We utilize data center hosting facilities, which are managed by third parties, to provide cloud solutions and hosting services to our customers. If the third-party data center facilities fail or encounter any damage, it could result in interruptions in services to our customers. This could result in unanticipated downtime for our customers, and in turn, our reputation and business could be adversely affected. In addition, if our customers use our cloud arrangements in unanticipated ways, this could cause an interruption in service for other customers attempting to access their data.
Our data center providers may experience events such as natural disasters, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures, or similar events. The systems, infrastructure, and services of our data center providers may also be subject to human or software errors, viruses, cyber threats, fraud, spikes in customer usage, break-ins, sabotage, acts of vandalism, acts of terrorism, and other misconduct. In addition, they may experience other unanticipated problems, including but not limited to financial difficulties and bankruptcy. Further, we may experience in the future periodic interruptions, delays, and outages in service and availability with our data center providers due to a variety of factors, including Internet connectivity failures, infrastructure changes, human or software errors, website hosting disruptions, and capacity constraints.
Remediation of any service interruptions may take significant time. If any defects, delays or interruption in our cloud solutions occur, customers could elect to cancel their service, delay or withhold payment to us, not purchase from us in the future or make claims against us, which could adversely affect our business reputation, results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.
Furthermore, our data center providers have no obligation to renew their agreements with us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we are unable to renew agreements with them on commercially reasonable terms, if our agreements with our providers are prematurely terminated for any reason, or if our providers are acquired or cease business, we may be required to transfer our infrastructure to new public cloud facilities, and we may incur significant costs and possible service interruptions in connection with doing so. Renewals at higher prices or costs incurred in switching providers may negatively affect our profitability and results. In addition, consolidation in the data center industry may result in overall higher costs for such services, which could also negatively affect our profitability and results.