Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 fiscal 2026 was $74.6 million, an increase from $62.7 million in the prior quarter and $68.7 million in the same quarter last year [23] - GAAP gross margin for Q3 was 38.8%, up from 37.6% in the prior quarter but down from 40.6% in the same quarter last year [25] - GAAP net loss for Q3 was $27.8 million, or a loss of $2.03 per share, compared to a net loss of $46.5 million in the previous quarter and a net loss of $75.3 million in the year-ago quarter [30] - Non-GAAP loss for Q3 was $4.9 million, or a loss of $0.36 per share, an improvement from a loss of $7.1 million in the prior quarter [32] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 improved to $2.9 million from $0.5 million in the prior quarter [33] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Tape sales doubled quarter-over-quarter, driven by demand for cost-effective storage solutions [15] - The services business has been in contraction but showed signs of stabilization, with management indicating a potential flattening out of the decline [44] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company exited Q3 with a backlog of over $20 million, significantly above the historical run rate of $8 to 10 million [24] - The demand for storage solutions is increasing, particularly from hyperscalers and enterprises, as customers seek to offload data from expensive primary storage [52][56] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on strengthening its financial foundation through restructuring initiatives and reducing term debt by approximately 50% [7] - Quantum is positioning itself to capitalize on the growing demand for tape storage solutions, which offer lower costs and power consumption compared to flash and disk [13] - The sales model in North America has been realigned to mirror successful strategies used in EMEA, enhancing focus and execution [20] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed caution regarding Q4 forecasts due to supply chain challenges and component availability, emphasizing that demand remains strong [12][36] - The company anticipates revenue for Q4 to be approximately $68 million, with non-GAAP operating expenses expected to be around $27 million [37] Other Important Information - The company has appointed a new CFO, William White, who is expected to contribute to the financial strategy and operations [22] - The company is experiencing significant pricing volatility and extended lead times for critical components, impacting overall operations [10][36] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on primary storage systems performance - Management acknowledged a slow start to the year but noted strength across all product lines in Q3, indicating confidence in primary storage growth [42] Question: Backlog composition and drivers - Management indicated that the elevated backlog is driven by strong demand, despite some component shortages [43] Question: Services business contraction - Management suggested that execution issues and discounting practices have contributed to the contraction, but improvements are expected [44] Question: Gross margin expectations for Q4 - Management stated that the current supply chain issues make it difficult to predict margins, but maintaining Q3 levels would be a good achievement [46][47] Question: Demand for tape sales - Management reported strong demand for tape across various sectors, with customers migrating back from cloud storage to on-premise solutions [51] Question: Long-term margin structures - Management expressed optimism about returning to long-term margins of 40% once supply chain conditions normalize [58]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 fiscal 2026 was $74.6 million, an increase from $62.7 million in the prior quarter and $68.7 million in the same quarter last year [23] - GAAP gross margin for Q3 was 38.8%, up from 37.6% in the prior quarter but down from 40.6% in the same quarter last year [25] - GAAP net loss for Q3 was $27.8 million, or a loss of $2.03 per share, compared to a net loss of $46.5 million in the previous quarter and $75.3 million in the same quarter last year [30] - Non-GAAP loss for Q3 was $4.9 million, or a loss of $0.36 per share, an improvement from a loss of $7.1 million in the prior quarter and $7.8 million in the same quarter last year [32] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 improved to $2.9 million from $0.5 million in the prior quarter and $0.8 million in the same quarter last year [33] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Tape sales doubled quarter-over-quarter, driven by demand for cost-effective storage solutions [15] - The services business has been in contraction, but there are indications it may flatten out as execution improves [44] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a strong backlog of over $20 million, significantly above the historical run rate of $8 million to $10 million [24] - Pricing for critical components has doubled or tripled recently, affecting the entire industry [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on strengthening its financial foundation through restructuring initiatives and reducing term debt by approximately 50% [7] - Quantum is positioning itself to leverage its expertise in tape storage as demand for cost-effective data solutions increases [13] - The sales model in North America has been realigned to mirror successful strategies used in EMEA, enhancing focus and execution [20] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed caution regarding Q4 forecasts due to supply chain challenges, emphasizing that the uncertainty lies in fulfillment and shipping rather than demand [12][36] - The company is optimistic about long-term margins returning to the 40% range once supply chain issues stabilize [60] Other Important Information - The company has appointed a new CFO, William White, who is expected to contribute to the financial strategy and operations [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is behind the contraction in primary storage systems? - Management noted that the year started slowly, but there has been strength across all product lines in Q3, indicating confidence in primary storage [42] Question: Is the elevated backlog driven more by demand or component availability? - Management confirmed that demand is strong, and while there are component shortages, the backlog is growing faster than anticipated [43] Question: Can the services business potentially flatten out? - Management indicated that execution issues and discounting practices have affected services, but improvements are expected [44] Question: What should be expected for gross margins in Q4? - Management stated that the current environment makes it difficult to guide margins, but maintaining Q3 levels would be a good achievement [46][47] Question: Where is the demand for tape sales coming from? - Management highlighted that demand is strong across the board, particularly as customers migrate back from the cloud to on-premise storage solutions [52]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 2026 was $74.6 million, an increase from $62.7 million in the prior quarter and $68.7 million in the same quarter last year [14] - GAAP gross margin improved to 38.8% from 37.6% in the prior quarter but decreased from 40.6% in Q3 2025 [16] - GAAP net loss narrowed to $27.8 million, or a loss of $2.03 per share, compared to a net loss of $46.5 million in the previous quarter and $75.3 million in the year-ago quarter [19] - Non-GAAP loss for the quarter was $4.9 million, or a loss of $0.36 per share, an improvement from a loss of $7.1 million in the prior quarter [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Tape sales doubled quarter-over-quarter, driven by demand for cost-effective storage solutions [10] - The services business has been in contraction but showed signs of stabilization, with management indicating potential flattening of contraction [30] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a strong backlog of over $20 million, significantly above the historical run rate of $8 million to $10 million, indicating robust demand [15] - Component availability issues are impacting the entire industry, with prices for critical components doubling or tripling recently [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on strengthening its balance sheet and has successfully reduced term debt by approximately 50% through a debt exchange [5] - Quantum is positioning itself to leverage its Scalar tape libraries and ActiveScale storage solutions to meet the growing demand for data storage amid rising costs of flash and disk [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed caution regarding Q4 forecasts due to supply chain challenges, emphasizing that the uncertainty lies in fulfillment and shipping rather than demand [7][22] - The company is optimistic about long-term margins returning to the 40% range once supply chain issues stabilize [47] Other Important Information - The company has undergone restructuring initiatives that have lowered its cost structure and improved operational efficiencies [21] - The newly appointed CFO, Will White, is expected to contribute to the company's financial strategy and operations [13] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on primary storage systems performance - Management noted a slow start to the year but observed strength across all product lines in Q3, indicating confidence in primary storage recovery [28] Question: Backlog composition and drivers - The elevated backlog is driven by strong demand, although there are some component shortages; management expects the backlog to remain healthy [29] Question: Services business contraction - Management indicated that execution issues and discounting practices have affected service performance, but improvements are anticipated [31] Question: Gross margin expectations for Q4 - Management acknowledged the challenges posed by rising component prices and indicated that maintaining Q3 margins would be a good achievement [34] Question: Demand for tape sales - Demand for tape is strong across various sectors, with customers migrating data back from the cloud to on-premise solutions due to storage constraints [38] Question: Multimillion-dollar deals in backlog - The multimillion-dollar deals are primarily with hyperscalers, reflecting increased order sizes and a combination of products [41]