ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Investing in our 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

We have not generated a significant amount of net income and we may not be able to sustain profitability or positive cash flow in the future.

As reflected in the consolidated financial statements, we had a net income (loss) available to shareholders of $55,339 and $(54,452) for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, DSC had cash of $893,598 and a working capital deficiency of $2,666,448. As a result, these conditions raised substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we generated cash from operations of $1,110,679 with continued revenue growth. We have no commitment from sources for additional capital if needed.

If we are unable to attract new customers to our infrastructure and disaster recovery/ cloud subscription services on a cost-effective basis, our revenue and operating results would be adversely affected.

We generate the majority of our revenue from the sale of subscriptions to our infrastructure and disaster recovery/cloud solutions. In order to grow, we must continue to attract a large number of customers, many of whom may have not previously used infrastructure as a service and cloud disaster recovery backup solutions. We use and periodically adjust a diverse mix of advertising and marketing programs to promote our solutions. Significant increases in the pricing of one or more of our advertising channels would increase our advertising costs or cause us to choose less expensive and perhaps less effective channels. As we add to or change the mix of our advertising and marketing strategies, we may expand into channels with significantly higher costs than our current programs, which could adversely affect our operating results. We may incur advertising and marketing expenses significantly in advance of the time we anticipate recognizing any revenue generated by such expenses, and we may only at a later date, or never, experience an increase in revenue or brand awareness as a result of such expenditures. Additionally, because we recognize revenue from customers over the terms of their subscriptions, a large portion of our 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 our operating results until later periods. We have 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 we are unable to maintain effective advertising programs, our ability to attract new customers could be adversely affected, our advertising and marketing expenses could increase substantially, and our operating results may suffer.

A portion of our potential customers locate our website through search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo! Our ability to maintain the number of visitors directed to our website is not entirely within our control. If search engine companies modify their search algorithms in a manner that reduces the prominence of our listing, or if our competitors’ search engine optimization efforts are more successful than ours, fewer potential customers may click through to our 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 our customer acquisition efforts and our operating results.

We expect to continue to acquire or invest in other companies, which may divert our management’s attention, result in additional dilution to our stockholders, and consume resources that are necessary to sustain our business.

In 2016, we acquired the assets of ABC and the remaining 50% of the assets of SIAS. As described in this Annual Report, we also intend to consummate the Merger with Flagship upon satisfaction of the closing conditions to the Merger. We expect to continue to acquire complementary solutions, services, technologies, or businesses in the future. We may also enter into relationships with other businesses to expand our portfolio of solutions or our ability to provide our 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 our ability to complete these transactions may often be subject to conditions or approvals that are beyond our control. Consequently, these transactions, even if a definitive purchase agreement is executed and announced, may not close.

Acquisitions may also disrupt our business, divert our resources, and require significant management attention that would otherwise be available for the development of our business. Moreover, the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, investment, or business relationship may not be realized on a timely basis or at all or we may be exposed to known or unknown liabilities, including litigation against the companies that we may acquire. In connection with any such transaction, we may:

Any of these risks could harm our 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. We 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 our 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 our business.

We intend to continue to acquire businesses which we believe will help achieve our business objectives. As a result, our operating costs will likely continue to grow. The integration of an acquired company may cost more than we anticipate, and it is possible that we will incur significant additional unforeseen costs in connection with such integration, which may negatively impact our earnings.

In addition, we may only be able to conduct limited due diligence on an acquired company’s operations. Following an acquisition, we 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 we negotiate. Any liability that is greater than these warranty and indemnity limitations could have a negative impact on our financial condition.

Even if successfully integrated, there can be no assurance that our operating performance after an acquisition will be successful or will fulfill management’s objectives.

We have identified weaknesses in our internal controls, and we cannot provide assurances that these weaknesses will be effectively remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not occur in the future.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting for the year ended December 31, 2020. 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 financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weaknesses identified during management’s assessment were (i) a lack of sufficient internal accounting expertise to provide reasonable assurance that our financial statements and notes thereto are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and (ii) a lack of segregation of duties to ensure adequate review of financial statement preparation.

We will be required to expend time and resources to further improve our internal controls over financial reporting, including by expanding our staff. However, we cannot assure you that our internal control over financial reporting, as modified, will enable us to identify or avoid material weaknesses in the future.

We have not yet retained sufficient staff or engaged sufficient outside consultants with appropriate experience in GAAP presentation, especially of complex instruments, to devise and implement effective disclosure controls and procedures, or internal controls. We will be required to expend time and resources hiring and engaging additional staff and outside consultants with the appropriate experience to remedy these weaknesses. We cannot assure you that management will be successful in locating and retaining appropriate candidates; that newly engaged staff or outside consultants will be successful in remedying material weaknesses thus far identified or identifying material weaknesses in the future; or that appropriate candidates will be located and retained prior to these deficiencies resulting in material and adverse effects on our business.

Our current controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business, including increased complexity resulting from our international expansion. Further, weaknesses in our disclosure controls or our internal control over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls, or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and may result in a restatement of our financial statements for prior periods. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could also adversely affect the results of management reports and independent registered public accounting firm audits of our internal control over financial reporting that we will eventually be required to include in our periodic reports that will be filed with the SEC. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures, and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.

We are controlled by three principal stockholders who serve as our executive officers and directors.

As of March 31, 2021, through their aggregate voting power, Messrs. Piluso, Schwartz and Kempster control 78.53% of our outstanding common stock, giving them the ability to elect a majority of our directors and to control all other matters requiring the approval of our stockholders, including the election of all of our directors and the approval of the reverse stock split.

Due to the economic hardships presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we obtained a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP Loan”) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). We may not be entitled to forgiveness under the PPP Loan which would negatively impact our cash flow, and our application for the PPP Loan could damage our reputation.

On April 30, 2020, the Company received the proceeds of 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.

Under the terms of the CARES Act, as amended by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, the Company is eligible to apply for and receive forgiveness for all or a portion of their respective PPP Loan. Such forgiveness will be determined, subject to limitations, based on the use of the Loan proceeds for certain permissible purposes as set forth in the PPP, including, but not limited to, payroll costs (as defined under the PPP) and mortgage interest, rent or utility costs (collectively, “Qualifying Expenses”) incurred during the 24 weeks subsequent to funding, and on the maintenance of employee and compensation levels, as defined, following the funding of the PPP Loan. The Company used the proceeds of the PPP Loan for Qualifying Expenses. However, no assurance is provided that the Company will be able to obtain forgiveness of the PPP Loan in whole or in part. Any amounts that are not forgiven incur interest at 1.0% per annum and monthly repayments of principal and interest are deferred for six months after the date of disbursement. While the PPP Loan currently has a two-year maturity, the amended law permits the borrower to request a five-year maturity from its lender. The Company has applied for forgiveness for the full amount and is waiting for the approval from the bank and the SBA. It is possible that the loan may not be forgiven in full, which could have a negative impact on the Company’s cash flow.

In order to apply for the PPP Loan, we were required to certify, among other things, that the current economic uncertainty made the PPP Loan request necessary to support our ongoing operations. We made this certification in good faith after analyzing, among other things, our financial situation and access to alternative forms of capital, and believe that we satisfied all eligibility criteria for the PPP Loan, and that our receipt of the PPP Loan was consistent with the broad objectives of the CARES Act. At the time that we had made such certification, we could not predict with any certainty whether we would be able to obtain the necessary financing to support our operations. The certification described above that we were required to provide in connection with our application for the PPP Loan did not contain any objective criteria and was subject to interpretation. However, on April 23, 2020, the SBA issued guidance stating that it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required certification in good faith. The lack of clarity regarding loan eligibility under the CARES Act has resulted in significant media coverage and controversy with respect to public companies applying for and receiving loans. If, despite our good-faith belief that we satisfied all eligible requirements for the PPP Loan, we are later determined to have violated any of the laws or governmental regulations that apply to us in connection with the PPP Loan, such as the False Claims Act, or it is otherwise determined that we were ineligible to receive the PPP Loan, we may be subject to penalties, including significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, and could be required to repay the PPP Loan in its entirety. In addition, our receipt of the PPP Loan may result in adverse publicity and damage to our reputation, and a review or audit by the SBA or other government entity or claims under the False Claims Act could consume significant financial and management resources.

Risks Related to Our Industry

The market for cloud solutions is highly competitive, and if we do not compete effectively, our operating results will be harmed.

The market for our services, is highly competitive, quickly evolving and subject to rapid changes in technology. We expect to continue to face intense competition from our existing competitors as well as additional competition from new market entrants in the future as the market for our services continues to grow.

We compete with cloud backup and infrastructure providers and providers of traditional hardware-based systems and IBM Power Systems. Our 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:

Many of these competitors benefit from significant competitive advantages over both of us, 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 we do. As a result, some of these competitors may be able to:

In addition, demand for our cloud solutions is sensitive to price. Many factors, including our customer acquisition, advertising and technology costs, and our current and future competitors’ pricing and marketing strategies, can significantly affect our pricing strategies. Certain of our competitors offer, or may in the future offer, lower-priced or free solutions that compete with our 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 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 we can, customers may prefer the single-source approach and direct more business to such competitors, thereby impairing our competitive position. Furthermore, new entrants not currently considered to be competitors may enter the market through acquisitions, partnerships or strategic relationships. As we look to market and sell our services to potential customers, we must convince their internal stakeholders that our services are superior to their current solutions. If we are unable to anticipate or react to these competitive challenges, our competitive position would weaken, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These combinations may make it more difficult for us to compete effectively and our inability to compete effectively would negatively impact our operating results. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will not be forced to engage in price-cutting initiatives, or to increase our advertising and other expenses to attract and retain customers in response to competitive pressures, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and operating results.

If a cyber-attack was able to breach our security protocols and disrupt our data protection platform and solutions, and any such disruption could increase our expenses, damage our reputation, harm our business and adversely affect our stock price.

We have implemented various protocols and are regularly monitor our systems via security software and otherwise to reduce any security vulnerabilities. We also rely on third-party providers for a number of critical aspects of our infrastructure cloud and disaster recovery business continuity services, and consequently we do not maintain direct control over the security or stability of those associated systems. Furthermore, the firmware, software [and/or open-source software] that our data protection solutions may utilize could be susceptible to hacking or misuse. In the event of the discovery of a significant security vulnerability, we would incur additional substantial expenses and our business would be harmed.

The process of developing new technologies is complex and uncertain, and if we fail to accurately predict customers’ changing needs and emerging technological trends or if we fail to achieve the benefits expected from our investments, our business could be harmed. We believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our research and development efforts to maintain our competitive position and we must commit significant resources to developing new solutions before knowing whether our investments will result in solutions the market will accept. Our new solutions or solution enhancements could fail to attain sufficient market acceptance or harm our business for many reasons, including:

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 our business and reputation.

Any significant disruption in service on our websites, in our computer systems, or caused by our third party storage and system providers could damage our reputation and result in a loss of customers, which would harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Our brand, reputation, and ability to attract, retain and serve our customers are dependent upon the reliable performance of our websites, network infrastructure and payment systems, and our customers’ ability to readily access their stored files. We have experienced interruptions in these systems in the past, including server failures that temporarily slowed down our websites’ performance and our customers’ ability to access their stored files, or made our websites and infrastructure inaccessible, and we may experience interruptions or outages in the future.

In addition, while we both operate and maintain elements of our websites and network infrastructure, some elements of this complex system are operated by third parties that we do not control and that would require significant time to replace. We expect this dependence on third parties to increase. In particular, we utilize 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 our ability to service our customers. Our data center leases expire at various times between 2020 and 2023 with rights of extension. If we are unable to renew these agreements on commercially reasonable terms, we may be required to transfer that portion of our computing and storage capacity to new data center facilities, and we may incur significant costs and possible service interruption in connection with doing so.

We also rely upon third party colocation providers to host our 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 we are unable to agree on satisfactory terms for continued hosting relationships, we would be forced to enter into a relationship with other service providers or assume hosting responsibilities ourselves. If we are forced to switch data center facilities, which in itself is a competitive industry, we may not be successful in finding an alternative service provider on acceptable terms or in hosting the computer servers ourselves. We may also be limited in our remedies against these providers in the event of a failure of service.

Interruptions, outages and/or failures in our own systems, the third-party systems and facilities on which we rely, or the use of our 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 our websites and infrastructure, prevent us from being able to continuously back up our customers’ data or our customers from accessing their stored data, and may damage or delete our customers’ stored files. If this were to occur, our reputation could be compromised, and we could be subject to liability to the customers that were affected.

Any financial difficulties, such as bankruptcy, faced by our third-party data center operators, our third-party colocation providers, or any of the service providers with whom we or they contract, may have negative effects on our business, the nature and extent of which are difficult to predict. Moreover, if our third-party data center providers or our third-party colocation providers are unable to keep up with our growing needs for capacity, this could have an adverse effect on our business. Interruptions in our services might reduce our revenue, cause us to issue credits or refunds to customers, subject us to potential liability, or harm our renewal rates. In addition, prolonged delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with adding storage capacity or upgrading our network architecture when required may cause our service quality to suffer. Problems with the reliability or security of our systems could harm our reputation, and the cost of remedying these problems could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Security vulnerabilities, data protection breaches and cyber-attacks could disrupt our data protection platform and solutions, and any such disruption could increase our expenses, damage our reputation, harm our business and adversely affect our stock price.

We rely on third-party providers for a number of critical aspects of our infrastructure cloud and disaster recovery business continuity services, and consequently we do not maintain direct control over the security or stability of the associated systems. Furthermore, the firmware, software and/or open-source software that our data protection solutions may utilize could be susceptible to hacking or misuse. In the event of the discovery of a significant security vulnerability, we would incur additional substantial expenses and our business would be harmed.

Our customers rely on our solutions for production, replication and storage of digital copies of their files, including financial records, business information, photos, and other personally meaningful content. We also store credit card information and other personal information about our customers. An actual or perceived breach of our network security and systems or other cybersecurity related events that cause the loss or public disclosure of, or access by third parties to, our customers’ stored files could have serious negative consequences for our business, including possible fines, penalties and damages, reduced demand for our solutions, an unwillingness of customers to provide us with their credit card or payment information, an unwillingness of our customers to use our solutions, harm to our reputation and brand, loss of our ability to accept and process customer credit card orders, and time-consuming and expensive litigation. If this occurs, our business and operating results could be adversely affected. Third parties may be able to circumvent our security by deploying viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs that are designed to attack or attempt to infiltrate our systems and networks and we may not immediately discover these attacks or attempted infiltrations. Further, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce our employees, consultants, or affiliates to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our information or our 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, we 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. We maintain insurance coverage to mitigate the potential financial impact of these risks; however, our insurance may not cover all such events or may be insufficient to compensate us for the potentially significant losses, including the potential damage to the future growth of our business, that may result from the breach of customer or employee privacy. If we or our third-party providers are unable to successfully prevent breaches of security relating to our solutions or customer private information, it could result in litigation and potential liability for us, cause damage to our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business and our 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 our customers to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our data security measures. Any security breach, whether successful or not, would harm our 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 our business, financial condition, and operating results.

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic could disrupt or adversely impact our future business, financial condition and results of operations is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant worldwide uncertainty, volatility and economic disruption. While the COVID-19 pandemic has not significantly affected our business operations to date, no assurance can be given that we will not suffer in the future business interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic that could significantly disrupt our operations and could have a material adverse impact on us. The extent to which COVID-19 will adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations is dependent upon numerous factors, many of which are highly uncertain, rapidly changing and uncontrollable. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) the duration and scope of the pandemic; (ii) governmental, business and individual actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic, including travel restrictions, quarantines, social distancing, work-from-home and shelter-in-place orders and shut-downs; (iii) the impact on U.S. and global economies and the timing and rate of economic recovery; (iv) potential adverse effects on the financial markets and access to capital; (v) potential goodwill or other impairment charges; (vi) increased cybersecurity risks as a result of pervasive remote working conditions; and (vii) our ability to effectively carry out our operations due to any adverse impacts on the health and safety of our employees and their families.

Under NYS Executive Order 202.6, “Essential Business,” DSC is an “Essential Business” based on the following in the Executive order number 2: Essential infrastructure including telecommunications and data centers; and, number 12: Vendors that provide essential services or products, including logistics and technology support. Further, as a result of the pandemic, all employees, including our specialized technical staff, are working remotely or in a virtual environment. DSC always maintains the ability for team members to work virtual and we will continue to stay virtual, until the State and or the Federal government indicate the environment is safe to return to work. The significant increase in remote working, particularly for an extended period of time, could exacerbate certain risks to our business, including an increased risk of cybersecurity events and improper dissemination of personal or confidential information, though we do not believe these circumstances have, or will, materially adversely impact our internal controls or financial reporting systems. If the COVID-19 pandemic should worsen, we may experience disruptions to our business including, but not limited to equipment, to our workforce, or to our business relationships with other third parties. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our operations or those of our third-party partners will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration of the outbreak, new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. Any such disruptions or losses we incur could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and our ability to conduct business as expected.

Our ability to provide services to our customers depends on our customers’ continued high-speed access to the internet and the continued reliability of the internet infrastructure.

Our business depends on our customers’ continued high-speed access to the internet, as well as the continued maintenance and development of the internet infrastructure. While we also provide broadband internet services, many of our 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 our 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 our ability to provide services to our 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 our products and services, such as attempting to charge their customers more for using our 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, we 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 us for or prohibit our services from being available to our customers through these tiers, our business could be negatively impacted. Some of these providers also offer products and services that directly compete with our own offerings, which could potentially give them a competitive advantage.

If we are unable to retain our existing customers, our business, financial condition and operating results would be adversely affected.

If our efforts to satisfy our existing customers are not successful, we may not be able to retain them, and as a result, our revenue and ability to grow would be adversely affected. We 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 our approximately 94% retention rate significantly decreases, we may need to increase the rate at which we add new customers in order to maintain and grow our revenue, which may require us to incur significantly higher advertising and marketing expenses than we currently anticipate, or our revenue may decline. A significant decrease in our retention rate would therefore have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results. Our estimates of the number of employees we retain and advertising costs are based to a large extent upon our 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 our cyber security, disaster recovery and/or infrastructure solutions in general would cause our revenue to decline.

We derive, and expect to continue to derive, a significant portion of our revenue from subscription services for business continuity, such as data protection solutions including our 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:

In addition, substantially all of our revenue is currently derived from customers in the U.S. Consequently, a decrease of interest in and demand for our solutions in the U.S. could have a disproportionately greater impact on us than if our geographic mix of revenue was less concentrated.

We depend upon third party distributors to generate new customers. Our relationships with our partners and distributors may be terminated or may not continue to be beneficial in generating new customers, which could adversely affect our ability to increase our customer base.

We maintain a network of distributors, which refer customers to us through links on their websites or promotion to their customers. The number of customers that we are able to add through these relationships is dependent on the marketing efforts of distributors, over which we have little control. If we are unable to maintain our relationships, or renew contracts on favorable terms, with existing partners and distributors or establish new contractual relationships with potential partners and distributors, we may experience delays and increased costs in adding customers, which could have a material adverse effect on us. Our distributors also provide services to other third parties and therefore may not devote their full time and attention to promote our products and services.

If we are unable to expand our base of business customers, our future growth and operating results could be adversely affected.

We have committed and continue to commit substantial resources to the expansion and increased marketing of our business solutions. If we are unable to market and sell our solutions to businesses with competitive pricing and in a cost-effective manner our ability to grow our revenue and achieve profitability may be harmed.

If we are unable to sustain market recognition of and loyalty to our brand, or if our reputation were to be harmed, we could lose customers or fail to increase the number of our customers, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Given our market focus, maintaining and enhancing our brand is critical to our success. We believe that the importance of brand recognition and loyalty will increase in light of increasing competition in our markets. We plan to continue investing substantial resources to promote our brand, both domestically and internationally, but there is no guarantee that our brand development strategies will enhance the recognition of our brand. Some of our existing and potential competitors have well-established brands with greater recognition than we have. If our efforts to promote and maintain our brand are not successful, our operating results and our ability to attract and retain customers may be adversely affected. In addition, even if our brand recognition and loyalty increases, this may not result in increased use of our solutions or higher revenue.

Our solutions, as well as those of our competitors, are regularly reviewed in computer and business publications. Negative reviews, or reviews in which our competitors’ solutions and services are rated more highly than our solutions, could negatively affect our brand and reputation. From time-to-time, our customers express dissatisfaction with our solutions, including, among other things, dissatisfaction with our customer support, our billing policies, and the way our solutions operate. If we do not handle customer complaints effectively, our brand and reputation may suffer, we may lose our customers’ confidence, and they may choose not to renew their subscriptions. In addition, many of our customers participate in online blogs about computers and internet services, including our solutions, and our success depends in part on our ability to generate positive customer feedback through such online channels where consumers seek and share information. If actions that we take or changes that we make to our solutions upset these customers, their blogging could negatively affect our brand and reputation. Complaints or negative publicity about our solutions or billing practices could adversely impact our ability to attract and retain customers and our business, financial condition, and operating results.

We are subject to governmental regulation and other legal obligations related to privacy, and any actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations would harm our business.

We receive, store, and process personal information and other customer data and maintain 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 we may offer our 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. We generally seek to comply with industry standards and are subject to the terms of our privacy policies and privacy-related obligations to third parties. We strive 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 our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to customers or other third parties, our 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 us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause our customers to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation and business. Our customers may also accidentally disclose their passwords or store them on a mobile device that is lost or stolen, creating the perception that our systems are not secure against third-party access. Additionally, if third parties that we work with, such as vendors or developers, violate applicable laws or our policies, such violations may also put our customers’ information at risk and could in turn have an adverse effect on our business. Any significant change to applicable laws, regulations, or industry practices regarding the use or disclosure of our 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 us to modify our solutions and features, possibly in a material manner, and may limit our ability to develop new services and features that make use of the data that our customers voluntarily share with us.

Our solutions are used by customers in the health care industry and we must comply with numerous federal and state laws related to patient privacy in connection with providing our solutions to these customers.

Our solutions are used by customers in the health care industry and we must comply with numerous federal and state laws related to patient privacy in connection with providing our 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 our solutions may backup individually identifiable health information for our customers, our customers are mandated by HIPAA to enter into written agreements with us known as business associate agreements that require us to safeguard individually identifiable health information. Business associate agreements typically include:

We may not be able to adequately address the business risks created by HIPAA or HITECH implementation or comply with our obligations under our business associate agreements. Furthermore, we are 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 our business or the costs of compliance. Failure by us to comply with any of the federal and state standards regarding patient privacy may subject us to penalties, including civil monetary penalties and, in some circumstances, criminal penalties, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Errors, failures, bugs in or unavailability of our solutions released by us could result in negative publicity, damage to our brand, returns, loss of or delay in market acceptance of our solutions, loss of competitive position, or claims by customers or others

We offer 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. Our 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 us and others, errors, failures, or bugs may not be found in new solutions or releases until after distribution. In the past, when we have discovered any software errors, failures or bugs in certain of our solution offerings after their introduction or when new versions are released, we, in some cases, have experienced delayed or lost revenues as a result of these errors. In addition, we rely on hardware purchased or leased and software licensed from third parties to offer our solutions, and any defects in, or unavailability of, our third-party software or hardware could cause interruptions to the availability of our solutions.

Errors, failures, bugs in or unavailability of our solutions released by us could result in negative publicity, damage to our brand, returns, loss of or delay in market acceptance of our solutions, loss of competitive position, or claims by customers or others. Many of our end-user customers use our solutions in applications that are critical to their businesses and may have a greater sensitivity to defects in our 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 our end-user customer’s systems, regardless of whether the breach is attributable to our solutions, the market perception of the effectiveness of our solutions could be harmed. Alleviating any of these problems could require significant expenditures of our capital and other resources and could cause interruptions, delays, or cessation of our solution licensing, which could cause us to lose existing or potential customers and could adversely affect our operating results.

We face many risks associated with our growth and plans to expand, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.

We continue to experience sales growth in our business. This growth has placed and may continue to place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial infrastructure. As our operations grow in size, scope, and complexity, we will need to improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to attract, service and retain an increasing number of customers. The expansion of our systems and infrastructure will require us 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 our cost base. Continued growth could also strain our ability to maintain reliable service levels for our customers, develop and improve our operational, financial, and management controls, enhance our reporting systems and procedures, and recruit, train, and retain highly skilled personnel. If we fail to achieve the necessary level of efficiency in our organization as we grow, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be harmed.

We have office locations in New York and Rhode Island, and data centers in New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas. If we are unable to effectively manage a large and geographically dispersed group of employees and contractors or to anticipate our future growth and personnel needs, our business may be adversely affected. As we expand our business, we add complexity to our organization and must expand and adapt our operational infrastructure and effectively coordinate throughout our organization. As a result, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur additional expense related to our continued growth.

We also anticipate that our efforts to expand internationally will entail the marketing and advertising of our services and brand and the development of localized websites. We do not have substantial experience in selling our solutions in international markets or in conforming to the local cultures, standards, or policies necessary to successfully compete in those markets, and we must invest significant resources in order to do so. We may not succeed in these efforts or achieve our customer acquisition or other goals. For some international markets, customer preferences and buying behaviors may be different, and we may use business or pricing models that are different from our traditional subscription model to provide cloud backup and related services to customers. Our revenue from new foreign markets may not exceed the costs of establishing, marketing, and maintaining our international solutions, and therefore may not be profitable on a sustained basis, if at all.

Our intended international expansion will subject us to risks typically encountered when operating internationally.

We intend to expand internationally which subjects us to new risks that we have not generally faced in the U.S. These risks include:

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.

Our 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 our 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 our business and operating results. Regulatory restrictions could impair our access to technologies that we seek for improving our solutions and may also limit or reduce the demand for our solutions outside of the U.S.

The loss of our key personnel, or our failure to attract, integrate, and retain other highly qualified personnel, could harm our business and growth prospects.

We depend on the continued service and performance of our key personnel. We do not have long-term employment agreements with any of our executive officers. In addition, many of our key technologies and systems are custom-made for our business by our personnel. The loss of key personnel, including key members of our management team, as well as certain of our key marketing, sales, product development, or technology personnel, could disrupt our operations and have an adverse effect on our ability to grow our business. In addition, several of our key personnel have only recently been employed by us, and we are still in the process of integrating these personnel into our operations. Our failure to successfully integrate these key employees into our business could adversely affect our business.

To execute our growth plan, we must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for these employees is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel. We have from time to time in the past experienced, and we expect 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. Our recent hires and planned hires may not become as productive as we expect, and we may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we have. 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 being significantly above the market price of our common stock and the value of the restricted stock units decreasing. If we fail to attract new personnel, or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and growth prospects could be severely harmed.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

Assertions by a third party that our solutions infringe its intellectual property, whether or not correct, could subject us 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 us to change our services, require us to credit or refund subscription fees, or have other adverse effects on our business. Many companies are devoting significant resources to obtaining patents that could affect many aspects of our business. Third parties may claim that our technologies or solutions infringe or otherwise violate their patents or other intellectual property rights.

If we are forced to defend ourselves against intellectual property infringement claims, whether they have merit or are determined in our favor, we may face costly litigation, diversion of technical and management personnel, limitations on our ability to use our current websites and technologies, and an inability to market or provide our solutions. As a result of any such claim, we may have to develop or acquire non-infringing technologies, pay damages, enter into royalty or licensing agreements, cease providing certain services, adjust our 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 us, or at all.

Furthermore, we have licensed proprietary technologies from third parties that we use in our technologies and business, and we 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, we are subject to the additional risk that the seller of such technologies may not have appropriately created, maintained, or enforced their rights in such technology.

We rely on third-party software to develop and provide our solutions, including server software and licenses from third parties to use patented intellectual property.

We rely on software licensed from third parties to develop and offer our solutions. In addition, we may need to obtain future licenses from third parties to use intellectual property associated with the development of our solutions, which might not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Any loss of the right to use any software required for the development and maintenance of our solutions could result in delays in the provision of our solutions until equivalent technology is either developed by us, or, if available from others, is identified, obtained, and integrated, which delay could harm our business. Any errors or defects in third-party software could result in errors or a failure of our solutions, which could harm our business.

If we are unable to protect our domain names, our reputation, brand, customer base, and revenue, as well as our business and operating results, could be adversely affected.

We have registered domain names for websites (“URLs”) that we use in our business, such as www.datastoragecorp.com. If we are unable to maintain our rights in these domain names, our competitors or other third parties could capitalize on our brand recognition by using these domain names for their own benefit. In addition, although we own the Company’s domain name under various global top level domains such as .com and .net, as well as under various country-specific domains, we 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 ours have already been registered in the U.S. and elsewhere, and our competitors or other third parties could capitalize on our brand recognition by using domain names similar to ours. The regulation of domain names in the U.S. and elsewhere is generally conducted by internet regulatory bodies and is subject to change. If we lose the ability to use a domain name in a particular country, we may be forced to either incur significant additional expenses to market our solutions within that country, including the development of a new brand and the creation of new promotional materials, or elect not to sell our solutions in that country. Either result could substantially harm our 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, we 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. We may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that infringe, are similar to, or otherwise decrease the value of, our brand or our trademarks. Protecting and enforcing our rights in our 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 us.

Risks Related to the Merger

Failure to complete the Merger could negatively impact the stock price and the future business and financial results of Data Storage.

The parties’ respective obligations to complete the Merger, which we intend to effect through the merger of the Merger Sub with and into Flagship pursuant to the Merger Agreement, with Flagship being the surviving company of such Merger and thereby becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Data Storage, are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, including the Company obtaining sufficient financing in order to consummate the Merger, and the listing of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq. There can be no assurance that the conditions to completion of the Merger will be satisfied or waived or that the Merger will be completed. If the Merger is not completed for any reason, the ongoing business of Data Storage may be materially and adversely affected and, without realizing any of the benefits of having completed the Merger, Data Storage would be subject to a number of risks, including the following:

In addition, Data Storage could be subject to litigation related to any failure to complete the Merger or related to any proceeding to specifically enforce Data Storage’s obligations under the Merger Agreement.

If any of these risks materialize, they may materially and adversely affect Data Storage business, financial condition, financial results and common stock prices.

The Merger is subject to a number of closing conditions and, if these conditions are not satisfied, the Merger Agreement may be terminated in accordance with its terms and the Merger may not be completed. In addition, the parties to the Merger Agreement have the right to terminate the Merger Agreement under other specified circumstances, in which case the Merger would not be completed.

The Merger is subject to a number of closing conditions and, if these conditions are not satisfied or waived (to the extent permitted by law), the Merger will not be completed. These conditions include, among others: (i) the absence of certain legal impediments, (ii) obtaining all governmental authorizations, (iii) the approval of the Merger Agreement and the Merger by Flagship’s equityholders, (v) Data Storage’s consummating an underwritten public offering, and (vi) Data Storage’s common stock being listed on the Nasdaq. In addition, the obligation of each party to the Merger Agreement to complete the Merger is subject to the accuracy of the other party’s representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement and the other party’s compliance, in all material respects, with their respective covenants and agreements in the Merger Agreement. Although we have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq and filed a registration statement with the SEC to conduct an underwritten public offering, there can be no assurance that the uplisting will be achieved or public offering will be consummated.

The conditions to the closing may not be fulfilled and, accordingly, the Merger may not be completed. In addition, if the Merger is not completed by May 31, 2021, Flagship may choose not to proceed with the Merger and require Data Storage to pay Flagship an amount equal to two times its transaction-related expenses incurred in connection with the Merger (up to a cap of $100,000). Moreover, the parties to the Merger Agreement can mutually decide to terminate the Merger Agreement at any time prior to the consummation of the Merger. In addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, Data Storage may incur substantial transaction-related expenses in connection with termination of the Merger Agreement and will not realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger.

The Merger Agreement requires Data Storage to make a closing cash payment of $5,550,000 to the former Flagship equityholders, and to issue up to $4,950,000 of Data Storage common stock to the former Flagship equityholders upon completion of and subject to adjustment based upon the 2020 and 2021 audit of Flagship’s financial statements. Such post-closing issuance of shares of Data Storage common stock to the former Flagship equityholders may result in dilution to the Data Storage stockholders.

 To the extent that Data Storage’s cash on hand and profits, if any, are not sufficient to fund such closing cash payment, Data Storage would need to raise additional capital. All statements herein concerning future operations of the combined Data Storage-Flagship company are forward-looking statements and involve risks and Financing may not be available on acceptable terms, in a timely manner or at all. If Data Storage is unable to secure financing, the Merger may be delayed or not be completed.

The combined Data Storage-Flagship company may need to raise additional capital to fund its operations

If the combined Data Storage-Flagship company needs to raise additional capital to fund its operations, it will likely seek to sell common or preferred equity or convertible debt securities, enter into a credit facility or another form of third-party funding, or seek other debt financing. The sale of equity and convertible debt securities may result in dilution to Data Storage’s stockholders and certain of those securities may have rights senior to those of the holders of Data Storage common stock. If the combined Data Storage-Flagship company raises additional funds through the issuance of preferred stock, convertible debt securities or other debt financing, these securities or other debt could contain covenants that would restrict its operations, fund raising capabilities or otherwise. The source, timing and availability of any future financing will depend principally upon market conditions, and may not be available when needed, at all, or on terms acceptable to the combined Data Storage-Flagship company. Lack of necessary funds may require the combined Data Storage-Flagship company to, among other things delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s planned actions and could result in Data Storage breaching the terms of the Merger Agreement relating to the post-closing cash payments to the former Flagship equityholders.

The parties to the Merger Agreement may not realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger.

While Data Storage and Flagship will continue to operate independently until the completion of the Merger, the success of the Merger will depend, in part, on Data Storage’s and Flagship’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits and cost savings from combining Data Storage’s and Flagship’s respective businesses. The ability of the parties to the Merger Agreement to realize these anticipated benefits and cost savings is subject to certain risks, including, among others:

Covenants contained in the Merger Agreement requiring Data Storage to maintain the Flagship business as a stand-alone business separate from the Data Storage business during Flagship’s 2021 fiscal year, which relate to the post-closing earnout payments to be made to the former Flagship equityholders, may limit Data Storage’s ability to combine and integrate the Data Storage and Flagship businesses and realize the benefits discussed above.

If Data Storage is not able to successfully integrate the Data Storage and Flagship businesses within the anticipated time frame, or at all, the anticipated cost savings, synergies operational efficiencies and other benefits of the Merger may not be realized fully or may take longer to realize than expected, and the combined Data Storage-Flagship company may not perform as expected.

Integrating Data Storage’s and Flagship’s businesses may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected.

Data Storage and Flagship have operated and, until completion of the Merger will continue to operate, independently, and there can be no assurances that their businesses can be integrated successfully. It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees, the disruption of either company’s or both companies’ ongoing businesses or unexpected integration issues, such as higher than expected integration costs and an overall post-completion integration process that takes longer than originally anticipated. Specifically, issues that must be addressed in integrating the operations of Data Storage and Flagship in order to realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger, so the combined business performs as expected include, among others:

In addition, at times, the attention of certain members of each company’s management and each company’s resources may be focused on completion of the Merger and the integration of the businesses of the two companies and diverted from day-to-day business operations, which may disrupt each company’s ongoing business and, consequently, the business of the combined company.

There may be significant dilution upon consummation of the Merger since a portion of the consideration is to be paid in equity of Data Storage, the number of shares of which cannot be determined at this time.

A portion of the Merger consideration consist of shares of our common stock having a value $4,950,000, subject to reduction by the amount by which the valuation of Flagship. In addition, upon consummation of the Merger, it is anticipated that the Series A Preferred Stock will convert into 1,752,233 shares of common stock.

Data Storage and Flagship will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the Merger is pending.

Uncertainty about the effect of the Merger on employees, vendors and customers may have an adverse effect on Data Storage or Flagship and consequently on the combined Data Storage-Flagship company after the closing of the Merger. These uncertainties may impair Data Storage’s and Flagship’s ability to retain and motivate key personnel and could cause customers and others that deal with Data Storage and Flagship, as applicable, to defer or decline entering into contracts with Data Storage or Flagship, as applicable, or making other decisions concerning Data Storage or Flagship, as applicable, or seek to change existing business relationships with Data Storage or Flagship, as applicable. In addition, if key employees depart because of uncertainty about their future roles and the potential complexities of the Merger, Data Storage’s and Flagship’s businesses could be harmed. Furthermore, the Merger Agreement places certain restrictions on the operation of Flagship’s business prior to the closing of the Merger, which may delay or prevent Data Storage and Flagship from undertaking certain actions or business opportunities that may arise prior to the consummation of the Merger, and requires Data Storage to maintain the Flagship business as a stand-alone business separate from the Data Storage business during Flagship’s 2021 fiscal year, relating to the post-closing earnout payments to be made to the former Flagship equityholders, which may limit Data Storage’s ability to combine and integrate the Data Storage and Flagship businesses after consummation of the Merger.

Third parties may terminate or alter existing contracts or relationships with Flagship.

Flagship has contracts with customers, vendors and other business partners which may require it to obtain consents from those other parties in connection with the Merger. If those consents cannot be obtained, the counterparties to these contracts and other third parties with which Flagship currently has relationships may have the ability to terminate, reduce the scope of or otherwise materially adversely alter their relationships with Flagship in anticipation of the Merger, or with the combined Data Storage-Flagship company following the Merger. The pursuit of such rights may result in the combined Data Storage-Flagship company suffering a loss of potential future revenue, incurring liabilities in connection with a breach of such agreements or losing rights that are material to its business. Any such --disruptions could limit the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Merger. The adverse effect of such disruptions could also be exacerbated by a delay in the completion of the Merger or the termination of the Merger.

The Merger is subject to a number of closing conditions and, if these conditions are not satisfied, the Merger Agreement may be terminated in accordance with its terms and the Merger may not be completed. In addition, the parties to the Merger Agreement have the right to terminate the Merger Agreement under other specified circumstances, in which case the Merger would not be completed.

The Merger is subject to a number of closing conditions and, if these conditions are not satisfied or waived (to the extent permitted by law), the Merger will not be completed. These conditions include, among others: (i) the absence of certain legal impediments, (ii) obtaining all governmental authorizations, (iii) the approval of the Merger Agreement and the Merger by Flagship’s equityholders, (v) Data Storage’s receipt of sufficient financing in order to consummate the Merger, and (vi) Data Storage’s common stock being listed on the Nasdaq. In addition, the obligation of each party to the Merger Agreement to complete the Merger is subject to the accuracy of the other party’s representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement and the other party’s compliance, in all material respects, with their respective covenants and agreements in the Merger Agreement.

The conditions to the Closing may not be fulfilled and, accordingly, the Merger may not be completed. In addition, if the Merger is not completed by May 31, 2021, Flagship may choose not to proceed with the Merger and require Data Storage to pay Flagship an amount equal to two times its transaction-related expenses incurred in connection with the Merger (up to a cap of $100,000). Moreover, the parties to the Merger Agreement can mutually decide to terminate the Merger Agreement at any time prior to the consummation of the Merger. In addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, Data Storage may incur substantial transaction-related expenses in connection with termination of the Merger Agreement and will not realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger.

The projections and forecasts concerning the combined Data Storage-Flagship company utilized by Data Storage management in connection with the Merger may not be realized, which may adversely affect the market price of Data Storage Common Stock following the completion of the Merger.

None of the projections or forecasts concerning the combined Data Storage-Flagship company utilized by Data Storage management in connection with the Merger were prepared with a view towards public disclosure or compliance with the published guidelines of the SEC, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) or the guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for preparation and presentation of financial forecasts. These projections and forecasts are inherently based on various estimates and assumptions that are subject to the judgment of those preparing them. These projections and forecasts are also subject to significant economic, competitive, industry and other uncertainties and contingencies, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Data Storage. There can be no assurance that the financial condition of the combined Data Storage-Flagship company, including its cash flows or results of operations, will be consistent with those set forth in such projections and forecasts, which could have an adverse impact on the market price of Data Storage Common Stock or the financial position of Data Storage following the Merger.

Executive officers and directors of Data Storage and Flagship may have interests in the Merger that are different from, or in addition to, the rights of their respective stockholders and equityholders.

Executive officers of Data Storage and Flagship negotiated the terms of the Merger Agreement and Board and the Flagship managers each approved the Merger Agreement and the Merger and Flagship recommended that each of its equityholders vote in favor of the Merger. These executive officers, directors and managers may have interests in the Merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of the Data Storage stockholders or the Flagship equityholders. These interests include the continued employment of certain executive officers of Flagship by Data Storage following the Merger, an executive officer of Flagship joining the Board, and the indemnification of Data Storage and Flagship executive officers and directors.

We will incur significant transaction and Merger-related transition costs in connection with the Merger.

Data Storage and Flagship expect that they will incur significant, non-recurring costs in connection with consummating the Merger and integrating the operations of the two companies post-closing of the Merger. Data Storage and/or Flagship may each incur additional costs to retain key executives and other employees after the Merger, which could materially and adversely affect the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s cash flow and results of operations. Data Storage and/or Flagship will also incur significant fees and expenses relating to financing arrangements and legal (including any fees, expenses and settlement costs that Data Storage may incur in defending against any potential class action lawsuits and derivative lawsuits in connection with the Merger, if any such proceedings are brought against it), accounting and other transaction fees and expenses associated with consummating the Merger. Some of these transaction fees and expenses are payable regardless of whether the Merger is completed. In addition, Data Storage may be required to pay Flagship’s transaction fees and expenses (up to a cap of $100,000) if the Merger does not close by May 31, 2021 under certain circumstances specified in the Merger Agreement. Though Data Storage will continue to assess the magnitude of these costs, additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the Merger and the integration of the businesses of Data Storage and Flagship.

We may be the target of securities class action and derivative lawsuits in connection with the Merger, which could result in substantial costs and may delay or prevent the Merger from being completed.

Securities class action lawsuits and derivative lawsuits are often brought against public companies that have entered into merger agreements. Even if the lawsuits are without merit, defending against these claims can result in substantial costs and divert management time and resources. An adverse judgment could result in monetary damages, which could have a negative impact on Data Storage’s liquidity and financial condition. Additionally, if a plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting completion of the Merger, then that injunction may delay or prevent the Merger from being completed, which may adversely affect Data Storage’s or, if the Merger is completed but delayed, the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s business, financial position and results of operations. As of the date of this Annual Report, no such lawsuits have been filed in connection with the Merger and we cannot predict whether any will be filed.

The lack of a public market for Flagship equity interests makes it difficult to determine the fair market value of the Flagship equity interest, and so Data Storage may pay more than the fair market value of the Flagship equity interests.

Flagship is a privately-held company and its equity interests are not traded in any public market. The lack of a public market makes it difficult to determine Flagship’s fair market value. Because the percentage of Data Storage’s outstanding common stock to be issued to Flagship equityholders in connection with the Merger was determined based on negotiations between the parties to the Merger Agreement and will not change based upon the value of Data Storage’s common stock. Data Storage may pay more than fair market value for Flagship.  

The post-Merger market price for shares of Data Storage Common Stock may be affected by factors different from those affecting the market price for shares of Data Storage Common Stock prior to the Merger.

Upon completion of the Merger, the shares of Data Storage common stock will reflect both the Data Storage and Flagship businesses and results of operations. Data Storage’s and Flagship’s respective business differ, and accordingly the results of operations of the combined Data Storage/Flagship company, and the post-Merger market price of Data Storage common stock, will be affected by factors different from the pre-Merger results of operations of Data Storage and the pre-Merger market price of Data Storage common stock.

The market price for our shares of Common Stock may decline as a result of the Merger, including as a result of some Data Storage stockholders adjusting their portfolios.

The market value of Data Storage common stock at the time of consummation of the Merger may vary significantly from the price of Data Storage common stock on the date the Merger Agreement was executed and the date of this Annual Report. Following consummation of the Merger, the market price of Data Storage common stock may decline if, among other things, the operational cost savings estimates in connection with the integration of Data Storage’s and Flagship’s respective businesses are not realized, or if the costs related to the Merger are greater than expected, or if the financing related to the Merger is on unfavorable terms. The market price also may decline if the combined Data Storage-Flagship company does not achieve the perceived benefits of the Merger as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial or industry analysts or if the effect of the Merger on the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of the combined Data Storage-Flagship company is not consistent with the expectations of financial or industry analysts.

In addition, sales of Data Storage common stock by Data Storage’s stockholders after the completion of the Merger may cause the market price of Data Storage common stock to decrease.

Any of these events may make it more difficult for Data Storage to sell equity or equity-related securities, dilute your ownership interest in Data Storage and have an adverse impact on the price of Data Storage common stock.

Data Storage does not expect to declare any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. 

After the completion of the Merger, Data Storage does not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of Data Storage common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, investors 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.

The Merger may not be accretive, and may be dilutive, to the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s earnings per share, which may negatively affect the market price of shares of Data Storage common stock.

Data Storage currently believes that the Merger will result in a number of benefits, including cost savings, operating efficiencies, and stronger demand for the products and services of the combined Data Storage-Flagship company, and that the Merger will be accretive to the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s earnings. This belief is based, in part, on preliminary current estimates that may materially change. In addition, future events and conditions, including adverse changes in market conditions, additional transaction and integration-related costs and other factors such as the failure to realize some or all of the anticipated benefits of the Merger, could decrease or delay the accretion that is currently anticipated or could result in dilution. Any dilution of, or decrease in or delay of any accretion to, the combined Data Storage-Flagship company’s earnings per share could cause the price of shares of Data Storage common stock to decline or grow at a reduced rate.

Any failure by Flagship to comply with the terms of its outstanding indebtedness following the Merger could result in a default under the terms of such indebtedness that, if uncured, it could result in a foreclosure action against the pledged assets and legal action against the Company, as guarantor of that indebtedness.

Flagship currently has outstanding approximately $525,000 in principal under its line of credit with Bank United, N.A. (the “Bank United Indebtedness”), as well as approximately $499,900 in principal under its Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “EIDL Indebtedness” and, together with the Bank United Indebtedness, the “Flagship Indebtedness”), both of which will remain outstanding following the Merger. In addition to pledge of Flagship’s assets, the Flagship Indebtedness is currently secured by personal guarantees provided by certain Flagship equityholders who are also senior executives of Flagship. In connection with consummation of the Merger, those personal guarantees will be replaced by a parent guarantee from the Company, resulting in the Flagship Indebtedness effectively becoming an obligation of the Company upon consummation of the Merger. If Flagship fails to repay the Flagship Indebtedness or otherwise does not comply with the terms of the Flagship Indebtedness following consummation of the Merger, the applicable lender could declare a default under the loan documents for such Flagship Indebtedness, foreclose on the assets pledged to secure such Flagship Indebtedness, and enforce the parent guarantee of the Flagship Indebtedness provided by the Company. Any such action would have a serious disruptive effect on the operations of Flagship and the Company.

Risks Relating to our Common Stock and Securities

Our stock price has fluctuated in the past, has recently been volatile and may be volatile in the future, and as a result, investors in our common stock could incur substantial losses.

Our stock price has fluctuated in the past, has recently been volatile and may be volatile in the future. By way of example, on February 11, 2021, the reported low sale price of our common stock was $0.42, and the reported high sales price was $0.97. For comparison purposes, on October 1, 2020, the price of our common stock closed at $0.14 per share while on February 11, 2021, our stock price closed at $0.76 per share with no discernable announcements or developments by the company or third parties. We may incur rapid and substantial decreases in our stock price in the foreseeable future that are unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. In addition, the recent outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) 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 our common stock. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including the following: 

These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. Since the stock price of our common stock has fluctuated in the past, has been recently volatile and may be volatile in the future, investors in our 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 us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. There can be no guarantee that our stock price will remain at current prices or that future sales of our 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 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 have abated. While we have no reason to believe our shares would be the target of a short squeeze, there can be no assurance that we won’t be in the future, and you may lose a significant portion or all of your investment if you purchase our shares at a rate that is significantly disconnected from our underlying value.

Even if the Board approves a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio that currently achieves the requisite increase in the market price of our common stock for listing of our common stock on Nasdaq, we cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will remain high enough for such reverse split to have the intended effect of complying with The Nasdaq Capital Market’s minimum bid price requirement; and if we effect a reverse stock split, we cannot assure you that we will meet The Nasdaq Capital Market’s minimum requirements or standards.

In the Fall of 2019, we publicly disclosed that we were seeking to list our common stock on the Nasdaq. In order to be listed, we must meet certain rules relating to our stock price which at current levels we do not meet and as a result we anticipate effecting a reverse stock split, at a range of between a 1-2 and a 1-60 reverse split, to meet the minimum price requirement. Even if the reverse stock split achieves the requisite increase in the market price of our common stock to be in compliance with the minimum price of Nasdaq, there can be no assurance that (i) the market price of our common stock following the reverse stock split will remain at the level required for continuing compliance with that requirement, or (ii) if we effect a reverse stock split, we will meet Nasdaq’s minimum requirements or standards. It is not uncommon for the market price of a company’s common stock to decline in the period following a reverse stock split. If the market price of our common stock declines following the effectuation of the reverse stock split, the percentage decline may be greater than would occur in the absence of a reverse stock split. In any event, other factors unrelated to the number of shares of our common stock outstanding, such as negative financial or operational results, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and jeopardize our ability to meet or maintain the Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement.

If we are unable to satisfy these requirements or standards, we would not be able to meet Nasdaq’s initial listing standards. We can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to be listed, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the minimum bid price requirement, or prevent future non-compliance with the listing requirements.

Even if the reverse stock split increases the market price of our common stock and we meet Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with Nasdaq’s continued listing standards, a failure of which could result in a de-listing of our common stock.

Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB. We have applied to list our common stock on Nasdaq. There is no assurance that our common stock will ever be listed on Nasdaq or that we will be able to comply with such applicable listing standards. Should our common stock be listed on Nasdaq, in order to maintain that listing, Nasdaq requires that the trading price of a company’s listed stock on Nasdaq remain above one dollar in order for such stock to remain listed. If a listed stock trades below one dollar for more than 30 consecutive trading days, then it is subject to delisting from Nasdaq. In addition, to maintain a listing on Nasdaq, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, and certain corporate governance requirements. If we are unable to satisfy these requirements or standards, we could be subject to delisting, which would have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we would expect to take actions to restore our compliance with the listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the minimum bid price requirement, or prevent future non-compliance with the listing requirements.

The reverse stock split may decrease the liquidity of the shares of our common stock.

The liquidity of the shares of our common stock may be affected adversely by the reverse stock split given the reduced number of shares that will be outstanding following the reverse stock split, especially if the market price of our common stock does not increase as a result of the reverse stock split. In addition, the reverse stock split may increase the number of shareholders who own odd lots (less than 100 shares) of our common stock, creating the potential for such shareholders to experience an increase in the cost of selling their shares of common stock and greater difficulty effecting such sales.

Following the reverse stock split, the resulting market price of our common stock may not attract new investors, including institutional investors, and may not satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. Consequently, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not improve.

Although we believe that a higher market price of our common stock may help generate greater or broader investor interest, there can be no assurance that the reverse stock split will result in a share price that will attract new investors, including institutional investors. In addition, there can be no assurance that the market price of our common stock will satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve.

There is no assurance that once listed on Nasdaq we will not continue to experience volatility in our share price.

The OTCQB, where our common stock is currently quoted, is an inter-dealer, over-the-counter market that provides significantly less liquidity than Nasdaq. Our common stock is thinly traded due to the limited number of shares available for trading on the OTCQB thus causing large swings in price. As such, investors and potential investors may find it difficult to obtain accurate stock price quotations, and holders of our common stock may be unable to resell their securities at or near their original purchase price or at any price. If an active market for our common stock develops and continues, our common stock price may nevertheless be volatile. If our common stock experiences volatility as it has in the past, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above their original purchase price or at any price. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the perception that such sales might occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock and our common stock price may decline substantially in a short period of time. As a result, our shareholders could suffer losses or be unable to liquidate their holdings. No assurance can be given that the price of our common stock will become less volatile when listed on Nasdaq.

If an active public market for our common stock develops, trading will be limited under the SEC’s penny stock regulations, which will adversely affect the liquidity of our common stock.

The trading price of our common stock is less than $5.00 per share and, as a result, our common stock is considered a “penny stock,” and trading in our common stock is currently subject to the requirements of Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act. Under this rule, broker/dealers who recommend low-priced securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors must satisfy special sales practice requirements. Generally, the broker/dealer must make an individualized written suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written consent prior to the transaction.

The trading price of our common stock is less than $5.00 per share and, as a result, our common stock is considered a “penny stock,” and trading in our common stock would be subject to the requirements of Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act. Under this rule, broker/dealers who recommend low-priced securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors must satisfy special sales practice requirements. Generally, the broker/dealer must make an individualized written suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written consent prior to the transaction.

SEC regulations also require additional disclosure in connection with any trades involving a “penny stock,” including the delivery, prior to any penny stock transaction, of a disclosure schedule explaining the penny stock market and its associated risks. These requirements severely limit the liquidity of securities in the secondary market because few broker or dealers are likely to undertake these compliance activities. In addition to the applicability of the penny stock rules, other risks associated with trading in penny stocks could also be price fluctuations and the lack of a liquid market. An active and liquid market in our common stock may never develop due to these factors.

Upon exercise of our outstanding options or warrants and upon conversion of our convertible Series A Preferred Stock, we will be obligated to issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock which will dilute our present shareholders.

We are obligated to issue additional shares of our common stock in connection with our outstanding options, warrants, and shares of our convertible preferred stock. As of March 31, 2021, there were options, warrants, and shares of convertible preferred stock outstanding, convertible into 10,191,552 shares of common stock, respectively. The exercise, conversion or exchange of warrants or convertible securities, including for other securities, will cause us to issue additional shares of our common stock and will dilute the percentage ownership of our shareholders. In addition, we have 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 our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

Sales of large blocks of our common stock could depress the price of our common stock. The existence of these shares and shares of common stock issuable upon conversion 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 our common stock price. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, also could make our 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 our existing shareholders and investors seek to sell a substantial number of shares of our common stock, such selling efforts may cause significant declines in the market price of our common stock.

We do not expect to declare any common stock cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do 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 we may issue preferred stock without the approval of our shareholders and have other anti-takeover defenses, it may be more difficult for a third party to acquire us and could depress our stock price.

In general, our Board may issue, without a vote of our shareholders, one or more additional series of preferred stock that have more than one vote per share, although the Company’s ability to designate and issue preferred stock is currently restricted by covenants under our agreements with prior investors. Without these restrictions, our Board could issue preferred stock to investors who support us and our management and give effective control of our business to our management. Additionally, issuance of preferred stock could block an acquisition resulting in both a drop in our stock price and a decline in interest of our common stock. This could make it more difficult for shareholders to sell their common stock. This could also cause the market price of our common stock shares to drop significantly, even if our 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 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 our 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 “Nevada Anti-Takeover Statutes.”