 $ 183,855 $ 8,300,378
Equipment and Software 6,194,634 - 6,194,634
Managed Services 8,323,329 122,126 8,445,455
Nexxis VoIP Services 799,675 - 799,675
Other 130,695 - 130,695
Total Revenue $ 23,564,856 $ 305,981 $ 23,870,837
For the Year
Ended December 31, 2021
United States International Total
Cloud Infrastructure & Disaster Recovery $ 7,105,892 $ 97,354 $ 7,203,246
Equipment and Software 2,080,463 - 2,080,463
Managed Services 4,661,777 - 4,661,777
Nexxis Services 772,344 - 772,344
Other 158,397 - 158,397
Total Revenue $ 14,778,873 $ 97,354 $ 14,876,227
For the Years
Ended December 31,
Timing of revenue recognition
Products transferred at a point in time $ 6,325,328 $ 2,694,923
Products and services transferred over time 17,545,509 12,181,304
Total Revenue $ 23,870,837 $ 14,876,227
Contract receivables are recorded at the invoiced amount and are uncollateralized, non-interest-bearing client obligations. Provisions for estimated uncollectible accounts receivable are made for individual accounts based upon specific facts and circumstances including criteria such as their age, amount, and client standing.
Sales are generally recorded in the month the service is provided. For clients who are billed on an annual basis, deferred revenue is recorded and amortized over the life of the contract.
Transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations
The Company has the following performance obligations:
1) Data Vaulting: Subscription-based cloud service that encrypts and transfers data to a secure Tier 3 data center and further replicates the data to a second Tier 3 DSC technical center where it remains encrypted. Ensuring client retention schedules for corporate compliance and disaster recovery. Provides for twenty-four (24) hour or less recovery time and utilizes advanced data reduction, reduplication technology to shorten back-up and restore time.
2) High Availability: A managed cloud subscription-based service that provides cost-effective mirroring software replication technology and provides one (1) hour or less recovery time for a client to be back in business.
3) Cloud Infrastructure: subscription-based cloud service provides for “capacity on-demand” for IBM Power and X86 Intel server systems.
4) Internet: Subscription-based service, offering continuous internet connection combined with FailSAFE which provides disaster recovery for both a clients’ voice and data environments.
5) Support and Maintenance: Subscription based service offers support for clients on their servers, firewalls, desktops or software. Services are provided 24x7x365 to our clients.
6) Implementation / Set-Up Fees: Onboarding and set-up for cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery as well as Cyber Security.
7) Equipment sales: Sale of servers and data storage equipment to the client.
9) License: Granting SSL certificates and licenses.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Solutions
Subscription services allow clients to access data or receive services for a predetermined period of time. As the client obtains access at a point in time and continues to have access for the remainder of the subscription period, the client is considered to simultaneously receive and consume the benefits provided by the entity’s performance as the entity performs. Accordingly, the related performance obligation is considered to be satisfied ratably over the contract term. As the performance obligation is satisfied evenly across the term of the contract, revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract term.
Initial Set-Up Fees
The Company accounts for set-up fees as a separate performance obligation. Set-up services are performed one-time and accordingly the revenue is recognized at the point in time, and is non-refundable, and the Company is entitled to the payment.
Equipment Sales
The obligation for the equipment sales is such the control of the product transfer is at a point in time (i.e., when the goods have been shipped or delivered to the client’s location, depending on shipping terms). Noting that the satisfaction of the performance obligation, in this sense, does not occur over time, the performance obligation is considered to be satisfied at a point in time when the obligation to the client has been fulfilled (i.e., when the goods have left the shipping facility or delivered to the client, depending on shipping terms).
License - granting SSL certificates and other licenses
Performance obligations as it relates to licensing is that the control of the product transfers, either at a point in time or over time, depending on the nature of the license. The revenue standard identifies two types of licenses of IP: (i) a right to access IP; and, (ii) a right to use IP. To assist in determining whether a license provides a right to use or a right to access IP, ASC 606 defines two categories of IP: Functional and Symbolic. The Company’s license arrangements typically do not require the Company to make its proprietary content available to the client either through a download or through a direct connection. Throughout the life of the contract the Company does not continue to provide updates or upgrades to the license granted. Based on the guidance, the Company considers its license offerings to be akin to functional IP and recognizes revenue at the point in time the license is granted and/or renewed for a new period.
Payment Terms
The typical terms of subscription contracts range from 12 to 36 months, with auto-renew options extending the contract for an additional term. The Company invoices clients one month in advance for its services, in addition to any contractual data overages or for additional services.
Warranties
The Company offers guaranteed service levels and service guarantees on some of its contracts. These warranties are not sold separately and are accounted as “assurance warranties”.
Significant Judgement
In the instance where contracts have multiple performance obligations the Company uses judgment to establish a stand-alone price for each performance obligation. The price for each performance obligation is determined by reviewing market data for similar services as well as the Company’s historical pricing of each individual service. The sum of each performance obligation is calculated to determine the aggregate price for the individual services. The proportion of each individual service to the aggregate price is determined. The ratio is applied to the total contract price in order to allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset might not be recoverable. An impairment loss, measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value is recognized if the carrying amount exceeds estimated un-discounted future cash flows.
Advertising Costs
The Company expenses the costs associated with advertising as they are incurred. The Company incurred $966,268 and $396,303 for advertising costs for the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company follows the requirements of FASB ASC 718-10-10, Share-Based Payments with regards to stock-based compensation issued to employees and non-employees. The Company has agreements and arrangements that call for stock to be awarded to the employees and consultants at various times as compensation and periodic bonuses. The expense for this stock-based compensation is equal to the fair value of the stock price on the day the stock was awarded multiplied by the number of shares awarded. The Company has a relatively low forfeiture rate of stock-based compensation and forfeitures are recognized as they occur.
The valuation methodology used to determine the fair value of the options issued during the period is the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires the use of a number of assumptions including the volatility of the stock price, the average risk-free interest rate, and the weighted average expected life of the options. Risk-free interest rates are calculated based on continuously compounded risk-free rates for the appropriate term. The dividend yield is assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid or declared any cash dividends on its Common Stock and does not intend to pay dividends on its Common Stock in the foreseeable future. The expected forfeiture rate is estimated based on management’s best assessment.
Estimated volatility is a measure of the amount by which DSC’s stock price is expected to fluctuate each year during the expected life of the award. The Company’s calculation of estimated volatility is based on historical stock prices over a period equal to the expected life of the awards.
Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share
Basic income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) adjusted for income or loss that would result from the assumed conversion of potential common shares from contracts that may be settled in stock or cash by the weighted average number of shares of common stock, common stock equivalents and potentially dilutive securities outstanding during each period.
The following table sets forth the information needed to compute basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021:
Schedule of Earning per share basic and diluted
Year Ended December 31,
Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Shareholders $ (4,356,802
) $ 204,161
Weighted average number of common shares - basic 6,775,140 5,075,716
Dilutive securities
Options - 229,826
Warrants - 1,034,583
Weighted average number of common shares - diluted 6,775,140 6,340,125
Earnings (Loss) per share, basic $ (0.64 ) $ 0.04
Earnings (Loss) per share, diluted $ (0.64 ) $ 0.03
The following table sets forth the number of potential shares of common stock that have been excluded from diluted net income (loss) per share net income (loss) per share because their effect was anti-dilutive:
Schedule of anti-dilutive income (loss) per share
Year ended December 31,
Options 301,391 37,641
Warrants 2,419,193 1,384,610
2,720,584 1,422,251
Note 3 - Prepaids and other current assets
Prepaids and other current assets consist of the following:
Schedule of Prepaids and other current assets
December 31, December 31,
Prepaid Marketing & Promotion $ 4,465 $ -
Prepaid Subscriptions and license 439,088 409,985
Prepaid Maintenance 45,216 80,227
Prepaid Insurance 54,564 -
Other 41,333 46,189
Total prepaids and other current assets $ 584,666 $ 536,401
Note 4- Property and Equipment
Property and equipment, at cost, consist of the following:
Property and equipment
December 31, December 31,
Storage equipment $ 60,288 $ 476,887
Furniture and fixtures 20,860 19,491
Leasehold improvements 20,983 20,983
Computer hardware and software 93,062 317,729
Data center equipment 6,973,295 5,760,146
Gross Property and equipment 7,168,488 6,595,236
Less: Accumulated depreciation (4,956,698 ) (4,657,765 )
Net property and equipment $ 2,211,790 $ 1,937,471
Depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 was $946,989 and $959,974, respectively.
Note 5 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill and intangible assets consisted of the following:
Schedule of intangible assets and goodwill
Estimated life in years Gross amount December 31, 2022, Accumulated Amortization Net
Intangible assets not subject to amortization
Goodwill Indefinite $ 4,238,671 $ - $ 4,238,671
Trademarks Indefinite 514,268 - 514,268
Total intangible assets not subject to amortization
4,752,939 - 4,752,939
Intangible assets subject to amortization
Customer lists 2,614,099 1,167,075 1,447,024
ABC acquired contracts 310,000 310,000 -
SIAS acquired contracts 660,000 660,000 -
Non-compete agreements 272,147 272,147 -
Website and Digital Assets 33,002 18,650 14,352
Total intangible assets subject to amortization
3,889,248 2,427,872 1,461,376
Total Goodwill and Intangible Assets
$ 8,642,187 $ 2,427,872 $ 6,214,315
Scheduled amortization over the next five years are as follows:
Schedule of amortization over the next two years
Twelve months ending December 31,
$ 277,560
271,078
267,143
267,143
267,143
Thereafter 111,309
Total $ 1,461,376
Amortization expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 was $278,922 and $324,371 respectively.
Note 6-Leases
Operating Leases
The Company currently maintains two leases for office space located in Melville, NY.
The first lease for office space in Melville, NY commenced on September 1, 2019. The term of this lease is for three years and eleven months and runs co-terminus with our existing lease in the same building. The base annual rent is $11,856 payable in equal monthly installments of $988.
A second lease for office space in Melville, NY, was entered into on November 20, 2017, which commenced on April 2, 2018. The term of this lease is five years and three months at $86,268 per year with an escalation of 3% per year and expires on July 31, 2023.
On July 31, 2021, the Company signed a three-year lease for approximately 2,880 square feet of office space at 980 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL. The commencement date of the lease was August 2, 2021. The monthly rent is approximately $4,820.
The Company leases cages and racks for technical space in Tier 3 data centers in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Florida. These leases are month to month. The monthly rent is approximately $39,000. The Company also leases technical space in Dallas, TX. The lease term is thirteen months and monthly payments are $1,403. The lease term expires on July 31, 2023.
On January 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement for office space with WeWork in Austin, TX. The lease term is six months and requires monthly payments of $1,470 and expires on June 30, 2022. Subsequent to June 30, 2022, the company is on a $3,073 month-to-month lease with WeWork in Austin, TX.
Finance Lease Obligations
On June 1, 2020, the Company entered into a lease agreement with a finance company to lease technical equipment. The lease obligation is payable in monthly installments of $5,008. The lease carries an interest rate of 7% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends June 1, 2023.
On June 29, 2020, the Company entered into a lease agreement for technical equipment with a finance company. The lease obligation is payable in monthly installments of $5,050. The lease carries an interest rate of 7% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends June 29, 2023.
On July 31, 2020, the Company entered into a lease agreement for technical equipment with a finance company. The lease obligation is payable in monthly installments of $4,524. The lease carries an interest rate of 7% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends July 31, 2023.
On November 1, 2021, the Company entered into a lease agreement with a finance company for technical equipment. The lease obligation is payable in monthly installments of $3,152. The lease carries an interest rate of 6% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends September 21, 2024.
On January 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement with a finance company for technical equipment. The lease obligation is payable in monthly installments of $17,718. The lease carries an interest rate of 5% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends January 1, 2025.
On January 1, 2022, the Company entered into a technical equipment lease with a finance company. The lease obligation is payable in monthly installments of $2,037. The lease carries an interest rate of 6% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends January 1, 2025.
Finance Lease Obligations - Related Party
On April 1, 2018, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading Inc. (“Systems Trading”) to refinance all equipment leases into one lease. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with bi-monthly installments of $23,475. The lease carries an interest rate of 5% and is a four-year lease. The term of the lease ends April 16, 2022. Systems Trading is owned and operated by Harold Schwartz the president of CloudFirst.
On January 1, 2019, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $29,592. The lease carries an interest rate of 6.75% and is a five-year lease. The term of the lease ends December 31, 2023.
On April 1, 2019, the Company entered into two lease agreements with Systems Trading to add data center equipment. The first lease calls for monthly installments of $1,328 and expires on March 1, 2022. It carries an interest rate of 7%. The second lease calls for monthly installments of $461 and expires on March 1, 2022. It carries an interest rate of 6.7%.
On January 1, 2020, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading to lease equipment. The lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $10,534. The lease carries an interest rate of 6% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends January 1, 2023.
On March 4, 2021, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading effective April 1, 2021. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $1,567 and expires on March 31, 2024. The lease carries an interest rate of 8%.
On January 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading effective January 1, 2022. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $7,145 and expires on April 1, 2025. The lease carries an interest rate of 8%.
On April 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading effective May 1, 2022. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $6,667 and expires on February 1, 2025. The lease carries an interest rate of 8%.
The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Right of Use “ROU” assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent its obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the estimated present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company’s lease term includes options to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain that it will exercise that option. Leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet, per the election of the practical expedient. ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the estimated present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company recognizes lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company recognizes variable lease payments in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. Variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate are initially measured using the index or rate at the commencement date, otherwise variable lease payments are recognized in the period incurred. A discount rate of 5% was used in preparation of the ROU asset and operating liabilities.
The components of lease expense were as follows:
Schedule of components of lease expense
Year Ended
December 31, 2022
Finance leases:
Amortization of assets, included in depreciation and amortization expense $ 672,511
Interest on lease liabilities, included in interest expense 127,871
Operating lease:
Amortization of assets, included in total operating expense 200,417
Interest on lease liabilities, included in total operating expense 16,643
Total net lease cost $ 1,017,442
Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:
Operating Leases:
Operating lease right-of-use asset $ 226,501
Current operating lease liabilities $ 160,657
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities 71,772
Total operating lease liabilities $ 232,429
December 31, 2022
Finance leases:
Property and equipment, at cost $ 5,521,716
Accumulated amortization (3,431,562 )
Property and equipment, net $ 2,090,154
Current obligations of finance leases $ 880,491
Finance leases, net of current obligations 537,483
Total finance lease liabilities $ 1,417,974
Supplemental cash flow and other information related to leases were as follows:
Schedule of supplemental cash flow and other information related to leases
Year Ended December 31, 2022
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows related to operating leases $ 199,329
Financing cash flows related to finance leases $ 1,254,249
Weighted average remaining lease term (in years):
Operating leases 1.28
Finance leases 1.30
Weighted average discount rate:
Operating leases 5 %
Finance leases 7 %
Long-term obligations under the operating and finance leases at December 31, 2022, mature as follows:
Schedule of long-term obligations under the operating and finance leases
For the Twelve Months Ended December 31, Operating Leases Finance Leases
$ 175,296 $ 946,217
63,983 504,942
- 52,009
Total lease payments 239,279 1,503,168
Less: Amounts representing interest (6,850 ) (85,194 )
Total lease obligations 232,429 1,417,974
Less: long-term obligations (71,772 ) (537,483 )
Total current $ 160,657 $ 880,491
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had no additional significant operating or finance leases that had not yet commenced. Rent expense under all operating leases for the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 was $212,948 and $184,131, respectively.
Note 7 - Commitments and Contingencies
As part of the Flagship acquisition the Company acquired a licensing agreement for marketing related materials with a National Football League team. The Company has approximately $1.3 million in payments over the next 5 years.
Note 8 - Note Payable
On April 30, 2020, the Company was granted a loan from a banking institution, in the principal amount of $481,977 (the “Loan”), pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) under Division A, Title I of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), which was enacted on March 27, 2020. The Loan, which was in the form of a Note dated April 30, 2020, matures on April 30, 2022, and bears interest at a fixed rate of 1.00% per annum, payable monthly commencing on November 5, 2020. Funds from the loan may only be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage payments, lease payments and utility payments. Management used the entire Loan amount for qualifying expenses. Under the terms of the PPP, certain amounts of the Loan may be forgiven if they are used for qualifying expenses as described in the CARES Act. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recorded interest of $6,140. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the PPP loan and accrued interest were forgiven and the Company recorded a gain on forgiveness of debt on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
On June 1, 2021, the Company assumed the PPP loan of Flagship Solutions, LLC in the amount of $307,300. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recorded interest of $3,423. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the PPP loan and accrued interest were forgiven and the Company recorded a gain on forgiveness of debt on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Note 9 - Stockholders’ (Deficit)
Capital Stock
The Company has 260,000,000 authorized shares of capital stock, consisting of 250,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001, and 10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share.
On May 13, 2021, the Company entered into an underwritten public offering of an aggregate of 1,600,000 units, each consisting of one share of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, together with one warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price equal to $7.425 per share of Common Stock.
The public offering price was $6.75 per Unit and the underwriters agreed to purchase 1,600,000 Units at a 7.5% discount to the public offering price. The Company granted the representative a 45-day option to purchase an additional 240,000 shares of Common Stock and/or an additional 240,000 Warrants, in any combination thereof, to cover over-allotments. On May 15, 2021, the representative exercised the over-allotment option to purchase an additional 240,000 Warrants to purchase 240,000 shares of Common Stock. The net proceeds from the offering were $9.5 million.
On May 14, 2021, the Company effected a 1-for-40 reverse stock split. As a result, all share information in the accompanying financial statements has been adjusted as if the reverse stock split happened on the earliest date presented.
On July 21, 2021, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited institutional investors resulting in the raise of $8,305,000 in gross proceeds to the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement, the Company agreed to sell, (i) an aggregate of 1,375,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share and (ii) Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,031,250 shares of the Company’s Common Stock at an exercise price of $6.15 per share, subject to adjustment.
The placement agent was entitled to a cash fee of 6.5% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and the reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses up to $50,000. The net proceeds from the offering were $7.5 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, employees exercised 6,592 options via cashless exercise, into 5,060 shares of common stock.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, warrant holders exercised 455,390 Warrants into Common Stock. The Company received $3,381,271 for these Warrants.
On May 1, 2022, the Company issued 125,000 shares of its Restricted Common Stock to employees in exchange for services at a fair value of $400,000.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, employees exercised 3,334 options into shares of Common Stock. The Company received $6,934 for these options.
Common Stock Options
A summary of the Company’s options activity and related information follows:
Schedule of option activity and related information
Number of
Weighted Weighted
Shares Range of Average Average
Under Option Price Exercise Contractual
Options Per Share Price Life
Options Outstanding at January 1, 2020 207,748 $ 2.00 - 15.76 $ 5.20 6.6
Options Granted 82,157 3.03 - 5.80 4.50
Exercised (6,592 ) 2.00 2.00 -
Expired/Cancelled (15,846 ) 3.00 - 14.00 5.89 -
Options Outstanding at December 31, 2021 267,467 $ 2.00 - 16.00 $ 5.19 6.94
Options Granted 117,343 1.48 - 5.87 2.72
Exercised (3,334 ) 2.00 - 2.16 2.08 -
Expired/Cancelled (80,085 ) 2.00 - 16.00 7.49 -
Options Outstanding at December 31, 2022 301,391 $ 2.00 - 15.76 $ 3.46 7.45
Options Exercisable at December 31, 2022 166,945 $ 2.00 - 15.76 $ 3.71 5.98
Share-based compensation expense for options totaling $282,193 and $171,798 was recognized in our results for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
The valuation methodology used to determine the fair value of the options issued during the year was the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires the use of a number of assumptions including the volatility of the stock price, the average risk-free interest rate, and the weighted average expected life of the options.
The risk-free interest rate assumption is based upon observed interest rates on zero-coupon U.S. Treasury bonds whose maturity period is appropriate for the term of the options.
Estimated volatility is a measure of the amount by which the Company’s stock price is expected to fluctuate each year during the expected life of the award. The Company’s calculation of estimated volatility is based on historical stock prices of the Company over a period equal to the expected life of the awards.
As of December 31, 2022, there was $335,272 of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested employee options granted under the Company’s share-based compensation plans that is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 2.03 years.
The weighted average fair value of options granted, and the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model during the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, are set forth in the table below.
Schedule of weighted average fair value of options granted
Weighted average fair value of options granted
$ 2.72
$ 5.35
Risk-free interest rate
1.63% - 3.83 %
1.31% - 1.62 %
Volatility
199% - 214 %
217% - 219 %
Expected life (years)
10 years
10 years
Dividend yield
$ - %
$ - %
Share-based awards, restricted stock award (“RSAs”)
On March 31, 2022, the Board resolved that, the Company shall pay each member of the Board, compensation as a group amount to $40,375. The shares vest one year after issuance.
On June 30, 2022, the Board resolved that, the Company shall pay each member of the Board, compensation as a group amount to $30,625. The shares vest one year after issuance.
On September 30, 2022, the Board resolved that, the Company shall pay each member of the Board, compensation as a group amount to $25,000. The shares vest one year after issuance.
On December 31, 2022, the Board resolved that, the Company shall pay each member of the Board, compensation as a group amount to $18,500. The shares vest one year after issuance.
A summary of the activity related to RSUs for the year ended December 31, 2022, is presented below:
Schedule of non-vested Restricted stock units
Total
Grant Date
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) Shares
Fair Value
RSUs non-vested at January 1, 2022 -
$ -
RSUs granted 50,000
$ 1.48 - 3.23
RSUs vested -
$ -
RSUs forfeited -
$ -
RSUs non-vested December 31, 2022 50,000
$ 1.48 - 3.23
Stock-based compensation for RSU’s has been recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and totaled $52,285 for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Common Stock Warrant
A summary of the Company’s warrant activity and related information follows:
Schedule of warrant activity and related information
Weighted
Number of Range of Weighted Average
Shares Option Price Average Contractual
Under Options Per Share Exercise Price Life
Warrant Outstanding at January 1, 2021 3,333 $ 0.40 $ 0.40 3.50
Warrant Granted 2,871,250 7.43 - 6.67 6.97 -
Exercised (455,390 ) 7.43 7.43 -
Expired/Cancelled - - - -
Warrant Outstanding at December 31, 2021 2,419,193 $ 7.43 - 0.40 $ 6.87 4.67
Warrant Granted - - - -
Warrant Outstanding at December 31, 2022 2,419,193 $ 7.43 - 0.40 $ 6.87 3.67
Warrant Exercisable at December 31, 2022 2,419,193 $ 7.43 - 0.40 $ 6.87 3.67
Preferred Stock
Liquidation preference
Upon any liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, before any distribution or payment shall be made to the holders of any Common Stock, the holders of Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to be paid out of the assets of the Corporation legally available for distribution to stockholders, for each share of Series A Preferred Stock held by such holder, an amount per share of Series A Preferred Stock equal to the Original Issue Price for such share of Series A Preferred Stock plus all accrued and unpaid dividends on such share of Series A Preferred Stock as of the date of the Liquidation Event. No Preferred shares are issued as of December 31, 2021.
Conversion
The number of shares of Common Stock to which a share of Series A Preferred Stock may be converted shall be the product obtained by dividing the Original Issue Price of such share of Series A Preferred Stock by the then-effective Conversion Price (as defined herein) for such share of Series A Preferred Stock. The Conversion Price for the Series A Preferred Stock shall initially be equal to $0.02 and shall be adjusted from time to time.
Voting
Each holder of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to the number of votes, upon any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation (or action taken by written consent in lieu of any such meeting) equal to the number of shares of Class B Common Stock into which such shares of Series A Preferred Stock could be converted.
Dividends
Each share of Series A Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of all common stock, shall entitle its holder to receive, but only out of funds that are legally available therefore, cash dividends at the rate of ten percent (10%) per annum from the Original Issue Date on the Original Issue Price for such share of Series A Preferred Stock, compounding annually unless paid by the Company. On May 18, 2021, the Company converted 1,401,786 shares of Series A Preferred Stock into 43,806 shares of common stock. As part of this transaction, the Company also paid $1,179,357 the accrued and unpaid dividends. Accrued dividends at December 31, 2021, were $0.
Note 10 - Income Taxes
The components of deferred taxes are as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss carry forwards
2,368,000
1,752,000
Other
163,000
316,000
Total deferred tax assets
2,531,000
2,068,000
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment
(211,000)
-
Intangibles
(1,180,000 )
(91,000 )
Other
(63,000 )
(308,000 )
Total deferred tax liabilities
(1,454,000 )
(399,000 )
Valuation Allowance
(1,077,000 )
(1,669,000 )
Net deferred tax liabilities
-
-
The Company had federal and state net operating tax loss carry-forwards of $7,841,000 and $7,511,000, respectively as of December 31, 2022. The tax loss carry-forwards are available to offset future taxable income with the federal and state carry-forwards beginning to expire in 2028.
In 2022 and 2021, net deferred tax assets did not change due to the full allowance. The gross amount of the asset is predominantly due to the net operating loss carry-forward. The realization of the tax benefits is subject to the sufficiency of taxable income in future years. The combined deferred tax assets represent the amounts expected to be realized before expiration.
The Company periodically assesses the likelihood that it will be able to recover its deferred tax assets. The Company considers all available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible profits. As a result of this analysis of all available evidence, both positive and negative, the Company concluded that it is more likely than not that its net deferred tax assets will ultimately not be recovered and, accordingly, a valuation allowance was recorded as of December 31, 2022, and 2021.
A reconciliation of the Company’s effective income tax rate to the expected income tax rate, computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate of 21.0% for each of the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 to the Company’s loss before provision (benefit) for income taxes, is as follows:
Schedule of expected income tax expense (benefit)
U.S. Federal Statutory Rate 21.0 % 21.0 %
State Taxes 7.1 % 7.1 %
Valuation allowance (28.1 )% (12.2 )%
Income tax provision - % (12.9) %
Note 11 - Litigation
We are currently not involved in any litigation that we believe could have a materially adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization or body pending or, to the knowledge of the executive officers of our company or any of our subsidiaries, threatened against or affecting DSC, its common stock, any of its subsidiaries or of DSC’s or DSC’s subsidiaries’ officers or directors in their capacities as such, in which an adverse decision could have a material adverse effect.
Note 12 - Related Party Transactions
Finance Lease Obligations - Related Party
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company entered into two related party finance lease obligations. See Note 6 for details.
Nexxis Capital LLC
Charles M. Piluso (Chairman and CEO) and Harold Schwartz (President) collectively own 100% of Nexxis Capital LLC (“Nexxis Capital”). Nexxis Capital was formed to purchase equipment and provide leases to Nexxis Inc.’s customers. The Company received funds of $39,172 and $14,209 during the year ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 respectively.
Note 13 - Merger
Flagship Solutions, LLC
On February 4, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Data Storage FL, LLC, a Florida limited liability company and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary (the “Merger Sub”), Flagship Solutions, LLC (“Flagship”), a Florida limited liability company, and the owners (collectively, the “Equity holders”) of all of the issued and outstanding limited liability company membership interests in Flagship (collectively, the “Equity Interests”). The Company acquired Flagship on May 31, 2021, and became its wholly-owned subsidiary. The purchase price was $5.5 million.
In addition, the cash merger consideration paid by the Company to the Equity holders at Closing shall be adjusted, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, by the amount by which Flagship’s net working capital at Closing is more or is less than the target working capital amount specified in the Merger Agreement.
Concurrently with the Closing, Flagship and Mark Wyllie, Flagship’s Chief Executive Officer, entered into an Employment Agreement, which was effective upon consummation of the Closing, pursuant to which Mr. Wyllie will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Flagship following the Closing on the terms and conditions set forth therein. Flagship’s obligations under the Wyllie Employment Agreement will also be guaranteed by the Company. The Wyllie Employment Agreement provides for: (i) an annual base salary of $170,000, (ii) management bonuses comprised of twenty-five percent (25%) of Flagship’s net income available in free cash flow as determined in accordance with GAAP for each calendar quarter during the term, (iii) an agreement to issue him stock options of the Company, subject to approval by the Board, commensurate with his position and performance and reflective of the executive compensation plans that the Company has in place with its other subsidiaries of similar size to Flagship, (iv) life insurance benefits in the amount of $400,000, and (v) four weeks paid vacation. In the event Mr. Wyllie’s employment is terminated by him for good reason (as defined in the Wyllie Employment Agreement) or by Flagship without cause, he will be entitled to receive his annual base salary through the expiration of the initial three-year employment term and an amount equal to his last annual bonus paid, payable quarterly. Pursuant to the Wyllie Employment Agreement, we agreed to elect Mr. Wyllie to the Board and the board of directors of Flagship to serve so long as he continues to be employed by the Company. The employment agreement contains customary non-competition provisions that apply during its term and for a period of two years after the term expires. In addition, pursuant to the Wyllie Employment Agreement, Mr. Wyllie was appointed to serve as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors and the board of directors of Flagship to serve so long as he continues to be employed by us. On October 28, 2022, Mark Wyllie resigned from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Flagship. Additionally, in connection with the resignation, Mr. Wyllie will no longer serve as the Executive Vice President of the Company or a member of the Company’s Board of Directors.
Following the closing of the transaction, Flagship’s financial statements as of the Closing were consolidated with the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company.
The following sets forth the components of the purchase price:
Schedule of purchase price
Purchase price:
Cash paid to the seller $ 6,149,343
Total purchase price 6,149,343
Tangible Assets Acquired:
Cash 212,068
Accounts Receivable 1,389,263
Prepaid Expenses 127,574
Fixed Assets 4,986
Website and Digital Assets 33,002
Security Deposits 22,500
Total Tangible Assets Acquired 1,789,393
Tangible Liabilities Assumed:
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses 514,354
Deferred Revenue 68,736
Deferred Tax Liability 399,631
PPP Loan Payable 307,300
Total Tangible Liabilities Assumed 1,290,021
Net Tangible Assets Acquired 499,372
Excess Purchase Price $ 5,649,971
The following table shows the allocation of the excess purchase price.
Summary of the allocation of the excess purchase price
Customer Relationships $ 1,870,000
Trade Names 235,000
Assembled Workforce 287,000
Goodwill 3,257,971
Excess Purchase Price $ 5,649,971
The intangible assets acquired include the trade names, customer relationships, assembled workforce, and goodwill. The deferred tax liability represents the tax affected timing differences relating to the acquired intangible assets to the extent they are not offset by acquired deferred tax assets.
The goodwill represents the assembled workforce, acquired capabilities, and future economic benefits resulting from the acquisition. No portion of the goodwill is deductible for tax purposes.
The following presents the unaudited pro-forma combined results of operations of the Company with Flagship Solutions as if the entities were combined on January 1, 2021.
Schedule of unaudited pro-forma
December 31,
Revenues $ 23,051,759
Net income attributable to common shareholders $ 1,526,938
Net income per share $ 0.30
Weighted average number of shares outstanding 5,075,716
Note 14 - Segment Information
We operate in three reportable segments: Nexxis, Flagship Solutions Group, and CloudFirst. Our segments were determined based on our internal organizational structure, the manner in which our operations are managed, and the criteria used by our Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) to evaluate performance, which is generally the segment’s operating income or losses.
Schedule of segment reporting income or losses
Operations of:
Products and services provided:
Nexxis Inc
NEXXIS is a single-source solution provider that delivers fully-managed cloud-based voice services, data transport, internet access, and SD-WAN solutions focused on business continuity for today’s modern business environment.
Flagship Solutions, LLC
Flagship Solutions Group (FSG) is a managed service provider. FSG invoices clients primarily for services that assist the clients’ technical teams. FSG has few technical assets and utilizes the assets or software of other cloud providers, whereby managing 3rd party infrastructure. FSG periodically sells equipment and software.
CloudFirst Technologies Corporation
CloudFirst, provides services from CloudFirst technological assets deployed in six Tier 3 data centers throughout the USA and Canada. This technology has been developed by CloudFirst. Clients are invoiced for cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery on the CloudFirst platform. Services provided to clients are provided on a subscription basis on long term contracts.
The following tables present certain financial information related to our reportable segments and Corporate:
Schedule of financial information related to reportable segments
As of December 31, 2022
Nexxis Inc. Flagship Solutions LLC CloudFirst Technologies Corporate Total
Accounts receivable $ 34,903 $ 1,924,184 $ 1,543,749 $ - $ 3,502,836
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 16,799 213,826 285,306 68,735 584,666
Net Property and Equipment - 19,705 2,192,085 - 2,211,790
Intangible assets, net - 1,696,376 279,268 - 1,975,644
Goodwill - 1,222,971 3,015,700 - 4,238,671
Operating lease right-of-use assets - 167,761 58,740 - 226,501
All other assets - - - 11,346,127 11,346,127
Total Assets $ 51,702 $ 5,244,823 $ 7,374,848 $ 11,414,862 $ 24,086,235
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 40,091 $ 1,563,408 $ 1,069,278 $ 534,800 $ 3,207,577
Deferred revenue - 165,725 115,335 - 281,060
Total Finance leases payable - - 641,110 - 641,110
Total Finance leases payable related party - - 776,864 - 776,864
Total Operating lease liabilities - 169,469 62,960 - 232,429
Total Liabilities $ 40,091 $ 1,898,602 $ 2,665,547 $ 534,800 $ 5,139,040
As of December 31, 2021
Nexxis Inc. Flagship Solutions LLC CloudFirst Technologies Corporate Total
Accounts receivable $ 19,094 $ 1,437,840 $ 927,433 $ - $ 2,384,367
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 6,117 330,777 198,860 536,401
Net Property and Equipment - 6,036 1,931,435 - 1,937,471
Intangible assets, net - 1,975,298 279,268 - 2,254,566
Goodwill - 3,544,971 3,015,700 - 6,560,671
Operating lease right-of-use assets - 268,698 153,620 - 422,318
All other assets - - - 12,239,029 12,239,029
Total Assets $ 25,211 $ 7,563,620 $ 6,506,316 $ 12,239,676 $ 26,334,823
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 49,291 $ 274,387 $ 812,192 $ 207,521 $ 1,343,391
Deferred revenue - - 366,859 - 366,859
Total Finance leases payable - - 373,723 - 373,723
Total Finance leases payable related party - - 1,204,447 - 1,204,447
Total Operating lease liabilities - 269,407 162,351 - 431,758
Total Liabilities $ 49,291 $ 543,794 $ 2,919,572 $ 207,521 $ 3,720,178
For the year ended December 31, 2022
Nexxis Inc.
Flagship Solutions LLC
CloudFirst Technologies
Corporate
Total
Sales
$ 931,341
$ 11,395,770
$ 11,543,726
$ -
$ 23,870,837
Cost of sales
600,410
9,041,684
6,145,450
-
15,787,544
Gross Profit
330,931
2,354,086
5,398,276
-
8,083,293
Selling, general and administrative
403,370
3,599,572
2,391,613
2,216,842
8,611,397
Impairment of goodwill
2,322,000
-
-
2,322,000
Depreciation and amortization
-
282,684
943,227
-
1,225,911
Total operating expenses
403,370
6,204,256
3,334,840
2,216,842
12,159,308
Loss from Operations
(72,439 )
(3,850,170 )
2,063,436
(2,216,842 )
(4,076,015 )
Interest expense, net
-
(319 )
(138,365 )
8,597
(130,087 )
Other expense
-
(75,418)
-
-
(75,418)
Impairment of deferred offering costs
-
-
-
(127,343 )
(127,343 )
Total Other Income (Expense)
-
(75,737 )
(138,365 )
(118,746 )
(332,848 )
Income (Loss) before provision for income taxes
$ (72,439 )
$ (3,925,907
)
$ 1,925,071
$ (2,335,588 )
$ (4,408,863 )
For the year ended December 31, 2021
Nexxis Inc. Flagship Solutions LLC CloudFirst Technologies Corporate Total
Sales $ 817,175 $ 3,853,473 $ 10,205,579 $ - $ 14,876,227
Cost of sales 527,159 2,334,331 5,597,627 - 8,459,117
Gross Profit 290,016 1,519,142 4,607,952 - 6,417,110
Selling, general and administrative 329,628 1,965,727 2,763,880 840,602 5,899,837
Depreciation and amortization - 168,011.00 1,116,334.00 - 1,284,345
Total operating expenses 329,628 2,133,738 3,880,214 840,602 7,184,182
Loss from Operations (39,612 ) (614,596 ) 727,738 (840,602 ) (767,072 )
Interest expense, net - (3,423 ) (123,323 ) - (126,746 )
All other expenses - 310,723 443,385 - 754,108
Total Other Income (Expense) - 307,300 320,062 - 627,362
Income (Loss) before provision for income taxes $ (39,612 ) $ (307,296 ) $ 1,047,800 $ (840,602 ) $ (139,710 )
Note 15 - Subsequent Events
Subsequent to December 31, 2022, the Company issued 132,354 options to employees through the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan. These options vest over three years and have exercise prices ranging from $1.61 - $1.96.
Subsequent to December 31, 2022, the Company issued 132,354 restricted stock units to employees through the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan. These RSUs vest over three years and do not have an expiration date.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
As of the end of the period covered by this Report, under the supervision and with the participation of DSC’s management, including its principal executive officer, DSC conducted an evaluation of its disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls were not effective as of December 31, 2022, based on the material weaknesses identified below.
Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. This material weakness contributed to the Company not designing and maintaining formal controls to analyze, account for, and disclose complex transactions, including the accounting for certain consideration received from a vendor. These material weaknesses resulted in the restatement of the Company’s previously filed quarterly condensed consolidated financial information for the periods ended June 30, 2022, related to accrued expenses, cost of goods sold, gross profit, loss from operations, net loss, earnings per share and the related disclosures.
Remediation Plan for the Material Weaknesses
In response to the aforementioned material weaknesses, management has expended and will continue to expand a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting. In November of 2022, management and its advisors began evaluating and documenting the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and their work is ongoing. Our plan also includes advisors looking over all material agreements monthly to determine accounting treatment for complex transactions. The material weaknesses will be considered remediated once management completes the design and implementation of the measures described above and the controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are effective.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
As described above, there were changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the year ended December 31, 2022, which have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
PART III

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The following table sets forth the names, ages, and positions of the Company’s executive officers and directors. Executive officers are elected annually by its Board of Directors. Each executive officer holds his office until he resigns, is removed by the Board, or his successor is elected and qualified. Each director holds his office until his successor is elected and qualified or his earlier resignation or removal.
Name
Age
Position
Charles M. Piluso
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
Chris H. Panagiotakos
Chief Financial Officer
Harold J. Schwartz
Director, President
Thomas C. Kempster
Director, Executive Vice President
John Argen
Director
Joseph B. Hoffman
Director
Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr.
Director
Matthew Grover
Director
Todd A. Correll
Director
Charles M. Piluso, Chairman of the Board and, Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Piluso is Data Storage’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. He has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2008, Treasurer since 2020, and Chairman of the Board since 2008. Prior to founding Data Storage in 2001, Mr. Piluso founded North American Telecommunication Corporation a facilities-based Competitive Local Exchange Carrier licensed by the Public Service Commission in ten states, serving as the company’s Chairman and President from 1997 to 2000. Between 1990 and 1997, Mr. Piluso served as Chairman & Founder of International Telecommunications Corporation (“ITC”), a facilities-based international carrier licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. ITC participated in a consolidation strategy that went public in 1997 for $800 million. Mr. Piluso holds a bachelor’s degree, a Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master of Business Administration all from St. John’s University. He was an Instructor Professor at St. John’s University, College of Business from 1986 through 1988. From 2001 to 2013, served on the Board of Trustees of Molloy College. Mr. Piluso served on the Board of Governors at St. John’s University from 2001 to 2016 and Governor Emeritus; and is currently serving on the Board of Advisors for the Nassau County Police Department Foundation.
We believe that Mr. Piluso is qualified to serve as a member of our Board due to his technical expertise and management experience of technology and communications companies.
Chris H. Panagiotakos, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Panagiotakos has served as our Chief Financial Officer since May 18, 2021. Mr. Panagiotakos served as the Vice President, Corporate Controller of Cinedigm Corp. (CIDM: Nasdaq Global Market) from April 2017 until March 2021, where he was responsible for the company’s accounting function, oversight of the company’s external audit, compliance and controls in addition to staff training and development. Prior to becoming Vice President, Corporate Controller of Cinedigm Corp, he served as their Corporate Assistant Controller from October 2013 to April 2017. From September 2004 to October 2013, Mr. Panagiotakos served in various capacities in the accounting department at Young Broadcasting Inc., including as Controller of one its divisions and Assistant Corporate Controller. Mr. Panagiotakos has over 24 years in public company accounting experience, and he brings a broad range of experience related to public company accounting matters. Mr. Panagiotakos holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Bernard M. Baruch College, a Masters of Business Administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Harold J. Schwartz, President and Director
Mr. Schwartz is CloudFirst’s President and serves as a Director. He has served as President and Director since December 2016 and served as Treasurer from 2016 to 2020. Since 1995, Mr. Schwartz has served as vice president of ABC Services, Inc., which he co-founded, where he was responsible for the strategic direction of the company, operations, business development and sales. Over the past two decades, Mr. Schwartz has honed his expertise in IBM business systems, business continuity and helping organizations increase IT performance while reducing costs. In addition, Mr. Schwartz is the founder of Systems Trading, Inc., a technology leasing company established in 1997, where Mr. Schwartz serves as the company’s CEO and president. Prior to founding these two businesses, Mr. Schwartz was with CAC Leasing for six years, where he started a lease asset sales division in 1991. This division was established shortly after Mr. Schwartz earned his bachelor’s degree in business from California State University in San Bernardino. Since 2010, Mr. Schwartz has served on the Board of Advisors for Data Storage Corporation.
We believe that Mr. Schwartz is qualified to serve as a member of our Board due to his proven ability to strengthen and improve the operations of the companies he has been a part of his experience in sales and business development and his knowledge of the industry.
Thomas C. Kempster, Executive Vice President and Director
Mr. Kempster is Flagship Solution Group’s President, Data Storage’s Executive Vice President and has served as Director since 2016. Prior to his current position, Mr. Kempster served as the President of Service Delivery until 2021 and was directly responsible for the foundation of the Company’s highly rated customer service which is exists today. Prior to Data Storage Corporation Mr. Kempster founded ABC Services in 1994 and served as founder and president until 2016. ABC Services was an IBM Gold partner and provided managed services, equipment, software and specialized in IBM Power systems. In 2012 ABC Services launched a joint venture with Data Storage Corporation to provide cloud infrastructure on IBM Power systems. The joint venture was Secure Infrastructure and Services, (SIAS). In 2016, ABC Services was acquired by Data Storage Corporation.
We believe that Mr. Kempster is qualified to serve as a member of our Board because of his practical experience in a broad range of competencies including his industry experience.
John Argen, Director
Mr. Argen has been a Director since January 12, 2006. Mr. Argen has been a Business Consultant and Developer specializing in the information technology, telecommunications, and construction industries since 2003. He is a seasoned professional that brings 30 years of experience and entrepreneurial success from working with small business owners to Fortune 500 firms. From 1992 to 2003, Mr. Argen was the CEO and founder of DCC Systems, a privately held nationwide Technology Design / Build Construction Development and Consulting Solutions firm. Mr. Argen built DCC Systems from the ground up, re-engineering the firm several times to meet the needs of its clientele and enabled DCC Systems to produce gross revenues exceeding $100 million dollars in 2000. Prior to DCC Systems Mr. Argen held senior management positions for 15 years at ITT/Metromedia and was VP of Engineering& Operations at DataNet, a Wilcox & Gibbs company for 2 years. Throughout his corporate tenure, he has worked in Operations, Marketing, Systems Engineering, Telecommunications and Information Technology. Mr. Argen graduated Pace University with a BPS in Finance. His commitment to continued education is reflected in his completion to over 2000 hours of corporate sponsored courses. Mr. Argen also holds a Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Radio Telephone 1st Class License.
We believe that Mr. Argen is qualified to serve as a member of our Board because of his practical experience in managing the growth of companies, including technology and communication companies, and his general knowledge and experience of the industry.
Joseph B. Hoffman, Director
Mr. Hoffman has been a Director since August 29, 2001. Mr. Hoffman has been a partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office since June 1999. His commercial practice focuses on real estate and corporate transactions cutting across a wide range of industries. Mr. Hoffman’s real estate practice involves developers, borrowers, lenders, buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants. Mr. Hoffman’s corporate experience includes the purchase and sale of assets and companies as well as venture capital, equipment leasing and institutional financing transactions. Mr. Hoffman represents telecommunications companies, real estate developers, lenders, venture capital funds, emerging growth companies, thoroughbred horse industry interests and high net-worth individuals. Mr. Hoffman received his Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from the University of Maryland and his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the George Washington University Law School.
We believe that Mr. Hoffman is qualified to serve as a member of our Board because of his legal knowledge, leadership experience and general industry familiarity.
Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr., Director
Mr. Maglione has been a Director since August 29, 2001. Mr. Maglione has been a partner in the accounting firm Eisner & Maglione CPAs, LLC since January 2007. Mr. Maglione, a co-founder of DSC, LLC, is a financial management veteran with more than 30 years of experience. Prior to joining the Company in 1991, Mr. Maglione was a co-founder of North American Telecommunications Corporation (“NATC”), a local phone service provider which provides local and long-distance telephone services and data connectivity to small and medium sized businesses, where Mr. Maglione served as NATC’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President from September 1997 through January 2001 where he was responsible for all finance, legal and administration functions. Prior to NATC, Mr. Maglione spent over 14 years in public accounting, and he brings a broad range of experience related to companies in the technology, retail services and manufacturing industries. Mr. Maglione holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Hofstra University, a Master of Science in Taxation from LIU Post, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Maglione is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs.
We believe that Mr. Maglione is qualified to serve as a member of our Board because of his practical accounting knowledge, leadership experience and general industry familiarity.
Todd A. Correll, Director
Mr. Correll has served as a Director form August 2014 until September 6, 2017 and then was reappointed to serve as a Director on November 5, 2019, and Mr. Correll previously served as a Director from 2014 to 2017. Mr. Correll has served as a financial and operations executive consultant and board member for SACo, a leading online retail operation. From 2001 through 2017, Mr. Correll founded and served as CEO of Broadsmart Florida, Inc. (“Broadsmart”), a facility-based VoIP carrier. Under Mr. Correll’s leadership as its CEO, Broadsmart grew from a local phone company to a nationwide carrier delivering IP based dial tone, broadband and ancillary services. Broadsmart was acquired by Magic Jack in 2016 for $42 million, and Mr. Correll continued to serve as its CEO until 2017. Mr. Correll attended Syracuse University. Mr. Correll holds a pilot’s license as well as a USCG Captains license.
We believe that Mr. Correll is qualified to serve as a member of our Board because of his practical experience with the Company and his executive experience at telecommunications and technology companies.
Matthew Grover, Director
Mr. Grover has served as a Director since November 5, 2019. Since January 2019, Mr. Grover has served as the Executive Vice President of Business Services at Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS), which is one of the largest broadband communications and video services providers in the United States, delivering broadband, pay television, mobile, proprietary content and advertising services to approximately 4.9 million residential and business customers across 21 states through its Optimum and Suddenlink brands. The company operates an advanced advertising and data business, which provides audience-based, multiscreen advertising solutions to local, regional and national businesses and advertising clients. Altice USA also offers hyper-local, national, international and business news through its News 12, Cheddar and i24NEWS networks. Mr. Grover began his 19-year Altice USA career in 2001 when he joined Altice USA’s Lightpath division as Director of Sales Planning. Since then, he has held various positions with increasing responsibilities. In 2010 Mr. Grover assumed the position of Vice President and General Manager of Optimum West Commercial Services, overseeing sales and sales operations in the Rocky Mountain States of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, until it was sold to Charter Communications in August 2013. From 2013 to 2018, he was Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales, Product, and Marketing. In early 2019, he was promoted to EVP of Business Services. Prior to joining Altice USA, Mr. Grover held various management positions over the course of nearly ten years, including Vice President of Sales at North American Telecom, Global Account Manager at AT&T in Los Angeles, CA, and District Sales Manager at AT&T in New York, NY. He serves as an Advisory Board Member of Data Storage Corporation and is a member of the Board of Trustees at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY. Mr. Grover attained his BA in Economics from Stony Brook University and earned his MBA from the University of Southern California.
We believe that Mr. Grover is qualified to serve as a member of our Board because of his practical experience in a broad range of competencies including his public company experience.
Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors has a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. The following table shows the directors who are currently members or Chairman of each of these committees.
Board Members
Audit
Committee
Compensation
Committee
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
John Argen
Chair
---
Member
Todd A. Correll
---
Member
---
Matthew Grover
Member
Member
---
Joseph B. Hoffman
Member
Chair
Member
Thomas C. Kempster
---
---
---
Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr.
---
---
Chair
Charles M. Piluso
---
---
---
Harold J. Schwartz
---
---
---
Composition of our Board of Directors
Our board of directors currently consists of nine members. Our directors hold office until their successors have been elected and qualified or until the earlier of their death, resignation, or removal. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Director Independence
With the exception of Charles M. Piluso, Harold J. Schwartz and Thomas C. Kempster, our Board has determined that all of our present directors and our former directors are independent, in accordance with the Listing Rules of the Nasdaq (the “Nasdaq Listing Rules”). Our Board has determined that, under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, Charles M. Piluso, Harold J. Schwartz and Thomas C. Kempster are not independent directors because they are employees of the Company or its subsidiaries.
Our Board has determined that: John Argen (Chair), Joseph B. Hoffman, and Matthew Grover are independent under the Nasdaq Listing Rules’ independence standards for the members of our Board’s audit committee (the “Audit Committee”); Joseph B. Hoffman (Chair), Todd A. Correll, and Matthew Grover are independent under the Nasdaq Listing Rules independence standards for the members of our Board compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”); and Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr. (Chair), Joseph B. Hoffman and John Argen are independent under the Nasdaq Listing Rules’ independence standards for the members of our Board’s Nominating & Corporate Governance committee (the “Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee”).
Term of Office
Our directors are elected for one-year terms to hold office until the next annual general meeting of our shareholders or until removed from office in accordance with our bylaws. Our officers are appointed by our Board and hold office until removed by the board.
Audit Committee
The Company has an Audit Committee consisting of non-executive directors each of whom the Board has determined is an independent director pursuant to the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The Audit Committee members are: John Argen (Chair), Matthew Grover and Joseph B. Hoffman. The Board has determined that Joseph B. Hoffman is an “Audit Committee Financial Expert” as defined by SEC rules and regulations. The Audit Committee operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the Board, which is available on our website at www.dtst.com. The charter describes in more detail the nature and scope of responsibilities of the Audit Committee.
Compensation Committee
The Company has a Compensation Committee consisting of non-executive directors each of whom the Board has determined is an independent director pursuant to the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The Compensation Committee members are Joseph B. Hoffman (Chair), Todd A. Correll and Matthew Grover. The Compensation Committee operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the board of directors, which is available on our website at www.dtst.com. The charter describes in more detail the nature and scope of responsibilities of the Compensation Committee.
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
The Company has a Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee consisting of non-executive directors, each of whom the Board has determined is an independent director pursuant to the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee members include Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr. (Chair), John Argen and Joseph B.Hoffman. The Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the board of directors, which is available on our website at www.dtst.com. The charter describes in more detail the nature and scope of responsibilities of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee.
The Company does not have a formal diversity policy. However, the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee evaluates each individual in the context of the Board of Directors as a whole, with the objective of recommending individuals that can best perpetuate the success of our business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound business judgment and diversity of experience in various areas. We believe our current directors possess diverse professional experiences, skills, and backgrounds, in addition to, among other characteristics, high standards of personal and professional ethics, proven records of success in their respective fields, and valuable knowledge of our business and industry.
Merger and Acquisition Committee
The Company has a merger and acquisition committee (the “M&A Committee”) consisting of non-executive directors. The Merger and Acquisition Committee members are Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr.(Chair), John Argen, Todd A. Correll.
Family Relationships
One full-time employee is the son and direct report to John Camello, President of Nexxis Inc.
Code of Ethics
The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to its Directors, Officers and Employees. A copy of our Code of Ethics is available on our website at www.dtst.com.
Stockholder Communications to the Board
Stockholders who are interested in communicating directly with members of the Board, or the Board as a group, may do so by writing directly to the individual Board member c/o Secretary, Data Storage Corporation, 48 South Service Road, Melville, New York 11747. The Company’s Secretary will forward communications directly to the appropriate Board member. If the correspondence is not addressed to the particular member, the communication will be forwarded to a Board member to bring to the attention of the Board. The Company’s Secretary will review all communications before forwarding them to the appropriate Board member.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation of Executive Officers
The following summary compensation table sets forth all compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to the named executive officers paid by the Company during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, in all capacities for the accounts of our executive officers, including the Chief Executive Officer.
Summary Compensation Table
Non-Equity
Name & Principal
Stock Option Incentive Plan All Other
Position Year Salary Bonus Awards Awards Compensation Compensation Total
Charles M. Piluso, Chief Executive Officer, $ 171,717 $ 150,000 - $ - - - $ 321,717
Treasurer and Chairman of the Board $ 187,065 - - - - - $ 187,065
Chris H. Panagiotakos, $ 205,961 $ 52,646 - $ - - - $ 258,607
Chief Financial Officer $ 117,769 $ 29,167 - - - - $ 146,936
Harold J. Schwartz - President $ 171,717 $ 150,000 - $ - - - $ 321,717
$ 190,747 - - - - - $ 190,747
Tom C. Kempster - Executive Vice President, Strategic Development $ 174,808 $ 25,000 - $ - - - $ 199,808
$ 209,301 - - - - - $ 209,301
Mark A. Wyllie - Executive Vice President $ 150,210 $ 73,125 $ 320,000 $ - - - $ 543,335
$ 92,083 - - - - - $ 92,083
Employment Agreements
Executive Employment Agreements
Mr. Piluso Employment Agreement
On March 28, 2023, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “Piluso Employment Agreement”) with Mr. Charles M. Piluso, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Piluso Employment Agreement is for an initial term of three years, and it will be automatically renewed for consecutive one-year terms at the end of the initial term. The Piluso Employment Agreement may be terminated with or without cause. Mr. Piluso will receive an annual base salary of $225,000 in 2023, $235,000 in 2024 and $260,000 in 2025 and shall be eligible to earn a performance bonus ranging from $75,000 to $300,000. Mr. Piluso shall also be entitled to an equity award for a total value of $100,000 per annum, which shall be equally split between RSUs and stock options, as well as 75,000 performance share units.
Upon termination of Mr. Piluso without cause, or as a result of Mr. Piluso’s resignation for Good Reason (as such term is defined in the Piluso Employment Agreement) the Company shall pay or provide to Mr. Piluso severance pay equal to his base salary for the remainder of the employment term and all stock options or other similar equity compensation granted by the Company and then held by Mr. Piluso shall be accelerated and become fully vested and exercisable as of the date of Mr. Piluso’s termination.
As a full-time employee of the Company, Mr. Piluso will be eligible to participate in the Company’s benefit programs.
Mr. Panagiotakos Employment Agreement
On March 28, 2023, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “Panagiotakos Employment Agreement”) with Mr. Chris H. Panagiotakos, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. The Panagiotakos Employment Agreement is for an initial term of three years, and it will be automatically renewed for consecutive one-year terms at the end of the initial term. The Panagiotakos Employment Agreement may be terminated with or without cause. Mr. Panagiotakos will receive an annual base salary of $215,000 in 2023, $225,000 in 2024 and $242,500 in 2025 and shall be eligible to earn a performance bonus of 25% of his base salary. Mr. Panagiotakos shall also be entitled to an equity award for a total value equal to 25% of his base salary per annum, which shall be equally split between RSUs and stock options, a financial achievement bonus of $45,000 and a long-term incentive bonus of stock options and RSUs equal to 25% of his base salary.
Upon termination of Mr. Panagiotakos without cause, or as a result of Mr. Panagiotakos’ resignation for Good Reason (as such term is defined in the Panagiotakos Employment Agreement) the Company shall pay or provide to Mr. Panagiotakos severance pay equal to his base salary for the remainder of the employment term and all stock options or other similar equity compensation granted by the Company and then held by Mr. Panagiotakos shall be accelerated and become fully vested and exercisable as of the date of Mr. Panagiotakos’ termination.
As a full-time employee of the Company, Mr. Panagiotakos will be eligible to participate in the Company’s benefit programs.
2010 Incentive Award Plan
On August 12, 2010, the Company adopted the Data Storage Corporation 2010 Incentive Award Plan (the “2010 Plan”) that provided for 2,000,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the terms of the 2010 Plan; which was amended on September 25, 2013, to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan to 5,000,000 shares of common stock; which was further amended on June 20, 2017 to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan to 8,000,000 shares of common stock; and further amended on July 1, 2019, to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan to 10,000,000 shares of common stock. On April 23, 2012, the Company amended and restated the 2010 Plan to change the name to the “Amended and Restated Data Storage Corporation Incentive Award Plan” (the “Plan”). The Plan was intended to promote the interests of the Company by attracting and retaining exceptional employees, consultants, directors, officers and independent contractors (collectively referred to as the “Participants”) and enabling such Participants to participate in the long-term growth and financial success of the Company. Under the Plan, the Company had the right to grant stock options, which are intended to qualify as “incentive stock options” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock awards, which were restricted shares of common stock (collectively referred to as “Incentive Awards”). Incentive Awards were granted pursuant to the Plan for 10 years from the Effective Date. There are 8,305,985 options outstanding under the Plan as of December 31, 2020. The 2010 Plan expired on October 21, 2020, and accordingly, there are no shares available for future grants.
On March 8, 2021, our Board and stockholders owning in excess of 50% of our outstanding voting securities approved and adopted the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). Pursuant to the terms of the 2021 Plan we can grant stock options, restricted stock unit awards and other awards at levels determined appropriate by our Board and/or compensation committee. The 2021 Plan also allows us to utilize a broad array of equity incentives and performance cash incentives in order to secure and retain the services of our employees, directors, and consultants, and to provide long-term incentives that align the interests of our employees, directors and consultants with the interests of our stockholders. An aggregate of 15,000,000 shares of our common stock may be issued under the 2021 Plan, subject to equitable adjustment in the event of future stock splits, and other capital changes.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End December 31, 2022
Option Awards
Option
Approval
Number
of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Option
Exercise
Price
Option Expiration
Name
Date
Exercisable (1)
Options (2) Unexercisable
($)
Date
Charles M. Piluso
(3)(6)
6/18/2012
13,720
15.76
6/17/2022
(3)(6)
6/18/2012
8,929
15.76
6/17/2022
(4)
12/13/2013
6.00
12/12/2023
(4)
12/22/2015
1,667
14.00
12/21/2025
(4)
12/14/2017
1,667
2.00
12/14/2027
(4)(7)
12/11/2019
2,500
2.40
12/10/2029
Harold J. Schwartz
(5)(6)
12/11/2012
6.00
12/10/2022
(5)
12/13/2013
6.00
12/12/2023
(4)
12/22/2015
14.00
12/21/2025
(4)
12/14/2017
1,667
2.00
12/13/2027
(4)(7)
12/11/2019
2,500
2.40
12/10/2023
Thomas C. Kempster
(4)
12/14/2017
1,667
2.00
12/13/2027
(4)(7)
12/11/2019
2,500
2.40
12/10/2023
(1) Vested options under the Plan.
(2) Unvested options under the Plan.
(3) On March 23, 2011 (the “Stock Grant Date”), Mr. Piluso was issued a stock grant of 14,286 shares of common stock at $0.35 per share (the “Stock Grant”). Mr. Piluso received the Stock Grant in lieu of his annual compensation for 2010. The Stock Grant was fully vested on the Stock Grant Date. The Stock Grant was issued to Mr. Piluso pursuant to the 2008 Plan. On June 18, 2012, the Stock Grant issuance was rescinded and replaced with a stock option to acquire 13,720 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $15.60 per share. In addition, on June 18, 2012, Mr. Piluso received a stock option to acquire 8,929 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $15.60 per share.
(4) The stock options were issued in consideration for services provided as a member of the Board.
(5) The stock options were issued in consideration for services provided as a member of the Board of Advisors.
(6) These option awards vested 100% three months from the grant date.
(7) These option awards vested/vest 33.33% on each of the one- year, two- year and three- year anniversary following the grant date.
Compensation of Directors
The following summary compensation table sets forth all compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to the Company’s directors during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2022, no compensation was paid to any Company director.
Director Name Fees earned
or paid in
cash Stock
awards Option
awards
(1) Non-equity
incentive
plan Non-
qualified
deferred
compensation
earnings All other
compensation Total
Charles M. Piluso - - $ 0 - - - $ 0
Harold J. Schwartz - - $ 0 - - - $ 0
Thomas C. Kempster - - $ 0 - - - $ 0
Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr. $ 6,000 $ 23,000 $ 0 - - - $ 0
John Argen $ 6,000 $ 23,000 $ 0 - - - $ 0
Joseph B. Hoffman $ 6,000 $ 23,000 $ 0 - - - $ 0
Matthew Grover $ 6,000 $ 23,000 $ 0 - - - $ 0
Todd A. Correll $ 6,000 $ 23,000 $ 0 - - - $ 0
(1) The table below shows the aggregate number of option awards outstanding at fiscal year-end for each of our current non-employee directors and former non-employee directors who served as directors during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Name Number of Shares Subject to
Outstanding Options as of December 31, 2022
John Argen 13,333
Todd A. Correll 10,625
Matthew Grover 10,625
Joseph B. Hoffman 16,667
Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr. 16,667

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth certain information, as of March 30, 2023, with respect to the beneficial ownership of the outstanding common stock by (i) any holder of more than five (5%) percent; (ii) each of the Company’s executive officers and directors; and (iii) the Company’s directors and executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, each of the stockholders listed below has sole voting and investment power over the shares beneficially owned. Except as otherwise indicated, each of the stockholders listed below has sole voting and investment power over the shares beneficially owned. The address for each person is 48 South Service Road, Suite 203, Melville, New York 11747.
Name of Beneficial Owner Shares Beneficially Owned (1) Percentage Ownership
Charles M. Piluso and affiliated entities (2) 890,964 13.04 %
Chris H. Panagiotakos - *
Harold J. Schwartz (3) 821,296 12.03 %
Thomas C. Kempster (4) 802,545 11.76 %
Lawrence A. Maglione, Jr. (5) 18,330 *
John Argen (6) 10,000 *
Joseph B. Hoffman (7) 10,000 *
Matthew Grover (8) 3,958 *
Todd A. Correll (9) 4,583 *
All Executive Officers and Directors as a group (9 persons) 2,561,676 37.71 %
* Less than 1%
(1) The securities “beneficially owned” by a person are determined in accordance with the definition of “beneficial ownership” set forth in the regulations of the SEC and accordingly, may include securities owned by or for, among others, the spouse, children or certain other relatives of such person, as well as other securities over which the person has or shares voting or investment power or securities which the person has the right to acquire within 60 days.
(2) Includes 882,627 shares of common stock, 6,670 shares of common stock underlying stock options, and 1,667 shares of common stock underlying stock warrants.
(3) Includes 815,876 shares of common stock and 5,420 shares of common stock underlying stock options.
(4) Includes 798,376 shares of common stock and 4,169 shares of common stock underlying stock options.
(5) Includes 830 shares of common stock and 7,500 shares of common stock underlying stock options and 2,500 RSUs
(6) Includes 3,334 shares of common stock and 4,166 shares of common stock underlying stock options and 2,500 RSUs
(7) Includes 7,500 shares of common stock underlying stock options and 2,500 RSUs
(8) Includes 1,458 shares of common stock underlying stock options and 2,500 RSUs
(9) Includes 625 shares of common stock, 1,458 shares of common stock underlying stock options and 2,500 RSUs
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
As of December 31, 2022, we had awards outstanding under our Amended and Restated Data Storage Corporation Incentive Award Plan:
Number of
securities to be
issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options and
warrants Weighted-
average
exercise price of
outstanding
options,
warrants and
rights Number of
securities
remaining
available for
future issuance
under
equity
compensation
plans (excluding
securities
reflected
in
column (a)
Plan Category (a) (b) (c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders 301,391 (1) $ 3.46 125,500
Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders N/A N/A
Total 301,391 $ 3.46 125,500
(1) During the year ended December 31, 2022, we had awards outstanding under the 2010 Plan. As of the end of fiscal year 2022, we had 185,309 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options granted pursuant to the 2010 Plan. The securities available under the Plan for issuance and issuable pursuant to exercises of outstanding options may be adjusted in the event of a change in outstanding stock by reason of stock dividend, stock splits, reverse stock splits, etc. As of end of fiscal year 2022, there were warrants outstanding to purchase 3,333 shares of common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $0.40, none of which were granted pursuant to the 2008 Plan or the 2010 Plan. The 2010 Plan expired on October 21, 2020. On March 8, 2021, our Board and stockholders owning in excess of majority of our outstanding voting securities approved and adopted the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). Pursuant to the terms of the 2021 Plan we can grant stock options, restricted stock unit awards, and other awards at levels determined appropriate by our Board and/or compensation committee. The 2021 Plan also allows us to utilize a broad array of equity incentives and performance cash incentives in order to secure and retain the services of our employees, directors and consultants, and to provide long-term incentives that align the interests of our employees, directors, and consultants with the interests of our stockholders. An aggregate of 375,000 shares of our common stock may be issued under the 2021 Plan, subject to equitable adjustment in the event of future stock splits, and other capital changes.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The Board of Directors has determined, after considering all the relevant facts and circumstances, that during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, each of Messrs. Argen, Hoffman, Correll, Maglione, and Grover were independent directors, as that term is defined in the federal securities laws and the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
On April 1, 2018, the Company entered into an equipment lease agreement with Systems Trading Inc. (“Systems Trading”), a company for which Mr. Harold J. Schwartz, our President and Director, serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President (“Systems Trading”) to refinance all leases into one lease. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with bi-monthly installments of $23,475. The lease carries an interest rate of 5% and is a four-year lease. The term of the lease ends April 16, 2022. Systems Trading is owned and operated by the Company’s President, Harold Schwartz.
On January 1, 2019, the Company entered into an equipment agreement with Systems Trading. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $29,592. The lease carries an interest rate of 6.75% and is a five-year lease. The term of the lease ends December 31, 2023.
On April 1, 2019, the Company entered into two equipment lease agreements with Systems Trading to add new data center equipment. The first lease calls for monthly payments of $1,328 and expires on March 1, 2022. It carries an interest rate of 7%. The second lease calls for monthly payments of $461 and expires on March 1, 2022. It carries an interest rate of 6.7%.
On January 1, 2020, the Company entered into a new equipment lease agreement with Systems Trading Inc. to lease equipment. The lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $10,534. The lease carries an interest rate of 6% and is a three-year lease. The term of the lease ends January 1, 2023.
On March 4, 2021, the Company entered into a new equipment lease agreement with Systems Trading effective April 1, 2021. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $1,566.82 and expires on March 31, 2024. The lease carries an interest rate of 8%.
The Company received funds of $39,172 and $37,954 during the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively from Nexxis Capital LLC, a company owned by Charles Piluso and Harold Schwartz. Nexxis Capital LLC was formed to purchase equipment and provide equipment leases to the Company’s customers.
On January 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading effective January 1, 2022. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $7,145 and expires on April 1, 2025. The lease carries an interest rate of 8%.
On April 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Systems Trading effective May 1, 2022. This lease obligation is payable to Systems Trading with monthly installments of $6,667 and expires on February 1, 2025. The lease carries an interest rate of 8%.
Except as disclosed herein and under the section titled “Executive Compensation,” there were no related party transactions during the two years ended December 31, 2022, or the current year.
On December 11, 2019, we issued to (i) each of Messrs. Piluso, Schwartz and Kempster options to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock having an exercise price of $.60 per share, vesting over three years on the one, two and three year anniversary of the grant date and terminating on December 10, 2029; (ii) each of Messrs. Kempster, Argen, Hoffman, and Maglione options to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock having an exercise price of $.54 per share, vesting over three years on the one, two and three year anniversary of the grant date and terminating on December 10, 2029; and (iii) each of Messrs. Correll and Grover options to purchase 25,000 shares of common stock having an exercise price of $.54 per share, vesting over three years on the one, two and three year anniversary of the grant date and terminating on December 10, 2029.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Audit Fees
The following table sets forth the aggregate audit-related fees including expenses billed to us for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021 by Rosenberg Rich Baker Berman & Company P.A.
December 31, December 31,
Audit Fees and Expenses (1) $ 146,750 $ 200,792
Tax Fees - -
(1) Audit fees and expenses were for professional services rendered for the audit and reviews of the consolidated financial statements of the Company, professional services rendered for issuance of consents and assistance with review of documents filed with the SEC.
The Audit Committee has adopted procedures for pre-approving all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of such services. These procedures include reviewing detailed back-up documentation for audit and permitted non-audit services. The documentation includes a description of, and a budgeted amount for, particular categories of non-audit services that are recurring in nature and therefore anticipated at the time that the budget is submitted. Audit Committee approval is required to exceed the pre-approved amount for a particular category of non-audit services and to engage the independent registered public accounting firm for any non-audit services not included in those pre-approved amounts. For both types of pre-approval, the Audit Committee considers whether such services are consistent with the rules on auditor independence promulgated by the SEC and the PCAOB. The Audit Committee also considers whether the independent registered public accounting firm is best positioned to provide the most effective and efficient service, based on such reasons as the auditor’s familiarity with our business, people, culture, accounting systems, risk profile, and whether the services enhance our ability to manage or control risks, and improve audit quality. The Audit Committee may form and delegate pre-approval authority to subcommittees consisting of one or more members of the Audit Committee, and such subcommittees must report any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. All of the services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.
Our audit committee pre-approves all services provided by our independent auditors. All of the above services and fees were reviewed and approved by the entire audit committee before the respective services were rendered.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) The following financial statements are included in this Annual Report for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021:
1. Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
2. Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022, and 2021.
3. Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021.
4. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021.
5. Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2022, and 2021.
6. Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
(a)(2) All financial statement schedules have been omitted as the required information is either inapplicable or included in the Consolidated Financial Statements or related notes.
(a)(3) The exhibits set forth in the accompanying exhibit index below are either filed as part of this report or are incorporated herein by reference:
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
No.
Description
3.1
Articles of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (File No. 333-148167) filed on December 19, 2007).
3.2
Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 333-148167) filed on October 24, 2008).
3.3
Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 on Form 8-K (File No. 333-148167) filed on January 9, 2009).
3.4
Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (File No. 333-148167) filed on December 19, 2007).
3.5
Amended Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Form 8-K (File No. 333-148167) filed on October 24, 2008).
3.6
Form of Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.7
Form of Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated October 7, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Appendix C to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.8
Form of Certificate of Validation and Ratification of the Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated October 7, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Appendix C to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.9
Form of Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated October 16, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Appendix D to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.10
Form of Certificate of Validation and Ratification of the Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated October 16, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Appendix D to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.11
Form of Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated January 6, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Appendix E to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.12
Form of Certificate of Validation and Ratification of the Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated January 6, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Appendix E to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.13
Form of Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated June 24, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Appendix F to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.14
Form of Certificate of Validation and Ratification of the Certificate of Correction to the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation dated June 24, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Appendix F to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
3.15
Certificate of Designations, Preferences and Rights of Series A Preferred Stock of Data Storage Corporation (incorporated by reference to Appendix F to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
4.1
Share Exchange Agreement, dated October 20, 2008, by and among Euro Trend Inc., Data Storage Corporation and the shareholders of Data Storage Corporation named on the signature page thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 333-148167) filed on October 24, 2008).
4.2
Share Exchange Agreement, dated October 20, 2008, by and among, Euro Trend Inc., Data Storage Corporation and the shareholders of Data Storage Corporation named on the signature page thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K/A (File No. 333-148167) filed on June 29, 2009).
4.3
Data Storage Corporation 2010 Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on Form S-8/A (File No. 333-169042) filed on October 25, 2010).
4.4
Amended and Restated Data Storage Corporation 2010 Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on April 26, 2012).
4.5
Data Storage Corporation 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the Information Statement on Schedule 14C (File No. 001-35384) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021).
4.6
Representative’s Warrant dated May 18, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on May 18, 2021).
4.7
Form of Common Stock Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on May 18, 2021).
4.8
Warrant Agency Agreement, dated May 18, 2021, by and between the Company and VStock Transfer LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on May 18, 2021).
4.9
Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on July 20, 2021).
4.10*
Description of Securities
10.1
Asset Purchase Agreement by and between ABC Services Inc., and Data Storage Corporation as of October 25, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8K filed on October 31, 2016).
10.2
Asset Purchase Agreement by and between ABC Services II Inc., and Data Storage Corporation as of October 25, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8K (File No. 001-35384) filed on October 31, 2016).
10.3
Form of Stockholders Agreement by and between Data Storage Corporation, Nexxis Inc., and John Camello dated November 13, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to Form 10Q (File No. 001-35384) filled November 19, 2018).
10.4
Form of Employment Agreement between Data Storage Corporation, Nexxis Inc., and John Camello dated November 13, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to Form 10-Q (File No. 001-35384) filed November 19, 2018).
10.5
Buyout Lease Agreement between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated March 15, 2018.
10.6
FMV Lease Agreement between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated September 14, 2018.
10.7
Buyout Lease Agreement DSC003 between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated December 18, 2018.
10.8
Buyout Lease Agreement DSC004 between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated December 18, 2018.
10.9
Addendum 1 to Lease DSC003 between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated March 20, 2019.
10.10
Addendum 1 to Lease DSC004 between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated March 20, 2019.
10.11
Buyout Lease Agreement DSC006 between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated November 12, 2019.
10.12
Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between Data Storage Corporation and Flagship Solutions, LLC dated February 4, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on February 10, 2021).
10.13
Amendment, dated February 12, 2021, to the Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between Data Storage Corporation, Data Storage FL, LLC, Flagship Solutions, LLC, and the owners of Equity Interests (as defined therein) dated February 4, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on February 16, 2021).
10.14
Buyout Lease Agreement DSC007 between Data Storage Corporation and Systems Trading, Inc. dated March 4, 2021.
10.15
Employment Agreement with Mark Wyllie (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on June 3, 2021).
10.16
Offer Letter entered into between Data Storage Corporation and Chris H. Panagiotakos (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28, 2021 (File Number 333-253056)).
10.17
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement dated July 19, 2021 between Data Storage Corporation and certain purchasers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on July 20, 2021).
10.18
Form of Placement Agency Agreement dated July 19, 2021 between Data Storage Corporation and Maxim Group LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-35384) filed on July 20, 2021).
10.19
Form of Employment Agreement between Data Storage Corporation and Charles M. Piluso dated March 28, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-[*]) filed March 29, 2023).
10.20
Form of Employment Agreement between Data Storage Corporation and Chris H. Panagiotakos dated March 28, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K (File No. 001-[*]) filed March 29, 2023).
21.1
List of Subsidiaries of Data Storage Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-179396) filed on February 6, 2012).
23.1*
Consent of Rosenberg Rich Baker Berman P.A., Independent Registered Accounting Firm
31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a), As adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a), As adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002
32.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002
* Filed herewith
# Indicates management contract or compensatory plan.