~~Table of Contents~~

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements containing words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "target," "model," "can," "could," "may," "should," "will," "would" or similar words or the negative thereof, constitute "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements, which are based on our current plans, expectations, estimates and projections about future events, should not be unduly relied upon. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance and achievements to materially differ from any future results, performance and achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements included herein are based upon our assumptions, estimates and beliefs and involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond our control. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements and may be affected by a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include, among others: the risks and factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" and Part II, Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

All forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the risk that actual results will differ materially from the expectations expressed in this Annual Report will increase with the passage of time. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report, the inclusion of such forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives and plans set forth in this Annual Report will be achieved.

Marketing, Ranking and Other Industry Data

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes industry and trade association data, forecasts and information that we have prepared based, in part, upon data, forecasts and information obtained from independent trade associations, industry publications and surveys and other information available to us. Some data is also based on our good faith estimates, which are derived from management’s knowledge of the industry and independent sources. Industry publications and surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. We have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources, nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. In particular, the ~~Gartner and~~ Aragon reports described below represent research opinion or viewpoints published, as part of a syndicated subscription service, by ~~Gartner, Inc. ("Gartner") and~~ Aragon Research, Inc., ("Aragon")~~, respectively,~~ and are not representations of fact. Each of the ~~Gartner and~~ Aragon reports speaks as of its original publication date (and not as of the date of this filing) and the opinions expressed in the ~~Gartner and~~ Aragon reports are subject to change without notice. ~~Gartner and~~ Aragon dodoes not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. ~~Gartner and~~ Aragon research publications consist of the opinions of ~~Gartner’s and~~ Aragon's research organizations and should not be construed as statements of fact. ~~Gartner and~~ Aragon disclaim all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Statements as to our market position are based on market data currently available to us. Our estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information in the text of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is contained in industry publications or data compiled by a third-party. The sources of these industry publications and data are provided below:

~~Gartner Forecast: PCs, Ultramobiles~~•Aragon Report: The Aragon Research GlobeTM for Unified Communications and ~~Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2017-2023, 3Q19 Update, Ranjit Atwal,~~Collaboration, 2020, Jim Lundy, et al., ~~September 2019.~~April 2020

•Aragon Report: The Aragon Research GlobeTM for Intelligent Contact Center, 2020, Jim Lundy, June 2020

PART I


•Item 1.			~~Aragon Report: The Aragon Research Globe~~^TM ~~for Unified Communications and Collaboration, 2019, Jim Lundy, et al., April 2019~~ Business


•	~~Aragon Report: The Aragon Research Globe~~^TM ~~for Intelligent Contact Center, 2019, Jim Lundy, May 2019~~

~~Available~~Our Company

Avaya is a global leader in digital communications products, solutions and services for businesses of all sizes delivering most of its technology through software and services. We enable organizations around the globe to succeed by creating intelligent communications experiences for our clients, their employees and their customers. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration in the cloud, on-premise or a hybrid of both. Our global, experienced team of professionals delivers award-winning services from initial planning and design, to seamless implementation and integration, to ongoing managed operations, optimization, training and support.

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and everyday Avaya delivers millions of those experiences globally through its software and solutions. Avaya is shaping the future of businesses and workplaces, with innovation and partnerships that deliver significant, tangible business results. Our cloud communications solutions and multi-cloud software ecosystem power tailored, intelligent, and effortless customer and employee experiences that enable our clients to effectively engage and interact with their customers.

During fiscal 2020, Avaya shifted its entire comprehensive portfolio of capabilities to Avaya OneCloud, which offers significant capabilities across contact center, unified communications and collaboration, and communications platform as a service (“CPaaS”). We believe Avaya OneCloud uniquely positions us to address a customer’s needs in creating a Digital Workplace for their campus-based and remote employees through Unified Communications and Collaboration and the Customer Experience Center, our name for contact centers, helping clients deliver tangible business results.

Avaya offers a range of sales and licensing models that can be deployed on-premise or via a public, private, or hybrid cloud. During fiscal 2020, our investments to transform our revenue generation model from one that was legacy on-premise to one that is cloud-facing began positively contributing to our financial performance. Avaya offers an open, extensible development platform, enabling customers and third parties to easily create custom applications and automated workflows for their unique needs, integrating Avaya’s capabilities into the customer's existing infrastructure and business applications. Our solutions enable a seamless communications experience that adapts to how employees work instead of changing how they work.

Avaya also offers one of the broadest portfolios of business devices in the industry, including handsets, video conferencing units and headsets to meet the needs of every type of worker across a customer’s organization and help them get the most out of their communications investments. Avaya IP-enabled handsets, multimedia devices and conferencing systems enhance collaboration and productivity, and position organizations to incorporate future technological advancements.

Operating Segments

Our business has two operating segments: Products & Solutions and Services.

Products & Solutions

Products & Solutions encompasses our unified communications and contact center software platforms, applications and devices.

•Unified Communications and Collaboration ("UCC"): Avaya's UCC solutions enable organizations to reimagine collaborative work environments and help companies increase employee productivity, improve customer service and reduce costs. With Avaya's UCC solutions, organizations can provide their workers with a single application, or “app,” for all-channel calling, messaging, meetings and team collaboration with the same ease of use as existing consumer apps. Avaya embeds communications directly into the apps, browsers and devices employees use every day giving them a more natural, efficient and flexible way to connect, engage, respond and share - where and how they want. During fiscal 2020, we expanded our UCC portfolio to include cloud-based solutions.

•Contact Center ("CC"): Avaya’s industry-leading digital contact center solutions enable clients to build a customized portfolio of applications to drive stronger customer engagement and higher customer lifetime value. Our reliable, secure and scalable communications solutions include voice, email, chat, social media, video, performance management and third-party integration that can improve customer service and help companies compete more effectively. Like the UCC business, Avaya is evolving CC solutions for cloud deployment and, in fiscal 2020, we expanded our CC portfolio to include cloud-based solutions.

•We are also focused on ensuring an outstanding experience for mobile callers by integrating transformative technologies, including Artificial Intelligence ("AI"), mobility, big data analytics and cybersecurity into our CC solutions. As our customers use these solutions to gain a deeper understanding of their customer needs, we believe that their teams become more efficient and effective and, as a result, their customer loyalty grows.

Services

Complementing our product and solutions portfolio is a global, award-winning services portfolio, delivered by Avaya and our extensive partner ecosystem. Our services portfolio consists of our global support services, enterprise cloud and managed services and professional services. We also classify customers who upgrade and acquire new technology through our subscription offerings as part of our Services segment.

•Global Support Services provide offerings that help businesses protect their technology investments and address the risk of system outages. We help our customers gain a competitive edge through proactive problem prevention, rapid resolution and continual solution optimization. Most of our global support services revenue is recurring in nature.

•Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services enable customers to take advantage of our technology via the cloud, on-premise, or a hybrid of both, depending on the solution and the needs of the customer. Most of our enterprise cloud and managed services revenue is recurring in nature and based on multi-year services contracts.

•Professional Services enable our customers to take full advantage of their IT and communications solution investments to drive measurable business results. Our experienced consultants and engineers partner with customers along each step of the solution lifecycle to deliver services that add value and drive business transformation. Most of our professional services revenue is non-recurring in nature.

With these comprehensive services, customers can leverage communications technology to help them maximize their business results. We help our customers use communications to minimize the risk of outages, drive employee productivity and deliver a differentiated customer experience.

Our services teams also help our customers transition at their desired pace to next generation communications technology solutions. Our customers can choose the level of support for their communications solutions best suited for their needs, which may include deployment, training, monitoring, solution management, optimization and more. Our systems and service team’s performance monitoring can quickly identify and address issues before they arise. Remote diagnostics and resolutions focus on fixing existing problems and avoiding potential issues in order to help our customers save time and reduce the risk of an outage.

Avaya OneCloud Deployment Options and Capabilities

Cloud and Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) models generally refer to the products and services that allow organizations to move from owning, managing and running solutions to paying only for the capabilities they need. Avaya OneCloud provides an option for customers to access all of this and customize as they see fit.

Avaya OneCloud provides the full spectrum of deployment options, including via private, public and hybrid cloud, as well as on-premise. This enables organizations to deploy our solutions in the way that best serves their business requirements and complements their existing investments, while moving with the speed and agility they require.

Avaya OneCloud, delivered as Private, Public, Hybrid or On-Premise

•Private cloud: Each organization has its own instance of the software, although the platform is shared across multiple organizations.

•Public cloud: Each organization has a tenant of a shared instance of the software on a shared platform.

•Hybrid cloud: In a hybrid deployment, customers are able to leverage private cloud features that are already performing to their specifications and then integrate newly developed capabilities from the broader public cloud portfolio.

Avaya’s solutions are addressing the convergence of private and public cloud deployments observed across the industry. Used in conjunction with our private cloud solution, a customer can use a public cloud to provide capability at the edge of their network in a cost effective manner. Avaya’s investments in data-driven intelligent automation mean that if an organization needs to deploy an advanced, integrated, value-focused solution via a private cloud but needs it deployed in just hours, Avaya can deliver such a solution on the requested timeline. The benefit to the organization is “always available” access to the latest capabilities and innovation, quickly and at scale.

Avaya OneCloud, delivered as Subscription

Subscription begins the customer’s journey to the cloud by changing the commercial model from an ownership model with an existing on-premise solution to a usage model, with monthly or annual subscription payments. The customer only pays for the software and solutions that they need as opposed to buying an off the shelf solution that cannot be easily tailored to their needs, while providing access to the latest software.

Avaya OneCloud, delivered as a Managed Service

An organization can leverage its existing technology infrastructure investments without having to operate them. In this model, the organization will transition from a commercial model to a usage model and engage Avaya or a business partner to operate its investments on their behalf. The customer receives a tailored solution using the latest software with standardized cloud contracts.

Avaya OneCloud Migration

We believe our migration methodology differentiates us from many other cloud vendors in the market because of our range of services and ability to seamlessly migrate our customers to the cloud. We provide a range of cloud-facing deployment options best suited to a customer’s business and the capabilities to help our customers deploy these options. Our approach also provides flexible options based on standardized methodologies, a range of services, enterprise software expertise and tools to help organizations along every step of their journey to the cloud, by reducing transition complexities and risks as they move from their current deployment to a cloud-based one.

With our comprehensive Avaya OneCloud portfolio and a long-term technology development roadmap in place, we are helping our customers build state-of-the-art digital workplaces and contact centers. Our customers can take advantage of public, private and hybrid cloud solutions at any stage in their journey, and leverage new capabilities and innovations from Avaya and its ever-expanding partner ecosystem by consuming these software capabilities from the cloud, over-the-top of their on-premise solutions.

On-Premise

While a growing portion of our business is transitioning to our private, public and hybrid cloud-facing consumption models, there are customers that have business models and/ or requirements that mandate a premise-based infrastructure and therefore we will continue to support such solutions.

Application Developer Products

Along with off-the-shelf integrations with frequently used business applications used across an organization, Avaya’s unified communications platform simplifies the embedding of Avaya One Cloud communications and collaboration capabilities into business applications, including customer relationship management and enterprise resources planning. Our platform enables customers, third parties to work with Avaya to create customized engagement applications and to meet the unique operating requirements of a customer with unified communications and contact center capabilities including voice, video, messaging and meetings. Avaya also offers acloud-based execution and test environment for developing proof-of-concept applications.

Avaya Client SDK provides a developer-friendly set of tools that enables the building of innovative user experiences for vertical or business specific applications. Any functionality Avaya uses in its own clients and applications is available to developers through the SDK. Developers can mix and match functionality from both our unified communications and contact center solutions.

Avaya has an extensive developer program boasting over one million active developers. Avaya DevConnect enables third parties to support and extend the capabilities of Avaya solutions to address business challenges. Thousands of companies around the world are program members, including developers, system integrators, service providers and Avaya customers.

Cloud, Alliance Partner and Subscription Revenues (“CAPS”)

We measure our success in transforming our business to the cloud and our ability to reduce our dependence on premise-based perpetual licensing models by analyzing the contribution of our “CAPS revenue” to total consolidated revenue. CAPS revenue refers to revenue from cloud based solutions, together with revenues from our Strategic Alliance Partnerships and Subscription revenue. Our CAPS revenue as a percentage of total consolidated revenue, excluding the impact of fresh start accounting adjustments recognized upon the Company's emergence from bankruptcy, has grown over the past three fiscal years, representing 26%, 15% and 14% of total consolidated revenue for fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Alliances and Partnerships

Avaya has formed commercial and partnering arrangements through global alliances to expand the availability of our products and services, enhance the value derived by customers and grow our revenue opportunity.

Global Alliances

Avaya global alliances are strategically oriented technical and commercial relationships with key partners that we believe enhance both companies' go-to-market strategy. We have three primary types of global alliances: Global Service Provider alliances, Global Systems Integrator alliances and Ecosystem alliances.

•Global Service Provider alliances: Through these partnering arrangements with leading telecommunications service providers, we pursue sell-to and sell-through opportunities for Avaya solutions and services. These alliances are integral in selling and implementing our cloud-based services. We also see them as a principal route to market for our UCaaS and CCaaS solutions. During fiscal 2020, we entered a strategic partnership with RingCentral, Inc. (“RingCentral") and began deployment of Avaya Cloud Office, our OneCloud UCaaS solution.

•Global Systems Integrator alliances: These are similar to our Global Service Provider alliances, but refer to arrangements with systems integrator partners, as well as key channel partners with strong professional services and systems integration capabilities.

•Ecosystem alliances: These partnering arrangements are with industry leaders and leading technology companies. They feature deeper, R&D-led integrations and/or expanded go-to-market efforts, such as the DevConnect Select Product Program or the Avaya & Friends Program for international markets.

Channel Partners

Our channel partners serve our customers worldwide through Avaya Edge, our business partner program. Through certifications, the Avaya Edge program positions Value Added Reseller partners to sell, implement and maintain our communications systems, applications and services. Avaya Edge offers clearly defined partner categories with financial, technical, sales and marketing benefits that grow with levels of certification and revenue contribution. We support partners in the program by providing our comprehensive Avaya OneCloud portfolio of solutions in addition to sales, marketing and technical support. Although the terms of individual channel partner agreements may deviate from our standard program terms, our standard program agreements for resellers generally provide for a term of one year, with automatic renewal for successive one-year terms. Agreements may generally be terminated by either party for convenience upon 30-days' prior notice, and our standard program agreements for distributors may generally be terminated by either party for convenience upon 90 days prior notice. Certain of our contractual agreements with our largest distributors and resellers, however, permit termination of the relationship by either party for convenience upon prior notice of 180 days. Our partner agreements generally provide for responsibilities, conduct, order and delivery, pricing and payment, and include customary indemnification, warranty and other similar provisions. The Company's largest distributor, ScanSource Inc., is also its largest customer and represented 8% of the Company's total consolidated revenue for fiscal 2020. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-Our strategy depends in part on our reliance on our indirect sales channel" for additional information on the Company's reliance on its indirect sales channel.

Our Business Today

Our solutions address the needs of a diverse range of businesses, including large multinational enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses and government organizations. Our customers operate in a broad range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, hospitality, education, government, manufacturing, retail, transportation, energy, media and communications. We employ a flexible go-to-market strategy with direct or indirect presence in approximately 190 countries. As of September 30, 2020, we had more than 4,000 active channel partners and for fiscal 2020 our product revenue from indirect sales through our channel partners represented 67% of our total Products & Solutions segment revenue.

For fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018 (on a combined basis), we generated revenue of $2,873 million, $2,887 million and $2,851 million, of which 37%, 42% and 44% was generated by Products & Solutions and 63%, 58% and 56% by Services, respectively. Revenue by business area is presented in the following table for the periods indicated:


	Successor						Predecessor (1)		Non-GAAP Combined
	Fiscal years ended September 30,				Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018
(In millions)	2020		2019
Products & Solutions:
Unified Communications and Collaboration	$	710	$	863	$	718	$	180	$	898
Contact Center	363		359		271		73		344
	1,073		1,222		989		253		1,242
Services:
Global Support Services	1,238		1,086		786		244		1,030
Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services	282		297		245		57		302
Professional Services	280		282		227		50		277
	1,800		1,665		1,258		351		1,609
	$	2,873	$	2,887	$	2,247	$	604	$	2,851

(1) Upon our emergence from bankruptcy on December 15, 2017, we adopted fresh start accounting, which resulted in a new basis of accounting and the Company became a new entity for financial reporting purposes. For additional information on the effects of adopting fresh start accounting, see “Emergence from Bankruptcy” below.

One of our key focuses is increasing our recurring revenue. We define recurring revenue as revenue from products and services that are delivered pursuant to multi-period contracts including recurring subscription-based software revenue, maintenance, global support services and enterprise cloud and managed services. Non-recurring revenue consists of hardware, non-recurring perpetual-based software and one-time professional services. Hardware predominantly consists of endpoints, which include phones, video conferencing equipment and headsets. Non-recurring software is predominantly comprised of perpetual licenses. One-time professional services include installation services, as well as project-based deployment, design and optimization services.

Trends Shaping Our Industry

We believe several trends are shaping our industry, creating a substantial opportunity for us and other market participants to capitalize on these trends. These trends include:

•Unified Communications and Collaboration, CPaaS and Contact Center are converging to become part of an integrated services offering delivering next-generation communications capabilities across a host of devices and channels. Avaya already has more than 10,000 customers that range in size from 10 seats to 250,000 seats on a converged premise-based UCC and CC platform.

•Businesses will continue to invest in more than one unified communications platform as they build a collaboration portfolio to be used by their employees to address use cases specific to their ability to service their end customers.

•Remote worker and workforce mobility requirements are growing as the needs to work from home, or from anywhere, accelerate—driving increased usage of mobile devices by consumers and employees. These trends are further amplified as business leaders shift IT priorities to digitally transform their companies and take advantage of disruptive technologies like cloud-based solutions and delivery models, big data, IoT, cybersecurity and AI.

•Preference for cloud delivery of applications and management of multiple and varied devices continues to grow, all of which must be handled with the security their business demands.

•Demand for multi-experience as an evolution of omnichannel customer service continues to become an increasingly critical element of contact center solutions as consumers embrace new technologies and devices in creative ways.

•The Experience Economy will drive decision making in the future. These experience expectations mean that communications in serving the customer are continuing to become an increasingly critical element in contact center solutions, as consumers embrace new technologies and devices in creative ways and at an accelerating pace. Avaya is continuing to invest in AI-derived solutions delivered through cloud and subscription models to create “Experiences that Matter” for customers, employees and agents. This increased adoption and deployment of AI is providing significant new opportunities for enhanced UCC and CC solutions that improve the customer experience and transform the Digital Workplace. By expanding the use of AI, we can potentially reduce adoption costs, increase solution effectiveness and offer expanded alternatives to traditional methods for rendered services.

Our Market Opportunity

We believe that these trends create significant market opportunity for the next-generation UCaaS, Collaboration, CCaaS and CPaaS solutions that Avaya has brought to the market in fiscal 2020. The limitations of traditional premise-based communications solutions and services and capital-intensive buying models present an opportunity for differentiated vendors to gain market share in the cloud. We believe that the total available market for these solutions includes spending on communications applications, and the business devices that improve the application experience, as well as spending on one-time and recurring professional, enterprise cloud and managed services, and support services to implement, maintain and manage these solutions.

We are expanding our business in several of these areas, primarily with cloud-facing and subscription-based consumption models for customers, as well as providing them with managed services offerings. We are also growing in the customer segments that we serve, including large enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, as well as midmarket enterprises with between 50 and 250 agents in the contact center market and between 100 and 1,000 employees for customers using our UCC solutions. The growth opportunity in these markets comes from the need for enterprises to increase productivity and upgrade their unified communications and collaboration and contact center strategy to a more integrated approach, to account for the accelerated work from home / work from anywhere trend, increased mobility, and a host of devices and multiple communications channels. In response to these needs, we expect that aggregate total spending on UCC, CPaaS, CC, services and support, and enterprise cloud and managed services to grow, with the majority of growth coming from cloud services.

Although the decision makers for our solutions and services have traditionally been senior IT leadership, up to and including Chief Information Officers (“CIOs”), our research finds that now more of the buying decisions are being influenced by business units and the broader C-suite, including Chief Executive Officers (“CEOs”), Chief Marketing Officers (“CMOs”) and Chief Digital Officers (“CDOs”). They have become more involved as digital transformation has expanded beyond the data center and IT infrastructure to encompass lines of business operations and customer experiences. CEOs, CMOs and CDOs are recognizing growing customer and employee demand for better interactions across multiple channels of their choosing, and they see an opportunity to differentiate their companies and lines of business by providing their employees with an opportunity to deliver a superior customer experience.

We believe that due to the increasing importance of technology as both an internal and external-facing presence of the enterprise, as well as the high stakes of data breaches, CEOs are increasingly engaged in the decision-making process. CMOs and CDOs are gaining additional budget authority as they are tasked with managing customer experience and marketing activities using sophisticated communications technology and rich data. We believe that because of the shifts in decision-making roles, the focus of customer experience solutions should be to provide businesses with better ways to engage with end users securely across multiple platforms and channels, creating better customer experiences, and ultimately, higher revenues for the business.

In our experience, decision makers have three critical priorities:

•Shift to cloud-based solutions: Companies today seek technology that helps them lower Total Cost of Ownership (“TCO”) and increase deployment speed and application agility, including a variety of public, private and hybrid cloud solutions. They are also shifting away from a complex, proprietary capital-intensive consumption model to one that is more flexible and efficient in gaining access to the latest technology.

•Leverage existing technology infrastructure while positioning for the future: The speed at which new technology enters the market is challenging companies to rapidly adopt and install new technology. We believe this pressure creates strong demand for scalable systems that do not require enterprise-wide overhauls of existing technology to implement newer solutions and technologies. Instead, it favors incremental, flexible, extensible technologies that are easy to adopt and compatible with, existing infrastructures.

•Manage the reliable and secure integration of an increasing number and variety of devices and endpoints: Today, business users leverage laptops, smartphones and tablets just as often – if not more than – desk-based devices.The ability to communicate seamlessly and securely across devices, applications and endpoints must be managed as part of an integrated communications infrastructure.

Our Answer

Position Avaya as the leader in cloud-based Digital Workplace and Customer Experience Solutions. To accomplish this, we plan to:

•Define innovation in our core market segments by delivering powerful AI-enabled cloud communications solutions,

•Win with global services capabilities that support customer cloud adoption and drive expansion, and

•Activate, convert and transform our installed base by providing a customer journey that enables them to effortlessly migrate to, and consume Avaya cloud services.

In addition, Avaya intends to:

•Increase our Midmarket Capabilities and Market Share: We believe our market opportunity for the portion of the midmarket segment that Avaya serves is growing. We define the midmarket as firms with between 50 and 250 agents for CC and between 100 and 1,000 employees for UCC. Not only do we believe this segment is growing, but we also believe midmarket businesses are underserved and willing to invest in IT enhancements. We intend to continue to invest in our midmarket offerings and go-to-market resources to increase market share and meet the growing demands of this segment.

•Increase Sales to Existing Customers and Pursue New Customers: We believe that we have a significant opportunity to increase our sales to our existing customers by offering new solutions from our Avaya OneCloud portfolio. This set of cloud capabilities is supported by our market leadership, global scale and extensive customer interaction, including at the C-suite level, and creates a strong platform from which to drive and shape the evolution of enterprise communications. Our track record with our customers has earned us credibility that we believe provides us with a competitive advantage in helping them cope with this evolution.

We also believe our refreshed product and services portfolio provides increased potential for acquiring new customers.

We have worked to become both HIPAA and PCI DSS compliant as we believe the ability to service these two areas will significantly expand our potential customer base and total addressable market. These certifications allow for market penetration into otherwise restrictive and difficult markets, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

•Invest in Sales and Distribution Capabilities: Our flexible go-to-market strategy consists of both a direct sales force and indirect sales through our alliances and channel partners, allowing us to reach customers across industries and around the globe. We believe our channel partner network is a valuable competitive differentiator. We intend to continue investing in our channel partners and sales force in order to optimize their market focus and enter new vertical segments. We provide our channel partners, including master agents and sales agents, with training, marketing programs and technical support through our Avaya Edge program that helps to further differentiate our offerings. These agents are our primary distribution channel for small to midmarket customers. Under our master agent program, small to midmarket sales agents connect potential customers with us and we then handle the rest of the transaction including contracting, provisioning, managing and billing the Avaya services for the business. The master agent program provides an option that rounds out the available choices for customers, channel partners and sales agents to access Avaya’s industry-leading communications solutions.

We also leverage our sales and distribution channels to accelerate customer adoption of our cloud-based solutions and generate an increasing percentage of our revenue from our new high-value software products, video collaboration, midmarket offerings and user experience applications.

•Expand Margins and Profitability: We maintain a tight focus on profitability levels and are continually evaluating the efficacy of our cost-saving initiatives. These initiatives have contributed to improvements in our gross margin and we expect to pursue additional cost-reduction opportunities. While we anticipate margin and profitability growth to increase over the long-term as a result of these cost-saving initiatives, we expect slight decreases in margin during fiscal 2021 as we invest in our new Avaya OneCloud offerings.

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe the following competitive strengths position us to capitalize on the opportunities created by the market trends affecting our industry.

A Leading Position across our Primary Markets

With a full suite of UCC and CC solutions offered under Avaya OneCloud and our expansive go-to-market capability, we are a leader in business communications. We maintain a leading market share in worldwide contact center agents and are among the leaders in unified communications and collaboration seats. We were recognized as a Leader in the Aragon Research Globe for Unified Communications and Collaboration and Aragon Research Globe for Unified Communications and Collaboration 2020 reports. Additionally, we believe that we are a leading provider of private cloud and managed services and that our market leadership and incumbent position within our customer base provides us with a superior opportunity to cross-sell to existing customers and position ourselves to win over new customers.

Our Open Standards Technology Supports Multi-vendor, Multi-platform Environments

Our open, standards-based technology is designed to accommodate customers with multi-vendor environments seeking to leverage existing investments. Providing enterprises with strong integration capabilities allows them to take advantage of new UCC and CC technology as it is introduced. It does not limit customers to a single vendor or add to the backlog of integration work. We also continue to invest in our developer ecosystem, Avaya DevConnect, which has grown to include more than 119,000 members as of September 30, 2020. Avaya DevConnect, together with our Application Programming Interfaces ("APIs"), which are a set of routines, protocols and tools for building software applications and applications development environments, allow our customers to derive unique and additional value from our architecture.

Building on our Leading Service Capabilities for a Significant Recurring Revenue Stream

Avaya services relationships have long been significant contributors to our large recurring revenue base, and provide us with significant visibility into our customers’ future collaboration needs. Our global support services and enterprise cloud and managed services are typically provided to customers through recurring contracts. These contracts generally have terms that range from one- to five-years for support services, and one- to seven-years terms for enterprise cloud and managed services. The launch of our Avaya OneCloud Subscription offer is a further evolution of our global support services business and provides our customers with flexibility in how they consume our solutions.

In addition to insights into their ongoing operational needs, our professional services team engages in migration planning, security services, custom application integration and other consulting activities that position us to understand our customers’ business needs today and in the future.

•Support Services: Avaya is a leading provider of recurring support services for business communications solutions. Our worldwide services-delivery infrastructure and capabilities help customers address critical business communications needs from initial planning and design through implementation, maintenance and day-to-day operation, monitoring and solution management. With more than 4,000 trained and certified services professionals worldwide, we can help customers find and implement the right communications solutions.

We believe the Avaya support services team continues to be well-positioned for success due to our close collaboration between our R&D and service planning teams in advance of new product releases. We offer high levels of automation to onboard and manage a customer’s communications infrastructure, delivering faster, more effective deployments from proof of concept to production. This includes a robust communications automation platform with full event orchestration leveraging advanced AI functionality. As a pioneer of the omnichannel support experience in enterprise support, Avaya also gives customers the option to interact with our "Ava" virtual agent, to access immediate support answers online. Customers can also connect with one of our experts via web chat, web talk or web video. When necessary, Avaya Services can also directly access our R&D teams to resolve customer issues. All combined, these capabilities position Avaya to provide the highest-quality service for Avaya products.

•Professional Services: Avaya offers a broad portfolio of capabilities through its professional services, including implementation/enablement services, system optimization, innovation services, partner solution integration and custom applications development.

•Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services: With a focus on customer performance and growth, Avaya’s enterprise cloud solutions and managed services solutions range from managing software releases, to operating customer cloud, premise or hybrid-based communication systems, to helping customers migrate to next-generation business communications environments. We believe that our deep understanding of application management supporting unified communications, collaboration and contact center solutions positions us to best manage and operate cloud-based communications systems for our customers.

We believe our employees and consultants are among the best in our industry because they are trained and supported by the best in the industry. The high level of customer satisfaction ratings we receive for support transactions is a testament to the expertise of our people. These dedicated professionals are focused on satisfying customer needs, driving a proactive and preventive agenda to help customers maintain optimum levels of service.

We continue to broaden the options for cloud-based service offerings, expanding our consulting services capabilities and upselling our existing customers to our cloud-based and managed services offerings. We are investing to provide additional options along the spectrum of support service offerings, constantly developing our tools and infrastructure to improve our service levels. In addition, as our custom applications development team complete customer-funded application development engagements, they identify opportunities to monetize those solutions across our broader customer base.

Expanding Cloud Offerings and Capabilities

In our experience, technology and business leaders are increasingly turning to cloud-based technologies and business models that help enterprises cut costs, increase productivity, simplify IT environments and shift, when possible, to subscription-based models. We are investing in the expansion of our cloud and hybrid cloud solutions and through our Avaya OneCloud portfolio, offer solutions and technologies that span on-premise, private, public and hybrid cloud development models. Avaya Cloud Office, launched in fiscal 2020, will position us to further meet market demand for cloud-based unified communications and collaboration applications, while the launch of our next-generation CCaaS offering will support customer demand in contact center applications.

Open Standards, Product Differentiation and Innovation

Avaya’s open architecture provides a competitive advantage for us as potential customers consider migrating to our solutions and services because we can integrate with incumbent competitor systems and provide a path for gradual transition, while immediately achieving overall cost savings and improved functionality.

Throughout fiscal 2020, we enhanced our Avaya OneCloud portfolio by rolling out new solutions to address growing demand for our CCaaS, CPaaS, UCaaS and Subscription offerings, as customers transition to cloud-based and subscription consumption models to support public, private and hybrid cloud or on-premise deployments.

We expect to continue investing in innovation across the portfolio to bring further enhancements and breakthroughs to market, encouraging customers to continue to add innovative new capabilities to their systems. As we expand our cloud and mobility opportunities, we are also identifying new ways to leverage virtual desktop infrastructure to securely deliver business communications to users. We are developing AI solutions internally and with partners to help organizations transform customer experiences. We are deploying these disruptive solutions to drive incremental value for our customers, and their customers.

Research and Development ("R&D")

Avaya makes substantial investments in R&D to develop new systems, solutions and software in support of business communications, including, but not limited to, converged communications systems, communications applications, multimedia contact center innovations, collaboration tools, messaging applications, video, speech-enabled applications, business infrastructure and architecture, converged mobility systems, cloud offerings, web services, artificial intelligence, communications-enabled business processes and applications, and services for our customers. Over the past three fiscal years, we have invested approximately $780 million in R&D, including technology acquisitions.

We invested 19.3%, 16.7% and 16.9% in R&D as a percentage of product revenue in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, reflecting a consistent investment in R&D as a percentage of product revenue and evidencing our commitment to innovation. Our investments in fiscal 2020 focused on driving innovative cloud solutions across our portfolio and new releases of our UCC and CC solutions.

Patents, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

We own a significant number of patents important to our business and we expect to continue to file patent applications to protect our R&D investments in new products and services across all areas of our business. As of September 30, 2020, we had more than 4,400 patents and pending patent applications, including foreign counterpart patents and foreign applications. These patents and pending patent applications cover a wide range of products and services involving a variety of technologies. For the U.S., patents terms may be 20 years from the date of the patent's filing, depending upon term adjustments made by the patent office. In addition, we hold numerous trademarks in the U.S. and in other countries. We also have licenses to intellectual property for the manufacture, use and sale of our products.

We obtain patent and other intellectual property rights used in connection with our business when practicable and appropriate. Historically, we have done so both organically, through commercial relationships, and in connection with acquisitions.

We manage our patent portfolio to maximize return on investment by selectively selling patents at market prices and cross licensing with other parties when such sales or licensing are in best our interests. These monetization programs are conducted in a manner that helps to preserve Avaya’s freedom to operate and to help ensure that Avaya retains patents needed for defensive use.

From time to time, assertions of infringement of certain patents or other intellectual property rights of others have been made against us, and certain pending claims are in various stages of litigation. Based on our experience and customary industry practice, we believe that any licenses or other rights that might be necessary for us to continue with our current business could be obtained on commercially reasonable terms. For more information concerning the risks related to patents, trademarks and other intellectual property, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Intellectual Property and Information Security-We may be subject to litigation and infringement claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses or prevent us from selling our products or services."

Customers

Avaya employs a flexible, go-to-market strategy to support our diverse customer base, ranging in size from small businesses employing a few employees to large government agencies and multinational companies with more than 100,000 employees. Our customers operate in a broad range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, transportation, energy, media and communications, hospitality, health care, education and government. Our customers include leading Forbes Global 2000 companies across all these industries. For more information concerning the risks related to contracts with the U.S. federal government, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-Contracting with government entities can be complex, expensive and time-consuming."

Sales and Distribution

Our global go-to-market strategy is designed to focus and strengthen our reach and impact on large multinational enterprises, midmarket and regional enterprises and small businesses. Our go-to-market strategy is intended to serve our customers in the way they prefer to work with us, either directly with Avaya or indirectly through our sales channel, which includes our global network of strategic alliances, channel partners, distributors, dealers, value-added resellers, telecommunications service providers, system integrators, master agents and sub-agents. Our sales organizations are equipped to sell our comprehensive Avaya OneCloud portfolio complemented by services offerings including product support, integration and other professional services, and enterprise cloud and managed services.

We continue to focus on efficient deployment of Avaya sales resources, both directly and indirectly through our channel partners, for maximum market penetration and global growth. Our investment in our sales organization includes fully integrated curricula on the sales process, guided selling, sales enablement and our solutions for all roles within our sales organization.

Seasonal trends impact the sale of our products. Typically, our second fiscal quarter is our weakest and our fourth fiscal quarter is our strongest, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Financial Results, Finances and Capital Structure-In addition to experiencing some seasonal trends, our quarterly and annual revenues and operating results have historically fluctuated and the results of one period may not provide a reliable indicator of our future performance."

Development Partnerships

The Avaya DevConnect program is designed to promote the development, compliance-testing and co-marketing of innovative third-party products that are compatible with Avaya’s standards-based products. Member organizations have expertise in a broad range of technologies, including IP telephony, contact center and unified communications and collaboration applications.

As of September 30, 2020, over 32,000 companies have registered with the program, including over 280 companies operating at higher program levels, eligible for technical support and to submit their products or services for compatibility testing through the program by the Avaya Solution Interoperability and Test Lab ("Avaya Test Lab"). Avaya DevConnect engineers work in concert with each submitting member company to develop comprehensive test plans for each application to validate the product integrations.

Manufacturing and Suppliers

We have outsourced substantially all of our manufacturing operations to several contract manufacturers. Our contract manufacturers produce the vast majority of our products in facilities located in southern China, with other products manufactured in facilities located in Mexico, Taiwan, Germany, Ireland and the U.S. All manufacturing of our products is performed in accordance with detailed specifications and product designs, furnished or approved by Avaya, and is subject to rigorous quality control standards. We periodically review our product manufacturing operations and consider changes we believe may be necessary or appropriate. We also purchase certain hardware components and license certain software components from third-party Original Equipment Manufacturers ("OEMs"), which we then resell separately or as part of our products under the Avaya brand.

In some cases, certain components are available only from a single source or from a limited number of suppliers. Delays or shortages associated with these components could cause significant disruption to our operations, although we have not yet had any such event have a material impact on us. We have also outsourced substantially all our warehousing and distribution logistics operations to several providers of such services on a global basis, and any delays or material changes in such services could cause significant disruption to our operations, although many alternative suppliers are active in the market today. For more information on risks related to products, components and logistics, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-We rely on third-party contract manufacturers, component suppliers and partners (some of which are sole source and limited source suppliers) and warehousing and distribution logistics providers. If these relationships are disrupted and we are unable to obtain substitute manufacturers, suppliers or partners, on favorable terms or at all, our business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed."

The Company has not experienced any material impacts from the tariffs levied by the U.S. Government on goods manufactured in China and sold into U.S. markets.

Competition

Although we believe we are differentiated from any single competitor, the following represent the Company's primary competitors in various lines of our business:

•Enterprise UCC: Cisco, Microsoft, NEC, Atos Unify, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Huawei.

•Midmarket UCC: Mitel, NEC, Cisco and Microsoft.

•Cloud Products and Services: Cisco, Microsoft, RingCentral, 8x8, Mitel, Google, LogMeIn, Fuze, Zoom and Twilio.

•Video Products and Solutions: Cisco, Microsoft, Zoom, LogMeIn, Google, Poly, Huawei, ZTE, Ring Central, BlueJeans, and LifeSize.

•Enterprise Contact Center Products and Services: Genesys, Cisco, Aspect Software, Huawei, NEC and Enghouse Interactive.

•Midmarket Contact Center Products and Services: Genesys, Cisco, Five9, NICE InContact, Amazon, Twilio, Talkdesk and Vonage.

We also face competition in certain geographies with companies that have a particular strength and focus in these regions, such as Huawei in China and Intelbras in Latin America.

While we believe our global, in-house end-to-end services organization as well as our indirect channel provide us with a competitive advantage, we face competition from companies offering products and services directly or indirectly through their channel partners, as well as resellers, consulting and systems integration firms and network service providers.

For more information on risks related to our competition, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition- We face formidable competition from providers of unified communications and contact center solutions and services, including cloud-based solutions, and this competition may negatively impact our business and limit our growth."

Employees and Human Capital Management

As of September 30, 2020, we had 8,266 employees with 2,774 located in the U.S. and 5,492 located outside the U.S. There were 7,941 employees not represented by unions or similar organizations and 325 that were represented and covered by collective bargaining agreements. Of the 325 full-time employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, 310 were located in the U.S. Over recent years, we have assembled a new senior management team that is action-oriented with a disruptive mindset and the willingness to move the business forward to achieve our objectives.

The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for monitoring our human capital management, including, among other aspects, management depth and strength assessment, leadership development, talent assessment, diversity, equality and inclusion and our employee survey results. While human capital management is overseen at the highest level of our Company, it is woven into the everyday fabric of Avaya’s culture.

At Avaya, our people – and the richness of their ethnicities, perspectives, experiences and skills - are the driving force behind our every success. We established cultural principles that are the foundation of our success and put these into action by living our cultural principles in everything we do. Our cultural principles are: simplicity, accountability, teamwork, trust and empowerment. These cultural principles serve as the framework in which we hire, train and manage and assess the performance our global employee population. We believe these principles help differentiate us and, in part, allowed us to retain 96.4% of our top-rated employees throughout fiscal 2020. This represents a 2.1 point increase year over year.

As part of Avaya’s overall dedication and investment in its employees and consistent with its people first strategy, we conduct employee engagement surveys. The surveys in each of fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019 focused on a variety of different areas, including employee trust in the leadership, effectiveness of leadership communication, and personal and professional employee development. As a result of our transition to a largely work from home workforce in response to global efforts to contain the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our engagement survey in fiscal 2020 focused on remote working, including topics such as the employees’ continued effectiveness in a remote environment, access to the necessary resources to be successful in their roles, continued customer focus in a virtual environment and gauging our employees’ health and wellbeing. Avaya intends to continue to monitor engagement through different surveys.

Lastly, Avaya continues to strive to make diversity, equality and inclusion a priority. As of September 30, 2020, 22% of the global employee headcount was female and 26% of our employees in the United States self-identified as part of a minority group. For additional information on the workplace elements of Avaya’s Corporate Responsibility Program see “--Corporate Responsibility and Culture at Avaya.”

Corporate Responsibility and Culture at Avaya

Creating experiences that matter not only defines how Avaya does business, but how we aspire to impact the world. The Avaya OneCloud portfolio of communications solutions contributes to environmental sustainability, supporting remote working initiatives through unified communications solutions such as video, collaboration and team rooms. Our company and our associates also drive positive change by taking action and building partnerships to address pressing environmental and community issues as part of our commitment to Corporate Responsibility. We are leveraging sustainability as an opportunity for innovation, such as developing new initiatives to eliminate single-use plastics in our operations and supply chain. Our employees, customers, partners and suppliers continue to make meaningful and lasting differences in the world, including donating their time and money to support charities and non-profit organizations worldwide. And we are advancing awareness of diversity and inclusion by engaging in dialogue with our employees and leaders.

Avaya’s Corporate Responsibility Program incorporates four key elements: Environment, Community, Marketplace and Workplace. For the Environment element, Avaya looks to implement environmental stewardship practices at our global locations. Community represents Avaya working to positively impact society and supporting the communities where we are located. Marketplace includes engaging in fair and ethical business dealings with our customers, our partners and our supply chain. Workplace focuses on developing a desirable place to work for our employees across the globe.

•With 8,266 global employees, diversity, inclusion and equity have been fundamental to Avaya’s core values. Avaya is a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion program to work toward a more inclusive and progressive workplace that values differences and evolves understanding and is also a signatory to the statement from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group standing up for racial justice and equality. This statement is available on www.avaya.com. Information on our website is not a part of this report.

•Avaya has also made a commitment to a newly established Avaya Diversity & Inclusion Council. This council, which is to be created by Avaya employees, aims to build a workplace where individuality is celebrated and harnessed, creating a culture of engagement, innovation and inclusivity.

•Avaya has also created new employee resource groups, including the WIN@A (Women Inspired Network @ Avaya) group focused on women, and ABLE (Avaya Blacks Leading Empowerment) and is also creating new groups for Veterans, LGBTQ employees, Hispanics/Latinos and other employee-defined priority groups.

•These Company-sponsored groups provide the global Avaya team with an opportunity to share open dialogue around issues, promote a culture of Diversity and Inclusion, and provide new business and audience insights into the Company’s diverse customer base.

•Avaya conducts unconscious bias training for all employees. This is not a new program, but has been accelerated to allow for more timely discussions and a greater sense of urgency.

•The Company’s Talent Acquisition program has led to steady year-over-year increases in female and minority representation in leadership positions across Avaya, and the team is currently implementing a series of new tools and practices to further increase diversity in the Company’s candidate pools for hiring and advancement.

The Company has taken an employee-first view of diversity and inclusion, and employees are encouraged to support each other and Avaya communities in light of recent events. We are closely tracking progress on these key items, while exploring other initiatives, from corporate social responsibility, to investments in non-profit organizations, to supporting employee efforts and supporting the global communities where Avaya employees live and work.

Environmental, Health and Safety Matters

Avaya is subject to a wide range of governmental requirements relating to safety, health and environmental protection, including:

•certain provisions of environmental laws governing the cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination;

•various local, federal and international laws and regulations regarding the material content and electrical design of our products that require us to be financially responsible for the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of those products; and

•various employee safety and health regulations that are imposed in various countries within which we operate.

We are currently involved in a few remediations at currently or formerly owned or leased sites, which we do not believe will have a material impact on our business or results of operations. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Global Operations and Regulations-We may be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws, regulations, costs and other liabilities" for a discussion of the potential impact such governmental requirements and climate change risks may have on our business.

Cybersecurity

Avaya has a vigorous, risk-based cybersecurity program, dedicated to protecting our data as well as data belonging to our customers and partners. We utilize a defensive in-depth strategy, with multiple layers of security controls to protect our data and solutions. Organizationally, we have a Product Security Council, cross-functional Cyber Incident Response teams, Security Operations Centers, and strong governance to ensure compliance with our security policies and protocols. These teams are comprised of experts across our enterprise, as well as outside experts, to ensure that we are monitoring the effectiveness of our cybersecurity governance and vulnerability management programs.

For more information on risks related to data security, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Intellectual Property and Information Security-A breach of the security of our information systems, products or services or of the information systems of our third-party providers could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition."

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 2605 Meridian Parkway, Suite 200, Durham, North Carolina. Our corporate telephone number is (908) 953-6000. Our website address is www.avaya.com. Information contained in, and that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated into and does not form a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Avaya Holdings is a holding company with no stand-alone operations and has no material assets other than its ownership interest in Avaya Inc. and its subsidiaries. All of the Company’s operations are conducted through its various subsidiaries, which are organized and operated according to the laws of their jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, as applicable, and consolidated by the Company.

The Company's corporate governance documents, including the Board of Directors' Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee charters are available, free of charge, on Avaya’s website ~~or in print for stockholders.~~

at https://investors.avaya.com.

All of the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") pursuant to Section 13(a), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available, free of charge, on Avaya’s website, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statements and any amendments to those reports. These reports and amendments are available on Avaya’s website as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files the reports or amendments with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains these reports, proxy and information statements and other information.

~~PART I~~



~~Item 1.~~	~~Business~~

~~Our Company~~

Avaya is a global leader in digital communications products, solutions and services for businesses of all sizes. We enable organizations around the globe to succeed by creating intelligent communications experiences for customers and employees. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration in the cloud, on-premises or a hybrid of both. Our global, experienced team of professionals delivers award-winning services from initial planning and design, to seamless implementation and integration, to ongoing managed operations, optimization, training and support. As of September 30, 2019, we had a presence in approximately 175 countries worldwide and during the past four fiscal years we served more than 90% of the Fortune 100 organizations.

~~Operating Segments~~

~~Our business has two operating segments:~~ ~~Products & Solutions~~ ~~and~~ ~~Services.~~

~~Products & Solutions~~

~~Products & Solutions encompasses our unified communications and contact center platforms, applications and devices.~~

~~Unified Communications ("UC"):~~ Avaya's UC solutions enable organizations to reimagine collaborative work environments and help companies increase employee productivity, improve customer service and reduce costs. With Avaya's UC solutions, organizations can provide their workers with a single application, or "app," for all-channel calling, messaging, meetings and team collaboration with the same ease of use as existing consumer apps. Avaya embeds communications directly into the apps, browsers and devices employees use every day giving them a more natural, efficient and flexible way to connect, engage, respond and share - where and how they want.

Avaya offers an open, extensible development platform, enabling customers and third parties to easily create custom applications and automated workflows for their unique needs, integrating Avaya’s capabilities into the customer's existing infrastructure and business applications. Our solutions enable a seamless communications experience that adapts to how employees work instead of changing how they work. Avaya continues to evolve its UC solutions including for cloud deployment.

~~Contact Center ("CC"):~~ Avaya’s industry-leading digital contact center solutions enable customers to build a customized portfolio of applications to drive stronger customer engagement and higher customer lifetime value. Our reliable, secure and scalable communications solutions include voice, email, chat, social media, video, performance management and third-party integration that can improve customer service and help companies compete more effectively. Like the UC business, Avaya is evolving the CC solution set for cloud deployment.

We are also focused on ensuring an outstanding experience for mobile callers by integrating transformative technologies, including Artificial Intelligence ("AI"), mobility, big data analytics and cybersecurity into our contact center solutions. As organizations use these solutions to gain a deeper understanding of their customer needs, we believe that their teams become more efficient and effective and, as a result, their customer loyalty grows.

Both UC and CC are supported by our portfolio of innovative business phones and multimedia devices, which is one of the broadest in the industry. Avaya brings consumer technology to employee mobile devices and desktops in a way that can help our customers enhance customer service, internal and external collaboration and employee productivity. Customers experience seamless audio and video capabilities for both Avaya and approved third-party UC platforms via open Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") devices. SIP is used for signaling and controlling multi-media communication sessions in applications of Internet telephony for voice and video calls, along with integration with numerous apps that help connect and accelerate business. Developers can easily customize capabilities for their specific needs with our client Software Development Kit ("SDK").

~~Services~~

~~Services consists of three business areas: Global Support Services, Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services and Professional Services.~~

~~Global Support Services~~provide offerings that address the risk of system outages and help businesses protect their technology investments. We help our customers maintain their competitiveness through proactive problem prevention, rapid resolution and continual solution optimization. The majority of our revenue in this business is recurring in nature.

~~Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services~~ enable customers to take advantage of our technology via the cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid of both, depending on the solution and the needs of the customer. The majority of our revenue in this business is recurring in nature and based on multi-year services contracts.

~~Professional Services~~ enable businesses worldwide to take full advantage of their IT and communications solution investments to drive measurable business results. Our experienced consultants and engineers partner with clients along each step of the solution lifecycle to deliver services that drive business transformation and provide continuously increasing value. The majority of our revenue in this business is non-recurring in nature.

Together, these comprehensive services enable clients to leverage communications technology to help them maximize their business results. We help our customers use communications to minimize the risk of outages, enable employee productivity and deliver a differentiated customer experience.

Our services teams also help our clients transition at their desired pace to next generation communications technology solutions, either via the cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid of both. Customers can choose various levels of support for their communications solutions, including deployment, training, monitoring, troubleshooting and optimization, and more. Our proactive, preventative system performance monitoring can quickly identify and resolve issues should they arise. Remote diagnostics and resolutions rapidly fix existing problems and avoid potential issues, helping our customers save time and reduce the risk of an outage.

~~Cloud~~

For customers who choose a cloud model, we utilize Avaya OneCloud to deliver our Products & Solutions and Services. Avaya OneCloud delivers flexible business communications services and solutions to connect our customers with their customers, helping them to improve productivity and grow their businesses. With Avaya OneCloud, our customers can integrate, customize and scale operations to be more agile in delivering new products and services to market. Avaya OneCloud helps ensure that our customers have up-to-date technology, so they can deliver meaningful experiences to their customers.

~~Strategic Partnership with RingCentral~~

On October 3, 2019, we entered into certain agreements regarding a strategic partnership with RingCentral, Inc. (“RingCentral”), a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, collaboration and contact center solutions, to accelerate our transition to the cloud. Through this partnership, we will introduce and deploy Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral (“Avaya Cloud Office” or “ACO”), a new global unified communications as a service (“UCaaS”) solution. Avaya Cloud Office will expand our industry-leading portfolio to offer a full suite of UC, CC, UCaaS and contact center as a service ("CCaaS") solutions to a global customer base, which includes more than 100,000 customers, over 100 million UC lines and 5 million CC users in approximately 175 countries. Avaya Cloud Office provides us with an opportunity to unlock value from a largely unmonetized base of our business as it brings compelling value to our customers and partners. ACO combines RingCentral’s leading UCaaS platform with Avaya technology, services and migration capabilities to create a highly differentiated UCaaS offering. Under the partnership, the Company is required to market and sell ACO as its exclusive UCaaS solution (subject to certain exceptions). Avaya now has a full suite of public, private and hybrid cloud solutions for its global UC and CC customers and partners. ACO is expected to launch in the second quarter of fiscal 2020. On October 25, 2019, the Company and RingCentral received notice from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it had granted early termination, effective immediately, of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 ("HSR Act") for the transaction, and the transaction closed on October 31, 2019. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the arrangement on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

~~Emergence~~Trends Shaping Our Industry

We believe several trends are shaping our industry, creating a substantial opportunity for us and other market participants to capitalize on these trends. These trends include:

•Unified Communications and Collaboration, CPaaS and Contact Center are converging to become part of an integrated services offering delivering next-generation communications capabilities across a host of devices and channels. Avaya already has more than 10,000 customers that range in size from ~~Bankruptcy~~10 seats to 250,000 seats on a converged premise-based UCC and CC platform.

~~On January 19, 2017 (the "Petition Date"~~•Businesses will continue to invest in more than one unified communications platform as they build a collaboration portfolio to be used by their employees to address use cases specific to their ability to service their end customers.

•Preference for cloud delivery of applications and management of multiple and varied devices continues to grow, all of which must be handled with the security their business demands.

Our Market Opportunity

Although the decision makers for our solutions and services have traditionally been senior IT leadership, up to and including Chief Information Officers (“CIOs”), ~~Avaya Holdings Corp., together with certain of its affiliates (collectively, the "Debtors"), filed voluntary petitions for relief (the "Bankruptcy Filing") under Chapter 11~~our research finds that now more of the ~~United States Bankruptcy Code (the "Bankruptcy Code"~~buying decisions are being influenced by business units and the broader C-suite, including Chief Executive Officers (“CEOs”), Chief Marketing Officers (“CMOs”) and Chief Digital Officers (“CDOs”). They have become more involved as digital transformation has expanded beyond the data center and IT infrastructure to encompass lines of business operations and customer experiences. CEOs, CMOs and CDOs are recognizing growing customer and employee demand for better interactions across multiple channels of their choosing, and they see an opportunity to differentiate their companies and lines of business by providing their employees with an opportunity to deliver a superior customer experience.

We believe that due to the increasing importance of technology as both an internal and external-facing presence of the enterprise, as well as the high stakes of data breaches, CEOs are increasingly engaged in the ~~United States Bankruptcy Court~~decision-making process. CMOs and CDOs are gaining additional budget authority as they are tasked with managing customer experience and marketing activities using sophisticated communications technology and rich data. We believe that because of the shifts in decision-making roles, the focus of customer experience solutions should be to provide businesses with better ways to engage with end users securely across multiple platforms and channels, creating better customer experiences, and ultimately, higher revenues for the ~~Southern District~~business.

In our experience, decision makers have three critical priorities:

Our Answer

Position Avaya as the leader in cloud-based Digital Workplace and Customer Experience Solutions. To accomplish this, we plan to:

•Define innovation in our core market segments by delivering powerful AI-enabled cloud communications solutions,

•Win with global services capabilities that support customer cloud adoption and drive expansion, and

•Activate, convert and transform our installed base by providing a customer journey that enables them to effortlessly migrate to, and consume Avaya cloud services.

In addition, Avaya intends to:

•Increase Sales to Existing Customers and Pursue New ~~York (the "Bankruptcy Court"). On November 28, 2017,~~Customers: We believe that we have a significant opportunity to increase our sales to our existing customers by offering new solutions from our Avaya OneCloud portfolio. This set of cloud capabilities is supported by our market leadership, global scale and extensive customer interaction, including at the ~~Bankruptcy Court entered~~C-suite level, and creates a strong platform from which to drive and shape the evolution of enterprise communications. Our track record with our customers has earned us credibility that we believe provides us with a competitive advantage in helping them cope with this evolution.

We also believe our refreshed product and services portfolio provides increased potential for acquiring new customers.

•Invest in Sales and Distribution Capabilities: Our flexible go-to-market strategy consists of both a direct sales force and indirect sales through our alliances and channel partners, allowing us to reach customers across industries and around the globe. We believe our channel partner network is a valuable competitive differentiator. We intend to continue investing in our channel partners and sales force in order to optimize their market focus and enter new vertical segments. We provide our channel partners, including master agents and sales agents, with training, marketing programs and technical support through our Avaya Edge program that helps to further differentiate our offerings. These agents are our primary distribution channel for small to midmarket customers. Under our master agent program, small to midmarket sales agents connect potential customers with us and we then handle the rest of the transaction including contracting, provisioning, managing and billing the Avaya services for the business. The master agent program provides an ~~order confirming~~option that rounds out the ~~Second Amended Joint Plan~~available choices for customers, channel partners and sales agents to access Avaya’s industry-leading communications solutions.

We also leverage our sales and distribution channels to accelerate customer adoption of ~~Reorganization filed by~~our cloud-based solutions and generate an increasing percentage of our revenue from our new high-value software products, video collaboration, midmarket offerings and user experience applications.

•Expand Margins and Profitability: We maintain a tight focus on profitability levels and are continually evaluating the ~~Debtors on October 24, 2017 (the "Plan~~efficacy of ~~Reorganization"). On December 15, 2017 (the "Emergence Date"),~~our cost-saving initiatives. These initiatives have contributed to improvements in our gross margin and we expect to pursue additional cost-reduction opportunities. While we anticipate margin and profitability growth to increase over the ~~Plan of Reorganization became effective and the Debtors emerged from bankruptcy.~~

~~Beginning on the Emergence Date, the Company applied fresh start accounting, which resulted in a new basis of accounting and the Company becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes. As~~long-term as a result of these cost-saving initiatives, we expect slight decreases in margin during fiscal 2021 as we invest in our new Avaya OneCloud offerings.

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe the following competitive strengths position us to capitalize on the opportunities created by the market trends affecting our industry.

A Leading Position across our Primary Markets

Our Open Standards Technology Supports Multi-vendor, Multi-platform Environments

Building on our Leading Service Capabilities for a Significant Recurring Revenue Stream

•Support Services: Avaya is a leading provider of ~~fresh start accounting~~recurring support services for business communications solutions. Our worldwide services-delivery infrastructure and capabilities help customers address critical business communications needs from initial planning and design through implementation, maintenance and day-to-day operation, monitoring and solution management. With more than 4,000 trained and certified services professionals worldwide, we can help customers find and implement the ~~effects~~right communications solutions.

We believe the Avaya support services team continues to be well-positioned for success due to our close collaboration between our R&D and service planning teams in advance of new product releases. We offer high levels of automation to onboard and manage a customer’s communications infrastructure, delivering faster, more effective deployments from proof of concept to production. This includes a robust communications automation platform with full event orchestration leveraging advanced AI functionality. As a pioneer of the ~~implementation~~omnichannel support experience in enterprise support, Avaya also gives customers the option to interact with our "Ava" virtual agent, to access immediate support answers online. Customers can also connect with one of our experts via web chat, web talk or web video. When necessary, Avaya Services can also directly access our R&D teams to resolve customer issues. All combined, these capabilities position Avaya to provide the highest-quality service for Avaya products.

Expanding Cloud Offerings and Capabilities

Open Standards, Product Differentiation and Innovation

Research and Development ("R&D")

Patents, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

We own a significant number of patents important to our business and we expect to continue to file patent applications to protect our R&D investments in new products and services across all areas of our business. As of September 30, 2020, we had more than 4,400 patents and pending patent applications, including foreign counterpart patents and foreign applications. These patents and pending patent applications cover a wide range of products and services involving a variety of technologies. For the U.S., patents terms may be 20 years from the date of the ~~Plan of Reorganization,~~patent's filing, depending upon term adjustments made by the ~~Consolidated Financial Statements after December 15, 2017 are not comparable with~~patent office. In addition, we hold numerous trademarks in the ~~Consolidated Financial Statements on or prior~~U.S. and in other countries. We also have licenses to ~~that date. Our financial results~~intellectual property for the ~~period from October 1, 2017~~manufacture, use and sale of our products.

We obtain patent and other intellectual property rights used in connection with our business when practicable and appropriate. Historically, we have done so both organically, through ~~December 15, 2017 are referred~~commercial relationships, and in connection with acquisitions.

We manage our patent portfolio to ~~as those of the "Predecessor" period. Our financial results for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 are referred to as those of the "Successor" period~~maximize return on investment by selectively selling patents at market prices and cross licensing with other parties when such sales or ~~periods. Our results of operations as reported in our Consolidated Financial Statements for these periods~~licensing are in ~~accordance with accounting principles generally accepted~~best our interests. These monetization programs are conducted in ~~the United States~~a manner that helps to preserve Avaya’s freedom to operate and to help ensure that Avaya retains patents needed for defensive use.

From time to time, assertions of ~~America ("GAAP"). Although GAAP~~

~~requires that we report~~infringement of certain patents or other intellectual property rights of others have been made against us, and certain pending claims are in various stages of litigation. Based on our ~~results~~experience and customary industry practice, we believe that any licenses or other rights that might be necessary for us to continue with our current business could be obtained on commercially reasonable terms. For more information concerning the ~~period~~risks related to patents, trademarks and other intellectual property, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Intellectual Property and Information Security-We may be subject to litigation and infringement claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses or prevent us from ~~October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017~~selling our products or services."

Customers

Avaya employs a flexible, go-to-market strategy to support our diverse customer base, ranging in size from small businesses employing a few employees to large government agencies and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 separately, we have in certain instances in this report presented operating results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 by combining the results of the Predecessor and Successor periods because such presentation provides the most meaningful comparison of our results to prior periods.

~~For a~~multinational companies with more detailed discussion of our bankruptcy proceedings (the "Restructuring"), see Part II, Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Part II, Item 8, Note 5, "Fresh Start Accounting," to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

~~Our Business Today~~

~~Our solutions address the needs of a diverse range of businesses, including large multinational enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses and government organizations.~~than 100,000 employees. Our customers operate in a broad range of industries, including financial services, ~~healthcare, hospitality, education, government,~~ manufacturing, retail, transportation, energy, media and ~~communications. We employ a flexible~~communications, hospitality, health care, education and government. Our customers include leading Forbes Global 2000 companies across all these industries. For more information concerning the risks related to contracts with the U.S. federal government, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-Contracting with government entities can be complex, expensive and time-consuming."

Sales and Distribution

Our global go-to-market strategy is designed to focus and strengthen our reach and impact on large multinational enterprises, midmarket and regional enterprises and small businesses. Our go-to-market strategy is intended to serve our customers in the way they prefer to work with ~~direct~~us, either directly with Avaya or ~~indirect presence~~indirectly through our sales channel, which includes our global network of strategic alliances, channel partners, distributors, dealers, value-added resellers, telecommunications service providers, system integrators, master agents and sub-agents. Our sales organizations are equipped to sell our comprehensive Avaya OneCloud portfolio complemented by services offerings including product support, integration and other professional services, and enterprise cloud and managed services.

We continue to focus on efficient deployment of Avaya sales resources, both directly and indirectly through our channel partners, for maximum market penetration and global growth. Our investment in ~~approximately 175 countries.~~ our sales organization includes fully integrated curricula on the sales process, guided selling, sales enablement and our solutions for all roles within our sales organization.

Development Partnerships

As of September 30, ~~2019, we had more than 4,000 active channel partners~~2020, over 32,000 companies have registered with the program, including over 280 companies operating at higher program levels, eligible for technical support and to submit their products or services for ~~fiscal 2019~~compatibility testing through the program by the Avaya Solution Interoperability and Test Lab ("Avaya Test Lab"). Avaya DevConnect engineers work in concert with each submitting member company to develop comprehensive test plans for each application to validate the product integrations.

Manufacturing and Suppliers

We have outsourced substantially all of our manufacturing operations to several contract manufacturers. Our contract manufacturers produce the vast majority of our products in facilities located in southern China, with other products manufactured in facilities located in Mexico, Taiwan, Germany, Ireland and the U.S. All manufacturing of our products is performed in accordance with detailed specifications and product designs, furnished or approved by Avaya, and is subject to rigorous quality control standards. We periodically review our product ~~revenue~~manufacturing operations and consider changes we believe may be necessary or appropriate. We also purchase certain hardware components and license certain software components from ~~indirect sales through our channel partners represented 70%~~third-party Original Equipment Manufacturers ("OEMs"), which we then resell separately or as part of our ~~total Products & Solutions segment revenue.~~products under the Avaya brand.

In some cases, certain components are available only from a single source or from a limited number of suppliers. Delays or shortages associated with these components could cause significant disruption to our operations, although we have not yet had any such event have a material impact on us. We have also outsourced substantially all our warehousing and distribution logistics operations to several providers of such services on a global basis, and any delays or material changes in such services could cause significant disruption to our operations, although many alternative suppliers are active in the market today. For ~~fiscal 2019, 2018 (on a combined basis)~~more information on risks related to products, components and ~~2017, we generated revenue of $2,887 million, $2,851 million,~~logistics, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and ~~$3,272 million,~~Competition-We rely on third-party contract manufacturers, component suppliers and partners (some of which ~~42%, 44%,~~are sole source and ~~44% was generated~~limited source suppliers) and warehousing and distribution logistics providers. If these relationships are disrupted and we are unable to obtain substitute manufacturers, suppliers or partners, on favorable terms or at all, our business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed."

The Company has not experienced any material impacts from the tariffs levied by ~~products~~the U.S. Government on goods manufactured in China and ~~58%, 56%, and 56% by services, respectively. Revenue by business area is presented in~~sold into U.S. markets.

Competition

Although we believe we are differentiated from any single competitor, the following ~~table for~~represent the ~~periods indicated:~~Company's primary competitors in various lines of our business:

•Enterprise UCC: Cisco, Microsoft, NEC, Atos Unify, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Huawei.

Successor Predecessor Non-GAAP Combined Predecessor
(In millions) Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2017
Products:
Unified Communications $ 863
$ 718
$ 180
$ 898
$ 936
Contact Center 359
271
73
344
361
Networking^(a)
—
—
—
—
140
1,222
989
253
1,242
1,437
Services:
Global Support Services 1,086
786
244
1,030
1,267
Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services 297
245
57
302
296
Professional Services 282
227
50
277
272
1,665
1,258
351
1,609
1,835
$ 2,887
$ 2,247
$ 604
$ 2,851
$ 3,272
•Midmarket UCC: Mitel, NEC, Cisco and Microsoft.


~~(a)~~	~~The Company's Networking business was sold on July 14, 2017.~~

~~A key~~•Cloud Products and Services: Cisco, Microsoft, RingCentral, 8x8, Mitel, Google, LogMeIn, Fuze, Zoom and Twilio.

•Video Products and Solutions: Cisco, Microsoft, Zoom, LogMeIn, Google, Poly, Huawei, ZTE, Ring Central, BlueJeans, and LifeSize.

•Enterprise Contact Center Products and Services: Genesys, Cisco, Aspect Software, Huawei, NEC and Enghouse Interactive.

•Midmarket Contact Center Products and Services: Genesys, Cisco, Five9, NICE InContact, Amazon, Twilio, Talkdesk and Vonage.

We also face competition in certain geographies with companies that have a particular strength and focus ~~of the Company is increasing its recurring revenue. We define recurring revenue~~in these regions, such as ~~revenue~~Huawei in China and Intelbras in Latin America.

While we believe our global, in-house end-to-end services organization as well as our indirect channel provide us with a competitive advantage, we face competition from companies offering products and services that are delivered pursuant to multi-period contracts including recurring software revenue, maintenance, Global Support Services and Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services. Non-recurring revenue consists of hardware, non-recurring software and one-time professional services. Hardware predominantly consists of endpoints, more commonly referred to as phones, and non-recurring software is predominantly comprised of perpetual licenses. One-time professional services include installation services,directly or indirectly through their channel partners, as well as ~~project-based deployment,~~resellers, consulting and systems integration firms and network service providers.

Employees and Human Capital Management

Corporate Responsibility and Culture at Avaya

•Avaya conducts unconscious bias training for all employees. This is not a new program, but has been accelerated to allow for more timely discussions and a greater sense of urgency.

Environmental, Health and Safety Matters

Avaya is subject to a wide range of governmental requirements relating to safety, health and environmental protection, including:

•certain provisions of environmental laws governing the cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination;

•various employee safety and health regulations that are imposed in various countries within which we operate.

Cybersecurity

Corporate Information

Trends Shaping Our Industry

We believe several trends are shaping our industry, creating a substantial opportunity for ~~U.S.~~us and other market participants to capitalize on these trends. These trends include:

~~Convergence with UC/collaboration~~•Unified Communications and ~~CC as they~~Collaboration, CPaaS and Contact Center are ~~becoming less distinct technologies, and more similar with~~converging to become part of an integrated services ~~and~~offering delivering next-generation communications capabilities across a host of devices and channels. Avaya already has more than 10,000 customers that range in size from 10 seats to 250,000 seats on a converged UCpremise-based UCC and CC platform.

•Businesses will continue to invest in more than one unified communications platform ~~and we are in~~as they build a ~~position of strength~~collaboration portfolio to ~~lead in bringing customers the power of this convergence.~~be used by their employees to address use cases specific to their ability to service their end customers.

~~Increasing remote workers~~•Remote worker and workforce mobility ~~with greater use~~requirements are growing as the needs to work from home, or from anywhere, accelerate—driving increased usage of mobile devices by consumers and employees. ~~This is happening~~These trends are further amplified as business leaders ~~also~~ shift IT priorities to digitally transform their companies ~~taking~~and take advantage of disruptive technologies like cloud-based solutions and delivery models, big data, IoT, cybersecurity and AI.

~~Increased preference~~•Preference for cloud delivery of applications and management of multiple and varied devices continues to grow, all of which must be handled with the security their business demands.

~~Omnichannel communication~~•Demand for multi-experience as an evolution of omnichannel customer service ~~continue~~continues to ~~rise~~become an increasingly critical element of contact center solutions as consumers embrace new technologies and devices in creative ways.

~~Increased~~ Avaya is continuing to invest in AI-derived solutions delivered through cloud and subscription models to create “Experiences that Matter” for customers, employees and agents. This increased adoption and deployment of AI is providing ~~alternative methods~~significant new opportunities for ~~service components for both UC~~enhanced UCC and ~~CC. The market is adopting model-based implementation~~CC solutions that improve the customer experience and transform the Digital Workplace. By expanding the use of AI, ~~communication services at an accelerated pace. This~~we can potentially ~~lower~~reduce adoption ~~cost,~~costs, increase solution effectiveness and offer expanded alternatives ~~for functions with~~to traditional methods for rendered services.

Our Market Opportunity

We believe that ~~the aforementioned~~these trends create significant market opportunity for ~~employee, customer, developer~~the next-generation UCaaS, Collaboration, CCaaS and ~~analytics engagement solutions.~~CPaaS solutions that Avaya has brought to the market in fiscal 2020. The limitations of traditional ~~collaboration products~~premise-based communications solutions and services and capital-intensive buying models present an opportunity for differentiated vendors to gain market ~~share.~~share in the cloud. We believe that the total available market for these solutions includes spending on UCcommunications applications, and ~~CC applications,~~the business devices that improve the application experience, as well as spending on one-time and recurring professional, enterprise cloud and managed services, and support services to implement, maintain and manage these solutions.

We are expanding our business in several of these areas, ~~such~~primarily with cloud-facing and subscription-based consumption models for customers, as ~~enterprise cloud and~~well as providing them with managed services ~~and other~~offerings. We are also growing ~~markets~~in the customer segments that we serve, including large enterprises with more than ~~2,000~~1,000 employees, as well as midmarket enterprises ~~having~~with between 50 and 250 agents in the contact center market and between 100 and 1,000 ~~agents for CC and between 1,000 and 5,000~~ employees for ~~UC.~~

customers using our UCC solutions. The growth opportunity in these markets comes from the need for enterprises to increase productivity and upgrade their UCunified communications and collaboration and contact center strategy to a more integrated approach, to account for the accelerated work from home / work from anywhere trend, increased mobility, ~~varied~~and a host of devices and multiple communications channels. In response to ~~this need,~~these needs, we expect that aggregate total spending on ~~UC,~~UCC, CPaaS, CC, ~~developer engagement, analytics,~~services and support, ~~services,~~and enterprise cloud and managed services ~~and professional services~~ to ~~grow.~~grow, with the majority of growth coming from cloud services.

~~Furthermore,~~

Although the ~~midmarket is a growing opportunity~~decision makers for our ~~solutions. We believe the market opportunity for the portion of the midmarket segment which we serve is growing~~solutions and is currently underserved. We have a set of offerings that are specifically designed to address the needs of midmarket businesses and to simplify processes and streamline information exchange within companies. Our set of offerings provides midmarket companies the opportunity to deliver a collaboration experience that integrates voice, video and mobile device communications at price points that deliver favorable returns on their investment.

~~Although we~~services have traditionally ~~sold our products, services~~been senior IT leadership, up to and ~~solutions to~~including Chief Information Officers ~~("CIOs"~~(“CIOs”), our research finds that ~~more and~~now more of the buying decisions are being influenced by business units and the broader C-suite, including Chief Executive Officers ~~("CEOs"~~(“CEOs”), Chief Marketing Officers ~~("CMOs"~~(“CMOs”) and Chief Digital Officers ~~("CDOs"~~(“CDOs”). They ~~are becoming~~have become more involved ~~because~~as digital transformation has expanded beyond the data center and IT infrastructure to encompass lines of business operations and customer experiences. CEOs, CMOs and CDOs are recognizing growing customer and employee demand for better interactions across multiple channels of their choosing, and they see an opportunity to differentiate their companies and lines of business ~~through~~by providing their employees with an opportunity to deliver a superior customer experience.

We believe that due to the increasing importance of technology as both an internal and ~~external facing~~external-facing presence of the enterprise, as well as the high stakes of data breaches, CEOs are increasingly engaged in the decision-making process. CMOs and CDOs are gaining additional budget authority as they are tasked with managing customer experience and marketing activities using ~~modern~~sophisticated communications technology and rich data. We believe that because of ~~this shift~~the shifts in decision-making roles, the focus of customer ~~engagement~~experience solutions ~~need~~should be to provide businesses with better ways to engage with end users securely across multiple platforms and channels, creating better customer experiences, and ~~thus~~ultimately, higher revenues for the business.

In our experience, decision makers have three critical priorities:

~~Manage the reliable and secure integration of an increasing number and variety of devices and endpoints~~: Today, business users not only use desk-based devices, but also laptops, smartphones and tablets. Gartner reports for September 2019 forecast that these devices are growing at a compound annual growth rate of 1.9% for smartphones, and (2.2)% for tablets (traditional) worldwide from 2019 through 2023⁽¹⁾~~. To communicate seamlessly and securely across devices, applications and endpoints must be managed as part of an integrated communications infrastructure.~~

~~Leverage existing technology infrastructure while positioning for the future~~: The speed at which new enterprise technology enters the market is challenging companies to rapidly adopt and install new technology. We believe this pressure creates strong demand for systems that do not require enterprise-wide overhauls of existing technology. Instead, it favors incremental, flexible, extensible technologies that are easy to adopt and compatible with existing infrastructures.


3)	~~Shift to cloud-based applications~~: Companies today seek technology that helps them lower Total Cost of Ownership ("TCO") and increase deployment speed and application agility, including a variety of public, private and hybrid cloud solutions. They also seek to shift away from a complex, proprietary capital-intensive model to one that is more open and efficient.

Our Answer

~~Mobility and AI~~

We are pursuing advances in mobility and AI as part of our disruptive innovation strategy. Given their growing importance in contact centers and in the broader communications area, we believe that by taking a leadership position in mobility and AI, and generating new revenue streams with each, we can enhance our overall competitiveness while protecting the market for our current core products.

Both mobility and AI are sizeable opportunities for Avaya, with the potential to expand Avaya’s Total Addressable Market ("TAM"). We are already generating revenue from AI, and we are embracing a few core principles as we pursue these innovations:

~~Disrupt - the more an innovation invalidates the status quo, the better;~~

~~Reduce adoption friction - make the innovation straightforward to select and deploy, embrace the multi-vendor marketplace; and~~

~~Partner intelligently - leverage provocative partner intellectual property and thought leadership to speed market introduction, presenting~~Position Avaya as the ~~industry platform.~~leader in cloud-based Digital Workplace and Customer Experience Solutions. To accomplish this, we plan to:

~~A Mobile Environment~~•Define innovation in our core market segments by delivering powerful AI-enabled cloud communications solutions,

~~The increase in mobile technology has created~~•Win with global services capabilities that support customer cloud adoption and drive expansion, and

•Activate, convert and transform our installed base by providing a ~~world more focused on real-time, flexible~~customer journey that enables them to effortlessly migrate to, and always-on communication. We see companies increasingly looking for ways to make corporate applications and customer information and interactions more accessible via mobile devices as the usage of those devices continues to rise worldwide.

~~To support the~~ consume Avaya ~~Mobile Experience~~, Avaya became a licensed mobile network operator in the U.S. This provides Avaya the ability to obtain control of toll-free numbers and treat them as part of the mobile network, bypassing the legacy fixed last mile and reducing cost. We estimate toll-free numbers to represent a $2 billion expense in the U.S. today and there is an opportunity for significant cost reduction for Avaya Mobile Experience customers.cloud services.

In addition, Avaya intends to:

•Increase our ~~customers can now provide mobile omnichannel experiences directly to their mobile callers,~~Midmarket Capabilities and Market Share: We believe our market opportunity for ~~example, by responding to a call with an SMS or mobile web page, as well as utilizing our call deflection security capability which seamlessly converts voice calls into a digital interaction before~~ the ~~call connects, providing users with greater flexibility to maximize their customer experience during such interactions.~~

~~Our commercial model is simple: we charge a per-minute rate, and a per-call deflection fee if the customer is redirected to a web page, mobile application or message directly. We are building an~~ ~~Avaya Mobile Identity~~ ~~service to support mobile~~

⁽¹⁾Forecast: Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2017-2023, 3Q19 Update Published 25 September 2019. The Gartner Report(s) described throughout this report, (the "Gartner Report(s)") represent(s) research opinion or viewpoints published, as part of a syndicated subscription service, by Gartner, Inc. ("Gartner"). Each Gartner Report speaks as of its original publication date (and not asportion of the ~~date of~~midmarket segment that Avaya serves is growing. We define the midmarket as firms with between 50 and 250 agents for CC and between 100 and 1,000 employees for UCC. Not only do we believe this ~~Annual Report on Form 10-K)~~segment is growing, but we also believe midmarket businesses are underserved and ~~the opinions expressed~~willing to invest in ~~the Gartner Report(s) are subject~~IT enhancements. We intend to ~~change without notice.~~

applications. An advanced security framework sits underneath the service's applications identity and authentication capabilities, taking advantage of biometrics, blockchain and the latest cryptography technologies. We believe the security of this solution is a competitive advantage not easy to replicate by our competitors. With this next-generation, cloud-based, user ID and authentication solution, enterprises can encourage their customers to adopt a new method of accessing secure smartphone-based online enterprise services. This service will be accessible anywhere smartphone coverage is available.

~~Use of AI~~

~~Our AI strategy is to build solutions internally and with partners to help organizations transform their customer experiences. We classify AI contact center applications in three categories:~~


◦	~~Agent assistance and productivity;~~


◦	~~Conversational self-service; and~~


◦	~~Smart routing and behavioral pairing.~~

~~We have offers available today in each category and a development roadmap for the future. We deploy these solutions to drive value for our contact center customers.~~

Avaya Conversational Intelligence ("ACI"), our agent assistance and productivity solution, offers and delivers a real-time speech transcription platform. Benefits include lower costs and increased productivity by reducing agent workload and driving better customer outcomes with real time guidance based on what is being said on the call. We enhance this conversational self-service via continued partnerships with Google AI and IBM Watson. Our approach allows customers to select from industry leading bots to support digital self-service and augment that self-service via select digital channels inclusive of leading social media and social messaging services.

Smart routing and behavioral pairing are offered through native integration with our partner, Afiniti, enabling a seamless deployment of enterprise behavioral pairing. These solutions help customers optimize the agent-customer assignment in order to maximize revenue, reduce churn and deliver other concrete and measurable benefits to large enterprises. We developed this product by leveraging years of experience and expertise in data modeling and do not believe there is an equivalent to this solution in the market today.

Avaya’s solutions and their features cover the spectrum of AI contact center application domains. Our platform is open, as evidenced by our AI Connect program. We integrate with IBM Watson, Google, Salesforce, Nuance and others, to complement our technology. Avaya was also selected by Intel for Intel’s AI Builders Program. Intel and Avaya engineers jointly engage at deep technical levels to improve the performance and scale of Avaya’s AI solutions, such as ACI, when deployed on Intel hardware.

Our efforts in AI solutions development have been recognized throughout the industry. Most recently, Avaya was named a winner of the 2018 Aragon Research Innovation Award for Artificial Intelligence in People-Centric Collaboration.

~~Communications-enabled Business Applications~~

Teams need to work together from any location, using their preferred applications, and are increasingly accessing these applications via the cloud. Moving in and out of applications to perform communications functions reduces productivity. Avaya helps employees obtain access to real-time information quickly and easily by integrating communication functionality directly into business applications.

~~Digital Engagement Hubs Replacing Call Centers~~

Like workforces, end users are also increasingly using mobile devices and expecting service interactions with companies across multiple communications channels and devices. Customer interactions are evolving from voice-centric, point-in-time, contact center transactions to ongoing customer conversations across multiple media and modes of communication. Customers expect businesses to know about the history of their interactions, even when they occur across a mix of self-service and agent assisted communications methods, including voice, video, email, chat, mobile, web and social media.

~~We aim to build on our industry leadership and grow our business by addressing these types of trends. We have and~~ continue to invest in ~~open~~our midmarket offerings and go-to-market resources to increase market share and meet the growing demands of this segment.

We also believe our refreshed product and services portfolio provides increased potential for acquiring new customers.

We also leverage our sales and ~~ecosystems that serve~~distribution channels to accelerate customer adoption of our cloud-based solutions and generate an increasing percentage of our revenue from our new high-value software products, video collaboration, midmarket offerings and user experience applications.

•Expand Margins and Profitability: We maintain a ~~broad range~~tight focus on profitability levels and are continually evaluating the efficacy of ~~needs.~~our cost-saving initiatives. These initiatives have contributed to improvements in our gross margin and we expect to pursue additional cost-reduction opportunities. While we ~~remain committed~~anticipate margin and profitability growth to ~~protecting and evolving~~increase over the ~~investments that customers have made~~long-term as a result of these cost-saving initiatives, we expect slight decreases in margin during fiscal 2021 as we invest in our ~~technology and solutions, we are also responding to the emerging landscape by evolving our market and product approach in three important ways.~~


1)	~~We have invested in R&D and~~ new technologies to develop and provide more comprehensive contact center and unified communications products and services, continuing our focus on enterprise customers while expanding the value we can provide to midmarket customers.


2)	We have evolved our product design philosophy, anticipating demand for applications that are cloud- and mobile-enabled. We design our products to be flexible, extensible, secure and reliable. This approach allows our customers to transition from traditional communications and collaboration technology to newer solutions that are more mobile, manageable and cost-effective.


3)	~~We have increased our focus on delivering integrated solutions including:~~

~~Unified Communications ("UC"):~~ an integrated solution including voice and video calling, messaging, meetings, and team collaboration available through a single application on virtually any device, web browsers, huddle video room systems and multimedia phones. Our development environment enables customers and partners to create vertically oriented user experiences and integrate directly into cloud business applications.

~~Contact Center ("CC"):~~ ~~a single, integrated, digital solution which is open, context-driven, fully integrated and fully customizable through our open, easy-to-use development platform.~~

~~Services:~~ Avaya is a leading provider of recurring support services relating to business communications products. Our worldwide services-delivery infrastructure and capabilities help customers address critical business communications needs from initial planning and design through implementation, maintenance and day-to-day operation, monitoring and troubleshooting.OneCloud offerings.

Application Developer Products

Cloud, Alliance Partner and Subscription Revenues (“CAPS”)

Alliances and Partnerships

Global Alliances

Channel Partners

Our ~~Competitive Strengths~~channel partners serve our customers worldwide through Avaya Edge, our business partner program. Through certifications, the Avaya Edge program positions Value Added Reseller partners to sell, implement and maintain our communications systems, applications and services. Avaya Edge offers clearly defined partner categories with financial, technical, sales and marketing benefits that grow with levels of certification and revenue contribution. We support partners in the program by providing our comprehensive Avaya OneCloud portfolio of solutions in addition to sales, marketing and technical support. Although the terms of individual channel partner agreements may deviate from our standard program terms, our standard program agreements for resellers generally provide for a term of one year, with automatic renewal for successive one-year terms. Agreements may generally be terminated by either party for convenience upon 30-days' prior notice, and our standard program agreements for distributors may generally be terminated by either party for convenience upon 90 days prior notice. Certain of our contractual agreements with our largest distributors and resellers, however, permit termination of the relationship by either party for convenience upon prior notice of 180 days. Our partner agreements generally provide for responsibilities, conduct, order and delivery, pricing and payment, and include customary indemnification, warranty and other similar provisions. The Company's largest distributor, ScanSource Inc., is also its largest customer and represented 8% of the Company's total consolidated revenue for fiscal 2020. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-Our strategy depends in part on our reliance on our indirect sales channel" for additional information on the Company's reliance on its indirect sales channel.

Our Business Today


	Successor						Predecessor (1)		Non-GAAP Combined
	Fiscal years ended September 30,				Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018
(In millions)	2020		2019
Products & Solutions:
Unified Communications and Collaboration	$	710	$	863	$	718	$	180	$	898
Contact Center	363		359		271		73		344
	1,073		1,222		989		253		1,242
Services:
Global Support Services	1,238		1,086		786		244		1,030
Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services	282		297		245		57		302
Professional Services	280		282		227		50		277
	1,800		1,665		1,258		351		1,609
	$	2,873	$	2,887	$	2,247	$	604	$	2,851

Trends Shaping Our Industry

We believe ~~the following competitive strengths position~~several trends are shaping our industry, creating a substantial opportunity for us and other market participants to capitalize on ~~the opportunities created by the market~~these trends. These trends ~~affecting our industry.~~include:

~~A Leading Position across our Primary Markets~~

We are a leader in business communications, with leading market share in worldwide contact center and unified messaging, and among the leaders in unified communications and enterprise telephony. We were recognized as a Leader in The Aragon Research Globe for •Unified Communications and Collaboration, ~~in April 2019~~CPaaS and ~~The Aragon Research Globe for Intelligent~~ Contact Center ~~reports~~are converging to become part of an integrated services offering delivering next-generation communications capabilities across a host of devices and channels. Avaya already has more than 10,000 customers that range in ~~June 2019~~⁽¹⁾~~. Additionally,~~size from 10 seats to 250,000 seats on a converged premise-based UCC and CC platform.

•Preference for cloud delivery of applications and management of multiple and varied devices continues to grow, all of which must be handled with the security their business demands.

Our Market Opportunity

We believe that ~~we are a leading provider~~these trends create significant market opportunity for the next-generation UCaaS, Collaboration, CCaaS and CPaaS solutions that Avaya has brought to the market in fiscal 2020. The limitations of ~~private~~traditional premise-based communications solutions and services and capital-intensive buying models present an opportunity for differentiated vendors to gain market share in the cloud. We believe that the total available market for these solutions includes spending on communications applications, and the business devices that improve the application experience, as well as spending on one-time and recurring professional, enterprise cloud and managed services, and support services to implement, maintain and manage these solutions.

~~Our Open Standards Technology Supports Multi-vendor, Multi-platform Environments~~

~~Our open, standards-based technology is designed to accommodate customers with multi-vendor environments seeking to leverage existing investments. Providing~~we serve, including large enterprises with ~~strong integration capabilities allows them~~more than 1,000 employees, as well as midmarket enterprises with between 50 and 250 agents in the contact center market and between 100 and 1,000 employees for customers using our UCC solutions. The growth opportunity in these markets comes from the need for enterprises to ~~take advantage of new~~increase productivity and upgrade their unified communications and collaboration and contact center ~~technology as it is introduced. It does not limit customers~~strategy to a ~~single vendor or add~~more integrated approach, to account for the ~~backlog~~accelerated work from home / work from anywhere trend, increased mobility, and a host of ~~integration work. We also continue~~devices and multiple communications channels. In response to ~~invest in~~these needs, we expect that aggregate total spending on UCC, CPaaS, CC, services and support, and enterprise cloud and managed services to grow, with the majority of growth coming from cloud services.

Although the decision makers for our ~~developer ecosystem, Avaya DevConnect, which has grown~~solutions and services have traditionally been senior IT leadership, up to ~~include more than 110,000 members as of September 30, 2019. Avaya DevConnect, together with our Application Programming Interfaces ("API"~~and including Chief Information Officers (“CIOs”), ~~which~~our research finds that now more of the buying decisions are being influenced by business units and the broader C-suite, including Chief Executive Officers (“CEOs”), Chief Marketing Officers (“CMOs”) and Chief Digital Officers (“CDOs”). They have become more involved as digital transformation has expanded beyond the data center and IT infrastructure to encompass lines of business operations and customer experiences. CEOs, CMOs and CDOs are recognizing growing customer and employee demand for better interactions across multiple channels of their choosing, and they see an opportunity to differentiate their companies and lines of business by providing their employees with an opportunity to deliver a ~~set of routines, protocols and tools for building software applications and applications development environments, allow our customers to derive unique and additional value from our architecture.~~

~~Leading Service Capabilities Provide a Significant Recurring Revenue Stream~~

Avaya is a leading provider of recurring support services relating to business communications products. Our worldwide services-delivery infrastructure and capabilities help customers address critical business communications needs from initial planning and design through implementation, maintenance and day-to-day operation, monitoring and troubleshooting. We have more than 3,000 trained and certified professional consultants worldwide who can help customers find and implement the right communications solution.superior customer experience.

We believe ~~Avaya Services is well positioned for success~~that due to ~~our close collaboration between our R&D~~the increasing importance of technology as both an internal and ~~service planning teams in advance of new products being released. As a pioneer~~external-facing presence of the ~~omnichannel support~~enterprise, as well as the high stakes of data breaches, CEOs are increasingly engaged in the decision-making process. CMOs and CDOs are gaining additional budget authority as they are tasked with managing customer experience and marketing activities using sophisticated communications technology and rich data. We believe that because of the shifts in ~~enterprise support, Avaya Services gives customers~~decision-making roles, the ~~option to interact with "Ava", our virtual agent, to get immediate answers online. Customers can also connect with one~~focus of ~~our experts via web chat, web talk or web video. Avaya Services can also directly access our R&D teams when necessary to resolve~~ customer issues. Avaya Services includes high levels of automation to on-board and manage a client's communications infrastructure, delivering faster, more effective deployments from proof of concept to production. This includes a robust communications automation platform with full event orchestration leveraging advanced AI functionality. All combined, these capabilities allow Avayaexperience solutions should be to provide ~~quality service~~businesses with better ways to engage with end users securely across multiple platforms and channels, creating better customer experiences, and ultimately, higher revenues for the business.

In our experience, decision makers have three critical priorities:

Our Answer

Position Avaya ~~products.~~as the leader in cloud-based Digital Workplace and Customer Experience Solutions. To accomplish this, we plan to:

•Define innovation in our core market segments by delivering powerful AI-enabled cloud communications solutions,

•Win with global services capabilities that support customer cloud adoption and drive expansion, and

•Activate, convert and transform our installed base by providing a customer journey that enables them to effortlessly migrate to, and consume Avaya Services offers a broad portfolio of capabilities through our Professional Services organization, including implementation/enablement services, system optimization, innovation services, management partnership and custom applications development.

cloud services.

In addition, Avaya Services delivers Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services with a focus on customer performance and growth. These services can range from managing software releases, to operating customer cloud, premise or hybrid-based communication systems, to helping customers migrate to next-generation business communications environments. We believe that our deep understanding of application management supporting unified communications, contact center and video position us best to manage and operate cloud-based communications systems for our customers.intends to:

We believe our personnel are the best in the industry because they are trained and supported by the best in the industry. The high level of customer satisfaction ratings we receive for support transactions is a testament to the expertise of our people. These dedicated professionals have passion for satisfying customer needs, driving a proactive and preventive agenda to help customers maintain optimum levels of service.

Our Global Support Services and Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services are most often provided to customers through recurring contracts. Recurring contracts for Global Support Services typically have terms that range from one to five years, and contracts for Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services typically have terms that range from one to seven years. We believe our services relationships have provided us with a large recurring revenue base and significant visibility into our customers’ future collaboration needs.

~~Lower Total Cost of Ownership~~

Many vendors try to address customer demands by layering on more architectures and protocols. In the process, they frequently sacrifice simplicity, flexibility and TCO. In contrast, our products and services address these needs with less hardware and without sacrificing performance, which, when combined with our deployment methods help contribute to a lower TCO for Unified Communications and Contact Center solutions.

~~Our Growth Strategy~~

We believe we are well-positioned to capitalize on the disruption and opportunity presented by digital transformation to create long-term sustainable value. We are investing significantly in our people and technology and have established four strategic pillars that will serve as our growth engines:


1)	~~Innovate in our core business solutions~~. As a leader in unified communications and the contact center, our extensive experience and expertise are critical factors in customers' decision-making processes. We will continue to invest in enhancing our core solution areas, delivering secure, scalable and reliable solutions that focus on simplifying and integrating the user experience.


2)	~~Bring emerging technologies to market. By innovating in disruptive areas such as AI and mobility, and building an ecosystem with technology partners like Afiniti and others, we will drive new opportunities for our customers.~~

~~Deliver breadth and depth of cloud.~~ Customers need a partner who can help them unlock the benefits of cloud, in a way that works for their specific needs, whether in the cloud, on-premises or a hybrid of both. Avaya is investing and building a cloud ecosystem, and delivering across all fronts with a cloud-first approach that builds on the power, reliability and security that customers have come to expect from Avaya. Our strategic partnership with RingCentral will further enhance our cloud-based offerings with the introductions of Avaya Cloud Office.


4)	~~Deliver high-value services.~~ We provide world-class global services that help customers maximize the value of their investments and drive business value. We will expand offerings and capabilities in managed and professional services to meet the changing needs of our customers.

~~Expand our Cloud Offerings and Capabilities~~

In our experience, technology and business leaders are increasingly turning to cloud-based technologies and business models that allow enterprises to cut costs, increase productivity, simplify IT environments and shift, when possible, to subscription-based models. We are investing in a strategy to expand our cloud and hybrid cloud solutions and to deliver a complete portfolio of technologies across on-premises, private, public and hybrid cloud development models. We believe our strategic partnership with RingCentral under Avaya Cloud Office will allow us to further meet the market's desire for cloud-based models.

~~Increase Mobility Offerings to Customers~~

As global workforces change and demand mobile engagement solutions, we intend to meet these demands. For example, the Avaya Aura Platform and Avaya IP Office Platform are designed to support mobility, providing dynamic access to applications and services based on need, not location. We launched the ~~Avaya Mobile Experience~~, which keeps mobile calls to contact centers in a mobile network end-to-end, allowing for cost reduction, but more importantly allowing for new and enhanced end-customer experiences, as the mobile context is now available to the contact center. The ~~Avaya Mobile Experience~~ ~~has now entered its commercial phase, with customer contracts signed and deployments under way.~~

~~Invest in Open Standards, Product Differentiation and Innovation~~

As potential customers look to migrate to our products and services, our open architecture can integrate with incumbent competitor systems and provide a path for gradual transition, while still achieving cost savings and improved functionality.

During fiscal 2019, we enhanced our product line with 113 new products, versions and releases. We also expect to continue to make investments in product innovation and R&D across the portfolio to create enhancements and breakthroughs. We believe this approach will encourage customers to upgrade their products with a higher degree of frequency. We also plan to continue embracing cloud computing and mobility opportunities, and to seek new ways to leverage the virtual desktop infrastructure trend to securely deliver business communications to users. Our AI strategy is to build solutions internally and with partners to help organizations transform their customer experiences. We have offers available today and a development roadmap. We are deploying these disruptive solutions to drive value for our contact center customers.

~~Expand our Services Business~~

We are working to broaden the options for cloud-based service offerings, expand our consulting services capabilities and to upsell the installed base to our Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services offerings. We also strive to provide more options along the spectrum of our existing service offerings. We are constantly developing our tools and infrastructure to improve the service levels we provide. Our custom applications development team also currently has a backlog of customer-funded application development opportunities that we are working to monetize.

•Increase our Midmarket ~~Offerings,~~ Capabilities and Market ~~Share~~

Share: We believe our market opportunity for the portion of the midmarket segment that Avaya serves is growing. We define the midmarket as firms with between ~~250~~50 and ~~1,000~~250 agents for CC and between ~~1,000~~100 and ~~5,000~~1,000 employees for ~~UC.~~UCC. Not only do we believe this segment is growing, but we also believe midmarket businesses are underserved and willing to invest in IT enhancements. We intend to continue to invest in our midmarket offerings and go-to-market resources to increase market share and meet the growing demands of this segment.

•Increase Sales to Existing Customers and Pursue New ~~Customers~~

Customers: We believe that we have a significant opportunity to increase our sales to our existing customers by offering new solutions from our ~~diverse product portfolio, including~~Avaya OneCloud portfolio. This set of cloud ~~and mobility solutions. This ability~~capabilities is supported by our market leadership, global scale and extensive customer interaction, including at the C-suite level, and creates a strong platform from which to drive and shape the evolution of enterprise communications. Our track record with our customers ~~gives~~has earned us credibility that we believe provides us with a competitive advantage in helping them cope with this evolution. ~~In addition, we~~

We also believe our refreshed product and services portfolio provides increased potential for acquiring new customers.

We have worked ~~diligently~~ to become both HIPAA and PCI DSS compliant as we believe the ability to service these two areas will significantly expand our potential customer base and total addressable market. These ~~new~~ certifications allow for market penetration into otherwise restrictive and difficult markets, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

•Invest in Sales and Distribution ~~Capabilities~~

Capabilities: Our flexible go-to-market strategy consists of both a direct sales force and indirect sales through our alliances and channel partners, allowing us to reach customers across industries and around the globe. We believe our channel partner network is a valuable competitive differentiator. We intend to continue investing in our channel partners and sales force in order to optimize their market focus and enter new vertical ~~segments, and to~~segments. We provide our channel partners, including master agents and sales agents, with training, marketing programs and technical support through our Avaya Edge ~~program. During fiscal 2019, we more than doubled the number of signed~~program that helps to further differentiate our offerings. These agents ~~achieving a total of 495 compared to 234 agents in fiscal 2018, to expand~~are our primary distribution channel for small to midmarket customers. Under ~~the Master Agent~~our master agent program, small to midmarket sales agents connect potential customers with ~~Avaya, which~~us and we then ~~handles~~handle the rest of the transaction including contracting, provisioning, managing and billing the ~~unified communications~~Avaya services for the business. The ~~Master Agent~~master agent program provides ~~a new~~an option that rounds out the available choices for customers, channel partners and sales agents to access Avaya’s industry-leading communications solutions.

•Expand Margins and ~~Profitability~~

Profitability: We ~~have maintained our~~maintain a tight focus on profitability levels and ~~implemented several~~are continually evaluating the efficacy of our cost-saving initiatives. These initiatives have contributed to improvements in our gross ~~margin. We~~margin and we expect to pursue additional cost-reduction opportunities, which are likely to be more targeted and may include increased automation of our processes, headcount attrition, actions to address unproductive assets, real estate consolidation, sales back-office and frontline skill transformations and balancing our professional services structure. For example, in July 2017, we sold our Networking business, which had historically underperformed our other two segments in profitability.opportunities. While we anticipate margin and profitability growth to increase over

the long-term as a result of these cost-saving initiatives, we expect slight decreases in margin during fiscal ~~2020~~2021 as we invest in our new ~~product offerings, mainly ReadyNow and ACO.~~

~~Our Products and Solutions~~

Avaya provides a diverse leading-edge portfolio of products and solutions which, when combined with the robust set of offers from our partner ecosystem, create powerful solutions to address our customers' unique needs and challenges. Much of our portfolio has undergone rigorous interoperability and security testing and has been approved for acquisition by the U.S. Government.OneCloud offerings.

Avaya unified communications and contact center products and solutions help organizations of all sizes improve efficiency, engagement and competitiveness. Our open and flexible solutions seamlessly integrate voice, video and data, so users can communicate and collaborate in real-time in the mode best suited to each interaction, for the best experience, every time.

~~Unified Communications~~

~~We unify the communications capabilities that businesses use every day, delivering experiences that can transform organizations.~~

~~Voice and Video Calling~~

Voice often remains the center of communications, as a conversation often can be the fastest and clearest way to resolve issues and build relationships. Avaya provides simple access to advanced features, all available via desk phones, the web and mobile devices.

~~Many enterprises can base their communications and customer contact services on an~~ ~~Avaya Aura~~ foundation. This high-performance solution features five nines reliability (99.999% uptime), is scalable up to 300,000 users and 1,000,000 devices, and is built to the customers’ specific needs. Its virtualized architecture approach allows for flexible deployment models, from operating on-site at the customer location, to running in public clouds like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform. Perpetual and flexible subscription licensing models are available, and it can also be delivered as a service from Avaya.

Small to medium businesses can take advantage of the seamless voice, video and mobility capabilities that large enterprises use, but at a scale that is efficient and affordable for them. Our collaboration and communications solutions are built to simplify processes, streamline communications and adapt to changing business needs. They offer significant deployment and licensing flexibility, and additional capabilities can be added as needed. They can be deployed on-premises or through virtualized or containerized architectures in the cloud, with licensing models ranging from perpetual to subscription models.

~~Messaging and Employee Collaboration~~

~~Avaya’s premier unified communications app,~~ ~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Workplace~~, provides one-stop access to all communications needs. Its "mobile-first" design provides at-a-glance visibility and one-touch access to everything that a user needs in real time, including a personal calendar and meetings, contacts, instant messages / chat and voice and video calling. Available across Windows, Mac, Android, iOS devices and WebRTC enabled browsers, a user can support multiple devices from a single extension giving one-number reach on the user’s device of choice. This enterprise-grade solution delivers reliable and secure access from virtually any device or location, including remote access without VPN connectivity.

~~Avaya’s unified communications capabilities also include our cloud-based team collaboration app,~~ ~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Collaboration~~. It provides users both inside and outside an organization with persistent team messaging and chat, file sharing and task assignment, along with one-touch audio and video conferencing. The Essential level, which is a standard package, is available for free, with Business and Power packages available for purchase with high-capacity and expanded features.

~~Meetings and Conferencing~~

~~Avaya takes rich meeting and conferencing capabilities to the desktops and mobile devices that employees use every day. Our premier solution,~~ ~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Meetings~~, integrates audio, HD video, web collaboration and streaming into a single solution that delivers the benefits of face-to-face interactions from virtually any device to improve employee engagement and team productivity, and serve customers better and faster.

The solution enables users to meet and stay productive from nearly anywhere on their Windows, Mac, iOS or Android devices; dial in with their phones for audio conferencing; and use huddle or HD video room systems from Avaya or nearly any H.323 or SIP standards-based vendor. WebRTC technology enables meeting participants to join directly from their browser without downloading an app or plug-in, which is invaluable for guest participants.

~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Meetings~~ ~~is available in the cloud or on-premises and is integrated into the~~ ~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Workplace~~ app for one touch access to schedule, start or join a meeting. Avaya also offers a unique hybrid deployment model where an Avaya customer with on-premises telephony can seamlessly consume their meetings capabilities from the cloud.

Application Developer Products

Along with off-the-shelf ~~integration~~integrations with ~~popular~~frequently used business applications ~~such as Salesforce, Slack and Office 365,~~used across an organization, Avaya’s unified communications platform simplifies the embedding of Avaya One Cloud communications and collaboration capabilities into business applications, ~~such as~~including customer relationship management orand enterprise resources planning. ~~This~~Our platform ~~allows~~enables customers, third parties ~~and~~to work with Avaya to create customized engagement applications and ~~environments~~ to meet the unique ~~needs. Customers and third parties can integrate business applications~~operating requirements of a customer with unified communications ~~technology~~ and contact center capabilities including voice, video, ~~messages~~messaging and meetings. Avaya also offers acloud-based execution and test environment for developing proof-of-concept applications.

Avaya IX^TMClient SDK provides a developer-friendly set of tools that enables the building of innovative user experiences for vertical or business specific applications. Any functionality Avaya uses in its own clients and applications is available to developers through the SDK. Developers can mix and match functionality from both our unified communications and contact center solutions.

Avaya has an extensive developer program boasting over one million active developers. Avaya DevConnect enables third parties to support and extend the capabilities of Avaya solutions to address business challenges. Thousands of companies ~~from~~ around the world are program members, including developers, system integrators, service providers and Avaya customers.

~~Communications Platform as a Service ("CPaaS")~~

~~Avaya also has a full API enabled~~ ~~CPaaS platform~~ ~~offering voice, SMS, call recording, speech recognition, text to speech transcription, burstable SIP trunking~~Cloud, Alliance Partner and ~~conferencing services as communications-enabling applications and workflows across the enterprise.~~

Avaya is further investing in its CPaaS platform to enable its global Aura customer base to attach cloud native applications that can be used as opposed to making additional capital investments. We believe that engagement platforms and applications developed on CPaaS will be one of the largest growth areas for Avaya in the next 12-36 months.

~~Contact Center~~

Avaya provides an integrated contact center portfolio consisting of assisted service, self-service, workforce engagement management and AI solutions that enables customers to increase operational efficiency, empower more engaged workforces to perform more effectively and improve the quality and value of customer interactions. Enterprise and midmarket customers can select the deployment option that best suits their business needs, whether on-premises, in the cloud or a hybrid of both.

~~Assisted Service~~

Avaya provides the core integrated solutions for serving the needs of the entire customer engagement strategy across all devices and channels including mobile, web, voice, video, email, webchat, chatbot, SMS, social and fax.

~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Contact Center~~ solutions empower businesses to deliver managed, measurable and prompt responses to customer inquiries throughout the customer journey. Organizations can improve customer experiences, accelerate interactions, build brand loyalty and improve agent efficiency.

~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Workspaces~~ combines information from multiple sources, including customer profiles, buying history and interaction journeys, and makes them instantly available in a single, consolidated desktop, improving agent productivity and allowing supervisors to allocate resources to higher-value interactions.

~~Self-Service~~

~~Avaya's Self-Service solutions enable agents to focus their efforts on higher priority tasks by automating inbound and outbound speech, video, email and chat applications. WithAvaya Self-Service~~solutions, contact centers can increase efficiency, have lower reliance on more expensive agent-based service and empower customers by giving them access to service when they want it, via their preferred touch point. Common uses for contact centers include automating simple, repetitive tasks, such as account status, providing proactive notifications for appointments, past due notices, service outages and connecting with customers through seamless two-way interaction via email/SMS.

~~Workforce Engagement Management~~

Workforce Engagement Management improves customer experience, operational performance and industry compliance. Through interaction recording, quality evaluations, customer feedback, automated scheduling and real-time and historical reports, contact centers can identify areas of excellence and improvement.

~~The~~ ~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Workforce Engagement~~ solution suite unifies contact recording, quality monitoring, eLearning, coaching, performance scorecards, workforce management, voice analytics, desktop and process analytics, and customer feedback within a single user interface, and centralizes administration and reporting for ease of use. Organizations can securely capture, analyze and store customer interactions that can be used to help comply with regulatory mandates such as ~~Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard ("PCI DSS"~~Subscription Revenues (“CAPS”)~~, General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive ("MiFID") II.~~

By monitoring interactions from start to finish, supervisors can evaluate agent performance across customer discussions, data entry, screen navigation and data retrieval to uncover performance shortfalls; obtain insight into customer expectations; and take steps to proactively address customer requirements quickly and effectively. Organizations can also improve agent performance with automated coaching, eLearning and scoreboard assessments to transfer knowledge and best practices.

~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Workforce Engagement~~ also enables more efficient resource management by enabling supervisors to analyze historical data to forecast future transaction volume and handle times by automatically producing schedules to deploy the right agents with the appropriate skills at the right time.

~~Avaya Analytics~~ helps enterprises analyze customer trends, develop benchmarks and focus service improvements leveraging real-time and historical reporting. Enterprises can take advantage of big data across their entire organization to gain actionable insights into the customer journey and team analytics.

~~AI Solutions~~

Avaya AI Solutions enable contact centers to create smarter interactions and represent a quantum leap forward compared to more traditional contact center solutions, advancing the customer experience and agent performance. Organizations can improve the customer journey through intelligent pairing, self-service, chatbots, virtual assistants and machine learning.

Avaya AI Solutions can help organizations create more personalized customer experiences, garner deeper customer insights, drive customer loyalty, improve agent management and satisfaction, lower their TCO and increase growth, profitability and revenues.

By intelligently pairing callers to agents, organizations can identify subtle, yet valuable, patterns of human interactions and behavior that can help transform their contact center into a revenue center. Avaya AI Solutions integrate with industry leading chatbot, Natural Language Processing ("NLP") and digital messaging aggregators. Organizations can engage with customers across social media, chat and messaging channels to provide immediate self-service, as well as deliver them to agent-based customer care with full context of the upfront automated experience.

~~To enhance the mobile caller experience, reduce fraud and phishing, and lower costs, Avaya and non-Avaya contact centers can use~~ ~~Avaya Mobile Experience.~~ Unique in the marketplace, this patented, cloud-based, toll-free and Direct Inward Dial ("DID") service identifies mobile devices and gathers verifiable caller information that can be used to reduce call-handling times and offer tailored mobile caller experiences, such as the ability to switch from a voice to a digital interaction.

~~Devices~~

~~Avaya Devices:~~ ~~Avaya Vantage~~ is offered as a dedicated desktop communications device that seamlessly integrates voice, video, chat and collaboration apps. The modern all-glass device has no mechanical buttons, offers superior audio quality and an optional corded or cordless handset. ~~Avaya Vantage~~ is a convenient and cost-effective platform to provide vertical and use-case specific client interfaces developed with the Avaya client SDK while also supporting Android applications and customization, as well as out of the box connectivity with Avaya's range of Unified Communications and Collaboration offerings.

~~Avaya Phones:~~ Avaya’s range of phones and portable technologies include internet protocol ("IP") and digital desk phones, digital enhanced cordless telecommunications handsets, wireless phones and conference room phones. Avaya phones offer capabilities such as touch screen and applications, integration to corporate calendar, directory and presence, enhanced audio quality for a "you-are-there" experience, customization and soft keys, and multiple lines appearances.

~~Avaya Video Conferencing Endpoints:~~ ~~Dedicated hardware video conferencing endpoints ranging from immersive multi-stream telepresence and conference room systems to dedicated desktop systems.~~

~~Our Services~~

The Company’s Services portfolio consults, enables, supports, manages, optimizes and even outsources enterprise communications products (applications and networks) to help customers achieve better business outcomes. Avaya’s portfolio of services enables customers to mitigate risk, reduce TCO and optimize communication products. Services is supported by patented design and management tools, and by network operations and technical support centers around the world.

~~The Company’s Services portfolio is divided into~~ ~~Professional Services, Global Support Services and Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services.~~

~~Professional Services~~

~~Avaya Professional Services~~enables our clients to work with some of the best Unified Communications and Contact Center technical talent in the industry to architect, design, implement and develop innovative communications solutions.

Our strategic and technical consulting, as well as our deployment and customization services, help customers accelerate business performance and deliver an improved customer experience. Whether deploying new products or optimizing existing capabilities, we leverage specialists globally across three core areas:


1)	~~Enablement Services~~: Provide access to expertise and resources for planning, defining and deploying Avaya products to maximize technology potential, simplify business processes, improve security and minimize risk. Avaya integrates and tests equipment, trains employees and deploys a plan to help ensure success.


2)	~~Optimization Services:~~ Help drive increased value and improved business results by leveraging customers’ existing technology. Avaya's advanced solution architects analyze a communications environment in the context of customer business priorities, recommend enhancements and implement proven best practices.


3)	~~Innovation Services:~~ Help identify improved methods for using communications and collaboration to increase business productivity, employee efficiency and customer service levels. Our consultative approach, deep industry experience and custom application services-from business planning to execution and product integration-create alignment with a customer’s specific business objectives.

~~In fiscal 2019, we expanded our focus on several key areas that are central to our going forward strategy:~~

Customer Journey Transformation: We are engaging with our key clients in a highly consultative way to help them better leverage their communications investment. This model has led to an increase in large, complex projects for our top enterprise clients. Our extensive knowledge of our customers' journeys, leveraging reference architectures, is a cornerstone of Avaya’s growth strategy going forward.


2)	Agile Development Business: The increase in large projects has also led to increases in our agile development business. We help clients develop customized, leading-edge applications that fully integrate into their environment to solve key business problems and take advantage of opportunities.

Professional Services: We have a fully integrated, global professional services team that has grown to more than 1,200 professionals today. This team provides the same high level of technical talent and tool support in all regions of the world. To further this team’s effectiveness, Avaya expects to implement a new professional automated tool in fiscal 2020. The tool will improve our ability to deliver the highest level of quality support our customers have come to expect, while increasing the efficiency of their budget. Among a wide range of benefits, the integrated tool streamlines resource assignment allowing for earlier engagement and tighter alignment with our sales group, ultimately improving near term as well as long term productivity and service levels.

~~Global Support Services~~

Global Support Services provides maintenance support across the Avaya portfolio and an ecosystem of third-party integrated solutions. We believe Avaya has the largest UC and CC client base in the world and possesses the largest set of UC and CC technical talent of any vendor, leveraging world class automation to support our clients.

~~The portfolio includes:~~

A comprehensive suite of support options both directly and through partners to proactively resolve issues and improve uptime. Global Support Services offers capabilities that include 24/7 remote support, proactive remote monitoring, sophisticated diagnostic tools, parts replacement and on-site response.

Our Avaya Support website quickly connects customers to advanced Avaya technicians via live chat, voice or video. The website also provides access to "Ava," an interactive virtual chat agent based on Avaya Automated Chat that

quickly searches our knowledge base and a wide range of "how-to" videos to answer customer support questions. Ava learns with each customer interaction and can make the decision to transition the chat to an Avaya technician, often without the customer realizing the change is taking place.

Avaya offers market-leading support, management and optimization of enterprise communications networks. We do this through patented design and management tools, and network operations and technical support centers around the world. The contracts for these services typically run three years, though they can be of both shorter and longer duration depending upon customer preferences. Custom or complex services contracts are typically five years in length.

All new support solutions are published online by our engineers, generally within 30 minutes of finding a resolution, adding value for customers by providing known solutions for potential issues rapidly. Most of our customers also benefit from Avaya EXPERT Systems, which provides real-time monitoring of diagnostic and system status. This solution proactively identifies potential issues to improve reliability, uptime and faster issue resolution.

Avaya can also manage existing infrastructure from nearly any communications vendor. Many customers leverage this model to manage existing complex environments. Customers are also provided with the option of upgrading to the latest technology through a recurring operational expense, rather than a one-time capital expenditure.

We ~~have and will continue to make investments to improve~~measure our ~~client support. Examples of this over the past year include:~~

~~Enhanced automation to enable~~success in transforming our ~~clients to get to the right technical expert in a quicker and more effective way, improving overall customer satisfaction.~~

Implemented a new Support Services Customer Success team, which we believe has helped enable us to more rapidly onboard and understand our clients' UC and CC strategies, issues and opportunities. We expect this investment to help our clients further view us as a trusted consultative provider that will result in increased adoption, accelerated momentum and transition to our full-service stack, including the cloud.

Continuing to evolve our real-time, automated evaluation of global clients' solution performance, which gives visibility across many different support criteria to enable proactive deep-dives with clients.

~~Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services~~

Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services provides a set of managed and private cloud services for enterprise clients, where Avaya runs the production operations of a client’s communications environment, either on their premise (managed services) or hosted on our data centers (private cloud). Avaya is one of the largest communications private cloud providers in the world, having been a leader in this area for the past nine years. Our offering has been based on a fully managed, dedicated set of hardware and software in our data centers or within a client��s data center. Our go-forward strategy is focused on developing a new, innovative, next-generation global virtualized private cloud offering.

Our enterprise clients want Avaya to help lead them into next-generation cloud solutions at their specific pace and scope. They require a high level of architecture support to design a private cloud solution that effectively integrates with their key applications, offering them the ability to do Proof of Concepts ("POCs") and trials of cloud delivery models in a low-risk and effective fashion with seamless transitions to full production environments, and using financial models that reduce their TCO. In effect, customers want a near public cloud price model, with the ability to flexibly customize and integrate in a private cloud model.

Our strategy is to build a global virtualized private cloud service based on a set of "Ready Now" reference architectures. In January 2019, we introduced ReadyNow at our customer conference and began roll out in February. Along with several custom elements Avaya has standardized in a "mass custom" model, the key elements of the new offer which will include the following:


1)	~~A standard set of Avaya OneCloud~~^TM ReadyNow reference architectures that enable quick and effective POC’s and trials, prior to implementing production environments for clients. The cloud platform will be based on Avaya’s industry-leading UC and CC technology that will meet the majority of enterprise client requirements, with the ability to customize.


2)	A new set of automation platforms to effectively build and deploy solutions for clients that will enable Avaya to replicate a client’s sophisticated premise-based implementations to our cloud solution in an unprecedented level of speed, accuracy and effectiveness.


3)	~~A client success model to help clients ramp up users on the platform and achieve defined~~ business ~~outcomes.~~


4)	A new Enterprise Communications Cloud Architect team, consisting of some of the best enterprise communications cloud technical talent in the industry, that works with clients in the architecture, design, operations and implementation of their secure virtualized private cloud environment. In addition, the Avaya team

will stay with the client as their top technical advisor as they move to full production in their new private cloud environment, helping them fully realize the benefit of the solution and driving adoption, growth and retention.


5)	A set of managed services offers to effectively operate the private cloud environment at a high level of availability, performance and Quality of Service ("QOS") Service Level Agreements ("SLAs"). These offerings will include full multi-vendor support of their current communications technology environment as they begin their migration to the cloud.


6)	~~A global network of data centers running the same virtualized private cloud architectures, all run with the same industry-leading set of automation, workflow and team.~~

The Avaya customer set provides an excellent opportunity for growth. We have the relationships and knowledge to become our existing customers cloud communications provider. Our partners' accounts are also an excellent opportunity for growth, with Avaya providing the cloud capability and the partner developing the opportunity to increase recurring revenue with their client set.

~~Avaya OneCloud~~

Avaya OneCloud provides cloud solutions that deliver flexible features, functions and value to improve productivity and grow businesses. Avaya OneCloud can be delivered through Avaya Public Cloud solutions, Avaya Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services or Avaya Hybrid Cloud solutions.

Avaya Hybrid Cloud solutions provide a migration path between premise-based and cloud-delivered services. Customers can maximize their on-premise investment, while taking advantage of what the cloud can deliver.

~~With~~Avaya Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services, Avaya helps install, operate and manage customer cloud solutions based on service agreements that the customer designs. Avaya can provision the equipment stack and host it on-premise. Avaya OneCloud encompasses our Products & Solutions and Services. Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services can be procured in standard packages or in fully custom arrangements that include on-premises or private cloud options, Service Level Agreements, billing and reporting.

~~Avaya Public Cloud solutions, including Avaya Cloud Office,~~are delivered in a cloud-based model ensuring customers have the latest software that helps control costs with self-service tools and reduced operational costs. Our cloud solutions provide customers piece of mind knowing they are always up-to-date, secure and compliant. Our CCaaS and our UCaaS solutions help teams connect, call, meet and collaborate with others using both Avaya and third-party platforms devices or systems from most locations.

~~Cloud Enablement Products~~

On May 20, 2019, the Company made a $10 million investment in a UCaaS provider enabling compliance with Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program ("FedRAMP") security requirements. This strategic investment allows Avaya to offer a cloud-based Voice over Internet Protocol infrastructure service via a FedRAMP authorized hosting platform and reinforces our determination to provide industry leading products in the cloud space to an even broader customer base, especially in the restrictive government space.

~~UCaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS and Converged Platform:~~The UCaaS, CCaaS and CPaaS services are cloud delivered services that use multi-tenant control technology and containerized communications platforms to extend Avaya’s industry leading contact center, unified communications and disruptive products to the cloud ~~allowing Avaya-hosted~~ and ~~third parties~~our ability to ~~make them available~~reduce our dependence on premise-based perpetual licensing models by analyzing the contribution of our “CAPS revenue” to total consolidated revenue. CAPS revenue refers to revenue from cloud based solutions, together with revenues from our Strategic Alliance Partnerships and Subscription revenue. Our CAPS revenue as a service. Converged Platform offers our customers a fully enabled turnkey solution with complete Avaya hardware and software for those seeking a rapid solution deployment or who prefer a fully configured and engineered solutionpercentage of total consolidated revenue, excluding the impact of fresh start accounting adjustments recognized upon the Company's emergence from ~~Avaya.~~

~~Avaya Powered by IX~~^TMis a partner-hosted cloud solution that offers the complete capabilities of Avaya IP Office, Avaya IP Office Contact Center and Avaya Contact Center Select software. Hosted in the partner’s datacenter, it leverages Avaya’s unique hybrid cloud solutions for seamless integration and migration between a customer’s premises-based solution and cloud-delivered services.

~~Avaya IX~~^TM ~~Meetings~~ is a cloud service, sold by our partners but hosted by Avaya, where customers can purchase virtual HD video meeting rooms in the cloud for a monthly fee or through an annual contract. Users can connect with Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android devices and through WebRTC enabled browsers, along with video conferencing room systems.

~~Research and Development ("R&D")~~

We make substantial investments in R&D to develop new systems, solutions and software in support of business communications, including, but not limited to, converged communications systems, communications applications, multimedia contact center innovations, collaboration tools, messaging applications, video, speech-enabled applications, business

infrastructure and architecture, converged mobility systems, cloud offerings, web services, artificial intelligence, communications-enabled business processes and applications, and services for our customers. Overbankruptcy, has grown over the past three fiscal years, ~~we have invested $800 million in R&D, including technology acquisitions.~~

~~We invested 16.7%~~representing 26%, ~~16.9%,~~15% and ~~15.7% in R&D as a percentage~~14% of ~~product~~total consolidated revenue infor fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, ~~and 2017,~~ respectively. These investments reflect a consistent investment in R&D as a percentage of product revenue. Our investments in fiscal 2019 focused on driving innovative cloud solutions across our portfolio, new AI and mobile capabilities, and new releases of our UC and CC solutions.

~~Patents, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property~~

We own a significant number of patents important to our business and we expect to continue to file patent applications to protect our R&D investments in new products and services across all areas of our business. As of September 30, 2019, we had more than 4,500 patents and pending patent applications, including foreign counterpart patents and foreign applications. Our patents and pending patent applications cover a wide range of products and services involving a variety of technologies, including, but not limited to, unified communications (including video, social media, telephony and messaging), contact centers, wireless communications and networking. The durations of our patents are determined by the laws of the country of issuance. For the U.S., patents may be 20 years from the date of the patent's filing, depending upon term adjustments made by the patent office. In addition, we hold numerous trademarks, in the U.S. and in other countries. We also have licenses to intellectual property for the manufacture, use and sale of our products.

We look to maximize the return on investment in our patent portfolio by selectively selling patents at market prices and cross licensing with other parties when such sales or licensing is in our interests. These monetization programs are conducted in a manner that helps to preserve Avaya’s freedom to operate and to help ensure that Avaya retains patents needed for defensive use.

From time to time, assertions of infringement of certain patents or other intellectual property rights of others have been made against us. In addition, certain pending claims are in various stages of litigation. Based on our experience and customary industry practice, we believe that any licenses or other rights that might be necessary for us to continue with our current business could be obtained on commercially reasonable terms. For more information concerning the risks related to patents, trademarks and other intellectual property, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Intellectual Property and Information Security-We may be subject to litigation and infringement claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses or prevent us from selling our products or services."

Alliances and Partnerships

Avaya has formed commercial and partnering arrangements through global alliances to expand the availability of our products and services, ~~and~~ enhance the value derived by ~~customers. A recent example of such a partnership is Avaya's strategic partnership with RingCentral.~~ customers and grow our revenue opportunity.

Global Alliances

Avaya global alliances are strategically oriented technical and commercial relationships with key ~~partners.~~partners that we believe enhance both companies' go-to-market strategy. We have three primary types of global alliances: Global Service Provider alliances, Global Systems Integrator alliances and Ecosystem alliances.

~~Global Service Provider~~ alliances are partnering arrangements with leading telecommunications service providers, such as AT&T, for enterprise communications and collaboration. We pursue sell-to and sell-through opportunities for Avaya products and services. These alliances are integral in selling and implementing our cloud-based services. We also see them as a principal route to market for our UCaaS and CCaaS solutions.

Channel Partners


2)	~~Global Systems Integrator~~alliances are identical in nature to our Global Service Provider alliances, except that these are forged with systems integrator partners, such as IBM, as well as key channel partners with strong professional services and systems integration capabilities, such as ConvergeOne.

~~Ecosystem~~ alliances are partnering arrangements by Avaya with industry leaders, including Google, IBM Nuance, Salesforce, Verint, Afiniti, Intel and other leading technology companies. These ecosystem alliances expand the already robust set of technology partnerships established through the Avaya DevConnect program with deeper, R&D-led integrations and/or expanded GTM efforts, such as the DevConnect Select Product Program or the Avaya & Friends Program for international markets.

Our channel partners serve our customers worldwide through Avaya Edge, our business partner program. Through certifications, the Avaya Edge program positions ~~reseller~~Value Added Reseller partners to sell, implement and maintain our communications systems, applications and services. Avaya Edge offers clearly defined partner categories with financial, technical, sales and marketing benefits that grow with levels of ~~certification.~~certification and revenue contribution. We support partners in the program by providing aour comprehensive Avaya OneCloud portfolio of ~~industry-leading products~~solutions in addition to sales, marketing and technical support. Although the terms of individual channel

partner agreements may deviate from our standard program terms, our standard program agreements for resellers generally provide for a term of one year, with automatic renewal for successive one-year terms. Agreements may generally be terminated by either party for convenience upon 30-days' prior notice, and our standard program agreements for distributors may generally be terminated by either party for convenience upon 90 days prior notice. Certain of our contractual agreements with our largest distributors and resellers, however, permit termination of the relationship by either party for convenience upon prior notice of 180 days. Our partner agreements generally provide for responsibilities, conduct, order and delivery, pricing and payment, and include customary indemnification, warranty and other similar provisions. The Company's largest distributor, ScanSource Inc., is also its largest customer and represented ~~11%~~8% of the Company's total consolidated revenue for fiscal ~~2019.~~2020. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-Our strategy depends in part on our reliance on our indirect sales channel" for additional information on the Company's reliance on its indirect sales channel.

Our Business Today


	Successor						Predecessor (1)		Non-GAAP Combined
	Fiscal years ended September 30,				Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018
(In millions)	2020		2019
Products & Solutions:
Unified Communications and Collaboration	$	710	$	863	$	718	$	180	$	898
Contact Center	363		359		271		73		344
	1,073		1,222		989		253		1,242
Services:
Global Support Services	1,238		1,086		786		244		1,030
Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services	282		297		245		57		302
Professional Services	280		282		227		50		277
	1,800		1,665		1,258		351		1,609
	$	2,873	$	2,887	$	2,247	$	604	$	2,851

Trends Shaping Our Industry

We believe several trends are shaping our industry, creating a substantial opportunity for us and other market participants to capitalize on these trends. These trends include:

•Preference for cloud delivery of applications and management of multiple and varied devices continues to grow, all of which must be handled with the security their business demands.

Our Market Opportunity

In our experience, decision makers have three critical priorities:

Our Answer

Position Avaya as the leader in cloud-based Digital Workplace and Customer Experience Solutions. To accomplish this, we plan to:

•Define innovation in our core market segments by delivering powerful AI-enabled cloud communications solutions,

•Win with global services capabilities that support customer cloud adoption and drive expansion, and

•Activate, convert and transform our installed base by providing a customer journey that enables them to effortlessly migrate to, and consume Avaya cloud services.

In addition, Avaya intends to:

We also believe our refreshed product and services portfolio provides increased potential for acquiring new customers.

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe the following competitive strengths position us to capitalize on the opportunities created by the market trends affecting our industry.

A Leading Position across our Primary Markets

Our Open Standards Technology Supports Multi-vendor, Multi-platform Environments

Building on our Leading Service Capabilities for a Significant Recurring Revenue Stream

Expanding Cloud Offerings and Capabilities

Open Standards, Product Differentiation and Innovation

Research and Development ("R&D")

Patents, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

Customers

Sales and Distribution

Development Partnerships

As of September 30, ~~2019, approximately 30,000~~2020, over 32,000 companies have registered with the program, including ~~more than 300~~over 280 companies operating at higher program levels, eligible for technical support and to submit their products or services for compatibility testing through the program by the Avaya Solution Interoperability and Test Lab ("Avaya Test Lab"). Avaya ~~Test Lab~~DevConnect engineers work in concert with each submitting member company to develop comprehensive test plans for each application to validate the product integrations.

~~Customers~~

We employ a flexible, go-to-market strategy to support a diverse customer base, ranging in size from small businesses employing a few employees to large government agencies and multinational companies with more than 100,000 employees. As of September 30, 2019, we had a direct or indirect presence in approximately 175 countries worldwide and during the past four fiscal years we served more than 90% of the Fortune 100. Our customers operate in a broad range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, transportation, energy, media and communications, hospitality, health care, education and government. They represent leading companies from the Forbes Global 2000 from industries such as airlines, auto and truck manufacturers, hotels and motels, major banks and investment services firms.

~~Sales and Distribution~~

Our global go-to-market strategy is designed to focus and strengthen our reach and impact on large multinational enterprises, midmarket and regional enterprises and small businesses. Our go-to-market strategy is intended to serve our customers the way they prefer to work with us, either directly with Avaya or indirectly through our sales channel, which includes our global network of channel alliance partners, distributors, dealers, value-added resellers, telecommunications service providers and system integrators. Our sales organizations are equipped with a broad product and software portfolio, complemented with services offerings including product support, integration and other professional services, and Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services.

We continue to focus on efficient deployment of Avaya sales resources, both directly and indirectly through our channel partners, for maximum market penetration and global growth. Our investment in our sales organization includes sales process, skills and solutions curricula for all roles within our sales organization.

Manufacturing and Suppliers

We have outsourced substantially all of our manufacturing operations to several contract manufacturers. Our contract manufacturers produce the vast majority of our products in facilities located in southern China, with other products manufactured in facilities located in Mexico, Taiwan, Germany, Ireland and the U.S. All manufacturing of our products is performed in accordance with detailed specifications and product designs, furnished or approved by Avaya, and is subject to rigorous quality control standards. We periodically review our product manufacturing operations and consider changes we believe may be necessary or appropriate. We also purchase certain hardware components and license certain software components from third-party Original Equipment ~~manufacturers~~Manufacturers ("OEMs"), which we then resell separately or as part of our products under the Avaya brand.

more information on risks related to products, components and logistics, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and Competition-We rely on third-party contract manufacturers, component suppliers and partners (some of which are sole source and limited source suppliers) and warehousing and distribution logistics providers. If these relationships are disrupted and we are unable to obtain substitute manufacturers, suppliers or partners, on favorable terms or at all, our business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed."

The Company has not experienced any material impacts from the tariffs levied by the U.S. Government on goods manufactured in China and sold into U.S. markets.

Competition

Although we believe we are differentiated from any single competitor, the following represent the Company's primary competitors in various lines of our business:

•Enterprise ~~UC:~~UCC: Cisco, Microsoft, NEC, Atos Unify, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Huawei.

•Midmarket ~~UC:~~UCC: Mitel, NEC, Cisco and Microsoft.

•Cloud Products and Services:Cisco, Microsoft, RingCentral, 8x8, Mitel, Google, LogMeIn, Fuze, Zoom and Twilio.

•Video Products and Solutions:Cisco, Microsoft, Zoom, LogMeIn, Google, Poly, Huawei, ZTE, Ring Central, BlueJeans, and LifeSize.

•Enterprise Contact Center Products and Services:Genesys, Cisco, Aspect Software, Huawei, NEC and Enghouse ~~Interactive and Mitel.~~

Interactive.

•Midmarket Contact Center Products and Services:Genesys, Cisco, Five9, NICE InContact, Amazon, Twilio, Talkdesk and Vonage.

We also face competition in certain geographies with companies that have a particular strength and focus in these regions, such as Huawei ~~and ZTE~~ in China and Intelbras in Latin ~~America and Matsushita Electric in Asia.~~America.

While we believe our global, in-house end-to-end services organization as well as our indirect channel provide us with a competitive advantage, we face competition from companies offering products and services directly or indirectly through their channel partners, as well as resellers, consulting and systems integration firms and network service providers.

For more information on risks related to our competition, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-Our Operations, Markets and ~~Competition-We~~Competition- We face formidable competition from providers of unified communications and contact center solutions and services, including cloud-based solutions, and this competition may negatively impact our business and limit our growth."

Employees and Human Capital Management

As of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, we had ~~approximately 7,900~~8,266 employees ~~of whom approximately 2,800 were~~with 2,774 located in the U.S. and ~~approximately 5,100 were~~5,492 located outside the U.S. ~~Approximately 7,500~~There were ~~non-represented~~7,941 employees not represented by unions or similar organizations and ~~approximately 350~~325 that were represented ~~employees~~and covered by collective bargaining agreements. Of the ~~approximately 350~~325 full-time employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, ~~approximately 328~~310 were located in the U.S. ~~and the rest were located outside the U.S. We’ve attracted new talent and strengthened our management team. We’ve~~Over recent years, we have assembled a new senior management team ~~who are~~that is action-oriented ~~have~~with a disruptive mindset and the willingness to move the business forward to achieve our objectives.

~~Environmental, Health~~The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for monitoring our human capital management, including, among other aspects, management depth and ~~Safety Matters~~strength assessment, leadership development, talent assessment, diversity, equality and inclusion and our employee survey results. While human capital management is overseen at the highest level of our Company, it is woven into the everyday fabric of Avaya’s culture.

At Avaya, our people – and the richness of their ethnicities, perspectives, experiences and skills - are the driving force behind our every success. We established cultural principles that are ~~subject~~the foundation of our success and put these into action by living our cultural principles in everything we do. Our cultural principles are: simplicity, accountability, teamwork, trust and empowerment. These cultural principles serve as the framework in which we hire, train and manage and assess the performance our global employee population. We believe these principles help differentiate us and, in part, allowed us to retain 96.4% of our top-rated employees throughout fiscal 2020. This represents a 2.1 point increase year over year.

As part of Avaya’s overall dedication and investment in its employees and consistent with its people first strategy, we conduct employee engagement surveys. The surveys in each of fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019 focused on a variety of different areas, including employee trust in the leadership, effectiveness of leadership communication, and personal and professional employee development. As a result of our transition to a ~~wide range~~largely work from home workforce in response to global efforts to contain the impact of ~~governmental requirements relating~~the COVID-19 pandemic, our engagement survey in fiscal 2020 focused on remote working, including topics such as the employees’ continued effectiveness in a remote environment, access to ~~safety,~~the necessary resources to be successful in their roles, continued customer focus in a virtual environment and gauging our employees’ health and ~~environmental protection, including:~~wellbeing. Avaya intends to continue to monitor engagement through different surveys.

~~certain provisions~~Lastly, Avaya continues to strive to make diversity, equality and inclusion a priority. As of ~~environmental laws governing~~September 30, 2020, 22% of the ~~cleanup of soil~~global employee headcount was female and ~~groundwater contamination;~~

~~various local, federal and international laws and regulations regarding the material content and electrical design~~26% of our ~~products that require us to be financially responsible for~~employees in the ~~collection, treatment, recycling~~United States self-identified as part of a minority group. For additional information on the workplace elements of Avaya’s Corporate Responsibility Program see “--Corporate Responsibility and ~~disposal of those products; and~~Culture at Avaya.”

~~various employee safety and health regulations that are imposed in various countries within which we operate.~~

Corporate Responsibility and Culture at Avaya

Avaya’s Corporate Responsibility Program incorporates four key elements: Environment, Community, Marketplace and Workplace. For the Environment element, Avaya looks to implement environmental stewardship practices at our global locations. ~~The element of~~ Community represents Avaya working to positively impact society and supporting the communities where we are located. ~~The~~ Marketplace ~~element~~ includes engaging in fair and ethical business dealings with our customers, our partners and our supply chain. ~~The~~ Workplace ~~element~~ focuses on developing a desirable place to work for our employees across the globe.

•With 8,266 global employees, diversity, inclusion and equity have been fundamental to Avaya’s core values. Avaya ~~joining~~is a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ program to work toward a more inclusive and progressive workplace that values differences and evolves understanding and is also a signatory to the statement from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group standing up for racial justice and equality. This statement is available on www.avaya.com. Information on our website is not a part of this ~~year,~~ report.

•Avaya has also made a commitment to a newly established Avaya Diversity & Inclusion Council. This council, which is ~~looking~~to be created by Avaya employees, aims to build a ~~workforce as~~workplace where individuality is celebrated and harnessed, creating a culture of engagement, innovation and inclusivity.

•Avaya conducts unconscious bias training for all employees. This is not a new program, but has been accelerated to allow for more timely discussions and a greater sense of urgency.

Environmental, Health and Safety Matters

Avaya is subject to a wide range of governmental requirements relating to safety, health and environmental protection, including:

•certain provisions of environmental laws governing the cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination;

•various local, federal and international laws and regulations regarding the material content and electrical design of our ~~world.~~products that require us to be financially responsible for the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of those products; and

•various employee safety and health regulations that are imposed in various countries within which we operate.

Cybersecurity

Avaya has a vigorous, risk-based cybersecurity program, dedicated to protecting our data as well as data belonging to our customers and partners. We utilize a defensive in-depth strategy, with multiple layers of security controls to protect our data and solutions. Organizationally, we have a Product Security ~~Counsel,~~Council, cross-functional Cyber Incident Response teams, Security Operations Centers, and strong governance to ensure compliance with our security policies and protocols. These teams are comprised of experts across our enterprise, as well as outside experts, to ensure that we are monitoring the effectiveness of our cybersecurity governance and vulnerability management programs.

For more information on risks related to data security, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our ~~Business-Our Operations, Markets~~Business-Intellectual Property and ~~Competition-A~~Information Security-A breach of the security of our information systems, products or services or of the information systems of our third-party providers could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition."

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at ~~4655 Great America~~2605 Meridian Parkway, ~~Santa Clara, CA 95054.~~Suite 200, Durham, North Carolina. Our corporate telephone number is (908) 953-6000. Our website address is www.avaya.com. Information contained in, and that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated into and does not form a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Emergence from Bankruptcy

On January 19, 2017 (the "Petition Date"), Avaya Holdings Corp., together with certain of its affiliates (collectively, the "Debtors"), filed voluntary petitions for relief (the "Bankruptcy Filing") under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the "Bankruptcy Code") in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Bankruptcy Court"). On November 28, 2017, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order confirming the Second Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization filed by the Debtors on October 24, 2017 (the "Plan of Reorganization"). On December 15, 2017 (the "Emergence Date"), the Plan of Reorganization became effective and the Debtors emerged from bankruptcy.

Beginning on the Emergence Date, the Company applied fresh start accounting, which resulted in a new basis of accounting and the Company becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes. As a result of the application of fresh start accounting and the effects of the implementation of the Plan of Reorganization, the Consolidated Financial Statements after December 15, 2017 are not comparable with the Consolidated Financial Statements on or prior to that date. Our financial results for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 are referred to as those of the "Predecessor" period. Our financial results for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 are referred to as those of the "Successor" period or periods. Our results of operations as reported in our Consolidated Financial Statements for these periods are in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Although GAAP requires that we report on our results for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 separately, we have in certain instances in this report presented operating results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 by combining the results of the Predecessor and Successor periods because such presentation provides the most meaningful comparison of our results to prior periods.

For a more detailed discussion of our bankruptcy proceedings (the "Restructuring"), see Part II, Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Part II, Item 8, Note 24, "Fresh Start Accounting," to our Consolidated Financial Statements.



Item 1A.			Risk Factors

Summary of Risk Factors

The risk factors summarized and detailed below could materially harm our business, operating results and/or financial condition, impair our future prospects and/or cause the price of our common stock to decline. These are not all of the risks we face and other factors not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also affect our business if they occur. Material risks that may affect our business, operating results and financial condition include, but are not necessarily limited to, those relating to:

Risks Related to our Business

•executing our strategic operating plan, including our strategic partnership with Ring Central, Inc.;

•shifting more of our business to a subscription-based operating expense model which may harm our cash flows;

•the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and other future epidemics and public health crises;

•completing acquisitions and/or strategic alliances, including those needed to increase our share of the cloud communications industry and integrating such acquired businesses and alliances;

•market opportunities may not develop for our solutions and services in ways that we anticipate and we may not succeed in developing new innovative solutions and services to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and customer preferences;

•industry consolidation and competition from providers of unified communications and contact center solutions and services, including cloud-based solutions;

•our ability to continue to expand our cloud-based solutions and services offerings;

•our reliance on our indirect sales channel;

•disruptions to our third-party contract manufacturers, component suppliers and partners (some of which are sole source and limited source suppliers) and warehousing and distribution logistics providers;

•changes in U.S. trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs;

•compliance with laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration, performance and pricing of contracts with government entities;

• the ability to detect and correct design defects, errors, failures or “bugs” in our products and services;

•disruptions to our business due to catastrophic disasters or events, including health epidemics;

•protection of our proprietary rights to our intellectual property;

•some of our products contain software from open source code sources;

•litigation, intellectual property, infringement claims and the protection of our intellectual property;

•failure to comply with laws and contractual obligations related to data privacy and protection;

•security breaches of our information systems, products or services or of the information systems of our third-party providers;

•operational, logistical, economic and/or political challenges in a specific country or region, which could negatively affect our revenue, costs, expenses and financial condition or those of our channel partners and distributors;

•compliance with certain telecommunications or other rules and regulations, which could subject us to enforcement actions, fines, loss of licenses and possibly restrictions on our ability to operate or offer certain of our services;

•compliance with U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations, including environmental, health, safety and data privacy laws and regulations and economic sanctions;

Risks Related to Our Financial Results, Finances and Capital Structure

•our revenues and operating results have historically fluctuated and may not be a reliable indicator of our future performance;

•shifts in the mix of sizes or types of organizations that purchase our solutions or the mix of products, solutions and services purchased by our customers could affect our gross margins and operating results;

•not realizing the expected benefit from cost-reduction initiatives;

•we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings if our goodwill or intangible assets become impaired;

•our degree of leverage;

•restrictions included in our financing agreements and indentures;

•our ability to service all of our indebtedness and other ongoing liquidity needs and to raise additional capital to fund our operations;

•the price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially;

•potential for significantly dilutive issuance of common stock, including upon the conversion of our convertible notes and preferred stock;

•our intention not to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future; and

•the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock have certain consent rights over charter amendments and issuances of senior equity and they may exercise their redemption or put rights.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our Operations, Markets and Competition

If we do not successfully execute our strategic operating plan, or if our strategic operating plan is flawed, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Each year, we develop our strategic operating plan that serves as a roadmap for implementing our business strategy and the basis for the allocation of resources, capital, investment decisions, product life cycles, process improvements and strategic alliances and acquisitions. In developing the strategic plan, we make certain assumptions including, but not limited to, those related to the market environment, customer demand, evolving technologies, competition, market consolidation, the global economy and our overall strategic priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. We sell business communications solutions and services in markets where the technology available and the utilized go-to-market models are rapidly changing. Actual economic, market and other conditions may be different from our assumptions and we may not be able to successfully execute our strategic operating plan. Moreover, because we deliver sophisticated products and solutions, our sales process for a portion of our business is complex, lengthy and complicated. If we do not successfully execute our strategic operating plan, or if actual results vary significantly from our assumptions, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely impacted. Potential adverse impacts include, but are not limited to, investments made in research and development that do not develop into commercially successful products, operating inefficiencies, unsuccessful strategic alliances or acquisitions or lower revenues due to our sales focus being misaligned with customer demand or an inability to compete effectively against competitors. In addition, unforeseen events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, could have a significant effect on our ability to execute our strategic plan.

The timing of our cash flows may be negatively impacted as we shift more of our business to a subscription-based model.

We intend to increase our recurring revenue by shifting more of our business to a subscription-based model instead of a perpetual license model. To do this, we need to offer relevant cloud-enabled unified communications and contact center solutions and services at competitive prices, which will both attract new customers and which we can bundle and upsell to existing customers. If we successfully increase our subscription revenues, we expect that it will result in more of our cash receipts being deferred relative to our historical perpetual license model as payments are spread over a pre-determined time period (e.g. monthly or annually) rather than being received upfront.

The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition and/or cash flows.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the responses of governments worldwide to COVID-19, are having a negative impact on regional, national and global economies, disrupting supply chains and reducing international trade and business activity. The pandemic has caused many governments throughout the world to implement stay-at-home orders, quarantines, significant restrictions on travel and other social distancing measures including restrictions that prohibit many employees from commuting to their customary work locations and require these employees to work remotely if possible. Many of these restrictions have remained in place for months and in light of recent resurgences in the outbreak may continue in one fashion or another for the foreseeable future.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has and may continue to adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to:

•Our ability to operate, as well as our partners’ and/or customers’ ability to operate in affected areas, has been and may continue to be hindered, which may cause our business and operating results to decline.

•The inability of our employees to access customers’ sites has and will continue to hinder our ability to offer services that can only be provided on site, as well as our ability to make in person sales visits and demonstrations.

•Clients and customers have had and may continue to have difficulty meeting their payment obligations to us, resulting in late or non-payment of amounts owed.

•We may experience significant reductions or volatility in demand for our solutions as customers may not be able to enter into new purchase commitments or otherwise invest in their business due to financial downturns or general economic uncertainty.

•We may experience temporary or long-term disruptions in our supply chain, which may significantly impact our distribution network, results of operations (including sales) or business.

•The effects of shelter-in-place orders may negatively disrupt our business as a number of our employees, customers and partners, work remotely, the magnitude of which will depend, in part, on the length and severity of the restrictions and other limitations on our ability to conduct our business in the ordinary course.

•To the extent a number of our employees, including our executive officers and other members of our management team, are impacted in significant numbers by the outbreak of the pandemic and are not available to conduct work, our business and operating results may be negatively impacted.

•We may not be able to ensure business continuity in the event our continuity of operations and crisis management plans are not effective or are improperly implemented.

•The significant disruption of global financial markets, which has impacted the value of our common stock and could further materially impact the value of our stock in the future, may reduce our ability to access further capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity and could affect our business in the near and long-term.

The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial performance and liquidity, including our ability to execute our near-term and long-term business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, will depend on future developments, including the duration and severity of the pandemic, as well the timing of the development of vaccines and other therapeutic measures, none of which can be predicted. Any of the foregoing factors, or other cascading effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that are not currently foreseeable, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows. Some economists are predicting that the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including as a result of the actions by governments to slow the spread of the disease will be steep and severe. The effectiveness of economic stabilization efforts, including government stimulus efforts, is not assured. Additionally, as pandemic conditions wane, we cannot predict how quickly the marketplaces in which we operate will return to normal.

Furthermore, our business could be adversely affected in the future by the effects of other health epidemics and the widespread outbreak of different contagious diseases other than COVID-19. Any outbreak of contagious diseases, and other adverse public health developments, could have a material and adverse effect on our business operations. These could include supply-chain disruptions, restrictions on our ability to distribute our products and restrictions on our abilities to provide services in the regions affected. Any prolonged and significant supply-chain disruptions or inability to provide products or services would likely impact our sales in the affected region, increase our costs and negatively affect our operating results. In addition, as we have seen in fiscal 2020, a significant outbreak of a contagious disease in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our products and services and likely impact our operating results.

There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete acquisitions and/or strategic alliances, including those needed to increase our share of the cloud communications ~~industry,~~market, so that we may accelerate the execution of our growth strategy.

Our strategic operating plan requires continued investments in acquisitions and strategic alliances with other companies in various areas, ~~including, without limitation,~~specifically, with respect to, accelerating the development, sales and delivery of our cloud-based solutions and services. Identifying and evaluating potential strategic alternatives and/or partners may be time consuming and divert the attention and focus of management and other key personnel. In addition, we may incur substantial expenses as part of that process. Any potential transaction would be dependent upon a number of factors that may be beyond our control, including among other things, economic conditions, market consolidation, industry trends and competing bidders. There is no assurance that we will be able to complete any acquisition or strategic alliance even if we expend significant sums and efforts in connection with a potential transaction. Without such transactions it may be challenging for us to execute on our strategic operating plan in our desired time frame and our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed.

Our strategic operating plan relies in part upon the successful execution of our strategic partnership with RingCentral, Inc. ("RingCentral"), which may not be successful.

Our strategy relies on market acceptance of our cloud-based solutions and investing in being at the forefront of offering these solutions. Our ability to implement this strategy relies, at least in part, on our strategic partnership with RingCentral. A strategic partnership between two independent businesses is a complex, costly, and time-consuming process that will require significant management attention and resources. Realizing the benefits of our strategic partnership with RingCentral will depend in part on our ability to work with RingCentral to develop, market and sell Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral ("Avaya Cloud Office" or "ACO"). Setting up the operations and processes under which we and RingCentral will work together may disrupt our business and, if implemented ineffectively, would limit the expected benefits to us. While the efforts of our strategic partnership and the launch of ACO has been successful to date, this alliance is still in a nascent stage and unforeseen challenges may arise, which could impact the ultimate benefits achieved from the alliance. In addition, the process of bringing ACO to market in additional countries may take longer than anticipated, which could negate some of our anticipated benefits and revenue opportunities.

The failure to meet the challenges involved in having two businesses work together could harm our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of this partnership and cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our business activities in a way that could adversely affect our results of operations. Due to this, as well as the potential that we may incur significant costs

associated with this partnership but our revenues may not increase as anticipated, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

If we are unable to integrate acquired businesses effectively, our business, operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Our strategic operating plan requires continued investments in acquisitions, such as our acquisition of Intellisist, Inc. (d/b/a Spoken), a U.S. based private technology company, which provides cloud-based CCaaS solutions and customer experience management and automation applications, in March 2018. We may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses and, where desired, their product portfolios into ours, ~~and therefore we may not be able~~resulting in the failure to realize the intended benefits. If we fail to successfully integrate acquisitions or product portfolios, or if they fail to perform as we anticipate, our existing businesses and our revenue and operating results could be adversely affected. If the due diligence of the operations and customer arrangements of acquired businesses performed by us and by third parties on our behalf is inadequate or flawed, or if

we later discover unforeseen financial or business liabilities, acquired businesses and their assets may not perform as expected or we may come to realize that our initial investment was too large or unwarranted. Additionally, acquisitions could result in difficulties integrating acquired operations and, where deemed desirable, transitioning overlapping products into a single product line, thereby resulting in the diversion of capital and the attention of management and other key personnel away from other business issues and opportunities. We may fail to retain employees acquired through acquisitions, which may negatively impact our integration efforts. Consequently, the failure to integrate acquired businesses effectively may adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

The market opportunity for business communications solutions and services may not develop in the ways that we anticipate, and we may not succeed in developing new, innovative solutions and services, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

The demand for our solutions and services can change quickly and in ways that we may not anticipate because the market in which we operate is characterized by rapid, and sometimes disruptive, technological developments, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and enhancements, changes in customer requirements and a limited ability to accurately forecast future customer orders. Our operating results may be adversely affected if the market opportunity for our solutions and services does not develop in the ways that we anticipate or if other technologies become more accepted or standard in our industry or disrupt our technology platforms.

Our solutions and services may fail to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and customer preferences.

Both traditional and new competitors are investing heavily in our markets and competing for customers. As next-generation business communications technology continues to evolve, including, without limitation, cloud-based communications solutions, we must keep pace in order to maintain or expand our market leading position. We are increasingly focused on new, high value software solutions to drive revenue. If we are not able to successfully develop and bring these new solutions to market in a timely manner, achieve market acceptance of our solutions and services or identify new market opportunities for our solutions and services, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, our solutions need to keep pace with new smart devices and the release of new operating systems so that our customers may continue to use and manage our cloud-based solutions on smart devices. The creation, support and maintenance of our mobile applications may require significant resources and requires us to maintain good relations with the application developers and users. If we are unable to support the mobile platforms which our customers use or maintain good working relationships with these developers and users, our growth, business and operating results may be impacted.

We face formidable competition from providers of unified communications and contact center solutions and services, including cloud-based solutions, and this competition may negatively impact our business and limit our growth.

The markets for our solutions and services are characterized by rapid changes in customer demands, ongoing technological changes, evolving industry standards, new product introductions, and evolving methods of building and operating networks. Both traditional and new competitors are investing heavily in this market and competing for customers. As these markets evolve, we expect competition to intensify and to expand to include companies that do not currently compete against us.

Because we offer ~~customizable~~ solutions for contact centers and unified communications which are cloud-based, on-premise or hybrid, ~~solutions,~~ we face a wide range of competitors. Some of our competitors include:

•Enterprise ~~UC:~~ UCC: Cisco, Microsoft, NEC, Atos Unify, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Huawei.

•Midmarket ~~UC:~~UCC: Mitel, NEC, Cisco and Microsoft.

•Cloud Products and Services: Cisco, Microsoft, RingCentral, 8x8, Mitel, Google, LogMeIn, Fuze, Zoom and Twilio.

•Video Products and Solutions: Cisco, Microsoft, Zoom, LogMeIn, Google, Poly, Huawei, ZTE, RingCentral, BlueJeans and LifeSize.

•Enterprise Contact Center Products and Services: Genesys, Cisco, Aspect Software, Huawei, NEC and Enghouse ~~Interactive and Mitel.~~

Interactive.

•Midmarket Contact Center Products and Services: Genesys, Cisco, Five9, NICE InContact, Amazon, Twilio, Talkdesk and Vonage.

We also face competition in certain geographies with companies that have a particular strength and focus in ~~these~~some of the geographic regions in which we operate, such as Huawei ~~and ZTE~~ in China and Intelbras in Latin ~~America and Matsushita Electric in Asia.~~America.

Several of our existing competitors have, and many of our future competitors may have, greater financial, personnel, technical, R&D and other resources, more well-established brands or reputations and broader customer bases than we do and, as a result, these competitors may be in a stronger position to respond quickly to potential acquisitions and other market opportunities, new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements. On the other hand, smaller competitors may be able to respond to technological evolution and changes in customer demand with more speed and agility than we can. In addition, some competitors may have customer bases that are more geographically balanced than ours and, therefore, may be less affected by an economic downturn in a particular region. Other companies may have relationships with channel partners, distributors, resellers, consulting and systems integration firms and/or network service providers which pose a competitive threat to us. Moreover, other competitors may have deeper expertise in a particular stand-alone technology that develops more quickly than we anticipate. Competitors with greater resources may also ~~may~~ be able to offer lower prices, additional products or services or other incentives that we cannot match or do not offer.

In addition, because the business communications market continues to evolve and technology continues to develop rapidly, we may face competition in the future from companies that do not currently compete against us, but whose current business activities may bring them into competition with us in the future. In particular, this may be the case as business, information technology and communications applications deployed on converged networks become more integrated to support business communications. We may face increased competition from current leaders in IT infrastructure, consumer products, personal and business applications and the software that connects the network infrastructure to those applications. With respect to services, we may also face competition from companies that seek to sell remotely hosted services or software as a service directly to end

customers. Competition from these potential market entrants may take many forms, including offering products and ~~applications~~solutions similar to those that we offer. In addition, certain of these technologies continue to move from a proprietary environment to an open standards-based environment.

We cannot predict which competitors may enter our markets, what forms such competition may take or whether we will be able to respond effectively to new competitors or to the rapid evolution in technology and product development that has characterized our businesses. In addition, in order to effectively compete with any new technology or a new market entrant, we may need to make additional investments in our business, use more capital resources than our business currently requires or reduce prices, any of which may materially and adversely affect particular parts of our business, or our business as a whole.

Industry consolidation may lead to stronger competition and may harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

There has been a trend toward industry consolidation in the markets in which we ~~compete. For instance,~~compete and companies which provide unified communications are purchasing contact center ~~providers, such as Vonage's acquisition of NewVoiceMedia.~~providers. We expect this trend to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their positions in an evolving market and as companies are acquired or sell businesses because they are unable to continue all or a portion of their operations. Companies that are strategic alliance partners in some areas of our business may acquire or form alliances with our competitors, thereby reducing their business with us. Furthermore, rapid consolidation, particularly in the value-added reseller (“VAR”) and service provider ~~market,~~markets, will lead to fewer customers, with the effect that loss of a major customer could have a material impact on our business.

We also believe that industry consolidation may result in stronger competitors that are better able to compete as sole-source vendors for customers. This could lead to more variability in our operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our growth strategy depends on our ability to continue to expand our cloud-based solutions and services offerings and grow our share of the cloud communications market for such offerings through customer acceptance.

An important element of our growth strategy is our ability to significantly increase revenues generated from sales of our cloud-based communications solutions and related services. To increase our revenue, we must continue to expand and develop new cloud-based solutions and services offerings as the market rapidly develops and changes. Our cloud enabled unified communications and contact center solutions and services must offer relevant features and provide consistent high-quality services at competitive prices to attract new customers and to migrate existing customers ~~to subscribe~~ to such solutions and services. While

we have entered into a strategic partnership with RingCentral that ~~we believe will enhance~~enhances our cloud-based offerings, there is no assurance that this partnership will provide us with the desired long-term growth opportunities and results as there are a number of dependencies, including ~~successful execution and ACO~~ customer ~~acceptance.~~acceptance of ACO.

The cloud communications industry is competitive and rapidly evolving, and we expect competition to increase. The functionality, relevance and customer acceptance of our cloud-based solutions and services will depend, in part, on our ability and our partners' ability to integrate these with third-party applications and platforms, including enterprise collaboration, enterprise resource planning, customer ~~relations~~relationship management, human capital management and other proprietary application suites.

As is typical of any new solution introduced in a rapidly evolving market, the level of demand for, and market acceptance of these new solutions is uncertain. If we successfully expand and develop our cloud-based solutions and services, including, without limitation, ~~ReadyNow and~~ Avaya OneCloud ~~as well as our development~~Private and ~~introduction of~~ Avaya Cloud Office, our business will remain dependent on customer decisions to migrate their legacy communications infrastructures to cloud solutions based on newer technology. While these investment decisions are often driven by macroeconomic factors, customers may also delay the purchase of newer technology due to a range of other factors, including prioritization of other IT projects, delays or failures to meet customers' ~~certifications~~certification requirements, ~~and~~ the weighing of the costs and benefits of deploying new infrastructures and ~~devices.~~devices and the need to deploy capital to respond to unforeseen circumstances, such as COVID-19. In addition, customers’ focus on the architecture, management and integration of such new technologies, possible cyber breaches and other security considerations could also affect market acceptance of new solutions. If the market for cloud-based communications fails to develop, develops more slowly than we anticipate, or develops in a manner different than we expect, or if we are not able to successfully develop and expand our cloud-based solutions and services offerings, our cloud-based solutions and services could fail to achieve market acceptance, which in turn could impact our growth strategy and materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

~~Our solutions and services may fail to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and customer preferences.~~

market in a timely manner, achieve market acceptance of our solutions and services or identify new market opportunities for our solutions and services, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Our strategy depends in part on our reliance on our indirect sales channel.

An important element of our go-to-market strategy to expand sales coverage, penetrate new markets and increase market absorption of new solutions is the use of our global network of alliance partners, distributors, dealers, value-added resellers, telecommunications service providers and system integrators, who are collectively referred to as our "channel partners". Our financial results could be adversely affected if our relationships with these channel partners were to deteriorate, if our support pricing or other services strategies conflict with those of our channel partners, if any of our competitors were to enter into strategic relationships with or acquire any of our channel partners, if some or all of our channel partners do not become enabled to sell new solutions and services or if the financial condition of some or all of our channel partners were to weaken. In addition, we may expend time, money and other resources on developing and maintaining channel relationships that are ultimately unsuccessful. Furthermore, despite the benefits of a robust indirect channel, our channel partners have direct contact with our customers, which may foster independent relationships between them and may lead to a loss of certain services agreements for us.

There can be no assurance that we will be successful in maintaining, expanding or developing relationships with channel partners. If we are not successful, we may lose sales opportunities, customers or market share. Although the terms of individual channel partner agreements may deviate from our standard program terms, our standard program agreements for resellers generally provide for a term of one year with automatic renewals for successive one-year terms and generally may be terminated by either party for convenience upon 30 days' notice. Our standard program agreements for distributors generally may be terminated by either party for convenience upon 90 days' prior written notice. Certain of our contractual agreements with our largest distributors and resellers, however, permit termination of the relationship by either party for convenience upon prior notice of 180 days. In addition, our alliance partners (including RingCentral), distributors and resellers are permitted to work with other vendors, including our competitors, and most of them do so. See Part I, Item 1, "Business-Alliances and Partnerships" to this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on our global channel partner program and the standard terms of our program agreements.

We rely on third-party contract manufacturers, component suppliers and partners (some of which are sole source and limited source suppliers) and warehousing and distribution logistics providers. If these relationships are disrupted and we are unable to obtain substitute manufacturers, suppliers or partners, on favorable terms or at all, our business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed.

We have outsourced substantially all of our manufacturing operations to several contract manufacturers. Our contract manufacturers produce the vast majority of our products in facilities located in southern China, with other products manufactured in facilities located in Mexico, Taiwan, Germany, Ireland and the U.S. All manufacturing of our products is performed in accordance with detailed specifications and product designs furnished or approved by us and is subject to rigorous quality control standards. We periodically review our product manufacturing operations and consider changes we believe may be necessary or appropriate. Although we closely manage the transition process when manufacturing changes are required, we

could experience disruption to our operations during any such transition. Any such disruption could negatively affect our reputation and our operating results. We also purchase certain hardware components and license certain software components and resell them separately or as part of our products under the Avaya brand. In some cases, certain components are available only from a single source or from a limited source of suppliers. These sole source and limited source suppliers may stop selling their components at commercially reasonable prices or at all. Interruptions, delays or shortages associated with these components could cause significant disruption to our operations. We may not be able to make scheduled product deliveries to our customers in a timely fashion. We could incur significant costs to redesign our products or to qualify alternative suppliers, which would reduce our realized margins. We have also outsourced substantially all of our warehousing and distribution logistics operations to several providers of such services on a global basis, and any delays or material changes in such services could cause significant disruption to our operations. If any of our providers of outsourced services were to experience financial difficulty or seek protection under bankruptcy laws it could also affect their ability to perform services for us.

In addition, we rely on third parties to provide certain services to us or to our customers, including hosting partners and providers of other cloud-based services. If these third-party providers do not perform as expected, our customers may be adversely affected, resulting in potential liability and negative exposure for us. If it is necessary to migrate these services to other providers due to poor performance, cyber breaches or other security considerations, or other financial or operational factors, it could result in service disruptions to our customers and significant time and expense to us, any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Changes in U.S. trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs and the resulting consequences, may have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.

The U.S. government has adopted a new approach to trade policy, including in some cases renegotiating and terminating certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement ("NAFTA"). The U.S. government has also initiated tariffs on certain foreign goods from a variety of countries and regions, most notably China, and has raised the possibility of imposing significant, additional tariff increases or expanding the tariffs to capture other types of goods. In response, many of these foreign governments have imposed retaliatory tariffs on goods that their countries import from the U.S. Changes in U.S. trade policy have and may continue to result in one or more foreign governments adopting responsive trade policies that make it more difficult or costly for us to do business in or import our products from those countries. This in turn could require us to increase prices to our customers, which may reduce demand, or, if we are unable to increase prices, result in lowering our margin on products sold.

We cannot predict the extent to which the U.S. or other countries will impose new or additional quotas, duties, tariffs, taxes or other similar restrictions upon the import or export of our products in the future, nor can we predict future trade policy or the terms of any renegotiated trade agreements and their impact on our business. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products, our costs, our customers, our suppliers, and the U.S. economy, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

A breach of the security of our information systems, products or services or of the information systems of our third-party providers could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We rely on the security of our information systems and, in certain circumstances, those of our third-party providers, such as channel partners, vendors, consultants and contract manufacturers, to protect our proprietary information and information of our customers. In addition, the growth of bring your own device ("BYOD") programs has heightened the need for enhanced security measures. IT security system failures, including a breach of our or our third-party providers’ data security, could disrupt our ability to function in the normal course of business by potentially causing, among other things, delays in the fulfillment or cancellation of customer orders, disruptions in the manufacture or shipment of products or delivery of services or an unintentional disclosure of customer, employee or our information. Additionally, despite our security procedures or those of our third-party providers, information systems and our products and services may be vulnerable to threats such as computer hacking, cyber-terrorism or other unauthorized attempts by third parties to access, modify or delete our or our customers’ proprietary information.

We take cybersecurity seriously and devote significant resources and tools to protect our systems, products and data from unwanted intrusions and to ensure we meet our contractual and regulatory obligations. However, these security efforts are costly to implement and may not be successful. There can be no assurance that we will be able to prevent, detect and adequately address or mitigate such cyber-attacks or security breaches. We investigate potential data breach issues identified through our security procedures and terminate, mitigate and remediate such issues as appropriate. Past incidents have involved outside actors and internal issues stemming from certain configuration and migration issues of our internal applications to other platforms. Any such breach could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and our reputation as a provider of business communications products and services and could cause irreparable damage to us or our systems regardless of whether we or our third-party providers are able to adequately recover critical systems following a systems failure. In addition, regulatory or legislative action related to cybersecurity, privacy and data protection worldwide, such as the European GDPR, which went into effect in May 2018, may increase the costs to develop, implement or secure our products and services. We expect cybersecurity regulations to continue to evolve and be costly to implement. If we violate or fail to comply with such regulatory or legislative requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned and such fines or penalties could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

~~We rely on third parties to provide certain data hosting services to us or to our customers, and interruptions or delays in those services could harm our business.~~

Our cloud-based solutions rely on uninterrupted connection to the Internet through data centers and networks. To provide such service for our customers in North America, we utilize data center hosting facilities located in ~~California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. We also intend to serve other global customers from data center hosting facilities located in~~ ~~India, Japan and Singapore~~. We do not control the operation of these facilities, and they are vulnerable to service interruptions or damage from floods, earthquakes, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures and similar events. They may also be subject to acts of vandalism or terrorism, sabotage, similar misconduct and/or human error. The occurrence of these or other unanticipated problems at these facilities could result in lengthy interruptions in the ability to use our solutions efficiently or at all, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Contracting with government entities can be complex, expensive and time-consuming.

In fiscal 2020, the Company’s revenue from contracts including the U.S. federal government was approximately $230 million. The procurement process for government entities is in many ways more challenging than contracting in the private sector. We must comply with laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration, performance and pricing of contracts with government entities, including U.S. federal, state and local governmental bodies. These laws and regulations may impose added costs on our business or prolong or complicate our sales efforts, and failure to comply with these laws and regulations or other applicable requirements could lead to claims for damages from our customers, penalties, termination of contracts and other adverse consequences. Any such damages, penalties, disruptions or limitations in our ability to do business with government entities could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Government entities often require highly specialized contract terms that may differ from our standard arrangements. Government entities often impose compliance requirements that are complicated, require preferential pricing or “most favored nation” terms and conditions, or are otherwise time-consuming and expensive to satisfy. Compliance with these special standards or satisfaction of such requirements could complicate our efforts to obtain business or increase the cost of doing so. Even if we do meet these special standards or requirements, the increased costs associated with providing our solutions to government customers could harm our margins.

Business communications solutions are complex, and design defects, errors, failures or "bugs" may be difficult to detect and correct and could harm our reputation, result in significant costs to us and cause us to lose customers.

Business communications products are complex, integrating hardware, software and many elements of a customer’s existing network and communications infrastructure. Despite testing conducted prior to the release of solutions to the market and quality assurance programs, hardware may malfunction and software may contain "bugs" that are difficult to detect and fix. Any such

issues could interfere with the expected operation of a solution, which might negatively impact customer satisfaction, reduce sales opportunities or affect gross margins.

Depending upon the size and scope of any such issue, remediation may have a material impact on our business. Our inability to cure an application or product defect, should one occur, could result in the failure of an application or product line, the temporary or permanent withdrawal from an application, product or market, damage to our reputation, an increase in inventory costs, an increase in warranty claims, lawsuits by customers or customers’ or channel partners’ end users, or application or product reengineering expenses. Our insurance may not cover or may be insufficient to cover claims that are successfully asserted against us.

~~Our ability to retain and attract key personnel is critical to the success of our business and execution of our growth strategy.~~

The success of our business depends on the skill, experience and dedication of our employee base. If we are unable to retain and recruit sufficiently experienced and capable employees, including those who can help us increase revenues generated from our cloud-based solutions and services, our business and financial results may suffer. Experienced and capable employees in the technology industry remain in high demand, and there is continual competition for their talents. If executives, managers or other key personnel resign, retire or are terminated, or their service is otherwise interrupted, we may not be able to replace them in a timely manner and we could experience significant declines in productivity and/or errors due to insufficient staffing or managerial oversight. Moreover, turnover of senior management and other key personnel can adversely impact, among other things, our operating results, our customer relationships and lead us to incur significant expenses related to executive transition costs that may impact our operating results. In addition, our ability to adequately staff our R&D efforts in the U.S. may be inhibited by changes to U.S. immigration policies that restrain the flow of professional and technical talent. While we strive to maintain our competitiveness in the marketplace, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully retain and attract the employees that we need to achieve our business objectives.

~~Business interruptions, whether due to catastrophic disasters or other events, could adversely affect our operations.~~

Our operations and those of our contract manufacturers and outsourced service providers are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, hurricane, flood or other natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, computer systems failure, telecommunications failure, quarantines, national catastrophe, terrorist activities, war and other events beyond our control. For instance, we have operations in the Silicon Valley area of California near known earthquake fault zones, which are vulnerable to damage from earthquakes. Our disaster recovery plans may not be sufficient to address these interruptions. If any disaster were to occur, our ability and the ability of our contract manufacturers and outsourced service providers to operate could be seriously impaired and we could experience material harm to our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, the coverage or limits of our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to compensate for any losses or damages that may occur.

Intellectual Property and Information Security

We are dependent on our intellectual property. If we are not able to protect our proprietary rights or if those rights are invalidated or circumvented, our business may be adversely affected.

Our business is primarily dependent on our technology and our ability to innovate in business communications and, as a result, we are reliant on our intellectual property. We generally protect our intellectual property through patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements and other measures to the extent our budget permits. There can be no assurance that patents will be issued from pending applications that we have filed or that our patents will be sufficient to protect our key technology from misappropriation or falling into the public domain, nor can assurances be made that any of our patents, patent applications, trademarks or our other intellectual property or proprietary rights will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. In addition, our business is global and the level of protection of our proprietary technology varies by country and may be particularly uncertain in countries that do not have well developed judicial systems or laws that adequately protect intellectual property rights. Patent litigation and other challenges to our patents and other proprietary rights are costly and unpredictable and may prevent us from marketing and selling a product in a particular geographic area. Financial considerations also preclude us from seeking patent protection in every country where infringement litigation could ~~arise.~~arise and a cost-benefit analysis may lead us to conclude that under certain circumstances enforcing our rights does not merit the expending of efforts and capital. Our inability to predict our intellectual property requirements in all geographies and affordability constraints also impact our intellectual property protection investment decisions. If we are unable to protect our proprietary rights, we may be at a disadvantage to others who do not incur the substantial time and expense we incur to create our products.

Preventing unauthorized use or infringement of our intellectual property rights is inherently difficult. Moreover, it may be difficult or practically impossible to detect theft, or unauthorized use of our intellectual ~~property.~~property or the production and sale of counterfeit versions of our products and solutions. For example, we actively combat software piracy as we enforce our intellectual property rights and we actively pursue counterfeiters and their distributors, but we nonetheless may lose ~~significant~~ revenue due to illegal or unauthorized use of our software. While counterfeiters often aim their sales at customers who might not have otherwise purchased our solutions due to lack of verifiability of origin and service, such counterfeit sales, to the extent they replace otherwise legitimate sales, could adversely affect our operating results. If piracy activities continue at historical levels or increase, they may further harm our business. Enforcement of our intellectual property rights also depends on our legal actions being successful against these infringers, but these actions may not be successful, even when our rights have been infringed.

In addition, our business is global and the level of protection of our proprietary technology varies by country and may be particularly uncertain in countries that do not have well developed judicial systems or laws that adequately protect intellectual property rights. The level of protection afforded our intellectual property may also be particularly uncertain in countries that require the transfer of technology as a condition to market access. Our partnerships with foreign entities sometimes require us to transfer technology and/or certain intellectual property rights in countries that afford less protection of intellectual property rights than other countries. While we believe such technology and intellectual property transfer requirements have not adversely affected our business, such requirements may change over time and become detrimental to our ability to protect our technology or intellectual property in certain foreign countries. Patent litigation and other challenges to our patents and other proprietary rights are costly and unpredictable and may prevent us from marketing and selling a product in a particular geographic area. Financial considerations also preclude us from seeking patent protection in every country where infringement litigation could arise. Our inability to predict our intellectual property requirements in all geographies and affordability constraints also impact our intellectual property protection investment decisions. If we are unable to protect our proprietary rights, we may be at a disadvantage to others who do not incur the substantial time and expense we incur to create our products.

Certain software we use is from open source code sources, which, under certain circumstances, may lead to unintended consequences and, therefore, could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Some of our products contain software from open source code sources. The use of such open source code may subject us to certain conditions, including the obligation to offer our products that use open source code to third parties for no cost. We monitor our use of such open source code to avoid subjecting our products to conditions we do not intend. However, the use of such open source code may ultimately subject some of our products to unintended conditions, which could require us to take remedial action that may divert resources away from our development efforts and, therefore, could materially adversely affect

our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may be subject to litigation and infringement claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses or prevent us from selling our products or services.

From time to time, we receive notices and claims from third parties asserting that our proprietary or licensed products, systems and software infringe their intellectual property rights. There can be no assurance that the number of these notices and claims will not increase in the future or that we do not in fact infringe those intellectual property rights. Irrespective of the merits of these claims, any resulting litigation could be costly and time consuming and could divert the attention of management and key personnel from other business issues. The complexity of the technology involved and the uncertainty of intellectual property litigation increase these risks. These matters may result in any number of outcomes for us, including entering into licensing agreements, redesigning our products to avoid infringement, being enjoined from selling products or solutions that are found to infringe intellectual property rights of others, paying damages if products are found to infringe and indemnifying customers from infringement claims as part of our contractual obligations. Royalty or license agreements may be very costly and we may be unable to obtain royalty or license agreements on terms acceptable to us or at all. Such agreements may cause operating margins to decline.

In addition, some of our employees previously have been employed at other companies that provide similar products and services. We may be subject to claims that these employees or we have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. These claims and other claims of patent or other intellectual

property infringement against us could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We have made and will likely continue to make investments to license and/or acquire the use of third-party intellectual property rights and technology as part of our strategy to manage this risk, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful or that any costs relating to such activity will not be material. We may also be subject to additional notice, attribution and other compliance requirements to the extent we incorporate open source software into our applications. In addition, third parties have claimed, and may in the future claim, that a customer’s use of our products, systems or software infringes the third-party’s intellectual property rights. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to indemnify our customers for some of the costs and damages related to such an infringement claim. Any indemnification requirement could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Additionally, any insurance that we have may not be sufficient to cover all amounts related to such indemnification.

Failure to comply with laws and contractual obligations related to data privacy and protection could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We are subject to the data privacy and protection laws and regulations adopted by federal, state and foreign governmental agencies, including the European Union's ("EU") ~~GDPR.~~GDPR and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). Data privacy and protection is highly regulated and GDPR imposes new obligations on companies, including us, who process personal data of data subjects who are in the EU, regardless of whether or not that processing takes place in the EU. These requirements substantially increase potential liability for all such companies for failure to comply with data protection rules.

Privacy laws restrict our storage, use, processing, disclosure, transfer and protection of personal information, including credit card data, provided to us by our customers as well as data we collect from our customers and employees. We strive to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, policies and legal obligations relating to privacy and data protection. Our privacy compliance program is based on our binding corporate rules which have been approved by EU regulatory authorities. Through the application of these rules we endeavor to apply uniform data handling practices, based on GDPR standards, on a global basis throughout all Avaya entities which process personal data, which entities have signed on to our binding corporate rules. We have dedicated significant time, capital and other resources to obtain binding corporate rules and meet GDPR requirements, as well as requirements from other laws such as CCPA. We expect that as privacy laws continue to evolve and become more prevalent throughout the world, we will be required to dedicate additional resources to ensure compliance.

From time to time we have notified the Hessen authorities, our lead supervisory authority in the EU, of certain personal data breaches and privacy issues. If the authorities determine that we have not complied with applicable laws and regulations, we may be subject to fines, penalties and lawsuits, and our reputation may suffer. In particular, fines imposed on other companies by various data privacy regulatory authorities from the EU for violations of the GDPR have been significant in amount. Furthermore, we may be subject to increased scrutiny going forward and we may also be required to make modifications to our data practices that could have an adverse impact on our business.

These data privacy risks are especially relevant and applicable to us as a technology company because we process vast amounts of personal and non-personal data on behalf of our customers and we also host significant and increasing amounts of data in our cloud solutions. We believe that regulation will continue to increase around the world with respect to the solicitation, collection, processing, and/or use of personal, financial, and consumer information. In addition, the interpretation and application of existing consumer and data protection laws and industry standards in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere is often uncertain and in

flux. The application of existing laws to cloud-based solutions is particularly uncertain and cloud-based solutions may be subject to further regulation, the impact of which cannot be fully understood at this time. Moreover, it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data and privacy practices. Complying with these various laws and regulations may cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner adverse to our business.

We are also subject to the privacy and data protection-related obligations in our contracts with our customers, channel partners and other third parties. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with federal, state, or international laws, including laws and regulations regulating privacy, data or consumer protection, or to comply with our contractual obligations related to privacy, could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, contractual parties or others, which could result in significant liability to us as well as harm to our reputation. Additionally, third parties on which we rely enter into contracts to protect and safeguard our customers' data. Should such parties violate these agreements or suffer a security breach, we could be subject to proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, contractual parties or others, which could result in significant liability to us as well as harm to our reputation.

We take cybersecurity seriously and devote significant resources and tools to protect our systems, products and data from unwanted intrusions and to ensure we meet our contractual and regulatory obligations. However, these security efforts are costly to implement and may not be successful. There can be no assurance that we will be able to prevent, detect and adequately address or mitigate such cyber-attacks or security breaches. We investigate potential data breach issues identified through our security procedures and terminate, mitigate and remediate such issues as appropriate. Past incidents have involved outside actors and internal issues stemming from certain configuration and migration issues of our internal applications to other platforms. Any such breach could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and our reputation as a provider of business communications products and services and could cause irreparable damage to us or our systems regardless of whether we or our third-party providers are able to adequately recover critical systems following a systems failure. In addition, regulatory or legislative action related to cybersecurity, privacy and data protection worldwide, such as the European GDPR, which went into effect in May 2018, may increase the costs to develop, implement or secure our products and services. We expect cybersecurity regulations to continue to evolve and be costly to implement. Furthermore, we may need to increase or change our cybersecurity systems and expenditures to support expansion of sales into new industry segments or new geographic markets. If we violate or fail to comply with such regulatory or legislative requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned and such fines or penalties could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

We rely on third parties to provide certain data hosting services to us or to our customers, and interruptions or delays in those services could harm our business.

Our cloud-based solutions rely on uninterrupted connection to the Internet through data centers and networks. To provide such service for our customers, we utilize data center hosting facilities located in the United States and Europe, as well as in our Asia Pacific region and our Central America and Latin America region. We also use facilities provided by Google, Amazon and Microsoft as we migrate to cloud solutions. We do not control the operation of these facilities, and they are vulnerable to service interruptions or damage from floods, earthquakes, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures and similar events. They may also be subject to acts of vandalism or terrorism, sabotage, similar misconduct and/or human error. Moreover, if any of these data centers and networks cease operations, we would need to migrate our solutions and our customers to other providers. The occurrence of these or other unanticipated problems at these facilities could result in lengthy interruptions in the ability to use our solutions efficiently or at all, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Global Operations and Regulations

Since we operate internationally, operational, logistical, economic and/or political challenges in a specific country or region could negatively affect our revenue, costs, expenses and financial condition or those of our channel partners and distributors.

We do business in approximately ~~175~~190 countries. We conduct significant sales and customer support operations and significant amounts of our R&D activities in countries outside of the U.S., and we also depend on non-U.S. operations of our contract manufacturers and our channel partners. For fiscal ~~2019,~~2020, we derived ~~46%~~43% of our revenue from sales outside of the U.S., with the most significant portions generated from Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, we intend to continue to grow our business internationally. The vast majority of our contract manufacturing also takes place outside the U.S., primarily in southern China.

Accordingly, our results could be materially and adversely affected by a variety of uncontrollable and changing factors relating to international business operations, including:

•economic conditions and geopolitical developments, including trade sanctions, changes to significant trading relationships such as the United Kingdom’s ongoing process of withdrawal from the EU, and the negotiation of new or revised international trade arrangements;

•political or social unrest, economic instability or corruption or sovereign debt risks in a specific country or region;

•legal and regulatory constraints, such as international and local laws and regulations related to trade compliance, anti-corruption, information security, data privacy and protection, labor and other requirements;

•protectionist and local security legislation;

•difficulty in enforcing intellectual property rights, such as protecting against the counterfeiting of our products;

•less established legal and judicial systems necessary to enforce our rights;

•relationships with employees and works councils,as well as difficulties in finding qualified employees, including skilled design and technical employees, as companies expand their operations offshore;

•unfavorable tax and currency regulations;

•military conflict, terrorist activities and health pandemics or similar issues;

•future government shutdowns or uncertainties which could affect the portion of our revenues which comes from the U.S. federal government sector;

•natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods, anywhere we and/or our channel partners and distributors have business operations; and

•other matters in any of the countries or regions in which we and our contract manufacturers and business partners currently operate or intend to operate, including in the U.S.

Any or all of these factors could materially adversely affect our business, operating results or financial condition. In addition, the various risks inherent in doing business in the U.S. generally also exist when doing business outside of the U.S., and they may be exaggerated by the difficulty of doing business in numerous sovereign jurisdictions due to differences in culture, laws and regulations. Furthermore, our prospective effective tax rate could be adversely affected by, among other things, changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities or changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles or interpretations thereof.

If we do not comply with certain telecommunications or other rules and regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions, fines, loss of licenses and possibly restrictions on our ability to operate or offer certain of our services.

Certain of our cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions are regulated in the U.S. by the Federal Communications Commission and various state and local agencies, and across the globe by governments of various foreign countries. Furthermore, we are subject to existing or potential regulations relating to privacy, protection of customer information, disability access, porting of numbers, Universal Service and Telecommunications Relay Service Fund contributions, emergency access, law enforcement intercept, and other requirements. In addition, government agencies in other countries impose their own regulatory requirements on those solutions. If we do not comply with applicable federal, state, local and foreign rules and regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions, fines, loss of licenses and possible restrictions on our ability to operate or offer certain of our solutions or requirements to modify certain solutions, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Moreover, changes in telecommunications requirements, or

regulatory requirements in other industries in which we operate now or in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

~~The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU may adversely impact our operations in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.~~

In June 2016, voters in the United Kingdom approved an advisory referendum to withdraw from the EU, commonly referred to as "Brexit". The political and economic instability created by the Brexit vote has caused and may continue to cause significant volatility in global financial markets and the value of the Pound Sterling currency and other currencies, including the Euro. Depending on the terms reached regarding the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU, it is possible that there may be adverse practical and/or operational implications on our business.

Currently, the most immediate impact may be to the relevant regulatory regimes under which our United Kingdom subsidiaries operate, including the offering of communications services, as well as data privacy. Since the vote to withdraw from the EU, negotiations and arrangements between the United Kingdom, the EU and other countries outside of the EU have been, and will continue to be, complex and time consuming. The potential withdrawal could adversely impact our United Kingdom subsidiaries and add operational complexities that did not previously exist.

The timing of the proposed exit was recently extended and is now scheduled for January 31, 2020. However, the impact on regulatory regimes remains uncertain. At this time, we cannot predict the impact that an actual exit from the EU will have on

our business generally and our United Kingdom subsidiaries more specifically, and no assurance can be given that our operating results, financial condition and prospects would not be adversely impacted by the result.

We may be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws, regulations, costs and other liabilities.

We are subject to a wide range of federal, state, local and international governmental requirements relating to the discharge of substances into the environment, protection of the environment and worker health and safety. If we violate or fail to comply with these requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators, lose customers and damage our reputation, which could have an adverse effect on our business. The Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), and comparable state statutes impose liability, without regard to fault or legality of the original conduct, on classes of persons that are considered to have contributed to the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. Such classes of persons include the current and past owners or operators of sites where a hazardous substance was released, and companies that disposed or arranged for disposal of hazardous substances at off-site locations such as landfills. Under CERCLA, these persons may be subject to strict, joint and several liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment and for damages to natural resources, and it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment.

We currently own or formerly owned several properties or facilities that for many years were used for industrial activities, including the manufacture of electronics equipment. These properties and the substances disposed or released on them may be subject to CERCLA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and analogous state or foreign laws. For example, we are presently involved in remediation efforts at several currently or formerly owned sites related to historical site use which we do not believe will have a material impact on our business or operations, although no assurance can be given that these remediation efforts or remediation efforts we are required to undertake in the future will not have a material adverse effect on our business or operations.

We are also subject to various local, federal and international laws and regulations regarding the materials content and electrical design of our products that require us to be financially responsible for the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of those products. For example, the EU has adopted the Restriction on Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, with similar laws and regulations being enacted in other regions. Since May 2014, the U.S. requires companies to publicly disclose their use of conflict minerals that originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or an adjoining country. Additionally, requirements such as the EU Energy Labelling Directive, impose requirements relating to the energy efficiency of our products. Our failure or the undetected failure of our supply chain to comply with existing or future environmental, health and safety requirements could subject us to liabilities exceeding our reserves or adversely affect our business, operating results or financial condition.

A growing number of climate change regulations and initiatives are either in force or pending at the local, federal and international levels as part of a transition to a lower-carbon economy that is underway globally. With growing awareness of climate change, the demand for lower emissions products and services is increasing. As we continue to shift our products and services to the cloud, this creates an opportunity to serve customers' needs and requirements. The lower-carbon economy may also entail extensive policy, legal, technology and market changes to address mitigation and adaptation requirements related to climate change. Depending on the nature, speed and focus of these changes, transition risks may pose varying levels of financial and reputational risk to our organization. Our operations and supply chain could face increased climate change-related regulations, modifications to transportation to meet lower emission requirements, changes to types of materials used for products and packaging to reduce emissions, increased utility costs to address cleaner energy technologies, increased costs related to severe weather events, and emissions reductions associated with operations, business travel or products. These costs and changes to operations could have a financial impact on our business and result in an adverse impact on our operating results or reputation.

~~A violation of the FCPA may adversely affect the Company's business and operations.~~

As a U.S. corporation, we are subject to the regulations imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the "FCPA"), which generally prohibits U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or maintaining business. We have adopted stringent procedures to enforce compliance with the FCPA. Nevertheless, we do business and may do additional business in the future in countries and regions where strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may not be customary and we may be held liable for actions taken by our strategic or local partners even though these partners may not be subject to the FCPA. Our personnel and intermediaries, including our local operators and strategic partners, may face, directly or indirectly, corrupt demands by government officials, political parties and officials, tribal or insurgent organizations, or private entities in the countries in which we operate or may operate in the future. As a result, we face the risk that an unauthorized payment or offer of payment could be made by one of our employees or intermediaries, even if such parties are not always subject to our control or are not themselves subject to the FCPA or other similar laws to which we

~~may be subject. Any allegation or determination that we have violated the FCPA could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.~~

Risks Related to Our Financial Results, Finances and Capital Structure

Financial Performance

In addition to experiencing some seasonal trends, our quarterly and annual revenues and operating results have historically fluctuated and the results of one period may not provide a reliable indicator of our future performance.

Our quarterly and annual revenues and operating results have historically fluctuated and are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected in future periods. Fluctuations in our financial results from period to period are caused by many factors, including, but not limited to, the size and timing of new logos, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, the mix of products sold by us and general economic conditions.

It is also difficult to predict our revenue for a particular quarter, especially in light of the growing demand for IT purchases under a subscription-based operating expense model instead of a capital expense model and the increasing proportion of our revenue coming from software and services. Both of these trends spread the timing of related revenue recognition over a longer period of time. In addition, execution of sales opportunities sometimes traverses from the intended fiscal quarter to the next. Moreover, our efforts to address the challenges facing our business could increase the level of variability in our financial results because the rate at which we are able to realize the benefits from those efforts may vary from period to period.

We also experience some seasonal trends in the sale of our products that also may produce variations in quarterly results and financial condition. Typically, our second fiscal quarter is our weakest and our fourth fiscal quarter is our strongest. Many of the factors that create and affect seasonal trends are beyond our control.

In addition, the Company applied fresh start accounting upon its emergence from bankruptcy. As a result, assets and liabilities were adjusted to fair value as of the Emergence Date. Accordingly, our financial condition and operating results after the Emergence Date are not comparable to the financial condition and operating results reflected in our historical Consolidated Financial Statements prior to the Emergence Date.

Shifts in the mix of sizes or types of organizations that purchase our solutions or changes in the components of our solutions purchased by our customers could affect our gross margins and operating results.

Our gross margins and our operating results can vary depending on numerous factors related to the implementation and use of our solutions, including the sizes and types of organizations that purchase our solutions, the mix of software and hardware they purchase and the level of professional services and support they require. We provide our solutions to a broad range of companies, from small businesses to large multinational enterprises and government organizations. Sales to larger enterprises generally result in greater revenue but may take longer to negotiate and finalize than sales to small businesses. Conversely, sales to small businesses may be faster to execute than sales to larger enterprises, but they may involve greater credit risk and fewer opportunities to sell additional services. Moreover, an important element of our growth strategy is to continue to evolve from a traditional telecommunications hardware company into a software and services company, focused on expanding our cloud- and mobile-enabled contact center, unified communications and innovative next-generation workflow automation solutions. As we increase the proportion of our revenue coming from software solutions as opposed to hardware solutions, we expect to see improvement in our gross margins and operating results. Overall, if the mix of companies that purchase our solutions, or the mix of solution components purchased by our customers, changes unfavorably, our revenues and gross margins could decrease and our operating results could be harmed.

The Company could be subject to changes in its tax rates, the adoption of new U.S. or international tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities, which could have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s operating results, cash flows and financial condition.

The Company is subject to taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions, where a number of the Company’s subsidiaries are organized or the Company's solutions and devices are sold. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in various jurisdictions including the U.S. may be subject to change. The Company’s future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and changes in tax laws or their interpretation.

U.S. tax reform legislation enacted in December 2017 known colloquially as the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," among other things, makes significant changes to the rules applicable to the taxation of corporations, such as changing the corporate tax rate to a flat 21% rate, modifying the rules regarding limitations on certain deductions for executive compensation, introducing a capital investment deduction in certain circumstances, placing certain limitations on the interest deduction, modifying the rules regarding the usability of certain net operating losses, implementing a minimum tax on the "global intangible low-taxed income" of a "United States shareholder" of a "controlled foreign corporation," modifying certain rules applicable to U.S. shareholders of controlled foreign corporations, imposing a deemed repatriation tax on certain earnings and adding certain anti-

base erosion rules. It is possible that any amendment to these new rules, or clarification as to the application thereof, may have a material and adverse impact on our operating results, cash flows and financial condition.

~~Tax examinations and audits could have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s cash flows and financial condition.~~

The Company is subject to the examination of its tax returns and other tax matters by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities and governmental bodies. The Company regularly assesses the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from such examinations to determine the adequacy of its provision for taxes. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of any such examinations.

If the Company’s effective tax rates were to increase, or if the ultimate determination of the Company’s taxes owed were for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, the Company’s operating results, cash flows and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

~~Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates could negatively impact our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.~~

We are a global company with significant international operations and we transact business in many currencies. As such, we are exposed to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates. The majority of our revenues and expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars. However, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations related to certain revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies. Our primary currency exposures relate to net operating expenses denominated in Euro, Indian Rupee and Mexican Peso. These exposures may change over time as business practices evolve and the geographic mix of our business changes. In addition, a portion of our borrowings bears interest at prevailing interest rates based upon the LIBOR Rate plus an applicable margin. Therefore, we are subject to risk from changes in interest rates on the variable component of the rate. From time to time we use derivative instruments to hedge foreign currency risks associated with certain monetary assets and liabilities, primarily accounts receivable, accounts payable and certain intercompany obligations, as well as to hedge risks associated with changes in interest rates. The measures we have taken to help mitigate these risks are discussed in Part II, Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk," of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, any attempts to hedge against foreign currency exchange rate and/or interest rate fluctuation risk may be unsuccessful and result in an adverse impact to our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

We also continuously monitor economic conditions, including inflation rates, in the various foreign locations in which we operate. As of July 1, 2018, we concluded that Argentina represents a hyperinflationary economy as its projected three-year cumulative inflation rate exceeds 100%. As a result, we changed the local functional currency for our Argentinian operations from the Argentine Peso to the U.S. Dollar effective July 1, 2018 and remeasured the financial statements for those operations to the U.S. Dollar as of July 1, 2018 in accordance with ASC 830 "Foreign Currency Matters." Although the remeasurement on July 1, 2018 did not have an impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements, foreign exchange transaction gains and losses recognized on or after July 1, 2018 will be based on Argentina’s new U.S. dollar functional currency.

~~If we fail to establish and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our operating results and our ability to operate our business could be harmed.~~

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we establish and maintain internal control over financial reporting and we are also required to establish disclosure controls and procedures under applicable SEC rules. An effective internal control environment is necessary to enable us to produce reliable financial reports and is an important component of our efforts to prevent and detect financial reporting errors and fraud. Management is required to provide an annual assessment on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our independent registered public accounting firm is also required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our and our auditor’s testing may reveal significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses and render our internal control over financial reporting ineffective. In the past these assessments and similar reviews have led to the discovery of material weaknesses, all of which have been remediated. However, no assurance can be given that we won't discover material weaknesses in the future. We have incurred and we expect to continue to incur substantial accounting and auditing expense and expend significant management time in complying with the requirements of Section 404.

While an effective internal control environment is necessary to enable us to produce reliable financial reports and is an important component of our efforts to prevent and detect financial reporting errors and fraud, disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting are generally not capable of preventing or detecting all financial reporting errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well-designed and operated, is designed to reduce rather than eliminate the risk of material misstatements in our financial statements. There are inherent limitations on the effectiveness of internal controls, including collusion, management override and failure in human judgment. A control system can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance of achieving the desired control objectives and the design of a control system must reflect the fact that resource constraints exist.

If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses:

~~we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations;~~

~~our reputation may be adversely affected and our business and operating results could be harmed;~~

~~the market price of our stock could decline; and~~

~~we could be subject to litigation and/or investigations or sanctions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the New York Stock Exchange or other regulatory authorities.~~

We have a significant number of foreign subsidiaries with whom we have entered into many related party transactions. Our relationship with these entities could adversely affect us in the event of their bankruptcy or similar insolvency proceeding.

We have historically entered into many transactions with our subsidiaries. These transactions include financial guarantees and other credit support arrangements, including letters of comfort pursuant to which we undertake to provide financial support to these entities and adequate resources as required to ensure that they are able to meet certain liabilities and local solvency requirements. We are currently party to many such transactions, and it is likely we will enter into new and similar transactions in the future.

In the event that any of these entities become bankrupt or insolvent, there can be no assurance that a court or other foreign tribunal, liquidator, monitor, trustee or similar party would not seek to enforce these intercompany arrangements and guarantees or otherwise seek relief against us and our other subsidiaries. If any of our material foreign subsidiaries (e.g., subsidiaries that hold a significant number of our customer contracts, or that are the parent company of other material subsidiaries) becomes subject to a bankruptcy, liquidation or similar insolvency proceeding, such proceeding could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We are a holding company and rely on dividends, distributions and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

We have no direct operations and derive all of our operating cash flow from our subsidiaries. Because we conduct our operations through our subsidiaries, we depend on those entities for dividends and other payments or distributions to meet our obligations. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could limit or impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us.

We may not realize the benefits we expect from our cost-reduction initiatives.

From time to time we may initiate cost savings programs designed to streamline operations. As discussed in Part II, Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Factors and Trends Affecting Our Results of Operations," we have initiated such programs historically, and we will continue to evaluate similar opportunities to the extent the business need arises. These types of cost-reduction activities are complex. Even if we carry out these strategies in the manner we expect, we may not be able to achieve the efficiencies or savings we anticipate or on the timetables we anticipate. Any expected efficiencies and benefits might be delayed or not realized, and, as a result, our operations and business could be disrupted. Our ability to realize gross margin improvements and other efficiencies expected to result from these initiatives is subject to many risks, including delays in the anticipated timing of activities, lack of sustainability in cost savings over time, unexpected costs associated with operating our business, our success in reinvesting any savings arising from these initiatives, time required to complete planned actions, absence of material issues associated with workforce reductions and avoidance of unexpected disruptions in service. A failure to implement these types of initiatives or realize expected benefits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition that could be material.

If our goodwill or intangible assets become impaired, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings.

At September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the Company had ~~$2,891~~$2,556 million of intangible assets and ~~$2,103~~$1,478 million of goodwill on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The intangible assets are principally composed of technology and patents, customer relationships, and trademarks and trade names. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment on an annual basis and also when events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. Intangible assets with determinable lives, which were ~~$2,558~~$2,223 million at September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, are tested for impairment only when events or changes in circumstances indicate that an impairment may have occurred. Determining whether an impairment exists can be difficult and requires management to make significant estimates and judgments. During fiscal 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded agoodwill impairment charges of $624 million and $657 million, respectively. The fiscal 2020 goodwill impairment charge resulted in the write-down of ~~$657 million~~the full carrying value of the goodwill related to the Company's Products & Solutions segment primarily due to a reduction in the Company's long-term forecast to reflect increased risk from higher market uncertainty and the accelerated reduction of product sales related to the Company’s historical on-premises perpetual licenses. The fiscal 2019 goodwill impairment charge also related to the Company’s Products & Solutions segment and was primarily due to a sustained

decrease in the ~~Company's~~Company’s stock price and a reduction in the ~~Company's~~Company’s long-term forecast. To the extent that business conditions deteriorate further, ~~in this or other segments,~~ or if changes in key assumptions and estimates differ significantly from management's expectations, it may be necessary to record additional impairment charges in the future. See Note 8,7, "Goodwill,"

and Note 9,8, "Intangible Assets," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Levels of returns on pension and post-retirement benefit plan assets, changes in interest rates and other factors affecting the amounts to be contributed to fund future pension and post-retirement benefit plan liabilities could adversely affect our cash flows, operating results and financial condition in future periods.

We sponsor a number of defined benefit plans for employees in the United States, Canada, and various foreign locations. Pension and other post-retirement plan costs and required contributions are based upon a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on pension plan assets, level of employer contributions, the expected life span of pension plan beneficiaries and the discount rate used to determine the present value of future pension obligations. Any of these assumptions could prove to be wrong, resulting in a shortfall of our pension and post-retirement benefit plan assets compared to obligations under our pension and post-retirement benefit plans. Future pension funding requirements, and the timing of funding payments, may also be subject to changes in legislation.

In addition, our major defined benefit pension plans in the U.S. are funded with trust assets invested in a globally diversified portfolio of securities and other investments. These assets are subject to market fluctuations, will yield uncertain returns and cause volatility in the net periodic benefit cost and future funding requirements of the plans. A decline in the market value of the pension and post-retirement benefit plan assets below our projected return rates will increase the funding requirements under our pension and post-retirement benefit plans if the actual asset returns do not recover these declines in value in the foreseeable future. We are responsible for funding any shortfall of our pension and post-retirement benefit plans’ assets compared to obligations under the pension and post-retirement benefit plans, and a significant increase in our pension liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, operating results and financial condition.

We are exposed to risks inherent in our defined benefit pension plans in Germany.

We operate several defined benefit plans in Germany (collectively, the "German Plans") and as of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the total projected benefit obligation for the German Plans of ~~$531~~$527 million exceeded plan assets of $4 million, resulting in an aggregate pension liability for the German Plans of ~~$527~~$523 million. Under the German Plans, which were closed to new members in 2006, retirees generally benefit from the receipt of a perpetual annuity at retirement, based on their years of service and ending salary. The total projected benefit obligation is based on actuarial valuations, which themselves are based on assumptions and estimates about the long-term operation of the plans, including mortality rates of members, the performance of financial markets and interest rates. Our funding requirements for future years may increase from current levels depending on the net liability position of these plans. In addition, if the actual experience of the plans differs from our assumptions, the net liability could increase and additional contributions may be required. Changes to pension legislation in Germany may also adversely affect our funding requirements. Increases in the net pension liability or increases in future cash contributions could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, operating results and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our degree of leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk on our variable rate debt and prevent us from meeting obligations on our indebtedness.

We have a significant amount of debt outstanding. As of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, we had ~~$2,874~~$1,643 million of loans outstanding under the Term Loan Credit Agreement, ~~$44~~$41 million issued and outstanding letters of credit and guarantees under the ABL Credit Agreement, ~~and~~ $350 million of 2.25% convertible senior notes due June 15, 2023 (the "Convertible Notes") and $1,000 million of 6.125% senior first lien notes due September 15, 2028 (the “Senior Notes”) outstanding (all as defined in Part II, Item 8, Note ~~12,~~11, "Financing Arrangements" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K). In addition, as of September 30, ~~2019~~2020 we could have borrowed an additional ~~$142~~$153 million under our ABL Credit Agreement. ~~In November 2019, the Company made a debt principal paydown of $250 million.~~

Our degree of leverage could have consequences, including:

•making it more difficult for us to make payments on our indebtedness;

•increasing our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions;

•requiring a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures, research and development and future business opportunities;

•exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates under Avaya Inc.’s credit facilities to the extent such facilities

have variable rates of interest;

•limiting our ability to make strategic acquisitions and investments;

•limiting our ability to refinance our indebtedness as it becomes due; and

•limiting our ability to adjust quickly or at all to changing market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who are less highly leveraged.

Our ability to continue to fund our obligations and to reduce debt may be affected by general economic, financial market, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors, among other things. An inability to fund our debt requirements or reduce debt could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, cash flows and financial condition.

Despite our level of indebtedness, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur additional indebtedness. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our degree of leverage.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future. Although our Term Loan and ABL Credit Agreements and the indenture for our Senior Notes contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and any indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. In addition, the indenture for the Convertible Notes does not restrict us from incurring additional debt. To the extent new debt is added to our and our subsidiaries’ currently anticipated debt levels, the related risks that we and our subsidiaries face could intensify.

Our financing agreements contain restrictions that limit, in certain respects, our flexibility in operating our business.

Our financing agreements contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specific types of transactions. These covenants limit our and our subsidiaries’ ability to:

•incur or guarantee additional debt and issue or sell certain preferred stock;

•pay dividends on, redeem or repurchase our capital stock;

•make certain acquisitions or investments;

•incur or assume certain liens;

•enter into transactions with affiliates; and

•sell assets to, or merge or consolidate with, another company.

A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under our debt instruments.

There is no assurance we will be able to repay or refinance all or any portion of our or our subsidiaries’ debt in the future. If we were unable to repay or otherwise refinance these borrowings and loans when due, the applicable secured lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness, which could force us into bankruptcy or liquidation. In the event our lenders accelerate the repayment of our or our subsidiaries’ borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and our other ongoing liquidity needs, and we may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations and to fund our planned capital expenditures, acquisitions and other ongoing liquidity needs depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. In particular, we intend to increase our recurring revenue by shifting more of our business to a subscription-based model. If we successfully increase our subscription revenues, we expect this will result in more of our cash receipts being deferred relative to our historical perpetual license model as payments are spread over a pre-determined time period (e.g., annually) rather than being received upfront, which may defer cash flows needed to service our debt. There can be no assurance that we will maintain a level of cash flow from operating activities in an amount sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. Our credit facilities and the indenture for our Senior Notes restrict the ability of Avaya Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. Accordingly, we may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain any proceeds on terms acceptable to us or at all, and any such proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations when due.

A ratings downgrade or other negative action by a ratings organization could adversely affect our cost of capital.

Credit rating agencies continually revise their ratings for companies they follow. The condition of the financial and credit markets and prevailing interest rates have been, and will continue to be, subject to fluctuation. In addition, any adverse developments in our business and operations could lead to a ratings downgrade for Avaya Holdings Corp. ~~and/or~~, Avaya Inc. or any of our rated debt securities. Any such fluctuation in our credit rating may impact our ability to access debt markets in the future or increase our cost of future debt which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition, which in return may adversely affect the trading price of shares of our common stock.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock, Preferred Stock and Convertible Notes

~~An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.~~

Although our common stock is currently quoted on the New York Stock Exchange, an active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained. If the market is not sustained, it may be difficult for shareholders to sell shares of our common stock at a price that is attractive or at all. In addition, an inactive market may impair our ability to raise capital by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies by using our shares as consideration, which, in turn, could materially adversely affect our business.

The price of our common stock and/or Convertible Notes may be volatile and fluctuate substantially.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the price for our common stock has historically been volatile. The market price of our common stock, as well as our Convertible Notes (as they are convertible into our common stock), may continue to be highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially due to the following factors (in addition to the other risk factors described in this section):

•general economic conditions;

•political dynamics in the countries we operate in;

•fluctuations in our operating results;

•variances in our financial performance from the expectations of equity and/or debt research analysts;

•conditions and trends in the markets we serve;

•announcements of significant new services or products by us or our competitors;

•additions of or changes to key employees;

•changes in market valuations or earnings of our competitors;

•trading volumes of our common stock and/or Convertible Notes;

•future sales of our equity securities and/or future issuances of indebtedness;

•changes in the estimation of the future sizes and growth rates of our markets;

•legislation or regulatory policies, practices or actions;

•hedging or arbitrage trading activity by third parties, including by the counterparties to the note hedge and warrant transactions that we entered into in connection with the issuance of the Convertible Notes; and

•dilution that may occur upon any conversion of shares of our Series A Preferred Stock or the Convertible Notes or the exercise of the warrants we issued in connection with the issuance of the Convertible Notes.

In addition, the stock markets in general have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have at times been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. These market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our common stock and/or Convertible Notes irrespective of our operating performance.

~~If securities or industry analysts discontinue publishing research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.~~

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us, our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our shares, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

We currently do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock.

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on shares of our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on operating results, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.

The issuance of shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock ~~to RingCentral~~ dilutes the relative voting power and ownership of holders of our common stock and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Pursuant to an Investment Agreement, dated as of October 3, 2019, by and between us and RingCentral, we sold 125,000 shares of our newly designated Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”) to RingCentral on October 31, 2019 (the “Closing”).

The shares sold to RingCentral at the Closing represent approximately 6%9% of our outstanding common stock on an as-converted ~~basis.~~basis as of September 30, 2020. The Series A Preferred Stock is convertible at the option of the holder at any time into shares of common stock at an initial conversion price of $16.00 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in the Certificate of Designations which details the terms and conditions of the Series A Preferred Stock.

The holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to vote, on an as-converted basis, together with holders of our common stock on all matters submitted to a vote of the holders of our common stock. ~~Prior to our receipt of an approval by our stockholders as required under New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual Rule 312.03 (“Stockholder Approval”),~~In any such vote, RingCentral's aggregate voting power of the Series A Preferred Stock and other shares of our common stock which may be issued to them under that certain

Framework Agreement, dated as of October 3, 2019, by and between Avaya Inc. and RingCentral (the "Framework Agreement"), will be limited, prior to our receipt of an approval by our stockholders as required under New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual Rule 312.03 (“Stockholder Approval”), to the voting power equivalent to no more than 19.9% of our outstanding common stock. If Stockholder Approval is obtained, this limitation will no longer apply. Notwithstanding that limit, the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock to RingCentral effectively reduces the relative voting power of the holders of our common stock. The conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into common stock would dilute the ownership interest of existing holders of our common stock.

For a period of eighteen months following issuance of Series A Preferred Stock, the sale or transfer of the Series A Preferred Stock and the common stock issuable upon conversion thereof is subject to certain ~~lock up~~lock-up provisions that, subject to exceptions, prohibit sale or transfer. Following expiration of RingCentral’s eighteen-month lock-up period, any sales in the public market of the common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. We granted RingCentral customary registration rights in respect of any shares of common stock issued upon conversion of the Series A Preferred ~~Stock. These~~Stock and have filed a registration ~~rights would facilitate~~statement permitting the resale by RingCentral of ~~such securities into~~ the ~~public market, and any such resale would increase the number of shares of our~~ common stock ~~available for public trading.~~underlying the Series A Preferred Stock in compliance with this obligation. As a result, subject to certain exceptions, RingCentral will be able to freely sell common stock upon expiration of the lock-up. Sales by RingCentral of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

Our Series A Preferred Stock has rights, preferences and privileges that are not held by, and are preferential to, the rights of our common stockholders, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and result in the interests of RingCentral differing from those of our common stockholders.

As a holder of our Series A Preferred Stock, RingCentral is entitled to:

•receive dividends, in preference and priority to holders of our common stock or other series of Company stock, which will accrue on a daily basis at the rate of 3% per annum of the stated value of the Series A Preferred Stock. The stated value of the Series A Preferred Stock is initially $1,000 per share and it will be increased by the sum of any dividends on such shares not paid in cash. These dividends are cumulative, compound quarterly and are paid quarterly in arrears.

•participate in any dividends we pay on our common stock, equal to the dividend which holders would have received if their Series A Preferred Stock had been converted into common stock on the date such common stock dividend was determined.

•receive, in the event our Company is liquidated or dissolved, before any distribution is made to holders of our common stock, an amount equal to the liquidation preference (which equals the stated value referenced above plus any accrued and unpaid dividends) for each share of Series A Preferred Stock held.

RingCentral also has certain redemption rights or put rights to require us to repurchase all or any portion of the Series A Preferred Stock after the termination of the Framework Agreement or upon the occurrence of certain events.

These dividend and share repurchase obligations could impact our liquidity and reduce the amount of cash flows available for working capital, capital expenditures, growth opportunities, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes and could limit our ability to obtain additional financing or increase our borrowing costs, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

As a holder of our Series A Preferred Stock, RingCentral has certain consent rights over charter amendments and issuances of senior equity and the ability to designate a member of our Board of Directors.

The transaction documents entered into in connection with the sale of the Series A Preferred Stock to RingCentral grant to RingCentral customary consent rights with respect to certain actions by us, including:

•amending our organizational documents in a manner that would have an adverse effect on the Series A Preferred Stock; and

•issuing securities that are senior to, or equal in priority with, the Series A Preferred Stock.

In addition, pursuant to an Investor Rights Agreement, until such time when RingCentral and its affiliates hold or beneficially own less than 4,759,339 shares of our common stock (on an as-converted basis), RingCentral has the right to nominate one

person for election to our Board of Directors and our Board of Directors will recommend that our stockholders vote in favor of such nominee.

The director designated by RingCentral is entitled to attend meetings of our Board’s Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Governance Committees as a non-voting observer, or such director may choose to serve on the Audit Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees of our Board, subject to applicable law and stock exchange rules. Such director is also entitled to be an observer to the Compensation Committee of our Board.

To the extent that we seek to raise capital in the form of senior preferred stock, for instance because it is the most efficient or only form of capital available to us, or we need to amend our organizational documents for whatever reason and RingCentral does not provide its consent to any such issuance or amendment, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or liquidity.

RingCentral has certain redemption or put rights to require us to repurchase all or any portion of the Series A Preferred Stock for cash. We may not be able to raise the funds necessary to finance such a required repurchase.

RingCentral has certain redemption or put rights to require us, to repurchase all or any portion of the Series A Preferred Stock for cash. RingCentral can exercise such redemption rights, upon at least 21 days’ notice, after the termination of the Framework Agreement or upon the occurrence of certain events. If and to the extent this redemption right is exercised, we would have to purchase each share of Series A Preferred Stock at the per share price equal to the stated value of the Series A Preferred Stock, which is initially $1,000 per share and which will be increased by the sum of any dividends on such shares, plus all accrued but unpaid dividends.

It is possible that we would not have sufficient funds to make any required repurchase of Series A Preferred Stock. Moreover, we may not be able to arrange financing, to pay the repurchase price.

The conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results and/or the market for our common stock.

In the event the conditional conversion feature of our Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert the Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. If we elect to satisfy this obligation by delivering common stock it would have a dilutive effect on our other stockholders. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

The convertible note hedge and warrant transactions may affect the value of the Convertible Notes and our common stock.

In connection with the pricing of the Convertible Notes, we entered into a convertible note hedge ("Bond Hedge") transaction with each of Barclays Bank PLC, Credit Suisse Capital LLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (the "Call Spread Counterparties"). The Bond Hedge transactions reduced the potential dilution upon conversion of the Convertible Notes. We also entered into a warrant ("Call Spread Warrant") transaction with each of the Call Spread Counterparties. The Call Spread Warrant transactions could separately have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share to the extent that the market price per share of our common stock exceeds the applicable strike price of the Call Spread Warrants.

Each of the Call Spread Counterparties (or an affiliate) may modify its initial hedge position by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Convertible Notes and prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes (and is likely to do so during any observation period related to a conversion of the Convertible Notes). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of our common stock or the Convertible Notes, which could affect the ability to convert the Convertible Notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of the Convertible Notes, it could affect the number of shares and value of the consideration that holders of the Convertible Notes will receive upon conversion of the Convertible Notes.

Significant exercises of equity awards or warrants or conversion of preferred stock or convertible debt could adversely affect the market price of the Company’s common stock.

As of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, we had ~~111,046,085~~83,278,383 shares of common stock issued and ~~111,033,405 shares of common stock~~ outstanding. The total number of shares of our common stock issued and outstanding does not include ~~4,261,081~~5,078,773 shares and 5,645,200 shares that may be issued upon the exercise or vesting of equity awards and warrants issued upon emergence from bankruptcy, respectively. In addition, we have the ability to issue an additional ~~1,002,131~~14,407,473 equity awards tied to our common stock under our currently authorized equity incentive plans. Furthermore, the maximum number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of our Convertible Notes is 16,393,440 and our Series A Preferred Stock issued to RingCentral is

~~initially~~ convertible into ~~7,812,500~~8,029,990 shares of common ~~stock.~~stock as of September 30, 2020. The exercise of equity awards and warrants and the conversion of our convertible debt instruments and preferred stock could adversely affect the price of the Company’s common stock, will reduce the percentage of common stock held by the Company’s current stockholders and may cause its current stockholders to suffer significant dilution, which may adversely affect the market.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may impede or discourage a takeover, which could reduce the market price of our common stock and the value of the preferred stock and the Convertible Notes.

Certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may delay or prevent a third party from acquiring control of us, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. Our governing documents include provisions that:

•authorize our board of directors to create and issue, without stockholder approval, up to 55,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, which could be used to dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer;

•grant the board of directors the exclusive right to fill a vacancy on the board of directors, whether such vacancy is due to an increase in the number of directors or death, resignation or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill such vacancies on the board of directors; and

•require stockholders to follow certain advance notice procedures to bring a proposal before an annual meeting, including proposing nominees for election as directors, which may discourage a potential acquirer from soliciting proxies to elect the acquirer’s own director or slate of directors.

These provisions could impede a merger, takeover or other business combination involving us or discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer for our common stock, which, under certain circumstances, could reduce the market price of our common stock and the value of our preferred stock and Convertible Notes. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in the name of the Company, actions against our directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes a forum selection clause, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

This exclusive forum provision will not apply to claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, but will apply to other state and federal law claims including actions arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder). Section 22 of the Securities Act of 1933, however, creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a forum selection provision as written in connection with claims arising under the Securities Act of 1933. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provisions. This forum selection provision in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us. It is also possible that, notwithstanding the forum selection clause included in our certificate of incorporation, a court could rule that such a provision is inapplicable or unenforceable.

General Risk Factors

Our ability to retain and attract key personnel is critical to the success of our business and execution of our growth strategy.

maintain our competitiveness in the marketplace, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully retain and attract the employees that we need to achieve our business objectives.

Business interruptions, whether due to catastrophic disasters or other events, could adversely affect our operations.

Our operations and those of our contract manufacturers and outsourced service providers are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, hurricane, flood or other natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, computer systems failure, telecommunications failure, quarantines, national catastrophe, terrorist activities, war and other events beyond our control. For instance, we have operations in the Silicon Valley area of California near known earthquake fault zones, which are vulnerable to damage from earthquakes. Our disaster recovery plans may not be sufficient to address these interruptions. If any disaster were to occur, our ability and the ability of our contract manufacturers and outsourced service providers to operate could be seriously impaired and we could experience material harm to our business, operating results and financial condition. Because our ability to attract and retain customers depends on our ability to provide customers with highly reliable service, even minor interruptions in our operations could harm our reputation as a reliable solutions provider. In addition, the coverage or limits of our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to compensate for any losses or damages that may occur.

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU may adversely impact our operations in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The United Kingdom formally left the EU on January 31, 2020 and immediately entered into an 11-month transition period during which all EU rules and trading agreements remain as they were. Discussions between the EU and the United Kingdom on securing a trade deal are ongoing with a December 2020 deadline. The impact on regulatory regimes remains uncertain if a trade deal is not reached. At this time, we cannot predict the impact of the EU and the United Kingdom failing to secure a trade deal may have on our business generally and our United Kingdom subsidiaries more specifically, and no assurance can be given that our operating results, financial condition and prospects would not be adversely impacted.

A violation of the FCPA may adversely affect the Company's business and operations.

We are exposed to the credit risk of some of our clients and customers, which may harm our operating results and financial condition.

Most of our sales in the United States have standard payment terms of 30 days and, because of local customs or conditions, longer in some markets outside the United States. We believe customer financing is a competitive factor in obtaining business, particularly in serving customers involved in significant infrastructure projects. Our financing arrangements may include not only financing the acquisition of our solutions and services but also providing additional funds for other costs associated with installation and integration of our solutions and services.

We have a thorough credit process for extending credit limits to our customers, which considers the financial profile of our end user customers in addition to that of the direct customer, distributor or channel partner. We evaluate numerous factors in extending credit, which may include credit ratings, financial performance and discussions with customers. Notwithstanding

that, our exposure to the credit risks relating to our financing activities described above may increase if our customers are adversely affected by periods of economic uncertainty or a global economic downturn. For instance, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain clients and customers have had and may continue to have difficulty meeting their payment obligations to us, resulting in late or non-payment of amounts owed. Although these losses have not been material to date, future losses, if incurred, could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Tax examinations and audits could have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s cash flows and financial condition.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates could negatively impact our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

We are a global company with significant international operations and we transact business in many currencies. As a result of our foreign operations, we are exposed to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates. The majority of our revenues and expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars. However, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations related to certain revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies. Our primary currency exposures relate to net operating expenses denominated in Euro, Indian Rupee and Mexican Peso. These exposures may change over time as business practices evolve and the geographic mix of our business changes. In addition, a portion of our borrowings bears interest at prevailing interest rates based upon the LIBOR Rate plus an applicable margin. Therefore, we are subject to risk from changes in interest rates on the variable component of the rate. From time to time we use derivative instruments to hedge foreign currency risks associated with certain monetary assets and liabilities, primarily accounts receivable, accounts payable and certain intercompany obligations, as well as to hedge risks associated with changes in interest rates. The measures we have taken to help mitigate these risks are discussed in Part II, Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk," of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, any attempts to hedge against foreign currency exchange rate and/or interest rate fluctuation risk may be unsuccessful and result in an adverse impact to our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our operating results and our ability to operate our business could be harmed.

required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our and our auditor’s testing may reveal significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses and render our internal control over financial reporting ineffective. In the past, these assessments and similar reviews have led to the discovery of material weaknesses, all of which have been remediated. However, no assurance can be given that we will not discover material weaknesses in the future. We have incurred and we expect to continue to incur substantial accounting and auditing expense and expend significant management time in complying with the requirements of Section 404.

•we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations;

•our reputation may be adversely affected and our business and operating results could be harmed;

•the market price of our stock could decline; and

•we could be subject to litigation and/or investigations or sanctions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the New York Stock Exchange or other regulatory authorities.

An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.

If securities or industry analysts discontinue publishing research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.



Item 1B.			Unresolved Staff Comments

None.



Item 2.			Properties

As of September 30, ~~2019~~,2020, we had ~~131~~126 leased facilities located in 58 countries. These included 119 primary research and development facilities located in Canada, Czech Republic, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy and the U.S. Our real property portfolio consists of aggregate floor space of ~~2.4~~2.1 million square feet, substantially all of which is leased. Our lease terms range from monthly leases to 10 years. We believe that all of our facilities are in good condition and are well maintained. Our facilities are used for the current operations of ~~all~~both of our operating segments. For additional information regarding obligations under operating leases, see Note ~~23,~~5, "Leases," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.


Item 3.			Legal Proceedings

The information concerning legal proceedings set forth under Note 22, "Commitments and Contingencies," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form ~~10-K.~~10-K, is incorporated by reference in response to this item.



Item 3.4.			~~Legal Proceedings~~Mine Safety Disclosures

The information concerning legal proceedings set forth under Note 23, "Commitments and Contingencies," in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, is incorporated herein by reference.

Not applicable.

PART II



~~Item 4.~~			~~Mine Safety Disclosures~~

~~Not applicable.~~

~~PART II~~



Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

The common ~~shares~~stock of Avaya Holdings Corp. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and began trading on the NYSE on January 17, 2018, under the symbol "AVYA."

Number of Holders of Common ~~Shares~~Stock

The number of record holders of the common ~~shares~~stock as of October 31, ~~2019~~2020 was ~~152.~~153. That number does not include the beneficial owners of shares held in "street" name or held through participants in depositories, such as The Depository Trust Company.

Dividends

No dividends were paid by Avaya Holdings Corp. on its common stock over the past ~~two~~three fiscal years and dothe Company does not anticipate paying ~~any~~ cash dividends on its common stock in the foreseeable future. Holders of the Company's Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to receive dividends at the rate of 3% per annum of the stated value of the Series A Preferred Stock. The Company has the option of paying such dividends in cash or by increasing the stated value of the Series A Preferred Stock. Since the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock in October 2019, the Company has increased the stated value of the Series A Preferred Stock for dividends accrued and does not expect to pay dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock in cash for the foreseeable future.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer

The following table provides information with respect to purchases by the Company of shares of ~~the~~ common stock during the ~~quarter~~three months ended September 30, ~~2019:~~

2020:

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Period
Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased⁽¹⁾
Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs
Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) That May Yet Be Purchased Under Plans or Programs⁽²⁾⁽³⁾
July 1 - 31, 2019 90,003
$ 11.9100
—
$ 15,000,000
August 1 - 31, 2019 8,011
$ 12.1500
—
$ 15,000,000
September 1 - 30, 2019 —
$ —
—
$ 15,000,000
Total 98,014
—



Period	Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased(1)	Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit)		Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) That May Yet Be Purchased Under Plans or Programs(2)(3)
July 1 - 31, 2020	71,985	$	12.5598	—	$	185,000,003
August 1 - 31, 2020	46,958	$	16.4200	—	$	185,000,003
September 1 - 30, 2020	—	$	—	—	$	185,000,003
Total	118,943			—

⁽¹⁾ ~~Represents~~ All repurchases included in the column for the periods indicated represent shares of common stock withheld for taxes on restricted stock units that vested.

⁽²⁾On November 14, 2018, the Company's Board of Directors approved a warrant repurchase program, authorizing the Company to repurchase the Company’s outstanding warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock for an aggregate expenditure of up to $15 million. The repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, through block trades or in privately negotiated transactions.

⁽³⁾On October 1, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors approved a ~~stock~~share repurchase program, authorizing the Company to repurchase the Company’s ~~Common Stock~~common stock for an aggregate expenditure of up to $500 million. The repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, through block trades or in privately negotiated transactions. ~~See Note 26, "Subsequent Events," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.~~

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Stock Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative total return on our common stock for the period from December 19, 2017, the date the common stock began trading, through September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, with the total return over the same period on the Russell 2000 Index and the NASDAQ Computer Index. The graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 19, 2017 in the Company's common stock and in each of the indices and assumes reinvestment of dividends, if any. The graph is based on historical data and is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.


	12/19/17		12/29/17		03/29/18		06/29/18		09/28/18		12/31/18		03/29/19		06/28/19		09/30/19			12/19/17		12/29/17		03/29/18		06/29/18		09/28/18		12/31/18		03/29/19		06/28/19		09/30/19		12/31/19		03/31/20		06/30/20		09/30/20
Avaya Holdings Corp.	$	100.00	$	106.69	$	136.17	$	122.07	$	134.59	$	88.51	$	102.31	$	72.40	$	62.19	Avaya Holdings Corp.	$	100.00	$	106.69	$	136.17	$	122.07	$	134.59	$	88.51	$	102.31	$	72.40	$	62.19	$	82.07	$	49.18	$	75.14	$	92.41
Russell 2000 Index	$	100.00	$	99.92	$	99.52	$	106.92	$	110.40	$	87.75	$	100.19	$	101.94	$	99.13	Russell 2000 Index	$	100.00	$	99.92	$	99.52	$	106.92	$	110.40	$	87.75	$	100.19	$	101.94	$	99.13	$	108.57	$	75.03	$	93.79	$	98.11
NASDAQ Computer Index	$	100.00	$	98.21	$	100.68	$	107.76	$	116.13	$	94.59	$	112.28	$	116.62	$	121.79	NASDAQ Computer Index	$	100.00	$	98.21	$	100.68	$	107.76	$	116.13	$	94.59	$	112.28	$	116.62	$	121.79	$	142.21	$	125.93	$	167.07	$	187.82

This Performance Graph will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference. In addition, the Performance Graph will not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, other than as provided in Regulation S-K, or to the liabilities of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Company specifically requests that such information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporates it by reference into a filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.



Item 6.			Selected Financial Data

The selected Consolidated Statements of Operations data for fiscal 2020 and 2019 (Successor), the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 (Successor), and the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor) and ~~fiscal 2017 (Predecessor), and~~ the selected Consolidated Balance Sheets data as of September 30, 2020 and 2019 ~~and 2018,~~(Successor), are derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K. The selected Consolidated Statements of Operations data for fiscal ~~2016~~2017 and ~~2015,~~2016, and the selected Consolidated Balance Sheets data as of September 30, 2018, 2017 ~~2016~~ and ~~2015,~~2016, are derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements that are not included in this Form 10-K. The information set forth below is not necessarily indicative of results of future operations, and should be read in conjunction with Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in Part II, Item 8, "Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Successor Predecessor
Statement of Operations Data: Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions, except per share amounts) 2017 2016 2015
Revenue $ 2,887
$ 2,247
$ 604
$ 3,272
$ 3,702
$ 4,081
Net (loss) income (671 ) 287
2,977
(182 ) (730 ) (168 )
(Loss) earnings per share:
Basic $ (6.06 ) $ 2.61
$ 5.19
$ (0.43 ) $ (1.54 ) $ (0.43 )
Diluted $ (6.06 ) $ 2.58
$ 5.19
$ (0.43 ) $ (1.54 ) $ (0.43 )

Successor Predecessor
Balance Sheet Data: As of September 30, As of September 30,
(In millions) 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Cash and cash equivalents $ 752
$ 700
$ 876
$ 336
$ 323

Total assets 6,950
7,679
5,898
5,821
6,836

Total debt (including current and long-term portion) 3,119
3,126
725
6,018
5,967

Liabilities subject to compromise —
—
7,705
—
—

Capital leases 19
31
26
56
61

Total stockholders' equity (deficit) 1,300
2,051
(5,013 ) (5,023 ) (4,001 )

Successor Predecessor
Other Financial Data: Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions) 2017 2016 2015
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities $ 241
$ 202
$ (414 ) $ 301
$ 113
$ 215
EBITDA^(a)
(3 ) 289
3,479
370
125
724
Adjusted EBITDA^(a)
706
611
135
866
940
900

^{Successor Predecessor
Statement of Operations Data: Fiscal years ended September 30, Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions, except per share amounts) 2020 2019 2017 2016
Revenue 2,873 2,887 $ 2,247 $ 604 $ 3,272 $ 3,702
Net (loss) income (680) (671) 287 2,977 (182) (730)
(Loss) earnings per share:
Basic $ (7.45) $ (6.06) $ 2.61 $ 5.19 $ (0.43) $ (1.54)
Diluted $ (7.45) $ (6.06) $ 2.58 $ 5.19 $ (0.43) $ (1.54)
Successor Predecessor
Balance Sheet Data: As of September 30, As of September 30,
(In millions) 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Cash and cash equivalents $ 727 $ 752 $ 700 $ 876 $ 336
Total assets 6,231 6,950 7,679 5,898 5,821
Total debt (including current and long-term portion) 2,886 3,119 3,126 725 6,018
Liabilities subject to compromise — — — 7,705 —
Finance leases 17 19 31 26 56
Convertible series A preferred stock 128 — — — —
Total stockholders' equity (deficit) 236 1,300 2,051 (5,013) (5,023)
Successor Predecessor
Other Financial Data: Fiscal years ended September 30, Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions) 2020 2019 2017 2016
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities $ 147 $ 241 $ 202 $ (414) $ 301 $ 113
EBITDA(a) 25 (3) 289 3,479 370 125
Adjusted EBITDA(a) 710 706 611 135 866 940}

(a) Each of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. See "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA" for a definition and explanation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and reconciliation of net (loss) income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA.

The following are significant items affecting the comparability of the selected consolidated financial data for the periods presented:

•On December 15, 2017, the Company emerged from bankruptcy and applied fresh start accounting, which required the allocation of its reorganization value to its individual assets based on their estimated fair values. As a result of the application of fresh start accounting and the effects of the implementation of the Plan of Reorganization, ~~the~~our Consolidated Financial Statements after December 15, 2017 are not comparable with ~~the~~our Consolidated Financial

Statements as of or prior to that date. See Note 5,24, "Fresh Start Accounting," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion.

•The Company adopted ASU No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)" and its related amendments (collectively "ASC 606"), on October 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. As a result, the reported results for fiscal 2020 and 2019 reflect the application of ASC 606, while the reported results for prior fiscal years are not adjusted and continue to be reported under prior guidance ("ASC ~~605.~~605").

•The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)", on October 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective transition method as of the beginning of the period of adoption. As a result, the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2020 reflects the application of ASC 842, while the Consolidated Balance Sheets for prior fiscal years are not adjusted and continue to be reported under ASC 840. The adoption of ASC 842 resulted in the recognition of $190 million of operating lease right-of-use assets and $194 million of operating lease liabilities on October 1, 2019.

•In fiscal 2020 and 2019 (Successor), and fiscal 2017 ~~(Predecessor)~~ and 2016 (Predecessor), the Company recorded pre-tax impairment charges of $624 million, $659 million, $117 million and $542 million, respectively, related to goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. See Note 8,7, "Goodwill," net" and Note 9,8, "Intangible Assets, net," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

•During the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor) and fiscal 2017 (Predecessor), the Company recorded pre-tax reorganization, net credits (costs) of $3,416 million and $(98) million, respectively. The period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor) primarily consists of the net gain from the consummation of the Plan of Reorganization and the related settlement of liabilities. The period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor) and fiscal 2017 (Predecessor) also include amounts incurred subsequent to the Bankruptcy Filing as a direct result of the Bankruptcy Filing and are comprised of professional service fees and contract rejection fees.

•The Company acquired Spoken on March 9, 2018. Spoken has been included in the Company's results of operations since the acquisition date. See Note 7,6, "Business Combinations and Strategic Partnerships and Investments," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion.

•The Company sold its Networking business on July 14, 2017 which resulted in a pre-tax gain of $2 million in fiscal 2017 (Predecessor). See Note 4,23, "Emergence from Voluntary Reorganization under Chapter 11 Proceedings," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

•On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Act") was signed into law, which lowered the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. During the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018, ~~(Successor),~~ the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $245 million to adjust deferred tax balances to reflect the new rates. See Note ~~15,~~14, "Income Taxes," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

•Restructuring charges, net were $30 million, $22 million, ~~$81~~$81 million,, $14 million, ~~$30~~$30 million, ~~$105 million~~ and ~~$62~~$105 million on a pre-tax basis for fiscal 2020 and 2019 (Successor), the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 (Successor), the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor), and fiscal 2018, 2017 ~~2016~~ and ~~2015~~2016 (Predecessor), respectively. See Note ~~11,~~10, "Business Restructuring Reserves and Programs," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

•In fiscal 2017 (Predecessor), the Company recorded non-cash interest expense of $61 million related to the accelerated amortization of debt issuance costs and accretion of debt discount related to the Company’s Bankruptcy Filing. In addition, effective January 19, 2017, the Company ceased recording interest expense on outstanding pre-petition debt classified as Liabilities subject to compromise. Contractual interest expense represented amounts due under the contractual terms of outstanding debt, including debt subject to compromise. For the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor) and the period from January 19, 2017 through September 30, 2017 (Predecessor), contractual interest expense of $94 million and $316 million was not recorded as interest expense, as it was not an allowed claim under the Bankruptcy Filing.

•As of September 30, 2017 (Predecessor), Liabilities subject to compromise included $5,832 million of Predecessor debt and $12 million of Predecessor capital lease obligations.



Item 7.			Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

~~"Management’s~~This "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The matters discussed in this "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties. See the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" above and Part 1, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding forward-looking statements and the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.

Overview

Avaya is a global leader in digital communications products, solutions and services for businesses of all ~~sizes.~~sizes delivering most of its technology through software and services. We enable organizations around the globe to succeed by creating intelligent communications experiences for ~~customers~~our clients, their employees and ~~employees.~~their customers. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration in the cloud, ~~on-premises~~on-premise or a hybrid of both. Our global, experienced team of professionals delivers award-winning services from initial planning and design, to seamless implementation and integration, to ongoing managed operations, optimization, training and support.

During fiscal 2020, the Company shifted its entire comprehensive portfolio of capabilities to Avaya OneCloud, which offers significant capabilities across contact center, unified communications and collaboration, and communications platform as a service. Avaya OneCloud provides the full spectrum of cloud and on-premise deployment options. This enables organizations to deploy the Company’s solutions in the way that best serves their business requirements and complements their existing investments, while moving with the speed and agility they require.

The Company also offers one of the broadest portfolios of business devices in the industry, including handsets, video conferencing units and headsets to meet the needs of every type of worker across a customer’s organization and help them get the most out of their communications investments. Avaya IP-enabled handsets, multimedia devices and conferencing systems enhance collaboration and productivity, and position organizations to incorporate future technological advancements.

Our business has two operating segments: Products & Solutions and Services.

Products & Solutions

Products & Solutions encompasses our unified communications and contact center platforms, applications and devices.

~~Unified Communications ("UC"):~~ ~~Avaya's~~The Company's unified communications and collaboration ("UCC") solutions enable organizations to reimagine ~~what teaming can mean~~collaborative work environments and help companies increase employee productivity, improve customer service and reduce costs. With Avaya's UCUCC solutions, organizations can provide their workers with a single app for all-channel calling, messaging, meetings and team collaboration with the same ease of use they receive from consumer apps. Avaya embeds communications directly into the ~~applications,~~apps, browsers and devices employees use every day giving ~~people~~them a more natural, efficient and flexible way to connect, engage, respond and share - where and how they ~~want - for better business results.~~want. During fiscal 2020, the Company expanded its UCC portfolio to include cloud-based solutions.

Avaya offers an open, extensible development platform, so that customers and third parties can easily create custom applications and automated workflows for their unique needs, integrating Avaya’s capabilities into the customer's existing infrastructure and business applications. Our solutions enable a seamless communications experience that fits into how employees work instead of changing how they work. Avaya continues to evolve its UC solutions for cloud deployment, as some customers prefer to consume this service via the cloud.

~~Contact Center ("CC"):~~ ~~Avaya’s~~ The Company'sindustry-leading digital contact center ("CC") solutions enable ~~customers~~the Company's clients to build a customized portfolio of applications, driving stronger customer engagement and higher customer lifetime value. Our reliable, secure and scalable communications solutions include voice, email, chat, social media, video, performance management and ~~ease of~~ third-party integration that can improve customer service and help companies compete more effectively. Like the UCUCC business, ~~Avaya~~the Company is evolving ~~the~~ CC ~~solution set~~solutions for cloud ~~development.~~deployment and, in fiscal 2020, the Company expanded its CC portfolio to include cloud-based solutions.

Avaya also focuses on ensuring an outstanding experience for mobile callers by integrating transformative technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, ~~("AI"),~~ mobility, big data analytics and cybersecurity into our ~~contact center~~CC solutions. As organizations use these solutions to gain a deeper understanding of their customer needs, we believe that their teams become more efficient and effective and, as a result, their customer loyalty grows.

Both UC and CC are supported by our portfolio of innovative business phones and multimedia devices, which is one of the broadest in the industry. Avaya brings consumer technology to employee mobile devices and the desktop in a way that can help our customers enhance customer service, internal and external collaboration, and employee productivity. Customers experience seamless audio and video capabilities for both Avaya and approved third-party UC platforms via open Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") devices. SIP is used for signaling and controlling multi-media communication sessions in applications of Internet telephony for voice and video calls, along with integration with numerous apps that help connect and accelerate business. Developers can easily customize capabilities for their specific needs with our client Software Development Kit ("SDK").

Services

Services consists of ~~three~~a portfolio of offerings to help customers achieve better business ~~areas: Global Support~~outcomes, including global support services, enterprise cloud and managed services and professional services. We also classify customers who upgrade and acquire new technology through the Company's subscription offerings as part of our Services ~~Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services and Professional Services.~~segment.

~~Global Support Services features~~

The Company's global support services provide offerings that help businesses protect their technology investments and address the risk of system ~~outages and also help businesses protect their technology investments.~~outages. We help our customers ~~maintain their competitiveness~~gain a competitive edge through proactive problem prevention, rapid resolution and continual solution optimization. ~~The majority~~Most of our global support services revenue ~~in this business~~ is recurring in nature.

Enterprise ~~Cloud~~cloud and ~~Managed Services enables~~managed services enable customers to take advantage of our technology via the cloud, ~~on-premises,~~on-premise, or a hybrid of both, depending on the solution and the needs of the customer. ~~The majority~~Most of our enterprise cloud and managed services revenue ~~in this business~~ is recurring in nature and based on multi-year services contracts.

~~Professional Services enables businesses worldwide~~The Company's professional services enable our customers to take full advantage of their IT and communications solution investments to drive measurable business results. Our ~~expert~~experienced consultants and ~~experienced~~ engineers ~~work~~partner with ~~clients as a strategic partner~~customers along each step of the solution lifecycle to deliver services that add value and drive business ~~transformation and expand ongoing value. The majority~~transformation. Most of our professional services revenue ~~in this business~~ is one-time in nature.

Together, these comprehensive services enable clients to leverage communications technology to help them maximize their business results. Our global team of professionals delivers services from initial planning and design, to seamless implementation and integration, to ongoing managed operations, optimization, training and support. We help our customers use communications to minimize the risk of outages, enable employee productivity and deliver a differentiated customer experience.

Our services teams also help our ~~clients~~customers transition at their desired pace to next generation communications technology solutions, either via the cloud, ~~on-premises,~~on-premise, or a hybrid of both. Customers can choose ~~various~~the levels of support for their communications solutions ~~including~~best suited for their needs, which may include deployment, training, monitoring, ~~troubleshooting and~~solution management optimization, and more. Our ~~proactive, preventative system~~systems and service team's performance monitoring can quickly identify and ~~resolve issues.~~address issues before they arise. Remote diagnostics and resolutions ~~rapidly fix~~focus on fixing existing problems and ~~avoid~~avoiding potential issues ~~helping~~in order to help our customers to save time and ~~reducing~~reduce the risk of an outage.

~~Recent Developments~~

~~Strategic Partnership with RingCentral~~

On October 3, 2019, the Company entered into certain agreements regarding a strategic partnership with RingCentral, Inc. (“RingCentral”), a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, collaboration and contact center solutions, to accelerate the Company's transition to the cloud. Through this partnership, the Company will introduce Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral (“Avaya Cloud Office” or “ACO”), a new global unified communications as a service (“UCaaS”) solution. Avaya Cloud Office will expand the Company's industry-leading portfolio to offer a full suite of UC, CC, UCaaS and contact center as a service ("CCaaS") solutions to a global customer base, which includes more than 100,000 customers, over 100 million UC lines and 5 million CC users in approximately 175 countries. Avaya Cloud Office provides the Company with an opportunity to unlock value from a largely unmonetized base of our business as it brings compelling value to our customers and partners. ACO combines RingCentral’s leading UCaaS platform with Avaya technology, services and migration capabilities to create a highly differentiated UCaaS offering. Under the partnership, the Company is required to market and sell ACO as its exclusive UCaaS solution (subject to certain exceptions). Avaya now has a full suite of public, private and hybrid cloud solutions for its global UC and CC customers and partners. ACO is expected to launch in the second quarter of fiscal 2020. On October 25, 2019, the Company and RingCentral received notice from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it had granted early termination, effective immediately, of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Act of 1976 ("HSR Act") for the transaction, and the transaction closed on October 31, 2019. As consideration for the strategic partnership, RingCentral contributed $500 million to the Company, comprised of a $125 million preferred equity investment and an advance of $375 million for future payments and certain licensing rights. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the arrangement on its Consolidated Financial Statements. See Note 26, “Subsequent Events,” to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about the transaction.

Factors and Trends Affecting Our Results of Operations

There are a number of trends and uncertainties affecting our business. Most importantly, we are dependent on general economic conditions, ~~and~~ the willingness of our customers to invest in technology. Instability in the geopolitical environment of our customers, instability in the global credit markets and other similar disruptions put pressure on the global economy causing uncertainties. Our business is also affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We believe these uncertainties have impacted our customers’ willingness to spend on ITtechnology and the manner in which they procure such technologies and services. ~~This includes delays or rejection of capital projects, including the implementation of our products and services.~~

Industry Trends

As a result of a growing market trend preferring cloud consumption, more customers are exploring subscription and pay-per-use based models, rather than ~~CapEx~~capex models, for procuring technology. The shift to subscription and pay-per-use models enables customers to manage costs and efficiencies by paying a subscription or a per minute or per message fee for business

communications services rather than purchasing the underlying products and services, infrastructure and personnel, which are owned and managed by the equipment vendor or a cloud and managed services provider. We believe the market trend toward these flexible consumption models will continue as we see an increasing number of opportunities and requests for proposals based on subscription and pay-per-use models. This trend has driven an increase in the proportion of total Company revenues attributable to software and services. In addition, we believe customers are moving away from owned and operated infrastructure, preferring cloud offerings and virtualized server defined networks, which reduce our associated maintenance support opportunities. We continue to evolve into a software and services business and focus our go-to-market efforts by introducing new solutions and innovations, particularly on workflow automation, multi-channel customer engagement and cloud-enabled communications applications. The Company is focused on growing products and services with a recurring revenue stream. Recurring revenue includes products and services that are delivered pursuant to multi-period contracts ~~including~~and include revenue ~~recurring~~ from sales of its software, ~~maintenance, Cloud,~~global support services, enterprise cloud and ~~Enterprise Cloud~~managed services and ~~Managed Services.~~other cloud offerings.

Novel Coronavirus Disease ("COVID-19") Pandemic

Instability in the geopolitical environment of our customers, instability in the global credit markets and other disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, has put pressure on the global economy causing uncertainties. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the responses of governments worldwide to COVID-19, are having a negative impact on regional, national and global economies, are disrupting supply chains and reducing international trade and business activity. The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial performance and liquidity, including our ability to execute our near-term and long-term business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, will depend on future developments, including the duration and severity of the pandemic, as well as the severity of resurgences of the virus and related government responses, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a material impact on the Company's revenue and gross margin during fiscal 2020, the Company did recognize a significant goodwill impairment charge during fiscal 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as described in more detail in the Financial Results Summary below. If the pandemic continues to have a significant adverse effect on regional, national and global economies, we may be required to recognize additional impairments in the future. The ultimate impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the Company's

future operating results, financial position and cash flows, as well as the demand for the Company's products and services, is uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, current results and financial condition discussed herein may not be indicative of future operating results, financial condition and related trends. For further discussion of the uncertainties and business risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, refer to Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The health and safety of our employees has been our highest priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have implemented several preventative and protective measures, including requiring, to the extent possible, all employees to work remotely, and cancelling conventions and conferences where social distancing would not be possible. We have also implemented business continuity plans and have continued to support our clients primarily by providing our services remotely instead of onsite.

While the pandemic and related effect on the global economy have not materially impacted the Company or its financial condition, the Company has implemented cost containment and cash management initiatives to mitigate any potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business and liquidity and will continue to evaluate its financial position in light of future developments.

We believe that the current macroeconomic environment has accelerated a developing trend in the way people work, with more employees working remotely, and believe this could increase demand for certain products and services of the Company.

The Company has maintained its focus on profitability levels and investing in future ~~results. As the Company continues its transformation to a software~~results and ~~service-led organization, it~~ has implemented programs designed to streamline its operations, generate cost savings and eliminate overlapping processes and resources. These cost savings programs include: (1) reducing headcount, (2) eliminating real estate costs associated with unused or under-utilized facilities and (3) implementing gross margin improvement and other cost reduction initiatives. The Company continues to evaluate opportunities to streamline its operations and identify cost savings globally in addition to those implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and may take additional restructuring actions in the future. The costs of those actions could be material.

Financial Results Summary

On November 28, 2017, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order confirming the Second Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization filed by the Debtors on October 24, 2017 (the "Plan of Reorganization"). On December 15, 2017 (the "Emergence Date"), the Plan of Reorganization became effective and the Debtors emerged from bankruptcy.

As a result, our financial results for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 are referred to as those of the "Predecessor" period. Our financial results for fiscal 2019 and the period from December 16, 2017 throughFiscal year ended September 30, 2018 are referred to as those of the "Successor" period. Our results of operations as reported in our Consolidated Financial Statements are in accordance with GAAP and therefore reported separately for each of these periods. Although GAAP requires that we report on our results for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 separately, management views and assesses the Company’s operating results for fiscal 2018 by combining the results of the applicable Predecessor and Successor periods because such presentation provides the most meaningful comparison of our results to the current period.

The Company cannot adequately compare the operating results of the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 against the subsequent period reported in its Consolidated Financial Statements without combining it with the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 and does not believe that reviewing the results of each of these periods in isolation would be useful in identifying any trends in or reaching any conclusions regarding the Company’s overall operating performance. Management believes that the key performance metrics such as revenue, gross margin and operating (loss) income for the Successor period when combined with the Predecessor period provides more meaningful comparisons to other periods and are useful in identifying current business trends. Accordingly, in addition to presenting our results of operations as reported in our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP, the table and discussion below also present the combined results for fiscal 2018.

The combined results for fiscal 2018, which we refer to herein as results for "fiscal 2018," represent the sum of the reported amounts for the Predecessor period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 and the Successor period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018. These combined results are not considered to be prepared in accordance with GAAP and have not been prepared as pro forma results under applicable regulations. The combined operating results may not reflect the actual results we would have achieved absent our emergence from bankruptcy and may not be indicative of future results.

~~New Revenue Recognition Standard~~

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board "FASB" issued Accounting Standards Update "ASU" No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASU 2014-09")." This standard superseded most of the previous revenue recognition guidance under GAAP and is intended to improve and converge with international standards the financial reporting requirements for revenue recognition. The core principle of the new guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of control of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. New disclosures about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers are also required. Subsequently, the FASB issued several standards that clarified certain aspects of ASU 2014-09 but did not significantly change the original standard. The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 and its related amendments (collectively "ASC 606") as of October 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Refer to Note 3, "Recent Accounting Pronouncements" and Note 6, "Revenue Recognition" to our Consolidated Financial Statements for disclosures related to the adoption of ASC 606 and an updated accounting policy related to revenue recognition and contract costs.

With the adoption of ASC 606, sales that include professional services, are generally recognized as the services are performed as opposed to upon completion and acceptance of the promised services. Additionally, when such arrangements also include products, certain products revenue is recognized when the products are delivered as opposed to upon completion and acceptance of the related services. Revenue recognition related to stand-alone product shipments, maintenance services, and certain cloud offerings remains substantially unchanged. In addition to the impacts on revenue recognition, the standard requires incremental contract acquisition costs (primarily sales commissions) to be capitalized and amortized over the term of the related performance obligation as opposed to expensed as incurred. The actual impacts are dependent upon contract-specific terms.

At the beginning of fiscal 2019, the Company’s management proactively aligned its internal key performance indicators and its incentive compensation plans to drive performance under ASC 606. Due to these operational changes, the Company’s results for fiscal 2019 if prepared on an ASC 605 as opposed to an ASC 606 basis (see Note 6, “Revenue Recognition,” to our Consolidated Financial Statements) would not be directly comparable to the Company’s results for fiscal 2018, which are also on an ASC 605 basis. In addition to the impact on revenue, these operational changes also had a corresponding impact on the Company’s cash flow performance, as revenue recognition now precedes customer billing and cash collection in many cases. The Company anticipates that the differences resulting from these operational changes will normalize as services engagements reach completion milestones in subsequent reporting periods.

~~Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019~~2020 Results Compared with Fiscal ~~Year Ended~~year ended September 30, ~~2018 Combined~~2019

The section below provides a comparative discussion of our consolidated results of operations between fiscal ~~2019~~2020 and ~~2018.~~2019. See Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, ~~2018~~2019 filed on November 29, 2019 for comparative discussion of our consolidated results of operations between fiscal 2019 and 2018 (combined) ~~and 2017.~~.

The following table displays our consolidated net ~~(loss) income~~loss for the periods indicated:


	Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions)	2020		2019
REVENUE
Products	$	1,073	$	1,222
Services	1,800		1,665
	2,873		2,887
COSTS
Products:
Costs	405		442
Amortization of technology intangible assets	174		174
Services	714		696
	1,293		1,312
GROSS PROFIT	1,580		1,575
OPERATING EXPENSES
Selling, general and administrative	1,013		1,001
Research and development	207		204
Amortization of intangible assets	161		162
Impairment charges	624		659
Restructuring charges, net	30		22
	2,035		2,048
OPERATING LOSS	(455)		(473)
Interest expense	(226)		(237)
Other income, net	63		41
LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(618)		(669)
Provision for income taxes	(62)		(2)
NET LOSS	$	(680)	$	(671)

Successor Predecessor Non-GAAP Combined
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018
(In millions)
REVENUE
Products $ 1,222
$ 989
$ 253
$ 1,242
Services 1,665
1,258
351
1,609
2,887
2,247
604
2,851
COSTS
Products:
Costs 442
372
84
456
Amortization of technology intangible assets 174
135
3
138
Services 696
597
155
752
1,312
1,104
242
1,346
GROSS PROFIT 1,575
1,143
362
1,505
OPERATING EXPENSES
Selling, general and administrative 1,001
888
264
1,152
Research and development 204
172
38
210
Amortization of intangible assets 162
127
10
137
Impairment charges 659
—
—
—
Restructuring charges, net 22
81
14
95
2,048
1,268
326
1,594
OPERATING (LOSS) INCOME (473 ) (125 ) 36
(89 )
Interest expense (237 ) (169 ) (14 ) (183 )
Other income (expense), net 41
35
(2 ) 33
Reorganization items, net —
—
3,416
3,416
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES (669 ) (259 ) 3,436
3,177
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes (2 ) 546
(459 ) 87
NET (LOSS) INCOME $ (671 ) $ 287
$ 2,977
$ 3,264

The following table displays the impact of the fair value adjustments resulting from the Company's application of fresh start accounting upon emergence from bankruptcy, excluding those related to the amortization of intangible assets, on the Company's operating loss for the ~~period~~periods indicated:


	Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions)	2020		2019
REVENUE
Products	$	(1)	$	(6)
Services	(5)		(15)
	(6)		(21)
COSTS
Products	—		5
Services	1		11
	1		16
GROSS PROFIT	(7)		(37)
OPERATING EXPENSES
Selling, general and administrative	2		1
Research and development	(1)		(4)
	1		(3)
OPERATING LOSS	$	(6)	$	(40)

(In millions) Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018
REVENUE
Products $ (6 ) $ (63 )
Services (15 ) (143 )
(21 ) (206 )
COSTS
Products 5
21
Services 11
37
16
58
GROSS PROFIT (37 ) (264 )
OPERATING EXPENSES
Selling, general and administrative 1
16
Research and development (4 ) (11 )
(3 ) 5
OPERATING LOSS $ (40 ) $ (259 )

Revenue

Revenue for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was ~~$2,887~~$2,873 million compared to ~~$2,851~~$2,887 million for fiscal ~~2018.~~2019. The ~~increase~~decrease was primarily driven by a lower impact of applying fresh start accounting upon emergence from bankruptcy, which resulted in the recognition of deferred revenue at fair value and lower revenue in subsequent periods and the favorable impact of adopting ASC 606 ($173 million). The increase was partially offset by lower demand for the Company’s unified communications and contact center products; lower professional services revenue mainly driven by the operational changes implemented in the current year to drive performance under ASC 606; a decline in maintenance services revenue primarily due to declines in Products & Solutions revenue in prior periodsCompany's on-premise solutions, partially offset by ~~an improvement in maintenance contract renewal rates;~~revenue from the Company's new subscription offerings and revenue from the ~~unfavorable impact~~fulfillment of ~~foreign currency exchange rates.~~certain obligations related to a new government contract.

The following table displays revenue and the percentage of revenue to total sales by operating segment for the periods indicated:


					Percentage of Total Revenue				Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change		Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change, net of Foreign Currency Impact
	Fiscal years ended September 30,				Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions)	2020		2019		2020		2019
Products & Solutions	$	1,074	$	1,228	37	%	43	%	(13)	%	(12)	%
Services	1,805		1,680		63	%	58	%	7	%	8	%
Unallocated amounts	(6)		(21)		—	%	(1)	%	(1)		(1)
Total revenue	$	2,873	$	2,887	100	%	100	%	—	%	—	%

Percentage of Total Revenue
Successor Predecessor Non-GAAP Combined Successor Non-GAAP Combined Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change, net of Foreign Currency Impact
(In millions) Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change
Products & Solutions $ 1,228
$ 1,052
$ 253
$ 1,305
43 % 46 % (6 )% (5 )%
Services 1,680
1,401
351
1,752
58 % 61 % (4 )% (3 )%
Unallocated amounts (21 ) (206 ) —
(206 ) (1 )% (7 )%
⁽¹⁾

⁽¹⁾

Total revenue $ 2,887
$ 2,247
$ 604
$ 2,851
100 % 100 % 1 % 2 %
(1)Not meaningful


⁽¹⁾	~~Not meaningful~~

Products & Solutions revenue for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was ~~$1,228~~$1,074 million compared to ~~$1,305~~$1,228 million for fiscal ~~2018.~~2019. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower ~~unified communications and contact center revenue and~~demand for the ~~unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates,~~Company's on-premise solutions, partially offset by revenue from the ~~favorable impact~~fulfillment of ~~adopting ASC 606 ($97 million).~~certain obligations related to a new government contract and higher demand for remote agent licenses for the Company's contact center solutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Services revenue for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was ~~$1,680~~$1,805 million compared to ~~$1,752~~$1,680 million for fiscal ~~2018.~~2019. The ~~decrease~~increase was primarily ~~due to lower professional services revenue mainly~~ driven by revenue from the ~~operational changes implemented in~~Company's new subscription offerings and revenue from the ~~current year~~fulfillment of certain obligations related to ~~drive performance under ASC 606;~~ a ~~decline in maintenance services revenue primarily due to declines in Products & Solutions~~

~~revenue in prior periods partially offset by an improvement in maintenance~~new government contract, ~~renewal rates; and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates,~~ partially offset by the ~~favorable impact of adopting ASC 606 ($76 million).~~planned declines in hardware maintenance and software support services which continue to face headwinds driven by lower new product sales over the past several years.

Unallocated amounts for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 and ~~2018~~2019 represent the fair value adjustment to deferred revenue recognized upon emergence from bankruptcy ~~and~~which is excluded from segment revenue.

The following table displays revenue and the percentage of revenue to total sales by location for the periods indicated:


									Percentage of Total Revenue													Percentage of Total Revenue				Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change				Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change, net of Foreign Currency Impact
	Successor				Predecessor		Non-GAAP Combined		Successor		Non-GAAP Combined				Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change, net of Foreign Currency Impact			Fiscal years ended September 30,				Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions)	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019		Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018		Yr. to Yr. Percentage Change				(In millions)	2020		2019		2020		2019
U.S.	$	1,553	$	1,184	$	331	$	1,515	54	%	53	%	3	%	3	%	U.S.	$	1,640	$	1,553	57	%	54	%			6	%			6	%
International:																	International:
Europe, Middle East and Africa	753		603		166		769		26	%	27	%	(2	)%	—	%	Europe, Middle East and Africa	714		753		25	%	26	%	(5)	%			(5)	%
Asia Pacific	327		256		57		313		11	%	11	%	4	%	8	%	Asia Pacific	296		327		10	%	11	%	(9)	%			(9)	%
Americas International - Canada and Latin America	254		204		50		254		9	%	9	%	—	%	3	%	Americas International - Canada and Latin America	223		254		8	%	9	%	(12)	%			(10)	%
Total International	1,334		1,063		273		1,336		46	%	47	%	—	%	3	%	Total International	1,233		1,334		43	%	46	%	(8)	%			(7)	%
Total revenue	$	2,887	$	2,247	$	604	$	2,851	100	%	100	%	1	%	2	%	Total revenue	$	2,873	$	2,887	100	%	100	%	—	%			—	%

Revenue in the U.S. for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was ~~$1,553~~$1,640 million compared to ~~$1,515~~$1,553 million for fiscal ~~2018. The increase in U.S.~~2019. Revenue from the Company's new subscription offerings; revenue ~~was~~from the fulfillment of certain obligations related to a new government contract; and higher demand for remote agent licenses for the Company's contact center solutions as a result of ~~a lower impact of applying fresh start accounting upon emergence from bankruptcy and~~ the ~~favorable impact of adopting ASC 606 ($89 million). The increase was~~COVID-19 pandemic were partially offset by lower demand for the Company's ~~unified communications~~on-premise solutions and ~~contact center products and a decline in~~lower professional ~~and maintenance~~ services revenue. Revenue in Europe, Middle East and Africa ("EMEA") for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was ~~$753~~$714 million compared to ~~$769~~$753 million for fiscal ~~2018.~~2019. The decrease in EMEA revenue was primarily attributable to lower demand for ~~our unified communications products; lower professional services revenue; and~~ the ~~unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates,~~Company's on-premise solutions, partially offset by ~~a lower impact of fresh start accounting and the favorable impact of adopting ASC 606 ($31 million).~~higher professional services revenue. Revenue in Asia Pacific ("APAC") for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was ~~$327~~$296 million compared to ~~$313~~$327 million for fiscal ~~2018.~~2019. The ~~increase~~decrease in APAC revenue was primarily attributable to ~~the favorable impact of adopting ASC 606 ($21 million); a lower impact of fresh start accounting; and higher maintenance services revenue, partially offset by~~ lower demand for ~~our unified communications and contact center products; lower professional services revenue; and~~ the ~~unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates.~~Company's on-premise solutions. Revenue in Americas International for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 was $223 million compared to $254 million ~~and flat with the prior year period. In~~for fiscal 2019. The decrease in Americas International ~~the favorable impact of adopting ASC 606 ($32 million) and a lower impact of fresh start accounting~~ was ~~offset by lower professional services revenue;~~primarily attributable to lower demand for ~~our unified communications and contact center products;~~the Company's on-premise solutions and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates.

Gross Profit

The following table sets forth gross profit and gross margin by operating segment for the periods indicated:


													Gross Margin														Gross Margin				Change
	Successor						Predecessor			Non-GAAP Combined			Successor		Non-GAAP Combined		Change						Fiscal years ended September 30,				Fiscal years ended September 30,				Amount				Percent
(In millions)	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018			Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017			Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018			Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018		Amount			Percent		(In millions)	2020		2019		2020		2019
Products & Solutions	$	791		$	696		$	169		$	865		64.4	%	66.3	%	$	(74	)	(9	)%	Products & Solutions	$	669	$	791	62.3	%	64.4	%			$	(122)			(15)	%
Services	996			843			196			1,039			59.3	%	59.3	%	(43		)	(4	)%	Services	1,092		996		60.5	%	59.3	%	96				10	%
Unallocated amounts	(212		)	(396		)	(3		)	(399		)	⁽¹	⁾	⁽¹	⁾	187			⁽¹⁾		Unallocated amounts	(181)		(212)		(1)		(1)		31				(1)
Total	$	1,575		$	1,143		$	362		$	1,505		54.6	%	52.8	%	$	70		5	%	Total	$	1,580	$	1,575	55.0	%	54.6	%	$	5			—	%

•Debt service—We expect to make payments of approximately ~~$447~~$190 million during fiscal ~~2020~~2021 in ~~principal and~~ interest associated with the Term Loan Credit Agreement, Senior Notes and Convertible Notes, and interest and fees associated with our ABL Credit ~~Agreement and 2.25% Convertible Notes, inclusive of a debt principal paydown of $250 million made by the Company in November 2019.~~Agreement. In the ordinary course of business, we may from time to time borrow and repay amounts under our ABL Credit Agreement.

•Capital expenditures—We expect to spend approximately $95 million to $105 million for capital expenditures during fiscal 2021.

•Benefit obligations—We estimate we will make payments under our pension and post-retirement benefit obligations of approximately $53 million during fiscal 2021. These payments include $18 million to satisfy the minimum statutory funding requirements of our U.S. qualified pension plans; $24 million for our non-U.S. benefit plans, which are predominantly not pre-funded; and $11 million for salaried and represented retiree post-retirement benefits. See discussion in Note 15, "Benefit Obligations," to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

~~Share repurchases~~—On October 1, 2019, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase the Company’s Common Stock for an aggregate expenditure of up to $500 million.

•Restructuring payments—We expect to make payments of approximately $25 million to $30 million during fiscal ~~2020~~2021 for employee separation costs and lease termination obligations associated with restructuring ~~actions we have taken through September 30, 2019.~~actions. The Company continues to evaluate opportunities to streamline its operations and identify additional cost savings globally.

~~Capital expenditures~~—We expect to spend approximately $115 million to $125 million for capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs during fiscal 2020. Environmental costs and accruals are presently not material to our operations, cash flows or financial position, and we do not currently anticipate material capital expenditures for environmental control facilities.

~~Benefit obligations—~~We estimate we will make payments under our pension and post-retirement benefit obligations totaling $51 million during fiscal 2020. These payments include $15 million to satisfy the minimum statutory funding requirements of our U.S. qualified pension plans; $23 million for our non-U.S. benefit plans, which are predominantly not pre-funded; and $13 million for represented retiree post-retirement benefits. See discussion in Note 16, "Benefit Obligations," to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

In addition to the matters identified above, in the ordinary course of business, the Company is involved in litigation, claims, government inquiries, investigations and proceedings ~~including but not limited to those identified in Note 23, "Commitments and Contingencies," to our Consolidated Financial Statements,~~ relating to intellectual property, commercial, employment, environmental and regulatory matters, which may require us to make cash payments. These and other legal matters could have a material adverse effect on the manner in which the Company does business and the Company's financial position, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity. During fiscal 2019 (Successor) and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018 (Successor), there were no costs incurred in connection with the resolution of legal matters other than those incurred in the ordinary course of business. During the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 (Predecessor) and fiscal 2017 (Predecessor), costs incurred in connection with the resolution of certain legal matters were $37 million and $64 million, respectively.

We and our subsidiaries and affiliates may from time to time seek to retire or purchase our outstanding equity (common stock and warrants) and/or debt (including ~~publicly issued debt)~~our Term Loans, Senior Notes and Convertible Notes) through cash purchases and/or exchanges, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, redemptions or otherwise. Such repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors.

Future Sources of Liquidity

We expect our cash balance, cash generated by operations and borrowings available under our ABL Credit Agreement ~~and cash received in connection with the Company's strategic partnership with RingCentral~~ to be our primary sources of short-term liquidity.

As of September 30, ~~2019~~2020 and ~~2018,~~2019, our cash and cash equivalent balances held outside the U.S. were ~~$176~~$227 million and ~~$169~~$176 million, respectively. As of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents held outside the U.S. are not ~~required~~expected to be needed to be repatriated to fund the Company’s operations in the U.S. based on our expected future sources of liquidity.

Under the terms of the ABL Credit Agreement, the Company can issue letters of credit up to $150 million. At September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the Company had issued and outstanding letters of credit and guarantees of ~~$44~~$41 million under the ABL Credit Agreement and had no ~~other~~ borrowings outstanding under the ~~ABL.~~ABL Credit Agreement. The aggregate additional principal amount that may be borrowed under the ABL Credit Agreement, based on the borrowing base less ~~$44~~$41 million of outstanding letters of credit and guarantees, was ~~$142~~$153 million at September 30, ~~2019.~~2020.

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents of ~~$752~~$727 million as of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, expected future cash provided by operating activities and borrowings available under the ABL Credit Agreement ~~and cash received in connection with the Company's strategic partnership with RingCentral~~ will be sufficient to meet our future cash requirements for at least the next twelve months. Our ability to meet these requirements will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future, which is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. We also believe that our financial resources, along with appropriate management of discretionary expenses, will allow us to manage the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on our business operations, and specifically our liquidity, for the foreseeable future. However, the challenges posed by COVID-19 on our business constantly and rapidly evolve and could result in the need for additional liquidity. Consequently, we will continue to evaluate our financial position in light of future developments.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

See discussion in Note ~~23,~~22, "Commitments and Contingencies," to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

Debt Ratings

Our ability to obtain additional external financing and the related cost of borrowing may be affected by our ratings, which are periodically reviewed by the major credit rating agencies. The ratings are subject to change or withdrawal at any time by the respective credit rating agencies.

As of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the Company's debt ratings were as follows:

•Moody’s Investors Service issued a corporate family rating of "B2" with a stable outlook and a rating of "B2" applicable to the ~~7-year $2,925 million~~Senior Notes and the Term Loan Credit ~~Agreement of "B2";~~Agreement;

•Standard and Poor's issued a definitive corporate credit rating of "B" with a stable outlook and a rating of "B" applicable to the Senior Notes and the Term Loan Credit ~~Agreement of "B";~~Agreement; and

•Fitch Ratings Inc. issued a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating of "B" with a stable outlook and a rating of "BB-" applicable to the Senior Notes and the Term Loan Credit ~~Agreement of "BB-".~~Agreement.

~~Commitments and Contingencies~~

We are party to several types of agreements, including surety bonds, purchase commitments, product financing arrangements and performance guarantees, which are fully discussed in Note 23, "Commitments and Contingencies," to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

We present below the Company's EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, each of which is a non-GAAP Measure.

EBITDA is defined as net ~~(loss) income~~loss before income taxes, interest expense, interest income and depreciation and amortization and excludes the results of discontinued operations. EBITDA provides us with a measure of operating performance that excludes certain non-operating and/or non-cash expenses, which can differ significantly from company to company depending on capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which companies operate and capital investments.

Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA as further adjusted by the items noted in the reconciliation table below. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides a measure of our financial performance based on operational factors that management can impact in the short-term, such as our pricing strategies, volume, costs and expenses of the organization, and therefore presents our financial performance in a way that can be more easily compared to prior quarters or fiscal years. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA serves as a basis for determining certain management and employee compensation. We also present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because we believe analysts and investors utilize these measures in analyzing our results. Under the Company's debt agreements, the ability to engage in activities such as incurring additional indebtedness, making investments and paying dividends is tied in part to ratios based on a measure of Adjusted EBITDA.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools. EBITDA measures do not represent net ~~(loss) income~~loss or cash flow from operations as those terms are defined by GAAP and do not necessarily indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash needs. While EBITDA measures are frequently used as measures of operations and the ability to meet debt service requirements, these terms are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. Further, Adjusted EBITDA excludes the impact of earnings or charges resulting from matters that we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations ~~but could be substantial.~~that still affect our net income. In particular, our formulation of Adjusted EBITDA adjusts for certain amounts that are included in calculating net ~~(loss) income~~loss as set forth in the following table including, but not limited to, restructuring charges, impairment charges, ~~certain fees payable to~~

~~our Predecessor private equity sponsors and other advisors,~~ resolution of certain legal matters and a portion of our pension costs and post-retirement benefits costs, which represents the amortization of pension service costs and actuarial gain (loss) associated with these benefits. However, these are expenses that may recur, may vary and/or may be difficult to predict.

The unaudited reconciliation of net ~~(loss) income,~~loss, which is a GAAP measure, to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP measures, is presented below for the periods indicated:


		Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions)		2020		2019
Net loss		$	(680)	$	(671)
Interest expense		226		237
Interest income		(6)		(14)
Provision for income taxes		62		2
Depreciation and amortization		423		443
EBITDA		25		(3)
Impact of fresh start accounting adjustments	(a)	1		5
Restructuring charges	(b)	20		22
Advisory fees	(c)	40		11
Acquisition-related costs		—		9
Share-based compensation		30		25
Impairment charges		624		659
Change in fair value of Emergence Date Warrants		3		(29)
Loss on foreign currency transactions		16		8
Gain on investments in equity and debt securities, net	(d)	(49)		(1)
Adjusted EBITDA		$	710	$	706

(a)The impact of fresh start accounting adjustments in connection with the Company's emergence from bankruptcy.

(b)Restructuring charges represent employee separation costs and facility exit costs (excluding the impact of accelerated depreciation expense) related to the Company's restructuring programs, net of sublease income.

(c)Advisory fees represent costs incurred to assist in the assessment of strategic and financial alternatives to improve the Company's capital structure.

(d)Realized and unrealized gains on investments in equity securities, net of impairment of investments in debt securities.

Successor Predecessor
(In millions) Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017
Net (loss) income $ (671 ) $ 287
$ 2,977
Interest expense (a) 237
169
14
Interest income (14 ) (5 ) (2 )
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 2
(546 ) 459
Depreciation and amortization 443
384
31
EBITDA (3 ) 289
3,479
Impact of fresh start accounting adjustments (b) 5
196
—
Restructuring charges, net 22
81
14
Advisory fees (c) 11
18
3
Acquisition-related costs
9
15
—
Reorganization items, net —
—
(3,416 )
Non-cash share-based compensation 25
19
—
Impairment charges 659
—
—
Loss on sale/disposal of long-lived assets, net —
4
1
Resolution of certain legal matters (d) —
—
37
Change in fair value of Emergence Date Warrants (29 ) 17
—
Loss (gain) on foreign currency transactions 8
(28 ) —
Pension/OPEB/nonretirement postemployment retirement benefits and long-term disability costs (e) —
—
17
Gain on investments (1 ) —
—
Adjusted EBITDA $ 706
$ 611
$ 135

^(a)

Effective January 19, 2017, the Company ceased recording interest expense on outstanding pre-petition debt classified as liabilities subject to compromise. Contractual interest expense represents amounts due under the contractual terms of outstanding debt, including debt subject to compromise. For the periods from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 and January 19, 2017 through September 30, 2017, contractual interest expense related to debt subject to compromise of $94 million and $316 million, respectively, had not been recorded as interest expense, as it was not an allowed claim under the Bankruptcy Filing.


^(b)	~~Reflects the impact of fresh start accounting adjustments in connection with the Company's emergence from bankruptcy.~~


^(c)	~~Advisory fees primarily represent costs incurred to assist in the assessment of strategic and financial alternatives to improve the Company's capital structure.~~


^(d)	~~Costs in connection with the resolution of certain legal matters include reserves and settlements, as well as associated legal costs.~~


^(e)	~~Represents that portion of our pension and post-retirement benefit costs which represent the amortization of prior service costs and net actuarial gain (loss) associated with these benefits.~~

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires the Company's management to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and revenue and expenses during the periods reported. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates and such differences may be material. Note 2, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K describes the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements. ~~Management considers the following~~The accounting policies ~~critical because they are important to the portrayal of~~and estimates below have been identified by the Company's management as those that are most critical to our financial ~~condition and operating results and~~statements as they require management to make significant judgments and estimates about inherently uncertain matters.

Revenue Recognition

The Company derives revenue primarily from the sale of products and services for communications systems and applications. The Company sells directly through its worldwide sales force and indirectly through its global network of channel partners, including distributors, service providers, dealers, value-added resellers, systems integrators and business partners that provide sales and services support.

~~On October 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)" ("ASC 606"). This standard superseded most of the previous~~ The Company’s critical revenue recognition ~~guidance under GAAP and~~estimate is ~~intended to improve and converge with international standards~~ the financial reporting requirements for revenue recognition. The Company adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective transition method. Under the modified retrospective method, results for reporting periods beginning after September 30, 2018 are presented under ASC 606 while prior period financial information is not adjusted and continues to be reported under prior guidance (“ASC 605”). See Note 3, “Recent Accounting Pronouncements - Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements,” to our Consolidated Financial Statementsvariable consideration included in ~~Part II, Item 8 of~~ the ~~Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information on the impact of adopting ASC 606.~~

~~In accordance with ASC 606, the Company accounts~~total transaction price for a customer contract when both parties have approved the contract and are committed to perform their respective obligations, each party’s rights can be identified, payment terms can be identified, the contract has commercial substance and it is at least probable that the Company will collect the consideration to which it is entitled. The Company accrues a provision for estimated sales returns and other allowances, including promotional marketing programs and other incentives as a reduction of revenue at the time of sale. When estimating returns, the Company considers customary inventory levels held by third-party distributors. Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of control of the promised products and services to customers. Judgment is required in instances where the Company’s contracts include multiple products and services to determine whether each should be accounted for as a separate performance obligation. The Company enters into contracts that include various combinations of products and services, each of which is generally capable of being distinct as well as distinct within the context of the contracts.contract.

The total transaction price for each customer contract ~~is determined based on~~represents the total consideration specified in the contract, including variable consideration such as sales incentives and other discounts. ~~The expected value method~~Judgment is ~~generally used when~~required in estimating variable consideration, which typically reduces the total transaction price due to the nature of the elements to which ~~the~~ variable consideration relates. ~~These~~The Company’s variable consideration estimates mainly consist of reserves for contractual stock rotation rights to channel partners to support the management of inventory; future credits and sales incentives to distributors and other channel partners based on our contractual arrangements; and reserves for estimated sales returns based on a customer’s right of return. Estimates of variable consideration reflect the Company’s historical experience, current contractual ~~and statutory~~ requirements, specific known market events and trends, industry data and forecasted customer buying patterns. When estimating returns, the Company considers customary inventory levels held by third-party distributors. The ~~Company excludes from the transaction price all taxes assessed by governmental authorities that~~Company’s variable consideration estimates are ~~both (i) imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and (ii) collected from customers. Accordingly, such tax amounts are not included~~recorded as a ~~component~~reduction of ~~net sales or cost~~revenue at the time of ~~sales. The expected value method requires judgment~~sale and ~~considers multiple factors that may vary over time~~ depending ~~upon the unique facts and circumstances related to each performance obligation. Depending~~ on the facts and circumstances, a change in variable consideration estimate will either be accounted for at the contract level or using the portfolio method. Reserves for contractual stock rotation rights to channel partners to support the management of inventory and certain other sales incentives are determined using the portfolio method. The Company also considers the customers’ rights of return in determining the transaction price where applicable.

The Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price and recognizes revenue as each performance obligation is satisfied. Judgment is required to determine the standalone selling price for each distinct performance obligation. The Company uses a range of selling prices to estimate standalone selling price when each of the products and services is sold separately. The Company typically has more than one standalone selling price for individual products and services due to the stratification of those products and services by customers and circumstances. In these instances, the Company may use information such as the size of the customer and geographic region in determining the standalone selling price. In instances where standalone selling price is not directly observable, such as when the Company does

~~not sell the product or service separately, the Company determines the standalone selling price using information that may include market conditions and other observable inputs.~~

Contract modifications are accounted for as separate contracts if the additional products and services are distinct and priced at standalone selling prices. If the additional products and services are distinct, but not priced at standalone selling prices, the modification is treated as a termination of the existing contract and the creation of a new contract. Lastly, if the additional products and services are not distinct within the context of the contract, the modification is combined with the original contract and either an increase or decrease in revenue is recognized on the modification date. During fiscal 2019, the Company did not recognize any material revenue for contracts modified during the period that had performance obligations satisfied in prior periods.

~~Acquisitions and Fresh Start Accounting~~

The Company accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method, which requires an allocation of the purchase price of an acquired entity to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the net tangible and intangible assets acquired. The estimated useful lives of acquired intangible and long-lived assets are based on many factors including assumptions regarding the effects of obsolescence, demand, competition and other economic factors, expectations regarding the future use of the asset, and the Company's historical experience with similar assets. The assumptions used to determine the estimated useful lives could change due to numerous factors including product demand, market conditions, technological developments, economic conditions and competition.

Upon emergence from bankruptcy on December 15, 2017, the Company applied fresh start accounting, which required all assets and liabilities to be remeasured at fair value as of the Emergence Date. See Note 5, "Fresh Start Accounting," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are subject to annual testing for impairment each July 1^st,1st, or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of ~~a reporting unit~~goodwill or an indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying amount. The Company's goodwill was primarily recorded upon emergence from bankruptcy as a result of applying fresh start accounting.

Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit ~~level, which is one level below the Company's operating segments.~~level. The impairment test for goodwill ~~impairment assessment is conducted by estimating and comparing~~consists of a comparison of the fair value of ~~each of the Company’s~~a reporting ~~units to~~unit with its carrying ~~value.~~value, including the goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company ~~recognizes~~will recognize an impairment loss equal to the amount of the excess, limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Application of the impairment test requires ~~judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets~~estimates and ~~liabilities to reporting units and the determination of~~judgement when determining the fair value of each reporting unit. ~~The~~In performing the goodwill impairment test, the Company estimates the fair value of each reporting unit using a weighting of fair values derived from an income approach and a market approach.

Under the income approach, the fair value of a reporting unit is estimated using a discounted cash flows model. Future cash flows are based on forward-looking information regarding revenue and costs for each reporting unit and are discounted using an appropriate discount ~~rate in a discounted cash flows model.~~rate. The discounted cash flows model relies on assumptions regarding revenue growth rates, projected gross profit, working capital needs, selling, general and administrative expenses, research and development expenses, business restructuring costs, capital expenditures, income tax rates, discount rates and terminal growth rates. The discount ~~rate~~rates the Company uses ~~represents~~represent the estimated weighted average cost of capital, which reflects the overall level of inherent risk involved in its reporting unit operations and the rate of return an outside investor would expect to earn. To estimate cash flows beyond the final year of its model, the Company uses a terminal value approach. Under this approach, the Company applies a perpetuity growth assumption to determine the terminal value. The Company incorporates the present value of the resulting terminal value into its estimate of fair value. Forecasted cash flows for each reporting unit consider current economic conditions and trends, estimated future operating results, the ~~Company’s~~Company's view of growth rates and anticipated future economic conditions. Revenue growth rates inherent in ~~this forecast~~the forecasts are based on input from internal and external market intelligence research sources that compare factors such as growth in global economies, regional trends in the telecommunications industry and product ~~evolution from a technological segment basis.~~evolution. Macroeconomic factors such as changes in economies, product ~~evolutions,~~evolution, industry ~~consolidations~~consolidation and other changes beyond the ~~Company’s~~Company's control could have a positive or negative impact on achieving its ~~forecasts.~~targets.

The market approach estimates the fair value of a reporting unit by applying multiples of operating performance measures to the reporting unit's operating performance (the "Guideline Public Company Method"). These multiples are derived from comparable publicly-traded companies with similar investment characteristics to the reporting unit. The key estimates and assumptions that are used to determine the fair value under ~~this~~the market approach include current and ~~forward~~projected 12-month operating performance results, as applicable, and the selection of the relevant multiples ~~to be~~that are applied.

Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and the goodwill impairment test result for each reporting unit. ~~The~~

During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company ~~performed an interim quantitative goodwill impairment test~~concluded that a triggering event occurred for ~~all~~both of its reporting units ~~during the three months ended June 30, 2019~~ due to ~~a sustained decrease in~~(i) the ~~Company’s stock price and lower than planned financial results~~impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the macroeconomic environment which led to revisions to the Company's long-term forecast during the ~~three months ended June 30, 2019.~~second quarter of fiscal 2020 and (ii) the sustained decrease in the Company's stock price since the advent of the pandemic which was caused by the resulting volatility in the financial markets. As a result, the Company performed an interim quantitative goodwill impairment test as of ~~June 30, 2019~~March 31, 2020 to compare the fair values of its reporting units to their respective carrying amounts, including the goodwill allocated to each reporting unit.

The results of the ~~Company’s~~Company's interim goodwill impairment test as of ~~June 30, 2019~~March 31, 2020 indicated that the estimated fair ~~values~~value of the ~~Company’s Unified Communications (“UC”), Global Support~~Company's Services ~~(“GSS”), Avaya Professional Services (“APS”) and Enterprise Cloud and Managed Solutions (“ECMS”)~~ reporting ~~units were greater than their~~unit exceeded its carrying ~~amounts, however, the~~amount. The carrying amount of the ~~Company’s Contact Center ("CC") reporting unit within the~~Company's Products & Solutions ~~segment~~reporting unit exceeded its estimated fair value primarily due to a reduction in the Company's long-term ~~forecast.~~forecast to reflect increased risk from higher market uncertainty and the accelerated reduction of product sales related to the Company's historical on-premises perpetual licenses. The Company anticipates a continued shift and acceleration of customers upgrading and acquiring new technology innovation through the utilization of the Company's subscription offering, which is included in the Services reporting unit. As a result, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of ~~$657~~$624 million ~~representing~~to write down the ~~amount by which the~~full carrying amount of the ~~CC reporting unit exceeded its fair value.~~Products & Solutions goodwill in the Impairment charges line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment test on July 1, 2019 and determined that the carrying amounts of each of the Company's reporting units did not exceed their estimated fair values and therefore no impairment existed. At July 1, 2019, the level of excess fair value over carrying value exceeded 10% for each of the Company's reporting units, except for the Global Support Service ("GSS") reporting unit, which had an excess fair value over carrying value of 7%, and for the Contact Center ("CC") reporting unit, which was at fair value due to the impairment charges described above. The goodwill assigned to the GSS and CC reporting units as of July 1, ~~2019~~2020. As permitted under FASB ASC Topic 350, "Intangibles-Goodwill and Other" ("ASC 350"), the Company performed a qualitative goodwill impairment assessment to determine whether it was ~~$1,446~~more likely than not that the fair value of its Services reporting unit was less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. After assessing all relevant qualitative factors, the Company determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount and ~~$197 million, respectively. An increase in the GSS discount rate of 65 basis points or~~ a ~~decrease in the GSS long-term growth rate of 95 basis points used in the most recent~~quantitative goodwill impairment test ~~would result in an estimated fair value below its carrying value.~~was not necessary.

The impairment test of the Company’s indefinite-lived intangible ~~assets~~asset, the Avaya Trade Name, consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of the ~~indefinite-lived intangible assets~~asset with ~~their~~its carrying ~~amounts.~~value. The fair value of the Avaya Trade Name is ~~evaluated for impairment~~estimated using the relief-from-royalty ~~method.~~model, a form of the income approach. Under this methodology, the fair value of the trade name is ~~determined~~estimated by applying a royalty rate to forecasted net revenues which is then discounted using a risk-adjusted rate of return on capital. Revenue growth rates inherent in the forecast are based on input from internal and external market intelligence research sources that compare factors such as growth in global economies, regional trends in the telecommunications industry and product ~~evolution from a technological segment basis.~~evolution. The royalty rate is determined using a set of observed market royalty rates.

As a result of the ~~goodwill~~ triggering ~~events,~~event described above, the Company also performed an interim quantitative impairment test for its indefinite-lived intangible asset, the Avaya Trade Name, as of ~~June 30, 2019, and determined that its estimated fair value exceeded its carrying value and~~March 31, 2020, which indicated no impairment existed. AtAs of July 1, ~~2019,~~2020, the Company performed its annual impairment test of the Avaya Trade Name and determined that its estimated fair value exceeded its carrying amount by 14% and no impairment existed. An increase in the discount rate of 120 basis points or a decrease in the long-term revenue growth rate of 340 basis points would have resulted in an estimated fair value of the trade name ~~exceeded~~below its carrying ~~amount~~value.

The Company's long-term forecast includes significant estimates and assumptions, including management's estimate of the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operating results. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the macroeconomic environment and, more specifically, on the Company's future operating results, it is reasonably possible that the pandemic could have a more adverse impact than what is currently contemplated by the Company's long-term forecast.

The Company determined that no events occurred or circumstances changed during the three months ended September 30, 2020 that would indicate that it is more likely than ~~10% and no impairment existed.~~

~~During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company closely monitored the key variables and other market factors for all of~~not that its ~~reporting units and its~~goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset ~~and determined that it was not required to perform an interim impairment test.~~

were impaired. To the extent that business conditions deteriorate ~~further~~ or if changes in key assumptions and estimates differ significantly from ~~management’s~~management's expectations, it may be necessary to record additional impairment charges in the future.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are

expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized.

Additionally, the accounting for income taxes requires the Company to evaluate and make an assertion as to whether undistributed foreign earnings will be indefinitely reinvested or repatriated.

FASB ASC subtopic 740-10, "Income Taxes-Overall" ("ASC 740-10") prescribes a comprehensive model for the financial statement recognition, measurement, classification and disclosure of uncertain tax positions. ASC 740-10 contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit based on the technical merits of the position. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement.

Significant judgment is required in evaluating uncertain tax positions and determining the provision for income taxes. Although the Company believes its reserves are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different from that which is reflected in the historical income tax provision and accruals. The Company adjusts its estimated liability for uncertain tax positions periodically due to new information discovered from ongoing examinations by, and settlements with, various taxing authorities, as well as changes in tax laws, regulations and interpretations. The Company’s policy is to recognize, when applicable, interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions as part of income tax expense.

As part of the Company’s accounting for business combinations, some of the purchase price is allocated to goodwill and intangible assets. Impairment expenses associated with goodwill are generally not tax deductible and will result in an increased effective income tax rate in the fiscal period any impairment is recorded. The income tax benefit from future releases of the acquisition date valuation allowances or income tax contingencies, if any, are reflected in the income tax provision in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, rather than as an adjustment to the purchase price allocation.

Pension and Post-retirement Benefit Obligations

The Company sponsors non-contributory defined benefit pension plans covering a portion of its U.S. employees and retirees, and post-retirement benefit plans covering a portion of its U.S. employees and retirees that include healthcare benefits and life insurance coverage. Certain non-U.S. operations have various retirement benefit programs covering substantially all of their employees.

The Company’s pension and post-retirement benefit costs are developed from actuarial valuations. Inherent in these valuations are key assumptions, including the discount rate, expected long-term rate of return on plan assets, rate of compensation increase and healthcare cost trend rate. Material changes in pension and post-retirement benefit costs may occur in the future due to changes in these assumptions, in the number of plan participants, in the level of benefits provided, in asset levels and in legislation.

The discount rate is subject to change each year, consistent with changes in rates of return on high-quality fixed-income investments currently available and expected to be available during the expected benefit payment period. The Company selects the assumed discount rate for its U.S. pension and post-retirement benefit plans by applying the rates from the Aon AA ~~Only~~Above Median and Aon AA Only ~~Above Median~~Bond Universe yield curves to the expected benefit payment streams and develops a rate at which it is believed the benefit obligations could be effectively settled. The Company follows a similar process for its non-U.S. pension plans by applying the Aon Euro AA corporate bond yield ~~curve.~~curve for the plans based in Europe and relevant country-specific bond indices for other locations.

The market-related value of the Company’s plan assets as of the measurement date is developed using a five-year smoothing technique. First, a preliminary market-related value is calculated by adjusting the market-related value at the beginning of the year for payments to and from plan assets and the expected return on assets during the year. The expected return on assets represents the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets adjusted up to plus or minus 2% based on the actual ten-year average rate of return on plan assets. A final market-related value is determined as the preliminary market-related value, plus 20% of the difference between the actual return and expected return for each of the past five years.

Salary growth and healthcare cost trend assumptions are based on the Company's historical experience and future outlook.

While the Company believes that the assumptions used in these calculations are reasonable, differences in actual experience or changes in assumptions could materially affect the expense and liabilities related to the Company's defined benefit plans. For the U.S. pension; non-U.S. pension; and post-retirement plans combined, a hypothetical 25 basis point increase or decrease in the discount rate would affect expense for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 by $2$3 million or ~~$(2)~~$2 million, respectively. A hypothetical 25 basis point increase or decrease in the discount rate would change the projected benefit obligation as of September 30, ~~2019~~2020 by ~~$(62)~~$(61) million or $64 million, respectively. A hypothetical 25 basis point change in the expected long-term rate of return would affect expense for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 by approximately $3 million.



Item 7A.			Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Interest Rate Risk

The Company has exposure to changing interest rates primarily under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and ABL Credit Agreement, each of which bears interest at variable rates based on LIBOR. ~~The~~As of September 30, 2020, the Company had ~~$2,874~~$1,643 million of variable rate loans outstanding and maintained interest rate swap agreements, which mature on December 15, 2022, to pay a fixed rate of 2.935% on $1,543 million of the variable rate loans outstanding (the "Swap Agreements"). On an annual basis, a hypothetical one percent change in interest rates for the $100 million of unhedged variable rate debt as of September 30, ~~2019.~~2020 would have affected interest expense by approximately $1 million.

On ~~May 16, 2018,~~July 1, 2020, the Company entered into additional interest rate swap agreements, ~~with six counterparties, which fixed~~to fix a portion of the variable interest due ~~under~~on its Term Loan Credit Agreement (the ~~"Swap~~"New Swap Agreements"). from December 15, 2022 (the maturity date of the Swap Agreements) through December 15, 2024. Under the terms of the New Swap Agreements, ~~which mature on December 15, 2022,~~ the Company ~~pays~~will pay a fixed rate of ~~2.935%~~0.7047% and ~~receives~~receive a variable rate of interest based on one-month LIBOR. ~~As of September 30, 2019, the~~The New Swap Agreements have a total notional amount of ~~the six Swap Agreements was $1,800~~$1,400 million.

It is management’s intention that the net notional amount of ~~the Swap Agreements~~interest rate swap agreements be less than the variable rate loans outstanding during the life of the derivatives. For fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018, the Company recognized a loss on its ~~hedge contracts~~interest rate swap agreements of $35 million, $10 million and $6 million, respectively, which is reflected in Interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. At September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the ~~fair value of the outstanding Swap Agreements was~~Company maintained a $91 million deferred loss ~~of $80 million. Based~~ on ~~the payment dates of the contracts, $23 million and $58 million, including accrued~~its interest ~~was recorded in Other current liabilities and Other liabilities~~rate swap agreements designated as highly effective cash flow hedges within Accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated Balance ~~Sheets, respectively. On an annual basis, a hypothetical one percent change~~Sheets.

See Note 12, “Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities," to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information related to the Company's interest ~~rates for the $1,074 million of unhedged variable~~ rate ~~debt as of September 30, 2019 would affect interest expense by approximately $11 million.~~swap agreements.

Foreign Currency Risk

Foreign currency risk is the potential change in value, income and cash flow arising from adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Each of our non-U.S. ("foreign") operations maintains capital in the currency of the country of its geographic location consistent with local regulatory guidelines. Each foreign operation may conduct business in its local currency, as well as the currency of other countries in which it operates. The primary foreign currency exposures for these foreign operations are Euros, Canadian Dollars, British Pound Sterling, Chinese Renminbi, Indian Rupee, Australian Dollars, ~~Brazilian Real~~Singapore Dollars and ~~Japanese Yen.~~United Arab Emirates Dirham.

Non-U.S. denominated revenue was ~~$636~~$638 million for fiscal ~~2019.~~2020. We estimate a 10% change in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to all foreign currencies would ~~affect~~have affected our revenue for fiscal ~~2019~~2020 by $64 million.

The Company, from time-to-time, utilizes foreign currency forward contracts primarily to hedge fluctuations associated with certain monetary assets and liabilities including receivables, payables and certain intercompany ~~obligations.~~balances. These foreign currency forward contracts are not designated for hedge accounting treatment. As a result, changes in the fair value of these contracts are recorded as a component of Other income (expense), net to offset the change in the value of the underlying assets and liabilities. As of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the Company maintained open foreign exchange contracts with a total notional value of ~~$400~~$375 million, primarily hedging the British Pound Sterling, ~~Indian Rupee,~~Euro, Chinese Renminbi ~~Czech Koruna, Mexican Peso~~ and ~~Australian Dollar.~~Indian Rupee. At September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, the fair value of the open foreign exchange contracts was a net unrealized loss of $1 million, with $2 million recorded in Other current liabilities and $1 million recorded in Other current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. In fiscal 2020 and 2019, the Company's loss on foreign exchange contracts was $1 million and $5 million, respectively, and was recorded within Other income (expense) on the Consolidated ~~Statement~~Statements of Operations. ~~The Company did not maintain any foreign currency forward contracts as of September 30, 2018.~~



Item 8.			Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Avaya Holdings Corp.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements



		Page
		~~Page~~
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	6760
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm		7063
Consolidated Statements of Operations		7164
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income ~~(Loss)~~		7265
Consolidated Balance Sheets		7366
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)		7467
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows		7568
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements		7669

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Avaya Holdings Corp.

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Avaya Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries(Successor) (the “Company”) as of September 30, ~~2019~~2020 and ~~2018,~~2019, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive (loss) income, changes in ~~stockholders’~~stockholders' equity (deficit) and cash flows for the ~~year~~years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2020 and 2019, ~~and 2018~~, and the results of itsoperations and itscash flows for the ~~year~~years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, and the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, ~~2019,~~2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the COSO.

Basis of Accounting

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York confirmed the Company's Second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Avaya Inc. and Its Debtor Affiliates (the "plan") on November 28, 2017. Confirmation of the plan resulted in the discharge of certain claims against the Company that arose before January 19, 2017 and terminates all rights and interests of equity security holders as provided for in the plan. The plan was substantially consummated on December 15, 2017and the Company emerged from bankruptcy. In connection with its emergence from bankruptcy, the Company adopted fresh start accounting as of December 15, 2017.

~~Change~~Changes in Accounting ~~Principle~~Principles

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases as of October 1, 2019 and the manner in which it accounts for revenues from contracts with customers as of October 1, 2018.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for theseconsolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in ~~Management's~~Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidatedfinancial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Goodwill Interim Impairment Assessment - Products & Solutions and Services Reporting Units

As described in Notes 2 and 87 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s ~~consolidated~~total goodwill, net balance was ~~$2,103~~$1,478 million as of September 30, ~~2019. Furthermore,~~2020, and the ~~Company recognized a~~ goodwill ~~impairment charge of $657~~associated with the Products & Solutions and Services reporting units was $0 and $1,478 million, ~~for the year ended September 30, 2019 as a result of an interim goodwill impairment assessment performed during the third quarter of fiscal 2019.~~respectively. Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to ~~annual~~periodic testing for impairment ~~each~~at the reporting unit level. The Company’s reporting units are subject to impairment testing annually, on July 1st, or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company concluded that a triggering event occurred for both of its reporting units due to (i) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the macroeconomic environment which led to revisions to the Company's long-term forecast during the second quarter of fiscal 2020 and (ii) the sustained decrease in the Company's stock price since the advent of the pandemic which was caused by the resulting volatility in the financial markets. The impairment test for goodwill ~~impairment assessment is conducted by estimating and comparing~~consists of a comparison of the fair value of ~~each of the Company’s~~a reporting ~~units to~~unit with its carrying ~~value.~~value, including the goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company will recognize an impairment loss equal to the amount of the excess, limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. As a result of the triggering event, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $624 million to write down the full carrying amount of the Products & Solutions goodwill. The estimated fair value of the Services reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount. Management estimates the fair value of each reporting unit using a weighting of fair values derived from an income approach and a market approach. Under the income approach, the fair value of a reporting unit is estimated using a discounted cash flows model, which relies on assumptions regarding revenue growth rates, projected gross profit, working capital needs, selling, general and administrative expenses, research and development expenses, business restructuring costs, capital expenditures, income tax rates, discount rates and terminal growth rates.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the goodwill interim impairment assessment of the Products & Solutions and Services reporting units is a critical audit matter are ~~there was~~(i) the significant judgment by management when ~~estimating~~developing the fair value measurement of the reporting ~~units. This in turn led to a high degree of~~units derived from the income approach; (ii) significant auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and in evaluating ~~audit evidence relating to~~management’s significant assumptions ~~used in the discounted cash flows model, including~~related to revenue growth rates, projected gross profit, selling, general, and administrative expenses, discount ~~rates. In addition,~~rates and the terminal growth rate; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and ~~knowledge to assist in performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence obtained from these procedures.~~knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s goodwill impairment assessment, including controls over the ~~estimation~~valuation of the ~~fair value of the~~Company’s Products & Solutions and Services reporting units. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s process for ~~estimating~~developing the fair value ~~of the reporting units. This included~~estimates; (ii) evaluating the appropriateness of the ~~valuation methods,~~discounted cash flows model; (iii) testing the completeness and accuracy ~~and relevance~~ of underlying data used ~~by management,~~in the model; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of ~~management’s~~the significant assumptions ~~including~~used by management related to the revenue growth rates, projected gross profit, selling, general, and administrative expenses, discount rates and the terminal growth rate. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to the revenue growth rates, projected gross profit, and ~~the discount rates. Evaluating the reasonableness of management’s assumptions related to revenue growth rates~~selling, general, and ~~projected gross profit~~administrative expenses involved evaluating whether the assumptions used by management were reasonable considering (i) the current and past performance of the reporting ~~units,~~units; (ii) the consistency with external market

and industry ~~data,~~data; and (iii) whether these assumptions were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in the evaluation of the Company’s ~~valuation methods~~discounted cash flows model and ~~certain significant assumptions, including~~ the discount ~~rates.~~rates and terminal growth rate assumptions.

Indefinite-Lived Intangible Asset Interim Impairment Assessment - Trade Name

As described in Notes 2 and 98 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s ~~consolidated~~total trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset, net balance was $333 million as of September 30, ~~2019. Indefinite-lived intangible~~2020. Intangible assets determined to have indefinite useful lives are ~~subject to annual testing~~not amortized but are tested for impairment ~~each~~annually, on July 1st, or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that indicate an asset may be impaired. As a result of the triggering event described above, management performed an interim quantitative impairment test for its trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset as of March 31, 2020, which indicated no impairment existed. The impairment test for the trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of the ~~indefinite-lived intangible~~ asset towith its carrying value. If the carrying value of the trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its estimated fair value, the Company recognizes an impairment loss equal to the amount of the excess. Management estimates the fair value of the trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset using the relief-from-royalty model, a form of the income approach. Under this methodology, the fair value of the trade name is estimated by applying a royalty rate to forecasted net revenues which is then discounted using a risk-adjusted rate of return on capital. Revenue growth rates inherent in the forecast are based on input from internal and external market intelligence research sources that compare factors such as growth in global economies, regional trends in the telecommunications industry and product ~~evolution from a technological segment basis.~~evolution. The royalty rate is determined using a set of observed market royalty rates.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset interim impairment assessment is a critical audit matter are ~~there was~~(i) the significant judgment by management when ~~estimating~~developing the fair value measurement of the trade ~~name. This in turn led to a high degree of~~name; (ii) significant auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and in evaluating ~~audit evidence relating~~management’s significant assumptions related to ~~management’s forecasted net revenues,~~ the royalty rate and the risk-adjusted rate of return on ~~capital. In addition,~~capital; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and ~~knowledge to assist in performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence obtained from these procedures.~~knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s trade name indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment assessment, including controls over the ~~estimation~~valuation of the ~~fair value of the~~Company’s trade name. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s process for ~~estimating~~developing the fair value estimate of the Company’s trade ~~name. This included~~name indefinite-lived intangible asset; (ii) evaluating the appropriateness of the relief-from-royalty ~~model, testing the completeness, accuracy,~~model; and ~~relevance of data used by management, and~~(iii) evaluating the reasonableness of ~~management’s~~the significant assumptions ~~including forecasted net revenues, the~~used by management related to royalty rate and the risk-adjusted rate of return on capital. Evaluating the reasonableness of management’s assumption related to forecasted net revenues involved evaluating whether the assumption was reasonable considering (i) the current and past performance of the Company, (ii) the consistency with external market and industry data, and (iii) whether the assumption was consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in the evaluation of the Company’s relief-from-royalty model and ~~certain significant assumptions, including~~ the royalty rate and risk-adjusted rate of return on capital ~~and the royalty rate.~~assumptions.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Jose, California

November ~~29, 2019~~25, 2020

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2000.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To theBoard of Directors and Stockholders of Avaya Holdings Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive (loss) income, ~~(loss),~~ changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows of Avaya Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries (Predecessor) (the “Company”) for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017, ~~and for the year ended September 30, 2017,~~ including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the results of operations and cash flows of the Company for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 ~~and for the year ended September 30, 2017~~ in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis of Accounting

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company filed a petition on January 19, 2017 with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for reorganization under the provisions of Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Company’s Second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Avaya Inc. and Its Debtor Affiliates was substantially consummated on December 15, 2017 and the Company emerged from bankruptcy. In connection with its emergence from bankruptcy, theCompany adopted fresh start accounting.

~~Change in Accounting Principle~~

~~As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for net periodic benefit cost as of October 1, 2017.~~

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our ~~audits.~~audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our ~~audits~~audit of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our ~~audits~~audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our ~~audits~~audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our ~~audits provide~~audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Jose, California

December 21, 2018

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2000.

Avaya Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In millions, except per share amounts)


	Successor						Predecessor
	Fiscal years ended September 30,				Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017
	2020		2019
REVENUE
Products	$	1,073	$	1,222	$	989	$	253
Services	1,800		1,665		1,258		351
	2,873		2,887		2,247		604
COSTS
Products:
Costs	405		442		372		84
Amortization of technology intangible assets	174		174		135		3
Services	714		696		597		155
	1,293		1,312		1,104		242
GROSS PROFIT	1,580		1,575		1,143		362
OPERATING EXPENSES
Selling, general and administrative	1,013		1,001		888		264
Research and development	207		204		172		38
Amortization of intangible assets	161		162		127		10
Impairment charges	624		659		0		0
Restructuring charges, net	30		22		81		14
	2,035		2,048		1,268		326
OPERATING (LOSS) INCOME	(455)		(473)		(125)		36
Interest expense	(226)		(237)		(169)		(14)
Other income (expense), net	63		41		35		(2)
Reorganization items, net	0		0		0		3,416
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(618)		(669)		(259)		3,436
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes	(62)		(2)		546		(459)
NET (LOSS) INCOME	$	(680)	$	(671)	$	287	$	2,977
(LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic	$	(7.45)	$	(6.06)	$	2.61	$	5.19
Diluted	$	(7.45)	$	(6.06)	$	2.58	$	5.19
Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic	92.2		110.8		109.9		497.3
Diluted	92.2		110.8		111.1		497.3

Successor Predecessor
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 Period from December 16, 2017
through
September 30, 2018 Period from
October 1, 2017
through
December 15, 2017 Fiscal year ended September 30, 2017

REVENUE
Products $ 1,222
$ 989
$ 253
$ 1,437
Services 1,665
1,258
351
1,835
2,887
2,247
604
3,272
COSTS
Products:
Costs 442
372
84
499
Amortization of technology intangible assets 174
135
3
20
Services 696
597
155
745
1,312
1,104
242
1,264
GROSS PROFIT 1,575
1,143
362
2,008
OPERATING EXPENSES
Selling, general and administrative 1,001
888
264
1,261
Research and development 204
172
38
225
Amortization of intangible assets 162
127
10
204
Impairment charges 659
—
—
117
Restructuring charges, net 22
81
14
30
2,048
1,268
326
1,837
OPERATING (LOSS) INCOME (473 ) (125 ) 36
171
Interest expense (237 ) (169 ) (14 ) (246 )
Other income (expense), net 41
35
(2 ) (25 )
Reorganization items, net —
—
3,416
(98 )
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES (669 ) (259 ) 3,436
(198 )
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes (2 ) 546
(459 ) 16
NET (LOSS) INCOME $ (671 ) $ 287
$ 2,977
$ (182 )
(LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic $ (6.06 ) $ 2.61
$ 5.19
$ (0.43 )
Diluted $ (6.06 ) $ 2.58
$ 5.19
$ (0.43 )
Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic 110.8
109.9
497.3
497.1
Diluted 110.8
111.1
497.3
497.1

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Avaya Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income

(In millions)


													Successor								Predecessor
	Successor						Predecessor						Fiscal years ended September 30,				Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018				Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017
	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018			Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017		Fiscal year ended September 30, 2017				2020		2019
Net (loss) income	$	(671	)	$	287		$	2,977	$	(182	)	Net (loss) income	$	(680)	$	(671)			$	287			$	2,977
Other comprehensive (loss) income:												Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Pension, post-retirement and postemployment benefit-related items, net of income taxes of $29 for fiscal 2019; $(19) for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018; $(58) for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017; and $(19) for fiscal 2017	(157		)	51			655		252
Pension, post-retirement and postemployment benefit-related items, net of income taxes of $29 for fiscal 2019; $(19) for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018; and $(58) for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017												Pension, post-retirement and postemployment benefit-related items, net of income taxes of $29 for fiscal 2019; $(19) for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018; and $(58) for the period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017	(2)		(157)		51				655
Cumulative translation adjustment	24			(31		)	3		(39		)	Cumulative translation adjustment	(39)		24		(31)				3
Change in interest rate swaps, net of income taxes of $19 for fiscal 2019 and $1 for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018	(58		)	(2		)	—		—
Change in interest rate swaps, net of income taxes of $3 for fiscal 2020; $19 for fiscal 2019 and $1 for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018												Change in interest rate swaps, net of income taxes of $3 for fiscal 2020; $19 for fiscal 2019 and $1 for the period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018	(31)		(58)		(2)				0
Other comprehensive (loss) income	(191		)	18			658		213			Other comprehensive (loss) income	(72)		(191)		18				658
Elimination of Predecessor Company accumulated other comprehensive loss	—			—			790		—			Elimination of Predecessor Company accumulated other comprehensive loss	0		0		0				790
Total comprehensive (loss) income	$	(862	)	$	305		$	4,425	$	31		Total comprehensive (loss) income	$	(752)	$	(862)	$	305			$	4,425

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Avaya Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In millions, except per share and share amounts)


	As of September 30,
	2020		2019
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	727	$	752
Accounts receivable, net	275		314
Inventory	54		63
Contract assets	296		187
Contract costs	115		114
Other current assets	112		115
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS	1,579		1,545
Property, plant and equipment, net	268		255
Deferred income taxes, net	31		35
Intangible assets, net	2,556		2,891
Goodwill, net	1,478		2,103
Operating lease right-of-use assets	160		0
Other assets	159		121
TOTAL ASSETS	$	6,231	$	6,950
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Debt maturing within one year	$	0	$	29
Accounts payable	242		291
Payroll and benefit obligations	198		116
Contract liabilities	446		472
Operating lease liabilities	49		0
Business restructuring reserves	21		33
Other current liabilities	181		158
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES	1,137		1,099
Non-current liabilities:
Long-term debt, net of current portion	2,886		3,090
Pension obligations	749		759
Other post-retirement obligations	215		200
Deferred income taxes, net	38		72
Contract liabilities	373		78
Operating lease liabilities	129		0
Business restructuring reserves	28		36
Other liabilities	312		316
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	4,730		4,551
TOTAL LIABILITIES	5,867		5,650
Commitments and contingencies (Note 22)
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 55,000,000 shares authorized at September 30, 2020 and 2019
Convertible series A preferred stock; 125,000 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2020 and no shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2019	128		0
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 550,000,000 shares authorized; 83,278,383 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2020; and 111,046,085 shares issued and 111,033,405 shares outstanding at September 30, 2019	1		1
Additional paid-in capital	1,449		1,761
Accumulated deficit	(969)		(289)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(245)		(173)
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	236		1,300
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	$	6,231	$	6,950

September 30,
2019 2018
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 752
$ 700
Accounts receivable, net 314
377
Inventory 63
81
Contract assets 187
—
Contract costs 114
—
Other current assets 115
170
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 1,545
1,328
Property, plant and equipment, net 255
250
Deferred income taxes, net 35
29
Intangible assets, net 2,891
3,234
Goodwill, net 2,103
2,764
Other assets 121
74
TOTAL ASSETS $ 6,950
$ 7,679
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Debt maturing within one year $ 29
$ 29
Accounts payable 291
266
Payroll and benefit obligations 116
145
Contract liabilities 472
484
Business restructuring reserves 33
51
Other current liabilities 158
148
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,099
1,123
Non-current liabilities:
Long-term debt, net of current portion 3,090
3,097
Pension obligations 759
671
Other post-retirement obligations 200
176
Deferred income taxes, net 72
140
Business restructuring reserves 36
47
Other liabilities 394
374
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 4,551
4,505
TOTAL LIABILITIES 5,650
5,628
Commitments and contingencies (Note 23)
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 55,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding at September 30, 2019 and 2018 —
—
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 550,000,000 shares authorized; 111,046,085 shares issued and 111,033,405 outstanding at September 30, 2019; 110,218,653 shares issued and 110,012,790 shares outstanding at September 30, 2018 1
1
Additional paid-in capital 1,761
1,745
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings (289 ) 287
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (173 ) 18
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 1,300
2,051
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 6,950
$ 7,679

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Avaya Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)

(In millions)


																							Common Stock							Additional Paid-In Capital				(Accumulated Deficit) Retained Earnings		Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income		Total Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)
	Common Stock				Additional Paid-In Capital				(Accumulated Deficit) Retained Earnings				Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income			Total Stockholders' Deficit							Shares					Par Value
	Shares		Par Value
Balance as of September 30, 2016 (Predecessor)	494.6		$	—				$				2,410								$	(5,772	)	$	(1,661	)	$	(5,023	)
Issuance of common stock, net of shares redeemed and canceled, under employee stock option plan	0.2				—											—
Balance as of September 30, 2017 (Predecessor)																			Balance as of September 30, 2017 (Predecessor)				494.8					$	0			$	2,389			$	(5,954)	$	(1,448)	$	(5,013)
Share-based compensation expense					11											11			Share-based compensation expense											3								3
Accrued dividends on Series A preferred stock					(9		)									(9		)	Accrued dividends on Series A preferred stock											(2)								(2)
Accrued dividends on Series B preferred stock					(22		)									(22		)	Accrued dividends on Series B preferred stock											(4)								(4)
Reclassifications to equity awards on redeemable shares					(1		)									(1		)	Reclassifications to equity awards on redeemable shares											1								1
Net loss									(182		)					(182		)	Net loss															2,977				2,977
Other comprehensive income													213			213
Balance as of September 30, 2017 (Predecessor)	494.8		$	—	$	2,389			$	(5,954	)		$	(1,448	)	$	(5,013	)
Share-based compensation expense					3											3
Accrued dividends on Series A preferred stock					(2		)									(2		)
Accrued dividends on Series B preferred stock					(4		)									(4		)
Reclassifications to equity awards on redeemable shares					1											1
Net income									2,977							2,977
Other comprehensive income													658			658			Other comprehensive income																	658		658
Balance as of December 15, 2017 (Predecessor)	494.8		$	—	$	2,387			$	(2,977	)		$	(790	)	$	(1,380	)	Balance as of December 15, 2017 (Predecessor)				494.8					$	0	$	2,387			$	(2,977)	$	(790)	$	(1,380)
Cancellation of Predecessor equity	(494.8	)	—		(2,387		)		2,977				790			1,380			Cancellation of Predecessor equity				(494.8)					0		(2,387)				2,977		790		1,380
Balance as of December 15, 2017 (Predecessor)	—		$	—	$	—			$	—			$	—		$	—		Balance as of December 15, 2017 (Predecessor)				—					$	—	$	—			$	—	$	—	$	—
Issuance of Successor common stock																			Issuance of Successor common stock
Common stock issued for Predecessor debt	103.9		1		1,575											1,576			Common stock issued for Predecessor debt				103.9					1		1,575								1,576
Common stock issued for Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	6.1		—		92											92			Common stock issued for Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation				6.1					0		92								92
Balance as of December 15, 2017 (Predecessor)	110.0		$	1	$	1,667			$	—			$	—		$	1,668		Balance as of December 15, 2017 (Predecessor)				110.0					$	1	$	1,667			$	0	$	0	$	1,668


Balance as of December 16, 2017 (Successor)	110.0		$	1	$	1,667			$	—			$	—		$	1,668		Balance as of December 16, 2017 (Successor)				110.0					$	1	$	1,667			$	0	$	0	$	1,668
Issuance of common stock under the equity incentive plan	0.2				—											—			Issuance of common stock under the equity incentive plan				0.2							0								0
Shares repurchased and retired for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock units					(2		)									(2		)	Shares repurchased and retired for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock units											(2)								(2)
Equity component of convertible notes, net of issuance costs and income taxes					67											67			Equity component of convertible notes, net of issuance costs and income taxes											67								67
Purchase of convertible note bond hedge, net of income taxes					(64		)									(64		)	Purchase of convertible note bond hedge, net of income taxes											(64)								(64)
Issuance of call spread warrants					58											58			Issuance of call spread warrants											58								58
Share-based compensation expense					19											19			Share-based compensation expense											19								19
Net income									287							287			Net income															287				287
Other comprehensive income													18			18			Other comprehensive income																	18		18
Balance as of September 30, 2018 (Successor)	110.2		$	1	$	1,745			$	287			$	18		$	2,051		Balance as of September 30, 2018 (Successor)				110.2					$	1	$	1,745			$	287	$	18	$	2,051
Issuance of common stock under the equity incentive plan	1.3				—											—			Issuance of common stock under the equity incentive plan				1.3							0								0
Shares repurchased and retired for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock units	(0.5	)			(9		)									(9		)	Shares repurchased and retired for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock units				(0.5)							(9)								(9)
Share-based compensation expense					25											25			Share-based compensation expense											25								25
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting standard (Note 3)									95							95
Adjustment for adoption of new accounting standard (Note 2)																			Adjustment for adoption of new accounting standard (Note 2)															95				95
Net loss									(671		)					(671		)	Net loss															(671)				(671)
Other comprehensive loss													(191		)	(191		)	Other comprehensive loss																	(191)		(191)
Balance as of September 30, 2019 (Successor)	111.0		$	1	$	1,761			$	(289	)		$	(173	)	$	1,300		Balance as of September 30, 2019 (Successor)				111.0					$	1	$	1,761			$	(289)	$	(173)	$	1,300
Issuance of common stock under the equity incentive plan																			Issuance of common stock under the equity incentive plan				1.5															0
Issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan																			Issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan				0.2							2								2
Shares repurchased and retired for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock units																			Shares repurchased and retired for tax withholding on vesting of restricted stock units				(0.5)							(7)								(7)
Shares repurchased and retired under share repurchase program																			Shares repurchased and retired under share repurchase program				(28.9)							(330)								(330)
Share-based compensation expense																			Share-based compensation expense											30								30
Accretion of preferred stock to redemption value																			Accretion of preferred stock to redemption value											(4)								(4)
Preferred stock dividends accrued																			Preferred stock dividends accrued											(3)								(3)
Net loss																			Net loss															(680)				(680)
Other comprehensive loss																			Other comprehensive loss																	(72)		(72)
Balance as of September 30, 2020 (Successor)																			Balance as of September 30, 2020 (Successor)				83.3					$	1	$	1,449			$	(969)	$	(245)	$	236

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Avaya Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In millions)


														Successor						Predecessor
	Successor						Predecessor							Fiscal years ended September 30,				Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017
	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018			Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017			Fiscal year ended September 30, 2017				2020		2019
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:													OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net (loss) income	$	(671	)	$	287		$	2,977		$	(182	)	Net (loss) income	$	(680)	$	(671)	$	287	$	2,977
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by (used for) operating activities:													Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	443			384			31			326			Depreciation and amortization	423		443		384		31
Share-based compensation	25			19			—			11			Share-based compensation	30		25		19		0
Amortization of debt issuance costs	17			4			—			36
Accretion of debt discount	5			4			—			25
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs													Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs	23		22		8		0
Loss on extinguishment of debt													Loss on extinguishment of debt	7		0		0		0
Deferred income taxes, net	(54		)	(588		)	455			(39		)	Deferred income taxes, net	(29)		(54)		(588)		455
Gain on sale of Networking business	—			—			—			(2		)
Impairment charges	659			—			—			117			Impairment charges	624		659		0		0
Post-retirement and pension curtailments	—			—			—			(8		)
Change in fair value of emergence date warrants	(29		)	17			—			—			Change in fair value of emergence date warrants	3		(29)		17		0
Unrealized loss (gain) on foreign currency transactions	9			(36		)	—			(4		)	Unrealized loss (gain) on foreign currency transactions	24		9		(36)		0
Other non-cash charges, net	7			3			—			4
Impairment of debt securities													Impairment of debt securities	10		0		0		0
Realized gain on sale of equity securities													Realized gain on sale of equity securities	(59)		0		0		0
Other non-cash (credits) charges, net													Other non-cash (credits) charges, net	(9)		7		3		0
Reorganization items:													Reorganization items:
Net gain on settlement of Liabilities subject to compromise	—			—			(1,778		)	—			Net gain on settlement of Liabilities subject to compromise	0		0		0		(1,778)
Payment to PBGC	—			—			(340		)	—			Payment to PBGC	0		0		0		(340)
Payment to pension trust	—			—			(49		)	—			Payment to pension trust	0		0		0		(49)
Payment of unsecured claims	—			—			(58		)	—			Payment of unsecured claims	0		0		0		(58)
Fresh start adjustments, net	—			—			(1,697		)	—			Fresh start adjustments, net	0		0		0		(1,697)
Non-cash and financing related reorganization items, net	—			—			26			52			Non-cash and financing related reorganization items, net	0		0		0		26
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:													Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	58			13			40			24			Accounts receivable	37		58		13		40
Inventory	(7		)	36			—			24			Inventory	8		(7)		36		0
Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities													Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities	13		0		0		0
Contract assets	(122		)	—			—			—			Contract assets	(166)		(122)		0		0
Contract costs	(13		)	—			—			—			Contract costs	5		(13)		0		0
Accounts payable	24			(16		)	(40		)	(27		)	Accounts payable	(48)		24		(16)		(40)
Payroll and benefit obligations	(73		)	(71		)	16			(34		)	Payroll and benefit obligations	46		(73)		(71)		16
Business restructuring reserves	(25		)	29			(7		)	(51		)	Business restructuring reserves	(19)		(25)		29		(7)
Contract liabilities	35			160			28			(44		)	Contract liabilities	(71)		35		160		28
Other assets and liabilities	(47		)	(43		)	(18		)	73			Other assets and liabilities	(25)		(47)		(43)		(18)
NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) OPERATING ACTIVITIES	241			202			(414		)	301			NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) OPERATING ACTIVITIES	147		241		202		(414)
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:													INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Capital expenditures	(113		)	(61		)	(13		)	(57		)	Capital expenditures	(98)		(113)		(61)		(13)
Capitalized software development costs	—			—			—			(2		)
Proceeds from sale of marketable securities													Proceeds from sale of marketable securities	412		0		0		0
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	—			(157		)	—			(4		)	Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	0		0		(157)		0
Strategic investments	(10		)	—			—			—
Proceeds from sale of Networking business	—			—			—			70
Investment in debt securities													Investment in debt securities	0		(10)		0		0
Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions	—			17			—			—			Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions	0		0		17		0
Other investing activities, net	(1		)	2			—			3			Other investing activities, net	0		(1)		2		0
NET CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(124		)	(199		)	(13		)	10
NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) INVESTING ACTIVITIES													NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) INVESTING ACTIVITIES	314		(124)		(199)		(13)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:													FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Shares repurchased under share repurchase program													Shares repurchased under share repurchase program	(330)		0		0		0
Proceeds from issuance of Series A Preferred Stock, net of issuance costs of $4													Proceeds from issuance of Series A Preferred Stock, net of issuance costs of $4	121		0		0		0
Proceeds from Term Loan Credit Agreement	—			—			2,896			—			Proceeds from Term Loan Credit Agreement	0		0		0		2,896
Repayment of Term Loan Credit Agreement due to refinancing													Repayment of Term Loan Credit Agreement due to refinancing	(1,643)		0		(2,918)		0
Proceeds from Term Loan Credit Agreement due to refinancing													Proceeds from Term Loan Credit Agreement due to refinancing	1,627		0		2,911		0
Repayment of long-term debt, including adequate protection payments													Repayment of long-term debt, including adequate protection payments	(1,231)		(29)		(22)		(111)
Proceeds from issuance of senior notes													Proceeds from issuance of senior notes	1,000		0		0		0
Repayment of debtor-in-possession financing	—			—			(725		)	—			Repayment of debtor-in-possession financing	0		0		0		(725)
Repayment of first lien debt	—			—			(2,061		)	—			Repayment of first lien debt	0		0		0		(2,061)
Proceeds from debtor-in-possession financing	—			—			—			712
Repayment of Term Loan Credit Agreement due to refinancing	—			(2,918		)	—			—
Proceeds from Term Loan Credit Agreement due to refinancing	—			2,911			—			—
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes	—			350			—			—			Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes	0		0		350		0
Proceeds from issuance of call spread warrants	—			58			—			—			Proceeds from issuance of call spread warrants	0		0		58		0
Purchase of convertible note bond hedge	—			(84		)	—			—			Purchase of convertible note bond hedge	0		0		(84)		0
Repayment of foreign asset-based revolving credit facility	—			—			—			(55		)
Repayment of domestic asset-based revolving credit facility	—			—			—			(77		)
Repayment of long-term debt, including adequate protection payments	(29		)	(22		)	(111		)	(223		)
Debt issuance costs	—			(10		)	(97		)	(1		)	Debt issuance costs	(14)		0		(10)		(97)
Payment of acquisition-related contingent consideration	(9		)	—			—			—			Payment of acquisition-related contingent consideration	(5)		(9)		0		0
Repayments of borrowings on revolving loans under the senior secured credit agreement	—			—			—			(18		)
Payments related to sale-leaseback transactions	(12		)	(9		)	(4		)	(19		)
Principal payments for financing leases													Principal payments for financing leases	(10)		(14)		(10)		(4)
Proceeds from Employee Stock Purchase Plan													Proceeds from Employee Stock Purchase Plan	3		0		0		0
Other financing activities, net	(11		)	(3		)	—			(5		)	Other financing activities, net	(7)		(9)		(2)		0
NET CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES	(61		)	273			(102		)	314			NET CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES	(489)		(61)		273		(102)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash	(4		)	(7		)	(2		)	5			Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash	3		(4)		(7)		(2)
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	52			269			(531		)	630
NET (DECREASE) INCREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH													NET (DECREASE) INCREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH	(25)		52		269		(531)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period	704			435			966			336			Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period	756		704		435		966
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period	$	756		$	704		$	435		$	966		Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period	$	731	$	756	$	704	$	435



Delaware		26-1119726
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

~~4655 Great America~~2605 Meridian Parkway, ~~Santa Clara, California~~ Suite 200		~~95054~~27713
Durham,	North Carolina
(Address of Principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)



Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock	AVYA	New York Stock Exchange ~~("NYSE")~~



(In millions, except per share amount)
Enterprise value	$	5,721
Plus:
Cash and cash equivalents	366
Less:
Minimum cash required for operations	(120		)
Fair value of Term Loan Credit Agreement⁽¹⁾	(2,896		)
Fair value of capitalized leases	(20		)
Fair value of pension and other post-retirement obligations, net of tax⁽²⁾	(856		)
Change in net deferred tax liabilities from reorganization	(510		)
Fair value of Successor Emergence Date Warrants⁽³⁾	(17		)
Fair value of Successor common stock	$	1,668
Shares issued at December 15, 2017 upon emergence	110.0
Successor common stock value per share	$	15.16



(In millions)
Enterprise value	$	5,721
Plus:
Non-debt current liabilities	955
Non-debt non-current liabilities	2,090
Excess cash and cash equivalents	246
Less:
Pension and other post-retirement obligations, net of deferred taxes	(856		)
Capital lease obligations	(20		)
Change in net deferred tax liabilities from reorganization	(510		)
Emergence Date Warrants issued	(17		)
Reorganization value of Successor assets	$	7,609



ý☒			ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



¨☐			TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



Item	Description	Page	Item	Description	Page

	PART I			PART I
1.	Business	3	1.	Business	2
1A.	Risk Factors	22	1A.	Risk Factors	15
1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	41	1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	38
2.	Properties	41	2.	Properties	38
3.	Legal Proceedings	41	3.	Legal Proceedings	38
4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	41	4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	38

	PART II			PART II
5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	42	5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	39
6.	Selected Financial Data	44	6.	Selected Financial Data	41
7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	46	7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	43
7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	65	7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	58
8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	66	8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	59
9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	151	9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	145
9A.	Controls and Procedures	151	9A.	Controls and Procedures	145
9B.	Other Information	152	9B.	Other Information	145

	PART III			PART III
10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	153	10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	146
11.	Executive Compensation	153	11.	Executive Compensation	146
12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	153	12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	146
13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	153	13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	146
14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	153	14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	146

	PART IV			PART IV
15.	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	154	15.	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	147
16.	Form 10-K Summary	154	16.	Form 10-K Summary	147



	Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
	(a)	(b)		(c)	(d)
Period	Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased⁽¹⁾	Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit)		Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) That May Yet Be Purchased Under Plans or Programs⁽²⁾⁽³⁾
July 1 - 31, 2019	90,003	$	11.9100	—	$	15,000,000
August 1 - 31, 2019	8,011	$	12.1500	—	$	15,000,000
September 1 - 30, 2019	—	$	—	—	$	15,000,000
Total	98,014			—



	Successor					Predecessor
Statement of Operations Data:	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017			Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions, except per share amounts)	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017			2017			2016			2015
Revenue	$	2,887		$	2,247	$	604		$	3,272		$	3,702		$	4,081
Net (loss) income	(671		)	287		2,977			(182		)	(730		)	(168		)
(Loss) earnings per share:
Basic	$	(6.06	)	$	2.61	$	5.19		$	(0.43	)	$	(1.54	)	$	(0.43	)
Diluted	$	(6.06	)	$	2.58	$	5.19		$	(0.43	)	$	(1.54	)	$	(0.43	)

	Successor					Predecessor
Balance Sheet Data:	As of September 30,					As of September 30,
(In millions)	2019			2018		2017			2016			2015
Cash and cash equivalents	$	752		$	700	$	876		$	336		$	323
Total assets	6,950			7,679		5,898			5,821			6,836
Total debt (including current and long-term portion)	3,119			3,126		725			6,018			5,967
Liabilities subject to compromise	—			—		7,705			—			—
Capital leases	19			31		26			56			61
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	1,300			2,051		(5,013		)	(5,023		)	(4,001		)

	Successor					Predecessor
Other Financial Data:	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017			Fiscal years ended September 30,
(In millions)	Fiscal year ended September 30, 2019			Period from December 16, 2017 through September 30, 2018		Period from October 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017			2017			2016			2015
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities	$	241		$	202	$	(414	)	$	301		$	113		$	215
EBITDA^(a)	(3		)	289		3,479			370			125			724
Adjusted EBITDA^(a)	706			611		135			866			940			900


	Payments due by period
(In millions)	Total		Less than 1 year		1-3 years		3-5 years		More than 5 years
Total debt(1)	$	2,993	$	—	$	350	$	843	$	1,800
Interest payments due on debt(2)	1,169		190		385		312		282
Purchase obligations with contract manufacturers and product suppliers(3)	87		87		—		—		—
Other purchase obligations(4)	525		444		54		27		—
Operating lease obligations(5)	204		58		85		39		22
Finance lease obligations (6)	18		9		7		2		—
Pension benefit obligations(7)	604		53		107		96		348
Total	$	5,600	$	841	$	988	$	1,319	$	2,452


~~(5)~~	~~Contractual obligations for operating leases include future minimum lease payments, net of remaining sublease income of $3 million.~~


~~(6)~~	~~The payments due for capital lease obligations do not include $1 million in future payments for interest.~~



	September 30,
	2019			2018
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	752		$	700
Accounts receivable, net	314			377
Inventory	63			81
Contract assets	187			—
Contract costs	114			—
Other current assets	115			170
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS	1,545			1,328
Property, plant and equipment, net	255			250
Deferred income taxes, net	35			29
Intangible assets, net	2,891			3,234
Goodwill, net	2,103			2,764
Other assets	121			74
TOTAL ASSETS	$	6,950		$	7,679
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Debt maturing within one year	$	29		$	29
Accounts payable	291			266
Payroll and benefit obligations	116			145
Contract liabilities	472			484
Business restructuring reserves	33			51
Other current liabilities	158			148
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES	1,099			1,123
Non-current liabilities:
Long-term debt, net of current portion	3,090			3,097
Pension obligations	759			671
Other post-retirement obligations	200			176
Deferred income taxes, net	72			140
Business restructuring reserves	36			47
Other liabilities	394			374
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	4,551			4,505
TOTAL LIABILITIES	5,650			5,628
Commitments and contingencies (Note 23)
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 55,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding at September 30, 2019 and 2018	—			—
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 550,000,000 shares authorized; 111,046,085 shares issued and 111,033,405 outstanding at September 30, 2019; 110,218,653 shares issued and 110,012,790 shares outstanding at September 30, 2018	1			1
Additional paid-in capital	1,761			1,745
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	(289		)	287
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(173		)	18
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	1,300			2,051
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	$	6,950		$	7,679


	September 30, 2019				Upon Adoption of ASC 842
(In millions)	As Reported		Adjustments
ASSETS
Other current assets	$	115	$	(2)	$	113
Intangible assets, net	2,891		(2)		2,889
Operating lease right-of-use assets	0		190		190

LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Operating lease liabilities	0		51		51
Business restructuring reserve	33		(4)		29
Non-current liabilities:
Operating lease liabilities	0		143		143
Business restructuring reserve	36		(1)		35
Other liabilities	316		(3)		313


⁽¹⁾	The fair value of the Term Loan Credit Agreement was determined based on a market approach utilizing market-clearing data on the valuation date in addition to bid/ask prices and was estimated to be 99% of par value.


⁽²⁾	The following assumptions were used when measuring the fair value of the U.S. pension, non-U.S. pension, and post-retirement benefit plans: weighted-average return on assets of 7.75%, 3.80% and 5.90%, and weighted-average discount rate to measure plan obligations of 3.70%, 1.52% and 3.77%, respectively.


⁽³⁾	~~The fair value of the Emergence Date Warrants was estimated using the Black-Scholes pricing model.~~



(In millions)	Predecessor Company December 15, 2017			Reorganization Adjustments				Fresh Start Adjustments				Successor Company December 16, 2017
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	770		$	(404	)	(1)	$	—			$	366
Accounts receivable, net	497			—				(106		)	(21)	391
Inventory	90			—				29			(22)	119
Other current assets	374			(58		)	(2)	(66		)	(23)	250
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS	1,731			(462		)		(143		)		1,126
Property, plant and equipment, net	194			—				116			(24)	310
Deferred income taxes, net	—			48			(3)	(17		)	(25)	31
Intangible assets, net	298			—				3,137			(26)	3,435
Goodwill	3,541			—				(883		)	(27)	2,658
Other assets	70			6			(4)	(27		)	(28)	49
TOTAL ASSETS	$	5,834		$	(408	)		$	2,183			$	7,609
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Debt maturing within one year	$	725		$	(696	)	(5)	$	—			$	29
Accounts payable	325			(49		)	(6)	—				276
Payroll and benefit obligations	123			23			(7)	—				146
Deferred revenue	627			50			(8)	(341		)	(29)	336
Business restructuring reserve	35			3			(9)	—				38
Other current liabilities	97			65			(6,10)	(3		)	(30)	159
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES	1,932			(604		)		(344		)		984
Non-current liabilities:
Long-term debt, net of current portion	—			2,771			(11)	96			(31)	2,867
Pension obligations	539			246			(12)	—				785
Other post-retirement obligations	—			212			(13)	—				212
Deferred income taxes, net	28			113			(14)	548			(32)	689
Business restructuring reserve	26			4			(9)	4			(33)	34
Other liabilities	180			233			(8,15)	(43		)	(29,34)	370
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	773			3,579				605				4,957
LIABILITIES SUBJECT TO COMPROMISE	7,585			(7,585		)	(16)	—				—
TOTAL LIABILITIES	10,290			(4,610		)		261				5,941
Commitments and contingencies
Equity awards on redeemable shares	6			(6		)	(17)	—				—
Preferred stock:
Series B	397			(397		)	(17)	—				—
Series A	186			(186		)	(17)	—				—
STOCKHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY
Common stock (Successor)	—			1			(18)	—				1
Additional paid-in capital (Successor)	—			1,667			(18)	—				1,667
Common stock (Predecessor)	—			—				—				—
Additional paid-in capital (Predecessor)	2,387			(2,387		)	(17)	—				—
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	(5,978		)	4,846			(19)	1,132			(36)	—
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(1,454		)	664			(20)	790			(35)	—
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY	(5,045		)	4,791				1,922				1,668
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY	$	5,834		$	(408	)		$	2,183			$	7,609



(In millions)
Sources:
Proceeds from Term Loan Credit Agreement, net of original issue discount	$	2,896
Release of restricted cash	76
Total sources of cash	2,972
Uses:
Repayment of DIP Credit Agreement	(725		)
Payment of DIP Credit Agreement accrued interest	(1		)
Cash paid to Predecessor first lien debt-holders	(2,061		)
Cash paid to PBGC	(340		)
Payment for professional fees escrow account	(56		)
Funding payment for Avaya represented employee pension plan	(49		)
Payment of accrued professional and administrative fees	(27		)
Costs incurred for Term Loan Credit Agreement and ABL Credit Agreement	(59		)
Payment for general unsecured claims	(58		)
Total uses of cash	(3,376		)
Net uses of cash	$	(404	)



(In millions)
Release of restricted cash	$	(76	)
Reclassification of prepaid debt issuance costs related to the Term Loan Credit Agreement	(42		)
Payment of fees related to the ABL Credit Agreement	5
Restricted cash for bankruptcy related professional fees	55
Total other current assets	$	(58	)


3.	~~Deferred Income Taxes.~~ The adjustment represents the release of the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets for certain non-U.S. subsidiaries which management believes more likely than not will be realized as a result of the bankruptcy reorganization.


4.	~~Other Assets.~~ ~~The adjustment represents the re-establishment of foreign prepaid taxes.~~


5.	~~Debt Maturing Within One Year.~~ The adjustment represents the net effect of the Company’s repayment of $725 million for the DIP Credit Agreement and Term Loan Credit Agreement principal payments of $29 million due over the next year.


7.	~~Payroll and Benefi~~t ~~Obligations.~~ ~~The Company reinstated $23 million of liabilities subject to compromise related to the post-employment and post-retirement benefit obligations.~~


8.	~~Deferred Revenue.~~ ~~The reinstatement of liabilities subject to compromise was $79 million of which $50 million is included in deferred revenue and $29 million in other liabilities.~~


9.	~~Business Restructuring Reserve.~~ ~~The reinstatement of liabilities subject to compromise was $7 million, of which $3 million is current and $4 million is non-current.~~



(In millions)
Reclassification of accrued bankruptcy related professional fees	$	50
Reinstatement of other current liabilities	16
Payment of accrued interest on the DIP Credit Agreement	(1		)
Total other current liabilities	$	65



(In millions)
Term Loan Credit Agreement	$	2,925
Less:
Discount	(29		)
Upfront and underwriting fees	(54		)
Cash received upon emergence from bankruptcy	2,842
Reclassification of debt issuance costs incurred prior to emergence from bankruptcy	(42		)
Current portion of Long-term debt	(29		)
Long-term debt, net of current portion	$	2,771


~~12.~~	~~Pension Obligations.~~ In accordance with the Plan of Reorganization, the Company reinstated from liabilities subject to compromise $295 million related to the Avaya Pension Plan for represented employees and also contributed $49 million to the related pension trust.


~~13.~~	~~Other Post-retirement Obligations.~~ ~~Other post-retirement benefit obligations of $212 million were reinstated from liabilities subject to compromise.~~


~~14.~~	~~Deferred Income Taxes. The adjustment represents the reinstatement of the deferred tax liability that was included in liabilities subject to compromise.~~


~~15.~~	~~Other Liabilities~~. The increase of $233 million primarily relates to the reinstatement of employee benefits, tax liabilities and deferred revenue from liabilities subject to compromise. Also included is the value of the Emergence Date Warrants issued to the holders of the Predecessor second lien obligations.



(In millions)
Pre-petition first lien debt	$	711
Pre-petition second lien debt	1,356
Avaya pension plan for salaried employees	(516		)
General unsecured creditors' claims	227
Net gain on settlement of Liabilities subject to compromise	$	1,778


~~17.~~	~~Cancellation of Predecessor Preferred and Common Stock.~~ ~~All common stock, Series A and B preferred stock and all other equity awards of the Predecessor Company were canceled on the Emergence Date without any recovery on account thereof.~~