The principal raw materials and subcomponents used in producing our healthcare products consist of printed circuit boards, housings, mechanical assemblies, pneumatic devices, touch screens, medical grade displays, cables, filters, textiles, fabric, gauges, fittings, tubing and packaging materials. We purchase finished medical devices, computers, peripheral accessories, and remote displays from unaffiliated third-party providers.
The principal raw materials and subcomponents used in producing our optoelectronic devices and electronic subsystems consist of silicon wafers, electronic components, light emitting diodes, scintillation crystals, passive optical components, printed circuit boards and packaging materials. The silicon-based optoelectronic devices manufactured by us are critical components in most of our products and subsystems. We purchase silicon wafers and other electronic components from unaffiliated third-party providers.
For cost, quality control, technological, and efficiency reasons, we purchase certain materials, parts, and components only from single vendors with whom we have ongoing relationships. We do, however, qualify alternative sources for many of our materials, parts, and components. We purchase most materials, parts, and components pursuant to purchase orders placed from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Since the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our divisions have experienced supply chain and labor availability challenges that have impacted the price and availability of parts, components, consumables, freight, shipping, and third-party services, adversely impacting our gross margin as well as delayed product deliveries, installations, maintenance and repair work, and technical support, among other work and services.
Information Technology and Cybersecurity Risk Management
We rely extensively on digital technology to conduct operations and engage with our customers and business partners. As the complexity of our engagements grows, so do the threats from cyber intrusion, ransomware, denial of service, phishing, account takeover, data manipulation and other cyber misconduct. To counter these threats, we have implemented an information security management system (ISMS) focused on data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Our ISMS has been certified as ISO/IEC 27001 compliant and is re-evaluated annually by our external auditors. Similarly, we conduct external cyber penetration testing annually to assess and improve our security posture and reduce cybersecurity risk. No material information security breaches have occurred in the past three years. Through a combination of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) resources, we also (i) proactively monitor IT controls to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (ii) perform third-party risk management assessments, (iii) ensure essential business functions remain available during business disruptions, (iv) develop and update incident response plans to address potential weaknesses, and (v) maintain cyber incident management and reporting procedures. Our ISMS and GRC processes are designed to prioritize IT and cybersecurity risk areas, identify solutions that minimize such risks, pursue optimal outcomes, and maintain compliance with contractual obligations. We also maintain a global security operations center with real-time capability to investigate and trigger impact mitigation protocols. These capabilities allow us to reduce exposure should a security incident arise. For additional information regarding the risks associated with these matters, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”
Trademarks and Trade Names and Patents
Trademarks and Trade Names. We have used, registered and applied to register certain trademarks and service marks to distinguish our products, technologies and services from those of our competitors in the United States and in foreign countries. We monitor and, when necessary, enforce our trademark, service mark and trade name rights in the United States and abroad.
Patents. We possess rights to a number of U.S. and foreign patents relating to various aspects of our security and inspection products, healthcare products and optoelectronic devices and subsystems. Our current patents will expire at various times between 2023 and 2041. While we continue to file new applications and pursue new patents, it remains possible that pending patent applications or other applications that may be filed may not result in issued patents. In addition, issued patents may not survive challenges to their validity or enforceability, or may be found to not be infringed by any third parties. Although we believe that our patents have value, our patents, or any additional patents that may be issued in the future, may not be able to provide meaningful protection from competition.
We believe that our trademarks and trade names and patents are important to our business. The loss of some of our trademarks or patents might have a negative impact on our financial results and operations. Nevertheless, with the exception of the loss of the, Rapiscan®, AS&E® or Spacelabs® trademarks, the impact of the loss of any single trademark or patent would not likely have a material adverse effect on our business.