MicroStrategy (MSTR) 10-K26 Feb 152014 FY Annual reportFinancial data

Company Profile

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Feb. 20, 2015
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-14
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	MSTR
Entity Registrant Name	MICROSTRATEGY INC
Entity Central Index Key	1050446
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float		$1,305,700,000
Class A
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding			9,290,853
Class B Convertible
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding			2,035,184

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$146,919	$220,171
Restricted cash	661	583
Short-term investments	198,547	137,198
Accounts receivable, net	78,633	86,181
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	17,669	14,260
Deferred tax assets, net	19,936	21,555
Total current assets	462,365	479,948
Property and equipment, net	77,852	85,445
Capitalized software development costs, net	13,469	10,295
Deposits and other assets	3,951	6,622
Deferred tax assets, net	1,160	3,204
Total assets	558,797	585,514
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	35,458	39,946
Accrued compensation and employee benefits	50,588	79,495
Accrued restructuring costs	2,284	0
Deferred revenue and advance payments	108,413	113,656
Deferred tax liabilities	557	422
Total current liabilities	197,300	233,519
Deferred revenue and advance payments	10,818	8,970
Other long-term liabilities	22,679	25,511
Deferred tax liabilities	3,529	7,188
Total liabilities	234,326	275,188
Commitments and Contingencies
Stockholders' Equity
Preferred stock undesignated, $0.001 par value; 5,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding	0	0
Additional paid-in capital	506,727	494,086
Treasury stock, at cost; 6,405 shares	-475,184	-475,184
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-4,363	-831
Retained earnings	297,273	292,238
Total stockholders' equity	324,471	310,326
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	558,797	585,514
Class A
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	16	15
Class B Convertible
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	$2	$2

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS_Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Preferred stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Treasury stock, shares	6,405,000	6,405,000
Class A
Common stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	330,000,000	330,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	15,660,000	15,478,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	9,255,000	9,073,000
Class B Convertible
Common stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	165,000,000	165,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	2,055,000	2,227,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	2,055,000	2,227,000

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_OPE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues:
Product licenses	$125,952		$147,879		$147,344
Subscription services	22,322		12,246		3,118
Total product licenses and subscription services	148,274		160,125		150,462
Product support	295,703		277,509		262,048
Other services	135,853		138,254		153,214
Total revenues	579,830		575,888		565,724
Cost of revenues:
Product licenses	6,957		6,606		5,819
Subscription services	17,560		15,636		6,621
Total product licenses and subscription services	24,517		22,242		12,440
Product support	14,241		16,617		15,532
Other services	96,452		99,710		113,104
Total cost of revenues	135,210		138,569		141,076
Gross profit	444,620		437,319		424,648
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing	225,086		215,089		209,975
Research and development	103,355		98,056		88,190
General and administrative	96,343		104,734		93,384
Restructuring costs	14,732		0		0
Total operating expenses	439,516		417,879		391,549
Income from continuing operations	5,104		19,440		33,099
Interest income, net	162		497		143
Other income (expense), net	5,785		-3,186		-1,035
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	11,051		16,751		32,207
Provision for (Benefit from) income taxes	6,016		-9,799		9,734
Income from continuing operations, net of tax	5,035		26,550		22,473
Discontinued operations:
Gain from sale of discontinued operations, net of tax provision	0		57,377		0
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax benefit	0		-595		-1,927
Discontinued operations, net of tax	0		56,782		-1,927
Net income	$5,035		$83,332		$20,546
Basic earnings (loss) per share
From continuing operations	$0.45		$2.35		$2.05
From discontinued operations	$0		$5.02		($0.18)
Basic earnings per share	$0.45	[1],[2]	$7.37	[1],[2]	$1.87	[2]
Weighted average shares outstanding used in computing basic earnings (loss) per share	11,301		11,300		10,995
Diluted earnings (loss) per share
From continuing operations	$0.44		$2.35		$2.01
From discontinued operations	$0		$5.02		($0.17)
Diluted earnings per share	$0.44	[1],[2]	$7.37	[1],[2]	$1.84	[2]
Weighted average shares outstanding used in computing diluted earnings (loss) per share	11,356		11,301		11,174

[1]	The sum of the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the four quarters may differ from annual earnings (loss) per share as the weighted-average shares outstanding are computed independently for each of the quarters presented.
[2]	Basic and fully diluted earnings (loss) per share for class A and class B common stock are the same.

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_OPE1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Gain from sale of discontinued operations, tax provision	$0	$37,548	$0
Loss from discontinued operations, tax benefit	$0	$391	$1,049

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_COM

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Net income	$5,035	$83,332	$20,546
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of applicable taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustment	-3,585	684	535
Unrealized gain on short-term investments	53	0	2
Total other comprehensive (loss) income	-3,532	684	537
Comprehensive income	$1,503	$84,016	$21,083

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_STO

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (USD $)	Total	Class A Common Stock	Class B Convertible Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Treasury Stock	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Retained Earnings
In Thousands	Total	Class A Common Stock	Class B Convertible Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Treasury Stock	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Retained Earnings
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$168,978	$15	$2	$457,837	($475,184)	($2,052)	$188,360
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011		14,810	2,378		-6,405
Net income (loss)	20,546	0	0	0	0	0	20,546
Other comprehensive (loss) income	537	0	0	0	0	537	0
Conversion of class B to class A common stock	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Conversion of class B to class A common stock (in shares)		151	-151		0
Issuance of class A common stock under stock option plans	10,250	0	0	10,250	0	0	0
Issuance of class A common stock under stock option plans (in shares)	501	501	0		0
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	200,311	15	2	468,087	-475,184	-1,515	208,906
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012		15,462	2,227		-6,405
Net income (loss)	83,332	0	0	0	0	0	83,332
Other comprehensive (loss) income	684	0	0	0	0	684	0
Issuance of class A common stock under stock option plans	341	0	0	341	0	0	0
Issuance of class A common stock under stock option plans (in shares)	16	16	0		0
Tax effect of stock option exercises	23,580	0	0	23,580	0	0	0
Share-based compensation expense	2,078	0	0	2,078	0	0	0
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	310,326	15	2	494,086	-475,184	-831	292,238
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013		15,478	2,227		-6,405
Net income (loss)	5,035	0	0	0	0	0	5,035
Other comprehensive (loss) income	-3,532	0	0	0	0	-3,532	0
Conversion of class B to class A common stock	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Conversion of class B to class A common stock (in shares)		172	-172		0
Issuance of class A common stock under stock option plans	856	1	0	855	0	0	0
Issuance of class A common stock under stock option plans (in shares)	9	10	0		0
Share-based compensation expense	11,786	0	0	11,786	0	0	0
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$324,471	$16	$2	$506,727	($475,184)	($4,363)	$297,273
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2014		15,660	2,055		-6,405

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_CAS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operating activities:
Net income	$5,035	$83,332	$20,546
Plus: (Income) loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	0	-56,782	1,927
Income from continuing operations, net of tax	5,035	26,550	22,473
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	25,295	26,399	22,454
Bad debt expense	2,969	2,281	2,361
Unrealized net gain on foreign currency forward contracts	-1,682	0	0
Non-cash portion of restructuring costs	199	0	0
Deferred taxes	-1,526	-3,319	1,967
Release of liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits	0	-14,643	-472
Share-based compensation expense	11,786	2,078	0
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation arrangements	0	-23,580	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	-276	676	526
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	-2,713	-565	305
Deposits and other assets	909	794	175
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	-1,701	-4,786	3,763
Accrued compensation and employee benefits	-26,875	8,176	4,578
Accrued restructuring	2,379	0	0
Deferred revenue and advance payments	731	13,465	-3,967
Other long-term liabilities	70	-2,928	-2,000
Net cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations	14,600	30,598	52,163
Net cash used in operating activities from discontinued operations	0	-664	-2,279
Net cash provided by operating activities	14,600	29,934	49,884
Investing activities:
Proceeds from redemption of short-term investments	308,900	87,000	0
Purchases of property and equipment	-12,400	-11,043	-29,621
Purchases of short-term investments	-370,050	-224,103	0
Capitalized software development costs	-8,396	-5,437	-8,148
Insurance proceeds	0	0	3,206
(Increase) decrease in restricted cash	-164	-483	225
Net cash used in investing activities from continuing operations	-82,110	-154,066	-34,338
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities from discontinued operations	0	99,136	-1,495
Net cash used in investing activities	-82,110	-54,930	-35,833
Financing activities:
Proceeds from sale of class A common stock under exercise of employee stock options	856	341	10,250
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation arrangements	0	23,580	0
Payments on capital lease obligations and other financing arrangements	-2,326	-2,284	-491
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities from continuing operations	-1,470	21,637	9,759
Net cash provided by financing activities from discontinued operations	0	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	-1,470	21,637	9,759
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	-4,272	-863	949
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	-73,252	-4,222	24,759
Cash and cash equivalents (including held-for-sale of $0, $1,350, and $5,300, respectively), beginning of year	220,171	224,393	199,634
Cash and cash equivalents (including held-for-sale of $0, $0, and $1,350, respectively), end of year	146,919	220,171	224,393
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid during the year for interest	74	78	31
Cash paid during the year for income taxes, net of tax refunds	5,529	12,941	6,463
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities:
Assets acquired under capital lease obligations and other financing arrangements	$70	$3,793	$2,505

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_CAS1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Held-for-sale beginning of period	$0	$0	$1,350	$5,300
Held-for-sale end of period	$0	$0	$1,350	$5,300

Organization

Organization	12 Months Ended
Organization	Dec. 31, 2014
Organization	(1) Organization
	MicroStrategy is a leading worldwide provider of enterprise-ready analytics, mobile, and security software platforms. MicroStrategy provides system-of-record reporting and interactive visualization capabilities offered on any device or in the cloud. The Company’s mission is to provide enterprise analytics, mobility, and security platforms that are flexible, powerful, scalable, and user-friendly.
	MicroStrategy Analytics empowers organizations to analyze vast amounts of data and securely distribute actionable business insight throughout an enterprise through two distinct offerings – MicroStrategy Analytics Platform and MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop. The MicroStrategy Analytics Platform delivers reports and dashboards, and enables users to conduct ad hoc analysis and share insights anywhere, anytime, via mobile devices or the Web. It also combines the agility and productivity of self-service visual data discovery with the security, scalability, and governance features of enterprise-grade business intelligence. The MicroStrategy Analytics Platform is integrated with MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop, a standalone desktop tool designed to enable business users to analyze and understand their data. With MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop, business users can create stunning data visualizations and dashboards that provide new insight and new understanding in just minutes.
	MicroStrategy Mobile enables organizations to rapidly build information-rich applications that deliver analytics combined with transactions, multimedia, and custom workflows, to mobile devices. The powerful code-free platform approach is designed to reduce the costs of development and enable organizations to deploy powerful mobile business apps quickly and cost-effectively. MicroStrategy Mobile is an easy, fast, and cost-effective vehicle for mobilizing an organization’s information systems, including its data warehouses, business intelligence, ERP, CRM, and Web applications that are currently accessible only on the desktop. With MicroStrategy Mobile, businesses can transform their entire workforce into a connected and more productive mobile workforce using information-driven mobile apps that are significantly more robust and secure than their Web-only counterparts. With mobile access to critical corporate data and systems that drive the business, employees can have a virtual office in their hands at all times.
	MicroStrategy Usher is a mobile identity and security platform designed to make identity management simple, seamless, and secure. Built on an advanced mobile-centric enterprise platform, MicroStrategy Usher can dematerialize traditional forms of identity verification such as passwords and physical badges and replace them with a single mobile identity badge, stored on a smartphone, that is cryptographically linked to its owner’s phone and dynamically linked to the enterprise’s existing identity repositories. MicroStrategy Usher’s enterprise mobile identity solution addresses some of the biggest challenges facing corporations today, including authentication, cybersecurity, access management, and resource authorization, while applying industry leading business intelligence and analytics to an enterprise’s security infrastructure. Users can log into applications, unlock doors, validate each other’s identities, and gain a holistic view of network activity using only mobile identities, either through Bluetooth, QR codes, or time-limited PIN codes. MicroStrategy Usher can also be used as a powerful workforce management resource because it is designed to enable managers to gain a near real-time window into the activity of their distributed workforces, while providing powerful interactive features to manage or direct them. We currently offer MicroStrategy Usher as a subscription-based service.
	MicroStrategy Secure Cloud is a platform for organizations that want to harness the power of enterprise analytics, mobility, and security applications via the cloud. MicroStrategy Secure Cloud brings together enterprise analytics, analytical databases, and ETL capabilities in a high performance integrated environment. MicroStrategy Secure Cloud offers on-demand access to the full breadth of the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform and MicroStrategy Mobile capabilities and is optimized for a variety of enterprise applications. Compared to traditional on-premises approaches, MicroStrategy Secure Cloud is architected to deliver best-of-breed MicroStrategy and Usher software via the cloud, with pre-configured, ready to go MicroStrategy servers, coupled with the required supporting infrastructure of metadata databases, relational databases, and big data storage.
	The MicroStrategy Analytics Platform, MicroStrategy Mobile, and MicroStrategy Secure Cloud together with related product and support services, continue to generate the vast majority of our revenue. During 2014, 2013, and 2012, we did not generate significant revenues from MicroStrategy Usher.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	(a) Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
	On March 15, 2013, the Company completed the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary, Angel.com Incorporated (“Angel.com”). In the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations, the Company classified operations of the Angel.com business as Loss from Discontinued Operations, net of tax, because it does not have any continuing involvement with or cash flows from this business following its divestiture. Refer to Note 16, Discontinued Operations, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
	Certain amounts in the prior years’ Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements have also been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. Revenues and cost of revenues have been reclassified in the Consolidated Statements of Operations to reflect the separate components of total product licenses and subscription services.
	(b) Use of Estimates
	The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including, but not limited to, those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, investments, derivative financial instruments, software development costs, fixed assets, intangible assets, variable compensation, restructuring costs, share-based compensation, income taxes, including the carrying value of deferred tax assets, and litigation and contingencies, including liabilities that the Company deems not probable of assertion. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets, liabilities, and equity that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results and outcomes could differ from these estimates and assumptions.
	(c) Fair Value Measurements
	The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value is defined as the price that is expected to be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company uses a three-level hierarchy that prioritizes fair value measurements based on the types of inputs used for the various valuation techniques. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:


	Level 1:		Quoted (unadjusted) prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

	Level 2:		Inputs other than quoted prices that are either directly or indirectly observable, such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

	Level 3:		Inputs that are generally unobservable, supported by little or no market activity, and typically reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
	The categorization of an asset or liability within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The valuation techniques used by the Company when measuring fair value maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

	The Company also estimates the fair value of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, accrued compensation and employee benefits, and accrued restructuring costs. The Company considers the carrying value of these instruments in the financial statements to approximate fair value due to their short maturities.
	(d) Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
	Cash equivalents include bank deposits, money market instruments, U.S. Treasury bills, and equivalent funds. The Company generally considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Restricted cash consists of cash balances restricted in use by contractual obligations with third parties.
	(e) Short-term Investments
	The Company periodically invests a portion of its excess cash in short-term investment instruments. All highly liquid investments with stated maturity dates between three months and one year from the purchase date are classified as short-term investments. The Company determines the appropriate classification of its short-term investments at the time of purchase.
	Substantially all of the Company’s short-term investments are in U.S. Treasury securities, and the Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments to maturity. Therefore, these short-term investments are classified and accounted for as held-to-maturity and are reported at amortized cost. Each reporting period, the Company determines whether a decline in fair value below the amortized cost for each individual security is other-than-temporary and if it would be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If an other-than-temporary impairment has occurred, the amount representing the credit loss is recorded in “Other income (expense), net,” and the amount related to all other factors is recognized in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).” Upon recognition of an other-than-temporary impairment, the previous amortized cost basis less the other-than-temporary impairment recognized in earnings becomes the new amortized cost basis of the investment.
	(f) Derivative Financial Instruments
	The Company is exposed to certain risks related to its ongoing business operations, including the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on the Company’s monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency. The Company uses foreign currency forward contracts as part of its strategy to manage these risks, but does not hold or issue derivative instruments for trading purposes or speculation. We execute these instruments with financial institutions that hold an investment grade credit rating. These foreign currency forward contracts do not meet the requirements for hedge accounting and are recorded on the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at their fair value as of the reporting date. Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments, as measured using the three-level hierarchy described above, are recognized in “Other income (expense), net” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	(g) Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, as follows: three years for computer equipment and purchased software, five years for office equipment and automobiles, and ten years for office furniture and owned corporate aircraft, which has an estimated salvage value of 70%. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the improvements or the term of the lease, whichever is shorter. The Company periodically evaluates the appropriateness of the estimated useful lives and salvage value of all property and equipment. Any change in the estimated useful life or salvage value is treated as a change in estimate and accounted for prospectively in the period of change.

	Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred, except for certain costs related to the aircraft. The costs of normal, recurring, or periodic repairs and maintenance activities related to the aircraft are expensed as incurred. The cost of planned major maintenance activities (“PMMA”) may be treated differently because those activities may involve the acquisition of additional aircraft components or the replacement of existing aircraft components. PMMA are performed periodically based on passage of time and the use of the aircraft. The classification of a maintenance activity as part of PMMA requires judgment and can affect the amount of expense recognized in any particular period. The cost of each PMMA is expected to be capitalized and amortized over the period until the next scheduled PMMA. The costs of the repairs associated with the Company’s owned aircraft, which was returned to service in the second quarter of 2012, did not constitute PMMA. There have been no PMMA to date.
	When assets are retired or sold, the capitalized cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the property and equipment accounts and any resulting gain or loss is recognized in the results of operations.
	Eligible internal-use software development costs are capitalized subsequent to the completion of the preliminary project stage. Such costs include external direct material and service costs, employee payroll, and payroll-related costs. After all substantial testing and deployment is completed and the software is ready for its intended use, capitalization ceases and internal-use software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, generally three years.
	The Company reviews long-lived assets, including intangible assets, for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of these assets are no longer appropriate. Each impairment test is based on a comparison of the undiscounted cash flows to the recorded value of the asset. If an asset is impaired, the asset is written down by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the related fair value of the asset.
	(h) Software Development Costs
	Software development costs are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been established, at which time such costs are capitalized until the product is available for general release to customers. Capitalized software development costs include direct labor costs and fringe benefit costs attributed to programmers, software engineers, and quality control and field certifiers working on products after they reach technological feasibility, but before they are generally available to customers for sale. Technological feasibility is considered to be achieved when a product design and working model of the software product have been completed. Capitalized software development costs are typically amortized over the estimated product life of three years, on a straight-line basis.
	Capitalized software development costs, net of accumulated amortization, were $13.5 million and $10.3 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Amortization expense related to software development costs was $5.2 million, $5.5 million, and $4.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively, and is included in cost of product licenses and subscription services revenues. During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, the Company capitalized software development costs of $8.4 million, $5.4 million, and $8.1 million, respectively. The Company analyzes the net realizable value of capitalized software development costs on at least an annual basis and has determined that there is no indication of impairment of the capitalized software development costs as forecasted future sales are adequate to support amortization costs.
	(i) Restructuring Costs
	In 2014, the Company committed to, and substantially implemented, a restructuring plan. In connection with this restructuring plan, the Company has incurred restructuring related costs, including employee severance and related benefit costs, contract termination costs, and other related costs. See Note 8, Restructuring, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the Company’s current restructuring activities.
	Employee severance and related benefit costs may include cash payments, outplacement services, continuing health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Where no substantive severance or benefit plan relating to the involuntary termination of employees previously exists, these severance costs are generally considered “one-time” benefits and recognized at fair value in the period in
	which the liability is incurred, which is generally when management has approved and communicated to the terminated employees a detailed plan of termination. Severance costs pursuant to ongoing-benefit arrangements, including statutorily mandated termination benefits or termination benefits provided for in existing employment contracts, are recognized when probable and reasonably estimable. Severance costs are reasonably estimated based on the mix of staffing composition and geography. Where termination benefits are offered for a short period of time in exchange for voluntary termination, severance costs are recognized when the employee has irrevocably accepted the offer.
	Contract termination costs may include costs to exit office space under existing operating leases and consist of both costs to terminate the contract before the end of the term and costs that will continue to be incurred under the contract for the remaining term without economic benefit to the Company. Costs to terminate the contract before the term has ended are recognized at fair value when the Company terminates the contract in accordance with the contract terms. Costs that will continue to be incurred under the contract for the remaining term without economic benefit to the Company (for example, remaining lease rental payments and executory costs) are recognized at fair value in the period in which the Company ceases using the right conveyed by the contract (for example, when the leased space ceases to be used). In the case of operating leases, these continuing costs are also adjusted for the effects of any prepaid or deferred items previously recognized under the lease and reduced by estimated sublease rental income.
	Other related costs generally include employee relocation costs, office moving costs, and external consulting and advisory fees related to restructuring activities. Such costs are recognized at fair value in the period in which the costs are incurred.
	At each reporting date, the Company evaluates its accrued restructuring costs to determine if the liabilities reported are still appropriate. Any changes to the estimated costs of executing approved restructuring plans are reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	(j) Loss Contingencies and Legal Costs
	The Company accrues loss contingencies that are believed to be probable and can be reasonably estimated. As events evolve during the administration and litigation process and additional information becomes known, the Company reassesses its estimates related to loss contingencies. Legal costs are expensed in the period in which the costs are incurred.
	(k) Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments
	Deferred revenue and advance payments related to product support, subscription services, and other services result from payments received prior to the performance of services for technical support, subscription, consulting, and education. Deferred revenue and advance payments related to product licenses result primarily from multiple-element arrangements that include future deliverables. Deferred revenue comprises deferred product licenses and subscription services, deferred product support, or other services revenue based on the objective fair value of the multiple elements of the arrangement, except for software licenses for which the Company does not have an objective measure of fair value. The Company offsets its accounts receivable and deferred revenue for any billed and unpaid items included in deferred revenue and advance payments.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company has entered into certain additional agreements that include future minimum commitments by the Company’s customers to purchase products, subscription services, product support, or other services through 2019 totaling approximately $136.4 million. As of December 31, 2013, the future minimum commitments by the Company’s customers to purchase products, subscription services, product support, or other services through 2018 totaled approximately $119.7 million. These future commitments are not included in deferred revenue balances. Revenue relating to such agreements will be recognized during the period in which all revenue recognition criteria are met. The timing and ultimate recognition of any revenue from such customer purchase commitments depend on the customers’ meeting their future purchase commitments and the Company’s ability to meet its associated performance obligations related to those purchase commitments.

	(l) Revenue Recognition
	The Company recognizes revenue from sales of software licenses to end users upon:

		1)	persuasive evidence of an arrangement, as provided by agreements, contracts, purchase orders, or other arrangements, generally executed by both parties;

		2)	existence of a fixed or determinable fee;

		3)	delivery of the software; and

		4)	determination that collection is reasonably assured.
	When the fees for software upgrades and enhancements, technical support, consulting, and education are bundled with the license fee, they are unbundled for revenue recognition purposes, using vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of fair value of the elements.
	Product support or post-contract support (“PCS”) revenue is derived from providing technical software support and software updates and upgrades to customers. PCS revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the contract, which in most cases is one year. The Company’s VSOE for PCS, which includes updates, upgrades, and enhancements, is determined based upon the optional stated renewal fee for PCS in the contract, which is the price the customer is required to pay when PCS is renewed. Additionally, the optional stated renewal fee used to establish VSOE for PCS in a software transaction must be above the Company’s minimum substantive VSOE rate for PCS. If a stated renewal rate is considered non-substantive, VSOE of PCS has not been established and the Company recognizes all revenue under the arrangement ratably over the PCS period. A minimum substantive VSOE rate is determined based upon an analysis of historical sales of PCS. For a renewal rate to be non-substantive, the Company believes it must be significantly lower than its minimum VSOE rate. We consider a 10% variance below our minimum VSOE rate to be significant. It is rare for the Company to have an arrangement that includes a renewal rate that is below the minimum VSOE rate.
	Revenue from consulting, education, and subscription services is recognized as the services are performed. The Company’s VSOE for services other than PCS is determined based upon an analysis of its historical sales of each element when sold separately from software.
	For new offerings of services other than PCS or service offerings that have not had a sufficient history of sales activity, the Company initially establishes VSOE based on the list price as determined by management with the relevant authority. Each service offering has a single list price in each country where sold.
	If VSOE exists for all undelivered elements and there is no such evidence of fair value established for delivered elements, the arrangement fee is first allocated to the elements where evidence of fair value has been established and the residual amount is allocated to the delivered elements. If evidence of fair value for any undelivered element of an arrangement does not exist, all revenue from the arrangement is deferred until such time that evidence of fair value exists for undelivered elements or until all elements of the arrangement are delivered, subject to certain limited exceptions.
If an arrangement includes acceptance criteria, revenue is not recognized until the Company can objectively demonstrate that the software or service can meet the acceptance criteria, or the acceptance period lapses, whichever occurs earlier. If a software license arrangement obligates the Company to deliver specified future products or upgrades, revenue is recognized when the specified future product or upgrades are delivered, or when the obligation to deliver specified future products expires, whichever occurs earlier. If a software license arrangement obligates the Company to deliver unspecified future products, then revenue is recognized on a subscription basis, ratably over the term of the contract.
License revenue derived from sales to resellers or original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) who purchase the Company’s products for resale is recognized upon sufficient evidence that the products have been sold to the end user, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. The Company’s standard software license and reseller agreements do not include any return rights other than the right to return non-conforming products for repair or replacement under standard product warranties. During the last three fiscal years, the Company has not experienced any product returns related to warranty claims.

The Company generally offers either commercial discounts or referral fees to its channel partners, depending on the nature of services performed. Revenue recognized from transactions with channel partners involved in resale or distribution activities is recorded net of any commercial discounts provided to them. Referral fees paid to channel partners not involved in resale or distribution activities are expensed as cost of revenues and, during the last three fiscal years, were not significant.
The Company’s standard software license agreements do not include any price protection or similar rights. The Company offers price protection to certain government agencies as required by applicable laws and regulations. For example, transactions under the General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedule contract must comply with the Price Reductions clause. In addition, certain government agencies have the right to cancel contracts for “convenience.” During the last three fiscal years, amounts related to price protection or similar rights clauses and contracts cancelled for convenience were not significant.
Amounts collected prior to satisfying the above revenue recognition criteria are included in net deferred revenue and advance payments in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Software revenue recognition requires judgment, including determinations about whether collectibility is reasonably assured, the fee is fixed and determinable, whether a software arrangement includes multiple elements, and if so, whether VSOE exists for those elements. Judgment is also required to assess whether future releases of certain software represent new products or upgrades and enhancements to existing products.
The Company also generates subscription services revenues primarily from its cloud services offerings. Subscription services revenues include subscription fees from customers for access to the full breadth of the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform and MicroStrategy Mobile capabilities, database services, and data integration services. Our standard arrangements with customers generally do not provide the customer with the right to take possession of the software supporting the cloud-based application service at any time. As such, these arrangements are considered service contracts and revenue is recognized ratably over the service period of the contract, following completion of the set-up service. Any related set-up service fees are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract period or the estimated average life of the customer relationship.
The Company’s subscription services are generally offered as stand-alone arrangements or as part of arrangements that include professional services. If deliverables in a multiple-element arrangement have stand-alone value upon delivery, the Company accounts for each such deliverable separately. The Company has concluded that its subscription services and its professional services each have stand-alone value. When the Company enters into multiple-element arrangements that include subscription services and professional services, the total arrangement consideration is allocated to each of the deliverables based on the relative selling price hierarchy. The Company determines the relative selling price for each deliverable using VSOE of selling price, if available, or its best estimate of selling price (“BESP”), if VSOE is not available. The Company has determined that third-party evidence of selling price (“TPE”) is not a practical alternative due to differences in its services offerings as compared to other companies and the lack of availability of third-party pricing information. For professional services, the Company has established VSOE because a consistent number of standalone sales of this deliverable have been priced within a reasonably narrow range. For subscription services, the Company has not established VSOE because, among other factors, the offering is relatively new and our pricing model continues to evolve. Accordingly, the Company uses BESP to determine the relative selling price of its subscription services.
The Company determines BESP by reviewing historical transactions and by considering its pricing models and objectives that take into account factors such as gross margin, the size and volume of the transactions, perceived pricing sensitivity, and growth strategies. The determination of BESP is made through consultation with, and approval by, the Company’s management team, taking into consideration the go-to-market strategy. As the Company’s pricing and go-to-market strategies evolve, the Company may modify its pricing practices in the future, which could result in changes to the determination of VSOE and BESP.

Amounts, upon invoicing, are recorded in accounts receivable and either gross deferred revenue or revenue, depending on whether the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been met.
During 2014, 2013, and 2012, the Company did not generate significant revenues from MicroStrategy Usher.
(m) Advertising Costs
Advertising costs include production costs, which are expensed the first time the advertisement takes place, and media placement costs, which are expensed in the month the advertising appears. Total advertising costs were $3.0 million, $1.9 million, and $4.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had no prepaid advertising costs.
(n) Share-based Compensation
In September 2013, the Board of Directors approved the Company’s 2013 Stock Incentive Plan, under which the Company’s employees, officers, directors, and other eligible participants may be awarded various types of share-based compensation, including options to purchase shares of the Company’s class A common stock. In April 2014, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2013 Stock Incentive Plan at the Company’s annual meeting. In April 2014, following the Company’s annual meeting, the Board of Directors authorized, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment to the 2013 Plan to increase the total number of shares of the Company’s class A common stock authorized for issuance under the 2013 Plan from 600,000 to 1,500,000 shares (“Amendment No. 1”). Also in April 2014, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) authorized, subject to stockholder approval, an additional amendment to the 2013 Plan to provide for automatic annual stock option grants to each of the Company’s non-employee directors with respect to 5,000 shares of the Company’s class A common stock, beginning in 2015 (“Amendment No. 2”). The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense associated with such stock option awards on a straight-line basis over the award’s requisite service period (generally, the vesting period). The share-based compensation expense is based on the fair value of such awards on the date of grant, as estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. See Note 12, Share-based Compensation, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the Company’s 2013 Stock Incentive Plan, related share-based compensation expense, and assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
(o) Income Taxes
The Company is subject to federal, state, and local income taxes in the United States and many foreign countries. Deferred income taxes are provided based upon enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the taxes become payable. For uncertain income tax positions, the Company uses a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold based on the technical merits of the income tax position taken. Income tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured in order to determine the tax benefit recognized in the financial statements. The Company recognizes accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits as part of income tax expense. Penalties, if incurred, are recognized as a component of income tax expense.
The Company provides a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to their estimated realizable value, when appropriate.
(p) Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share
Basic earnings per share is determined by dividing the net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares and participating securities outstanding during the period. Participating securities are included in the basic earnings per share calculation when dilutive. Diluted earnings per share is determined by dividing the net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares and potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares are included in the diluted earnings per share calculation when dilutive. Potential common shares consisting of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding employee stock options and warrants are computed using the treasury stock method. Potential common shares also consist of common stock issuable upon the conversion of preferred stock.

The Company has two classes of common stock: class A common stock and class B common stock. Holders of class A common stock generally have the same rights, including rights to dividends, as holders of class B common stock, except that holders of class A common stock have one vote per share while holders of class B common stock have ten votes per share. Each share of class B common stock is convertible at any time, at the option of the holder, into one share of class A common stock. As such, basic and fully diluted earnings per share for class A and class B common stock are the same. The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on either class A or class B common stock. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were no shares of preferred stock outstanding.
(q) Foreign Currency Translation
The functional currency of the Company’s international operations is the local currency. Accordingly, all assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries are translated using exchange rates in effect at the end of the period and revenue and expenses are translated using weighted average exchange rates for the period. The related translation adjustments are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. Transaction gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity involved are included in the results of operations.
Transaction gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies resulted in net gains of $5.3 million in 2014, and net losses of $3.3 million, and $2.0 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, and are included in “Other income (expense), net” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As of December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, the cumulative foreign currency translation balances were $(4.4) million, $(0.8) million, and $(1.5) million, respectively. Since the Company intends to indefinitely reinvest its undistributed earnings of all of its subsidiaries, no taxes were recognized on the temporary differences resulting from foreign currency translation adjustments for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012.
(r) Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, foreign currency forward contracts, and accounts receivable. The Company places its cash equivalents and enters into foreign currency forward contracts with high credit-quality financial institutions and invests its excess cash primarily in short-term investments. The Company has established guidelines relative to credit ratings and maturities that seek to maintain safety and liquidity.
The Company sells products and services to various companies across several industries throughout the world in the ordinary course of business. The Company routinely assesses the financial strength of its customers and maintains allowances for anticipated losses. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, no individual customer accounted for 10% or more of net accounts receivable and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, no individual customer accounted for 10% or more of revenue.

Recent_Accounting_Standards

Recent Accounting Standards	12 Months Ended
Recent Accounting Standards	Dec. 31, 2014
Recent Accounting Standards	(3) Recent Accounting Standards
	In July 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-11, Income Taxes (Topic 740) (“ASU 2013-11”), which requires the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit in a particular jurisdiction, or a portion thereof, as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, unless the uncertain tax position is not available to reduce, or would not be used to reduce, the NOL or carryforward under the tax law in the same jurisdiction; otherwise, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a gross liability and should not be combined with a deferred tax asset. The Company adopted ASU 2013-11 on January 1, 2014. As a result, liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits of $1.3 million were netted against deferred tax assets, as of December 31, 2014. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows.

	In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance. The standard’s core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue when it transfers 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. The standard creates a five-step model to achieve its core principle: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations in the contract, and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. In addition, entities must disclose sufficient information to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. Qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required about: (1) the entity’s contracts with customers, (2) the significant judgments, and changes in judgments, made in applying the guidance to those contracts, and (3) any assets recognized from the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer. ASU 2014-09 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2017. Early adoption is not permitted. The standard allows entities to apply the standard retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (“full retrospective adoption”) or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard recognized at the date of initial application (“modified retrospective adoption”). The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
Fair Value Measurements	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Measurements	(4) Fair Value Measurements
	Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, by level within the fair value hierarchy, consisted of the following (in thousands), as of:


				December 31, 2014
				Fair Value Measurements
				Using Input Types
		Line Item		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Non-hedging derivative assets:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		$	0			$	1,647			$	0			$	1,647

	Non-hedging derivative liabilities:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$	0			$	6			$	0			$	6

				December 31, 2013
				Fair Value Measurements
				Using Input Types
		Line Item		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Non-hedging derivative assets:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		$	0			$	5			$	0			$	5

	Non-hedging derivative liabilities:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$	0			$	46			$	0			$	46
	The fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts is determined using Level 2 observable market inputs to extrapolate forward points to be added to or subtracted from the closing market spot rate on the reporting date, and then discounted to present value. All foreign currency forward contracts outstanding as of December 31, 2014 were for durations of twelve months or less and consisted of the following sale contracts (in thousands):


		Notional Value								Notional Value				Fair Value
		Local Currency								U.S. Dollar				Gain (Loss)
														U.S. Dollar
	Forward contracts to sell:
	Australian Dollar		AUD				985			$	900			$	103
	Brazilian Real		BRL				3,184				1,300				157
	British Pound		GBP				950				1,600				122
	Canadian Dollar		CAD				757				700				49
	Chinese Renminbi		CNY				10,664				1,700				(5	)
	Euro		EUR				3,534				4,800				515
	Indian Rupee		INR				19,347				300				3
	Japanese Yen		JPY				131,508				1,300				201
	Korean Won		KRW				881,552				850				53
	Mexican Peso		MXN				4,001				300				32
	Polish Zloty		PLN				4,980				1,600				203
	Russian Rouble		RUB				7,323				200				86
	Singapore Dollar		SGD				500				400				23
	South African Rand		ZAR				6,769				600				32
	Swedish Krona		SEK				1,698				250				33
	Swiss Franc		CHF				268				300				30
	Turkish New Lira		TRY				230				100				5
	United Arab Emirates Dirham		AED				738				200				(1	)

										$	17,400			$	1,641

	Changes in the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts during 2014, 2013, and 2012 were as follows (in thousands):


		Gain (Loss) on Derivative Instruments Recognized in Income
				Years Ended December 31,
		Location		2014				2013				2012

	Non-hedging derivative instruments:
	Unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency forward contracts	Other income (expense), net		$	1,682			$	(41	)		$	0

	Realized loss on foreign currency forward contracts	Other (expense) income, net		$	(562	)		$	(629	)		$	0
	There were no transfers among the levels within the fair value hierarchy during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012. As of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had no assets or liabilities that were required to be measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis.

Shortterm_Investments

Short-term Investments	12 Months Ended
Short-term Investments	Dec. 31, 2014
Short-term Investments	(5) Short-term Investments
	The Company periodically invests a portion of its excess cash in short-term investment instruments. Substantially all of the Company’s short-term investments are in U.S. Treasury securities, and the Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments to maturity. The stated maturity dates of these investments are between three months and one year from the purchase date. These held-to-maturity investments are recorded at amortized cost and included within “Short-term investments” on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair value of held-to-maturity investments in U.S. Treasury securities is determined based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical securities (Level 1 inputs).
	The amortized cost, carrying value, and fair value of held-to-maturity investments at December 31, 2014 were $198.5 million, $198.5 million, and $198.5 million, respectively. The amortized cost, carrying value, and fair value of held-to-maturity investments at December 31, 2013 were $137.2 million, $137.2 million, and $137.2 million, respectively. The gross unrecognized holding gains and losses were not material for 2014, 2013, or 2012. No other-than-temporary impairments related to these investments have been recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. As of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company’s available-for-sale investments were not material.

Accounts_Receivable

Accounts Receivable	12 Months Ended
Accounts Receivable	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounts Receivable	(6) Accounts Receivable
	Accounts receivable (in thousands) consisted of the following, as of:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Billed and billable	$	187,470		$	190,446
	Less: unpaid deferred revenue		(104,425	)		(100,276	)

	Accounts receivable, gross		83,045			90,170
	Less: allowance for doubtful accounts		(4,412	)		(3,989	)

	Account receivable, net	$	78,633		$	86,181

	The Company offsets its accounts receivable and deferred revenue for any unpaid items included in deferred revenue and advance payments.
	The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts which represents its best estimate of probable losses inherent in the accounts receivable balances. The Company evaluates specific accounts when it becomes aware that a customer may not be able to meet its financial obligations due to deterioration of its liquidity or financial viability, credit ratings, or bankruptcy. In addition, the Company periodically adjusts this allowance based upon its review and assessment of the aging of receivables.

Property_and_Equipment

Property and Equipment	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment	Dec. 31, 2014
Property and Equipment	(7) Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment (in thousands) consisted of the following, as of:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Transportation equipment	$	48,906		$	48,917
	Computer equipment and purchased software		72,602			66,713
	Furniture and equipment		11,477			11,647
	Leasehold improvements		28,500			29,116
	Internally developed software		9,408			8,393

	Property and equipment, gross		170,893			164,786
	Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization		(93,041	)		(79,341	)

	Property and equipment, net	$	77,852		$	85,445

	Included in transportation equipment is the Company’s owned corporate aircraft, including capitalizable costs related to the repairs to the aircraft, and aircraft-related equipment. As of December 31, 2014, the net asset value of the aircraft and aircraft-related equipment was $41.5 million, net of $7.1 million of accumulated depreciation. As of December 31, 2013, the net asset value of the aircraft and aircraft-related equipment was $43.0 million, net of $5.6 million of accumulated depreciation.
	Included in computer equipment at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 is $2.9 million and $2.9 million, respectively, acquired under capital lease arrangements. At December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, accumulated amortization relating to computer equipment under capital lease arrangements totaled $2.5 million and $1.7 million, respectively.

	Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment, including assets under capital leases, was $20.1 million, $21.0 million, and $17.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.

Restructuring

Restructuring	12 Months Ended
Restructuring	Dec. 31, 2014
Restructuring	(8) Restructuring
	In September 2014, the Company committed to a restructuring plan (the “2014 Restructuring Plan”) to streamline its workforce and spending to better align its cost structure with its business strategy, including reducing the Company’s workforce by 777 employees, comprised of 217 employees in North America, 400 employees in Asia Pacific, 141 employees in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 19 employees in Latin America. As of December 31, 2014, the Company has implemented substantially all of the 2014 Restructuring Plan. The Company does not expect future costs associated with implementing the remainder of the 2014 Restructuring Plan, consisting primarily of the liquidation of certain foreign subsidiaries, to be material.
	Costs associated with the 2014 Restructuring Plan include employee severance and related benefit costs (including outplacement services and continuing health insurance coverage), contract termination costs (including operating lease terminations for certain office space at the Company’s corporate headquarters and other international locations), and other charges (including external consulting and advisory fees related to implementing the restructuring plan). The following table summarizes the major types of costs associated with the 2014 Restructuring Plan (in thousands) for the year ended December 31, 2014, total costs incurred through December 31, 2014 and total costs expected to be incurred:


		Year Ended		Total Costs		Total Expected
		December 31,		Incurred To		Plan Costs
		2014		Date
	Severance and related employee benefits	$	13,162	$	13,162	$	13,162
	Contract termination costs		1,159		1,159		1,159
	Other costs		411		411		692

	Total restructuring costs	$	14,732	$	14,732	$	15,013

	In the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2014, the Company estimated that total expected costs of the 2014 Restructuring Plan would be $18.4 million. As of December 31, 2014, the Company has revised its total expected costs of the 2014 Restructuring Plan to be $15.0 million. The $3.4 million decrease in total expected plan costs is primarily due to a $3.1 million decrease in total expected severance and related employee benefit costs, which was primarily due to a change in business strategy and other developments.
	The total restructuring costs above are reported as “Restructuring costs” under “Operating expenses” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	Restructuring-related liabilities are reported as “Accrued restructuring costs” in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The following table presents a summary of changes in the restructuring-related liabilities (in thousands) for the year ended December 31, 2014:


		Balance as of		Costs		Cash			Non-cash			Adjustments			Balance as of
		January 1, 2014		Incurred		Payments			Settlements			and Other			December 31, 2014
	Current:
	Severance and related employee benefits	$	0	$	13,162	$	(10,746	)	$	0		$	(201	)	$	2,215
	Contract termination costs		0		1,159		(960	)		(441	)		242			0
	Other costs		0		411		(302	)		0			(40	)		69

	Total current accrued restructuring costs	$	0	$	14,732	$	(12,008	)	$	(441	)	$	1		$	2,284

Deferred_Revenue_and_Advance_P

Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments	12 Months Ended
Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments	Dec. 31, 2014
Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments	(9) Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments
	Deferred revenue and advance payments (in thousands) from customers consisted of the following, as of:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Current:
	Deferred product licenses revenue	$	10,927		$	14,538
	Deferred subscription services revenue		16,018			10,923
	Deferred product support revenue		168,833			167,771
	Deferred other services revenue		10,564			17,056

	Gross current deferred revenue and advance payments		206,342			210,288
	Less: unpaid deferred revenue		(97,929	)		(96,632	)

	Net current deferred revenue and advance payments	$	108,413		$	113,656


	Non-current:
	Deferred product licenses revenue	$	8,012		$	4,401
	Deferred subscription services revenue		750			1,161
	Deferred product support revenue		7,505			5,877
	Deferred other services revenue		1,047			1,175

	Gross non-current deferred revenue and advance payments		17,314			12,614
	Less: unpaid deferred revenue		(6,496	)		(3,644	)

	Net non-current deferred revenue and advance payments	$	10,818		$	8,970

	The Company offsets its accounts receivable and deferred revenue for any unpaid items included in deferred revenue and advance payments.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies	(10) Commitments and Contingencies

	(a) Commitments

	From time to time, the Company enters into certain types of contracts that require it to indemnify parties against third-party claims. These contracts primarily relate to agreements under which the Company has agreed to indemnify customers and partners for third-party claims arising from intellectual property infringement. The conditions of these obligations vary. Thus, the overall maximum amount of the Company’s indemnification obligations cannot be reasonably estimated. Historically, the Company has not been obligated to make significant payments for these obligations and does not currently expect to incur any material obligations in the future. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded an indemnification liability on its balance sheets as of December 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.

	The Company leases office space and computer and other equipment under operating lease agreements. It also leases certain computer and other equipment under capital lease agreements and licenses certain software under other financing arrangements. Under the lease agreements, in addition to base rent, the Company is generally responsible for certain taxes, utilities and maintenance costs, and other fees; and several leases include options for renewal or purchase. As of December 31, 2014, the Company was leasing approximately 233,000 square feet of office space at a location in Northern Virginia that began serving as its corporate headquarters in October 2010, including approximately 19,000 square feet of office space for which it gave written notice in August 2014 of its intent to terminate, effective February 2015, as part of the 2014 Restructuring Plan. The Company never used the terminated lease space and it remained vacant until it was terminated in early February 2015. The term of the lease expires in December 2020. At December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, deferred rent of $18.9 million and $20.1 million, respectively, is included in other long-term liabilities and $3.0 million and $2.8 million, respectively, is included in current accrued expenses.



	The following table shows future minimum rent payments under noncancellable operating and capital leases and agreements with initial terms of greater than one year, net of total future minimum rent payments to be received under noncancellable sublease agreements (in thousands), based on the expected due dates of the various installments as of December 31, 2014:



	Year	Operating Leases		Capital Leases
		Amount		and Other Financing
				Amount
	2015	$	24,627	$	1,563
	2016		21,150		121
	2017		17,861		18
	2018		17,270		18
	2019		16,263		0
	Thereafter		19,929		0

		$	117,100	$	1,720


	Total rental expenses under operating lease agreements for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 were $30.4 million, $28.3 million, and $26.4 million, respectively.

	(b) Contingencies

	In December 2011, DataTern, Inc. (“DataTern”) filed a complaint for patent infringement against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The complaint alleged that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,101,502 (the “’502 Patent”), allegedly owned by DataTern, by making, selling, or offering for sale several of the Company’s products and services including MicroStrategy 9™, MicroStrategy Intelligence Server, MicroStrategy Business Intelligence Platform™, MicroStrategy Cloud Personal, and other MicroStrategy applications for creating or using data mining, dashboards, business analytics, data storage and warehousing, and Web hosting support. The complaint accused the Company of willful infringement and sought an unspecified amount of damages, an award of attorneys’ fees, and preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. In October 2012, the case was stayed pending final judgment in a separate action involving the ’502 Patent filed by DataTern in the Southern District of New York, in which MicroStrategy was not a party. Final judgment in that separate action was entered against DataTern in December 2012 (the “New York Judgment”). DataTern appealed the New York Judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the “Federal Circuit”). In February 2013, MicroStrategy and DataTern filed motions for summary judgment of non-infringement in light of the New York Judgment and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts entered summary judgment against DataTern. In March 2013, DataTern filed a notice of appeal with the Federal Circuit. In January 2014, the Federal Circuit stayed DataTern’s appeal pending the disposition of DataTern’s appeal of the New York Judgment. In May 2014, the Federal Circuit affirmed the New York Judgment in part and reversed it in part. After petitions for rehearing were denied regarding the New York Judgment, the Company and DataTern agreed that the stay in their appeal in the Federal Circuit should be lifted. The Federal Circuit held oral arguments in MicroStrategy’s appeal in November 2014. On December 19, 2014, the Federal Circuit issued an opinion vacating the District of Massachusetts’ summary judgment, stating that the claim construction on which the summary judgment was based was incorrect. On January 26, 2015, the Federal Circuit ordered that the case be remanded for further proceedings, and in February 2015, the Company filed motions for summary judgment in the district court on grounds of non-infringement and invalidity. The Company has received indemnification requests from certain of its resellers and customers who were sued by DataTern in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in lawsuits alleging infringement of the ’502 Patent. The outcome of these matters is not presently determinable, and the Company cannot make a reasonable estimate of the possible loss or range of loss with respect to these matters at this time. Accordingly, no estimated liability for these matters has been accrued in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

	In December 2011, Vasudevan Software, Inc. (“Vasudevan”) filed a complaint for patent infringement against the Company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleged that the Company’s sale of MicroStrategy 9 and other MicroStrategy products infringes four patents allegedly owned by Vasudevan known as U.S. Patent Nos. 6,877,006, 7,167,864, 7,720,861, and 8,082,268, all entitled “Multimedia Inspection Database System for Dynamic Runtime Evaluation.” The complaint accused the Company of infringement, inducing others to infringe, and acts of contributory infringement with respect to the patents at issue and sought a permanent injunction, an unspecified amount of damages, and other relief as may be granted by the



	court. In October 2013, following a series of motions by the parties, the court dismissed the case, entered judgment of non-infringement based on a stipulation of non-infringement filed by Vasudevan, and also granted MicroStrategy’s motion for summary judgment of invalidity, finding the four patents in the suit invalid. In November 2013, Vasudevan filed its Notice of Appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Also in November 2013, Vasudevan filed a motion that was unopposed by the Company to consolidate the appeal with Vasudevan’s appeal of a related matter against TIBCO Software, which had also been dismissed by the District Court on summary judgment. In February 2014, in response to Vasudevan’s motion, the Court entered an order that the cases be treated as companion cases. On September 12, 2014, the parties presented oral arguments before the Federal Circuit. The parties are currently awaiting the Federal Circuit’s final decision in the case. The outcome of this matter on appeal is not presently determinable, and the Company cannot make a reasonable estimate of the possible loss or range of loss with respect to this matter at this time. Accordingly, no estimated liability for this matter has been accrued in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

	The Company is also involved in various other legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. Although the outcomes of these other legal proceedings are inherently difficult to predict, management does not expect the resolution of these other legal proceedings to have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

	The Company has contingent liabilities that, in management’s judgment, are not probable of assertion. If such unasserted contingent liabilities were to be asserted, or become probable of assertion, the Company may be required to record significant expenses and liabilities in the period in which these liabilities are asserted or become probable of assertion.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Taxes	(11) Income Taxes
	U.S. and international components of income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (in thousands) were comprised of the following for the periods indicated:


			Years Ended December 31,
			2014				2013			2012
	U.S.		$	(5,389	)		$	(6,158	)	$	587
	Foreign			16,440				22,909			31,620

	Total		$	11,051			$	16,751		$	32,207

	The benefit from or provision for income taxes from continuing operations (in thousands) consisted of the following for the periods indicated:


			Years Ended December 31,
			2014				2013			2012
	Current:
	Federal		$	(306	)		$	(12,404	)	$	533
	State			(1	)			172			68
	Foreign			7,638				5,994			7,269

			$	7,331			$	(6,238	)	$	7,870

	Deferred:
	Federal		$	(2,132	)		$	(3,417	)	$	995
	State			(1,038	)			267			1,310
	Foreign			1,855				(411	)		(441	)

			$	(1,315	)		$	(3,561	)	$	1,864

	Total provision (benefit)		$	6,016			$	(9,799	)	$	9,734


	The benefit from or provision for income taxes from continuing operations differs from the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the Company’s income from continuing operations before income taxes as follows for the periods indicated:


			Years Ended December 31,
			2014				2013			2012
	Income tax expense at federal statutory rate			35	%			35	%		35	%
	State taxes, net of federal tax effect			-4.3	%			2	%		3	%
	Foreign earnings taxed at different rates			2.9	%			-18.3	%		-21.5	%
	Withholding tax			14.3	%			9.7	%		6.3	%
	Foreign tax credit			-9.6	%			-5.4	%		-3.4	%
	Other international components			0.8	%			3.4	%		1.9	%
	Change in valuation allowance			21.1	%			-0.8	%		0.1	%
	Deferred tax adjustments and rate changes			-4.9	%			-2.8	%		0.6	%
	Meals and entertainment			5.9	%			4.5	%		2.9	%
	Non-deductible officers compensation			2	%			7.1	%		2.1	%
	Personal use of corporate aircraft			2.5	%			2.5	%		2.6	%
	Subpart F income			4	%			2.4	%		1.2	%
	Research and development tax credit			-13.7	%			-12.6	%		0.7	%
	Other permanent differences			-1.6	%			0.8	%		0.6	%
	Release of unrecognized tax benefits			0	%			-86	%		-1.9	%

	Total			54.4	%			-58.5	%		30.2	%

	The 2013 “research and development tax credit” rate of negative 12.6% is comprised of U.S. research and development tax credits generated in 2013 and 2012. The 2012 U.S. research and development tax credit was retroactively reinstated by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 signed into law on January 2, 2013 and recorded as a tax benefit in the first quarter of 2013.
	The Company’s U.S. and foreign effective tax rates for income from continuing operations before income taxes were as follows for the periods indicated:


			Years Ended December 31,
			2014				2013			2012
	U.S.			64.5	%			249.7	%		495.1	%
	Foreign			57.7	%			24.4	%		21.6	%

Combined			54.4	%			-58.5	%		30.2	%

Except as discussed below, the Company intends to indefinitely reinvest its undistributed earnings of all of its foreign subsidiaries. Therefore, the annualized effective tax rate applied to the Company’s pre-tax income from continuing operations does not include any provision for U.S. federal and state income taxes on the amount of the undistributed foreign earnings. U.S. federal tax laws, however, require the Company to include in its U.S. taxable income certain investment income earned outside of the U.S. in excess of certain limits (“Subpart F deemed dividends”). Because Subpart F deemed dividends are already required to be recognized in the Company’s U.S. federal income tax return, the Company regularly repatriates Subpart F deemed dividends to the U.S. and no additional tax is incurred on the distribution. The Company repatriated Subpart F deemed dividends to the U.S. of $1.3 million, $1.0 million and $2.5 million in 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively, with no additional tax incurred. As of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the amount of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments held by U.S. entities was $139.1 million and $160.5 million, respectively, and by non-U.S. entities was $206.4 million and $196.9 million, respectively. If the cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments held by non-U.S. entities were to be repatriated to the U.S., the Company would generate U.S. taxable income to the extent of the Company’s undistributed foreign earnings, which amounted to $201.7 million at December 31, 2014. Although the tax impact of repatriating these earnings is difficult to determine, the Company would not expect the maximum effective tax rate that would be applicable to such repatriation to exceed the U.S. statutory rate of 35.0%, after considering applicable foreign tax credits.

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of the temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities (in thousands) were as follows for the periods indicated:


		December 31,
		2014				2013
Deferred tax assets, net:
Net operating loss carryforwards		$	6,911			$	981
Tax credits			10,402				8,723
Intangible assets			59				1,317
Deferred revenue adjustment			1,989				2,746
Accrued compensation			11,452				17,465
Share-based compensation expense			5,485				714
Deferred rent			3,428				3,709
Other			3,425				2,197

			43,151				37,852
Valuation allowance			(2,311	)			(77	)

Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance			40,840				37,775

Deferred tax liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other			1,044				1,084
Property and equipment			17,149				15,751
Capitalized software development costs			5,637				3,791

Total deferred tax liabilities			23,830				20,626

Total net deferred tax asset		$	17,010			$	17,149

Reported as:
Current deferred tax assets, net		$	19,936			$	21,555
Non-current deferred tax assets, net			1,160				3,204
Current deferred tax liabilities			(557	)			(422	)
Non-current deferred tax liabilities			(3,529	)			(7,188	)

Total net deferred tax asset		$	17,010			$	17,149

The table of deferred tax assets and liabilities shown above does not include a deferred tax asset of $0.2 million related to U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards of $0.4 million as of December 31, 2014 that arose directly from tax deductions related to equity compensation in excess of compensation recognized for financial reporting.
As of December 31, 2014, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of $2.5 million, which are recorded in other long-term liabilities. The change in unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands) is presented in the table below:


Unrecognized tax benefits at January 1, 2014		$	2,312
Increase related to positions taken in prior period			938
Increase related to positions taken in current period			270
Decrease related to expiration of statute of limitations			(60	)

Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2014			3,460
Accrued interest			292
Netting of deferred tax assets and unrecognized tax benefits			(1,273	)

Unrecognized tax benefits recorded in other long-term liabilities at December 31, 2014		$	2,479


If recognized, $1.7 million of the gross unrecognized tax benefits would impact the Company’s effective tax rate. Over the next 12 months, the amount of the Company’s liability for unrecognized tax benefits shown above is not expected to change by a material amount. The Company recognizes estimated accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in the provision for income tax accounts. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recognized an immaterial amount of accrued interest. During the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company (released) recognized approximately ($1.0) million and $0.4 million, respectively, in accrued interest. The amount of accrued interest related to the above unrecognized tax benefits was approximately $0.3 million and $0.3 million as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.
The Company files tax returns in numerous foreign countries as well as the U.S. and its tax returns may be subject to audit by tax authorities in all countries in which it files. Each country has its own statute of limitations for making assessment of additional tax liabilities. The Company’s U.S. tax returns for tax years from 2011 forward are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.
The Company’s major foreign tax jurisdictions and the tax years that remain subject to examination are Germany for tax years 2009 forward, Poland and China for tax years 2010 forward, Spain for tax years 2011 forward, and the United Kingdom for tax years 2013 forward. The Company settled tax examinations in Germany for tax years 2005 through 2008 and Spain for tax years 2009 through 2010 in the second quarter and fourth quarter of 2013, respectively. To date there have been no material audit assessments related to audits in the U.S. or any of the applicable foreign jurisdictions.
The Company had $14.7 million and $0.0 million of U.S. net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The Company had $3.4 million and $4.4 million of foreign net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The Company had domestic research and development tax credit, foreign tax credit, and alternative minimum tax credit carryforward tax assets totaling $10.5 million and $8.7 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which begin to expire in 2016. The timing and ability of the Company to use these losses and credits may be limited by Internal Revenue Code provisions regarding changes in ownership of the Company as discussed below.
The Company’s valuation allowances of $2.3 million and $0.1 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, primarily relate to certain foreign net operating loss carryforward and foreign tax credit carryforward tax assets.
In determining the Company’s provision for or benefit from income taxes, net deferred tax assets, liabilities, and valuation allowances, management is required to make judgments and estimates related to projections of domestic and foreign profitability, the timing and extent of the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards, applicable tax rates, transfer pricing methodologies, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. As a multinational company, the Company is required to calculate and provide for estimated income tax liabilities for each of the tax jurisdictions in which it operates. This process involves estimating current tax obligations and exposures in each jurisdiction, as well as making judgments regarding the future recoverability of deferred tax assets. Changes in the estimated level of annual pre-tax income, changes in tax laws, particularly related to the utilization of net operating losses in various jurisdictions, and changes resulting from tax audits can all affect the overall effective income tax rate which, in turn, impacts the overall level of income tax expense or benefit and net income.
Judgments and estimates related to the Company’s projections and assumptions are inherently uncertain; therefore, actual results could differ materially from projections. The timing and manner in which the Company will use net operating loss carryforward tax assets, research and development tax credit carryforward tax assets, alternative minimum tax credit carryforward tax assets, and foreign tax credit carryforward tax assets in any year, or in total, may be limited by provisions of the Internal Revenue Code regarding changes in the Company’s ownership. Currently, the Company expects to use the tax assets, subject to Internal Revenue Code limitations, within the carryforward periods. If the Company is unable to achieve profitability in future periods, particularly relating to the U.S. operations, it may not be able to realize these tax assets. Valuation allowances have been established where the Company has concluded that it is more likely than not that such deferred tax assets are not realizable. If the Company is unable to achieve profitability in future periods, it may be required to increase the valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets, which could result in a charge that would materially adversely affect net income in the period in which the charge is incurred.

Section 382 provides an annual limitation on the amount of federal net operating losses and tax credits that may be used in the event of an ownership change. The limitation is based on, among other things, the value of the company as of the change date multiplied by a U.S. federal long-term tax exempt interest rate. The Company does not currently expect the limitations under the §382 ownership change rules to impact the Company’s ability to use its net operating loss carryforwards or tax credits that existed as of the date of the ownership change.

Sharebased_Compensation

Share-based Compensation	12 Months Ended
Share-based Compensation	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation	(12) Share-based Compensation
	In September 2013, the Board of Directors approved the Company’s 2013 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”), under which the Company’s employees, officers, directors, and other eligible participants may be awarded various types of share-based compensation, and authorized 600,000 shares of the Company’s class A common stock for issuance under the 2013 Plan. In April 2014, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2013 Plan at the Company’s annual meeting.
	In April 2014, following the Company’s annual meeting, the Board of Directors authorized, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment to the 2013 Plan to increase the total number of shares of the Company’s class A common stock authorized for issuance under the 2013 Plan from 600,000 to 1,500,000 shares (“Amendment No. 1”). Also in April 2014, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) authorized, subject to stockholder approval, an additional amendment to the 2013 Plan to provide for automatic annual stock option grants to each of the Company’s non-employee directors with respect to 5,000 shares of the Company’s class A common stock, beginning in 2015 (“Amendment No. 2”). The Company considers stockholder approval of both amendments to the 2013 Plan to be perfunctory since the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer holds a majority of the total voting power of all the Company’s outstanding voting stock.
	During 2014, the Compensation Committee approved, in each case subject to stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1, the grant of stock options to purchase an aggregate of 745,000 shares of class A common stock to certain Company employees, officers, and directors pursuant to the 2013 Plan. These awards, and any additional awards granted prior to stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1, will be terminated or forfeited if stockholder approval is not obtained within 12 months of the date of grant of the awards, and no awards may be exercised or settled prior to such stockholder approval. However, the Company expects to obtain stockholder approval of both amendments to the 2013 Plan at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in 2015. In the event stockholder approval for Amendment No. 1 is not obtained within 12 months of the grant date of any option awards, the cumulative share-based compensation expense associated with those stock option awards would be reversed. As of December 31, 2014, there were options to purchase 1,200,800 shares of class A common stock outstanding under the 2013 Plan (including options to purchase 685,000 shares of class A common stock that are subject to stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1). As of December 31, 2014, there were 290,000 remaining shares of class A common stock authorized for future issuance under the 2013 Plan, subject to stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1.
	Shares issued under the 2013 Plan may consist in whole or in part of authorized but unissued shares or treasury shares. No awards may be issued more than ten years after the 2013 Plan’s effective date. Stock options that are granted under the 2013 Plan must have an exercise price equal to at least the fair market value of the Company’s class A common stock on the date of grant, become exercisable as established by the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee, and expire no later than ten years following the date of grant. The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense associated with such stock option awards on a straight-line basis over the award’s requisite service period (generally, the vesting period). The stock option awards granted to date vest in equal annual installments over an approximately four-year vesting period (unless accelerated upon a change in control event (as defined in the stock option agreement for the applicable award) or otherwise in accordance with provisions of the 2013 Plan or applicable option agreement).
	Share-based compensation expense is based on the fair value of the stock option awards on the date of grant, as estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the input of certain management assumptions, including the expected term, expected stock price volatility, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividend yield. The Company estimates the term over which optionholders are expected to hold their stock options by using the simplified method for “plain-vanilla” stock option awards because the Company’s stock option exercise history does not provide a reasonable basis to compute the expected
	term for stock options granted under the 2013 Plan. The Company relies exclusively on its historical stock price volatility to estimate the expected stock price volatility over the expected term because the Company believes future volatility is unlikely to differ from the past. In estimating the expected stock price volatility, the Company uses a simple average calculation method. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury securities with terms that approximate the expected term of the stock options. The expected dividend yield is based on the Company’s past cash dividend history and anticipated future cash dividend payments. The expected dividend yield is zero, as the Company has not previously declared cash dividends and does not currently intend to declare cash dividends in the foreseeable future. These assumptions are based on management’s best judgment, and changes to these assumptions could materially affect the fair value estimates and amount of share-based compensation expense recognized.
	Prior to the adoption of the 2013 Plan, the Company had maintained other share-based compensation plans with respect to the Company’s class A common stock (the “Other Stock Incentive Plans”), but had not granted any share-based awards under the Other Stock Incentive Plans since the first quarter of 2004 and is no longer authorized to grant any awards under such plans. As of December 31, 2014, there were no outstanding share-based awards granted under the Other Stock Incentive Plans.
	The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity (in thousands, except per share data and years) for the periods indicated:


		Stock Options Outstanding
		Shares			Weighted Average			Aggregate		Weighted Average
					Exercise Price			Intrinsic		Remaining Contractual
					Per Share			Value		Term (Years)
	Balance as of January 1, 2012		517		$	20.31
	Granted		0			0
	Exercised		(501	)		20.3		$	51,564
	Forfeited/Expired		0			0

	Balance as of December 31, 2012		16		$	20.81
	Granted		600			92.84
	Exercised		(16	)		20.81		$	1,262
	Forfeited/Expired		0			0

	Balance as of December 31, 2013		600		$	92.84
	Granted		745			125.46
	Exercised		(9	)		92.84		$	653
	Forfeited/Expired		(135	)		104.48

	Balance as of December 31, 2014		1,201		$	111.77


	Exercisable as of December 31, 2014		141		$	92.84		$	9,794		7.7
	Expected to vest as of December 31, 2014		1,060		$	114.29			51,001		9.1

	Total		1,201		$	111.77		$	60,795		9

	Stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2014 are comprised of the following range of exercise prices per share (in thousands, except per share data and years):


		Stock Options Outstanding at December 31, 2014
	Range of Exercise Prices per Share	Shares			Weighted Average			Weighted Average
					Exercise Price			Remaining Contractual
					Per Share			Term (Years)
	$92.84 - $120.00		596		$	96.34			8.5
	$120.01 - $150.00		520		$	121.43			9.3
	$150.01 - $160.88		85		$	160.88			9.8

	Total		1,201		$	111.77			9

	An aggregate of 150,000 stock options with an aggregate fair value of $6.3 million vested during the year ended December 31, 2014. No stock options vested during the years ended December 31, 2013 and, 2012. The Company expects all unvested and outstanding options at December 31, 2014 to fully vest in future years in accordance with their vesting schedules and therefore share-based compensation expense has not been adjusted for any expected forfeitures. The weighted average grant date fair value of stock option awards using the Black-Scholes option pricing model was $55.84 and $42.03 for each share subject to a stock option granted during the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, based on the following assumptions:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014			2013
	Expected term of options in years		6.3			6.3
	Expected volatility		41.5 - 42.5	%		42.8	%
	Risk-free interest rate		2.1 - 2.3	%		2.5	%
	Expected dividend yield		0	%		0	%
	No stock options were granted during the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company recognized approximately $11.8 million and $2.1 million in share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, from stock options granted under the 2013 Plan. The Company recognized no share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 from stock options granted under the Other Stock Incentive Plans as all such options fully vested in prior years. As of December 31, 2014, there was approximately $46.6 million of total unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to unvested stock options. The Company expects to recognize this remaining share-based compensation expense over a weighted-average vesting period of approximately 3.2 years. Such amounts do not include the impact from the grants of stock options in February 2015 to purchase an aggregate of 200,000 shares of class A common stock. See Note 19, Subsequent Events, for further detail.
	During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company was able to recognize and utilize net operating loss carryforwards arising directly from tax deductions related to equity compensation in excess of compensation recognized for financial reporting that was generated primarily in prior years under the Other Stock Incentive Plans. Accordingly, stockholders’ equity increased by $23.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2013. No windfall tax benefit was realized from the exercise of stock options during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2012.
	MicroStrategy’s former subsidiary, Angel.com, previously maintained a stock incentive plan under which certain employees, officers, and directors of MicroStrategy and Angel.com were granted options to purchase shares of the class A common stock of Angel.com, subject to the satisfaction of both performance and continued service conditions. Share-based compensation expense would have been recognized over the requisite service period of the award based on the probability of the satisfaction of the performance condition, reduced by the number of awards that were not expected to vest due to the failure to satisfy the continued service condition. In connection with the sale of Angel.com in the first quarter of 2013, the Angel.com stock incentive plan was terminated and all outstanding options thereunder were terminated in exchange for cash payments totaling $8.0 million. Prior to their termination, no share-based compensation expense was recognized for these awards for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 because the performance condition had not been satisfied.

Basic_and_Diluted_Earnings_per

Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share	12 Months Ended
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share	Dec. 31, 2014
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share	(13) Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share
	Potential shares of common stock are included in the diluted earnings per share calculation when dilutive. Potential shares of common stock, consisting of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding employee stock options, are calculated using the treasury stock method.

	The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share (in thousands, except per share data) for the periods indicated:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	Numerator:
	Income (loss) from:
	Continuing operations, net of tax	$	5,035	$	26,550	$	22,473
	Discontinued operations, net of tax		0		56,782		(1,927	)

	Net income	$	5,035	$	83,332	$	20,546

	Denominator:
	Weighted average common shares of class A common stock		9,246		9,073		8,768
	Weighted average common shares of class B common stock		2,055		2,227		2,227

	Total weighted average common stock shares outstanding		11,301		11,300		10,995
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Employee stock options		55		1		179

	Adjusted weighted average shares		11,356		11,301		11,174


	Earnings per share:
	Basic earnings (loss) per share
	From continuing operations	$	0.45	$	2.35	$	2.05
	From discontinued operations		0		5.02		(0.18	)

	Basic earnings per share	$	0.45	$	7.37	$	1.87

	Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	From continuing operations	$	0.44	$	2.35	$	2.01
	From discontinued operations		0		5.02		(0.17	)

	Diluted earnings per share	$	0.44	$	7.37	$	1.84

	For the year ended December 31, 2014, stock options issued under the 2013 Plan to purchase an aggregate of 735,000 shares of class A common stock were excluded from the diluted earnings per share computation because the effect of their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. For the year ended December 31, 2013, stock options issued under the 2013 Plan to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 shares of class A common stock were excluded from the diluted earnings per share computation because the effect of their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. No options to purchase shares of common stock were excluded from the diluted earnings per share computation for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Treasury_Stock

Treasury Stock	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Treasury Stock	(14) Treasury Stock
	The Board of Directors has authorized the Company’s repurchase of up to an aggregate of $800.0 million of its class A common stock from time to time on the open market through April 29, 2018 (the “2005 Share Repurchase Program”), although the program may be suspended or discontinued by the Company at any time. The timing and amount of any shares repurchased will be determined by the Company’s management based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The 2005 Share Repurchase Program may be funded using the Company’s working capital, as well as proceeds from any other funding arrangements that the Company may enter into in the future. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had repurchased an aggregate of 3,826,947 shares of its class A common stock at an average price per share of $90.23 and an aggregate cost of $345.3 million pursuant to the 2005 Share Repurchase Program. The average price per share and aggregate cost amounts disclosed above include broker commissions. During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, the Company did not repurchase any shares of its class A common stock pursuant to the 2005 Share Repurchase Program.

Employee_Benefit_Plan

Employee Benefit Plan	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefit Plan	Dec. 31, 2014
Employee Benefit Plan	(15) Employee Benefit Plan
	The Company sponsors a benefit plan to provide retirement benefits for its employees, known as the MicroStrategy 401(k) Savings Plan (the “Plan”). Participants may make voluntary contributions to the Plan of up to 50% of their annual base pre-tax compensation,
	cash bonuses, and commissions not to exceed the federally determined maximum allowable contribution amounts. The Plan permits for discretionary company contributions. Effective April 1, 2008, the Company elected to make a matching contribution to each plan participant in the amount of 50% of the first 6% of a participant’s contributions, up to a maximum of $3,000 per year. A participant vests in the matching contributions in increments based on the participant’s years of employment by the Company, becoming fully vested after completing six years of employment. The Company made contributions to the Plan totaling $2.9 million, $2.7 million, and $2.6 million during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.

Discontinued_Operations

Discontinued Operations	12 Months Ended
Discontinued Operations	Dec. 31, 2014
Discontinued Operations	(16) Discontinued Operations
	On March 15, 2013, the Company completed the sale of its equity interest in its Angel.com business for consideration to the Company of approximately $111.2 million, resulting in a net cash inflow of $100.7 million after $10.5 million in transaction costs. The sale resulted in a gain of $57.4 million, net of tax, in the year ended December 31, 2013. In the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations, the Company has classified operations of the Angel.com business as Loss from Discontinued Operations, net of tax, because the Company does not have any continuing involvement with or cash flows from this business following its divestiture.
	The following table summarizes the revenues and pre-tax loss generated by the Angel.com business during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, in addition to the pre-tax gain on the sale of Angel.com recorded by the Company during the year ended December 31, 2013 (in thousands):


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	Angel.com revenues	$	0	$	6,320	$	28,882
	Angel.com pre-tax loss	$	0	$	986	$	2,976
	MicroStrategy pre-tax gain on sale	$	0	$	94,925	$	0

Segment_Information

Segment Information	12 Months Ended
Segment Information	Dec. 31, 2014
Segment Information	(17) Segment Information
	The Company manages its business in one operating segment. As discussed in Note 16, the Angel.com business was sold on March 15, 2013. Prior to its divestiture, the Angel.com business was the sole component of the former operating segment “Other.” The Company’s one operating segment is engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sales of analytics software through licensing arrangements and cloud-based subscriptions and related services. It includes the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform, MicroStrategy Mobile, and MicroStrategy Secure Cloud. The Company has also included MicroStrategy Usher as part of the one operating segment for each of the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 because this platform did not generate material revenues during these periods. The following table presents total revenues from continuing operations, gross profit from continuing operations, and long-lived assets, excluding long-term deferred tax assets, (in thousands) according to geographic region:

	Geographic regions:	Domestic		EMEA		Other Regions		Consolidated
	Year ended December 31, 2014
	Total revenues	$	341,692	$	176,774	$	61,364	$	579,830
	Gross profit	$	261,459	$	131,790	$	51,371	$	444,620
	Year ended December 31, 2013
	Total revenues	$	343,073	$	169,194	$	63,621	$	575,888
	Gross profit	$	261,134	$	123,373	$	52,812	$	437,319
	Year ended December 31, 2012
	Total revenues	$	326,333	$	177,543	$	61,848	$	565,724
	Gross profit	$	241,440	$	133,986	$	49,222	$	424,648
	As of December 31, 2014
	Long-lived assets	$	85,504	$	5,690	$	4,078	$	95,272
	As of December 31, 2013
	Long-lived assets	$	89,342	$	7,111	$	5,909	$	102,362
	The domestic region consists of the United States and Canada. The EMEA region includes operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The other regions include all other foreign countries, generally comprising Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, no individual foreign country accounted for 10% or more of total consolidated revenues from continuing operations.
	For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, no individual customer accounted for 10% or more of total consolidated revenues from continuing operations.
	As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, no individual foreign country accounted for 10% or more of total consolidated assets.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)	12 Months Ended
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)	Dec. 31, 2014
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)	(18) Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
	The following tables contain unaudited Statement of Operations information for each quarter of 2014 and 2013. The Company believes that the following information reflects all normal recurring adjustments. During the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company recognized a reduction in its accrued bonus expense as a result of a change in estimate, which resulted in a $7.4 million increase in income from continuing operations. The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future period.

			Quarter Ended
			March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31		Year
			(in thousands, except per share data)
	2014
	Revenues		$	137,904		$	141,853		$	151,202		$	148,871	$	579,830
	Gross profit		$	104,895		$	106,240		$	116,249		$	117,236	$	444,620

	(Loss) income from continuing operations, net of tax		$	(6,482	)	$	(10,337	)	$	(845	)	$	22,699	$	5,035
	Discontinued operations, net of tax			0			0			0			0		0

	Net (loss) income		$	(6,482	)	$	(10,337	)	$	(845	)	$	22,699	$	5,035

	(Loss) earnings per share:(1)
	Basic, from continuing operations		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	2.01	$	0.45
	Basic, from discontinued operations			0			0			0			0		0

	Basic (loss) earnings per share		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	2.01	$	0.45

	Diluted, from continuing operations		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	1.99	$	0.44
	Diluted, from discontinued operations			0			0			0			0		0

	Diluted (loss) earnings per share		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	1.99	$	0.44


			Quarter Ended
			31-Mar			30-Jun			30-Sep			31-Dec		Year
			(in thousands, except per share data)
	2013
	Revenues		$	130,183		$	137,905		$	141,919		$	165,881	$	575,888
	Gross profit		$	94,282		$	101,459		$	108,666		$	132,912	$	437,319

	(Loss) income from continuing operations, net of tax		$	(5,191	)	$	(1,553	)	$	17,146		$	16,148	$	26,550
	Discontinued operations, net of tax			56,782			0			0			0		56,782

	Net income (loss)		$	51,591		$	(1,553	)	$	17,146		$	16,148	$	83,332

	Earnings (loss) per share:(1)
	Basic, from continuing operations		$	(0.46	)	$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	2.35
	Basic, from discontinued operations			5.03			0			0			0		5.02

	Basic earnings (loss) per share		$	4.57		$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	7.37

	Diluted, from continuing operations		$	(0.46	)	$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	2.35
	Diluted, from discontinued operations			5.03			0			0			0		5.02

	Diluted earnings (loss) per share		$	4.57		$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	7.37


	-1	The sum of the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the four quarters may differ from annual earnings (loss) per share as the weighted-average shares outstanding are computed independently for each of the quarters presented.

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
Subsequent Events	Dec. 31, 2014
Subsequent Events	(19) Subsequent Events
	In February 2015, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors approved, subject to stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1 to the 2013 Plan, the grant of stock options to purchase an aggregate of 200,000 shares of class A common stock to certain Company employees and officers pursuant to the 2013 Plan. The fair value of these stock options is approximately $13.6 million, to be recognized as share-based compensation expense over a four year vesting period.
	These awards will be terminated or forfeited if stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1 is not obtained within 12 months of the date of grant of the awards, and no awards may be exercised or settled prior to such stockholder approval. However, the Company expects to obtain stockholder approval of Amendment No. 1 to the 2013 Plan at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in 2015. The 2013 Plan is described in further detail in Note 12, Share-based Compensation, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Schedule_II_Valuation_And_Qual

Schedule II Valuation And Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
Schedule II Valuation And Qualifying Accounts	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule II Valuation And Qualifying Accounts	SCHEDULE II
	VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
	For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012
	(in thousands)


			Balance at the		Additions (1)		Deductions			Balance at
			beginning of							the end of
			the period							the period
	Allowance for doubtful accounts:

	December 31, 2014		$	3,989		2,969		(2,546	)	$	4,412
	December 31, 2013		$	4,366		2,281		(2,658	)	$	3,989
	December 31, 2012		$	5,628		2,361		(3,623	)	$	4,366

	Deferred tax valuation allowance:

	December 31, 2014		$	77		2,234		0		$	2,311
	December 31, 2013		$	231		77		(231	)	$	77
	December 31, 2012		$	736		7		(512	)	$	231

	-1	Reductions in/charges to revenues and expenses.

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Basis of Presentation	(a) Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
	On March 15, 2013, the Company completed the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary, Angel.com Incorporated (“Angel.com”). In the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations, the Company classified operations of the Angel.com business as Loss from Discontinued Operations, net of tax, because it does not have any continuing involvement with or cash flows from this business following its divestiture. Refer to Note 16, Discontinued Operations, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
	Certain amounts in the prior years’ Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements have also been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. Revenues and cost of revenues have been reclassified in the Consolidated Statements of Operations to reflect the separate components of total product licenses and subscription services.
Use of Estimates	(b) Use of Estimates
	The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including, but not limited to, those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, investments, derivative financial instruments, software development costs, fixed assets, intangible assets, variable compensation, restructuring costs, share-based compensation, income taxes, including the carrying value of deferred tax assets, and litigation and contingencies, including liabilities that the Company deems not probable of assertion. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets, liabilities, and equity that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results and outcomes could differ from these estimates and assumptions.
Fair Value Measurements	(c) Fair Value Measurements
	The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value is defined as the price that is expected to be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company uses a three-level hierarchy that prioritizes fair value measurements based on the types of inputs used for the various valuation techniques. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:


	Level 1:		Quoted (unadjusted) prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

	Level 2:		Inputs other than quoted prices that are either directly or indirectly observable, such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

	Level 3:		Inputs that are generally unobservable, supported by little or no market activity, and typically reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
	The categorization of an asset or liability within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The valuation techniques used by the Company when measuring fair value maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

	The Company also estimates the fair value of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, accrued compensation and employee benefits, and accrued restructuring costs. The Company considers the carrying value of these instruments in the financial statements to approximate fair value due to their short maturities.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash	(d) Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
	Cash equivalents include bank deposits, money market instruments, U.S. Treasury bills, and equivalent funds. The Company generally considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Restricted cash consists of cash balances restricted in use by contractual obligations with third parties.
Short-term Investments	(e) Short-term Investments
	The Company periodically invests a portion of its excess cash in short-term investment instruments. All highly liquid investments with stated maturity dates between three months and one year from the purchase date are classified as short-term investments. The Company determines the appropriate classification of its short-term investments at the time of purchase.
	Substantially all of the Company’s short-term investments are in U.S. Treasury securities, and the Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments to maturity. Therefore, these short-term investments are classified and accounted for as held-to-maturity and are reported at amortized cost. Each reporting period, the Company determines whether a decline in fair value below the amortized cost for each individual security is other-than-temporary and if it would be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If an other-than-temporary impairment has occurred, the amount representing the credit loss is recorded in “Other income (expense), net,” and the amount related to all other factors is recognized in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).” Upon recognition of an other-than-temporary impairment, the previous amortized cost basis less the other-than-temporary impairment recognized in earnings becomes the new amortized cost basis of the investment.
Derivative Financial Instruments	(f) Derivative Financial Instruments
	The Company is exposed to certain risks related to its ongoing business operations, including the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on the Company’s monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency. The Company uses foreign currency forward contracts as part of its strategy to manage these risks, but does not hold or issue derivative instruments for trading purposes or speculation. We execute these instruments with financial institutions that hold an investment grade credit rating. These foreign currency forward contracts do not meet the requirements for hedge accounting and are recorded on the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at their fair value as of the reporting date. Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments, as measured using the three-level hierarchy described above, are recognized in “Other income (expense), net” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Property and Equipment	(g) Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, as follows: three years for computer equipment and purchased software, five years for office equipment and automobiles, and ten years for office furniture and owned corporate aircraft, which has an estimated salvage value of 70%. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the improvements or the term of the lease, whichever is shorter. The Company periodically evaluates the appropriateness of the estimated useful lives and salvage value of all property and equipment. Any change in the estimated useful life or salvage value is treated as a change in estimate and accounted for prospectively in the period of change.

	Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred, except for certain costs related to the aircraft. The costs of normal, recurring, or periodic repairs and maintenance activities related to the aircraft are expensed as incurred. The cost of planned major maintenance activities (“PMMA”) may be treated differently because those activities may involve the acquisition of additional aircraft components or the replacement of existing aircraft components. PMMA are performed periodically based on passage of time and the use of the aircraft. The classification of a maintenance activity as part of PMMA requires judgment and can affect the amount of expense recognized in any particular period. The cost of each PMMA is expected to be capitalized and amortized over the period until the next scheduled PMMA. The costs of the repairs associated with the Company’s owned aircraft, which was returned to service in the second quarter of 2012, did not constitute PMMA. There have been no PMMA to date.
	When assets are retired or sold, the capitalized cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the property and equipment accounts and any resulting gain or loss is recognized in the results of operations.
	Eligible internal-use software development costs are capitalized subsequent to the completion of the preliminary project stage. Such costs include external direct material and service costs, employee payroll, and payroll-related costs. After all substantial testing and deployment is completed and the software is ready for its intended use, capitalization ceases and internal-use software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, generally three years.
	The Company reviews long-lived assets, including intangible assets, for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of these assets are no longer appropriate. Each impairment test is based on a comparison of the undiscounted cash flows to the recorded value of the asset. If an asset is impaired, the asset is written down by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the related fair value of the asset.
Software Development Costs	(h) Software Development Costs
	Software development costs are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been established, at which time such costs are capitalized until the product is available for general release to customers. Capitalized software development costs include direct labor costs and fringe benefit costs attributed to programmers, software engineers, and quality control and field certifiers working on products after they reach technological feasibility, but before they are generally available to customers for sale. Technological feasibility is considered to be achieved when a product design and working model of the software product have been completed. Capitalized software development costs are typically amortized over the estimated product life of three years, on a straight-line basis.
	Capitalized software development costs, net of accumulated amortization, were $13.5 million and $10.3 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Amortization expense related to software development costs was $5.2 million, $5.5 million, and $4.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively, and is included in cost of product licenses and subscription services revenues. During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, the Company capitalized software development costs of $8.4 million, $5.4 million, and $8.1 million, respectively. The Company analyzes the net realizable value of capitalized software development costs on at least an annual basis and has determined that there is no indication of impairment of the capitalized software development costs as forecasted future sales are adequate to support amortization costs.
Restructuring Costs	(i) Restructuring Costs
	In 2014, the Company committed to, and substantially implemented, a restructuring plan. In connection with this restructuring plan, the Company has incurred restructuring related costs, including employee severance and related benefit costs, contract termination costs, and other related costs. See Note 8, Restructuring, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the Company’s current restructuring activities.
	Employee severance and related benefit costs may include cash payments, outplacement services, continuing health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Where no substantive severance or benefit plan relating to the involuntary termination of employees previously exists, these severance costs are generally considered “one-time” benefits and recognized at fair value in the period in
	which the liability is incurred, which is generally when management has approved and communicated to the terminated employees a detailed plan of termination. Severance costs pursuant to ongoing-benefit arrangements, including statutorily mandated termination benefits or termination benefits provided for in existing employment contracts, are recognized when probable and reasonably estimable. Severance costs are reasonably estimated based on the mix of staffing composition and geography. Where termination benefits are offered for a short period of time in exchange for voluntary termination, severance costs are recognized when the employee has irrevocably accepted the offer.
	Contract termination costs may include costs to exit office space under existing operating leases and consist of both costs to terminate the contract before the end of the term and costs that will continue to be incurred under the contract for the remaining term without economic benefit to the Company. Costs to terminate the contract before the term has ended are recognized at fair value when the Company terminates the contract in accordance with the contract terms. Costs that will continue to be incurred under the contract for the remaining term without economic benefit to the Company (for example, remaining lease rental payments and executory costs) are recognized at fair value in the period in which the Company ceases using the right conveyed by the contract (for example, when the leased space ceases to be used). In the case of operating leases, these continuing costs are also adjusted for the effects of any prepaid or deferred items previously recognized under the lease and reduced by estimated sublease rental income.
	Other related costs generally include employee relocation costs, office moving costs, and external consulting and advisory fees related to restructuring activities. Such costs are recognized at fair value in the period in which the costs are incurred.
	At each reporting date, the Company evaluates its accrued restructuring costs to determine if the liabilities reported are still appropriate. Any changes to the estimated costs of executing approved restructuring plans are reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Loss Contingencies and Legal Costs	(j) Loss Contingencies and Legal Costs
	The Company accrues loss contingencies that are believed to be probable and can be reasonably estimated. As events evolve during the administration and litigation process and additional information becomes known, the Company reassesses its estimates related to loss contingencies. Legal costs are expensed in the period in which the costs are incurred.
Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments	(k) Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments
	Deferred revenue and advance payments related to product support, subscription services, and other services result from payments received prior to the performance of services for technical support, subscription, consulting, and education. Deferred revenue and advance payments related to product licenses result primarily from multiple-element arrangements that include future deliverables. Deferred revenue comprises deferred product licenses and subscription services, deferred product support, or other services revenue based on the objective fair value of the multiple elements of the arrangement, except for software licenses for which the Company does not have an objective measure of fair value. The Company offsets its accounts receivable and deferred revenue for any billed and unpaid items included in deferred revenue and advance payments.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company has entered into certain additional agreements that include future minimum commitments by the Company’s customers to purchase products, subscription services, product support, or other services through 2019 totaling approximately $136.4 million. As of December 31, 2013, the future minimum commitments by the Company’s customers to purchase products, subscription services, product support, or other services through 2018 totaled approximately $119.7 million. These future commitments are not included in deferred revenue balances. Revenue relating to such agreements will be recognized during the period in which all revenue recognition criteria are met. The timing and ultimate recognition of any revenue from such customer purchase commitments depend on the customers’ meeting their future purchase commitments and the Company’s ability to meet its associated performance obligations related to those purchase commitments.
Revenue Recognition	(l) Revenue Recognition
	The Company recognizes revenue from sales of software licenses to end users upon:

		1)	persuasive evidence of an arrangement, as provided by agreements, contracts, purchase orders, or other arrangements, generally executed by both parties;

		2)	existence of a fixed or determinable fee;

		3)	delivery of the software; and

		4)	determination that collection is reasonably assured.
	When the fees for software upgrades and enhancements, technical support, consulting, and education are bundled with the license fee, they are unbundled for revenue recognition purposes, using vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of fair value of the elements.
	Product support or post-contract support (“PCS”) revenue is derived from providing technical software support and software updates and upgrades to customers. PCS revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the contract, which in most cases is one year. The Company’s VSOE for PCS, which includes updates, upgrades, and enhancements, is determined based upon the optional stated renewal fee for PCS in the contract, which is the price the customer is required to pay when PCS is renewed. Additionally, the optional stated renewal fee used to establish VSOE for PCS in a software transaction must be above the Company’s minimum substantive VSOE rate for PCS. If a stated renewal rate is considered non-substantive, VSOE of PCS has not been established and the Company recognizes all revenue under the arrangement ratably over the PCS period. A minimum substantive VSOE rate is determined based upon an analysis of historical sales of PCS. For a renewal rate to be non-substantive, the Company believes it must be significantly lower than its minimum VSOE rate. We consider a 10% variance below our minimum VSOE rate to be significant. It is rare for the Company to have an arrangement that includes a renewal rate that is below the minimum VSOE rate.
	Revenue from consulting, education, and subscription services is recognized as the services are performed. The Company’s VSOE for services other than PCS is determined based upon an analysis of its historical sales of each element when sold separately from software.
	For new offerings of services other than PCS or service offerings that have not had a sufficient history of sales activity, the Company initially establishes VSOE based on the list price as determined by management with the relevant authority. Each service offering has a single list price in each country where sold.
	If VSOE exists for all undelivered elements and there is no such evidence of fair value established for delivered elements, the arrangement fee is first allocated to the elements where evidence of fair value has been established and the residual amount is allocated to the delivered elements. If evidence of fair value for any undelivered element of an arrangement does not exist, all revenue from the arrangement is deferred until such time that evidence of fair value exists for undelivered elements or until all elements of the arrangement are delivered, subject to certain limited exceptions.
	If an arrangement includes acceptance criteria, revenue is not recognized until the Company can objectively demonstrate that the software or service can meet the acceptance criteria, or the acceptance period lapses, whichever occurs earlier. If a software license arrangement obligates the Company to deliver specified future products or upgrades, revenue is recognized when the specified future product or upgrades are delivered, or when the obligation to deliver specified future products expires, whichever occurs earlier. If a software license arrangement obligates the Company to deliver unspecified future products, then revenue is recognized on a subscription basis, ratably over the term of the contract.
	License revenue derived from sales to resellers or original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) who purchase the Company’s products for resale is recognized upon sufficient evidence that the products have been sold to the end user, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. The Company’s standard software license and reseller agreements do not include any return rights other than the right to return non-conforming products for repair or replacement under standard product warranties. During the last three fiscal years, the Company has not experienced any product returns related to warranty claims.

	The Company generally offers either commercial discounts or referral fees to its channel partners, depending on the nature of services performed. Revenue recognized from transactions with channel partners involved in resale or distribution activities is recorded net of any commercial discounts provided to them. Referral fees paid to channel partners not involved in resale or distribution activities are expensed as cost of revenues and, during the last three fiscal years, were not significant.
	The Company’s standard software license agreements do not include any price protection or similar rights. The Company offers price protection to certain government agencies as required by applicable laws and regulations. For example, transactions under the General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedule contract must comply with the Price Reductions clause. In addition, certain government agencies have the right to cancel contracts for “convenience.” During the last three fiscal years, amounts related to price protection or similar rights clauses and contracts cancelled for convenience were not significant.
	Amounts collected prior to satisfying the above revenue recognition criteria are included in net deferred revenue and advance payments in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	Software revenue recognition requires judgment, including determinations about whether collectibility is reasonably assured, the fee is fixed and determinable, whether a software arrangement includes multiple elements, and if so, whether VSOE exists for those elements. Judgment is also required to assess whether future releases of certain software represent new products or upgrades and enhancements to existing products.
	The Company also generates subscription services revenues primarily from its cloud services offerings. Subscription services revenues include subscription fees from customers for access to the full breadth of the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform and MicroStrategy Mobile capabilities, database services, and data integration services. Our standard arrangements with customers generally do not provide the customer with the right to take possession of the software supporting the cloud-based application service at any time. As such, these arrangements are considered service contracts and revenue is recognized ratably over the service period of the contract, following completion of the set-up service. Any related set-up service fees are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract period or the estimated average life of the customer relationship.
	The Company’s subscription services are generally offered as stand-alone arrangements or as part of arrangements that include professional services. If deliverables in a multiple-element arrangement have stand-alone value upon delivery, the Company accounts for each such deliverable separately. The Company has concluded that its subscription services and its professional services each have stand-alone value. When the Company enters into multiple-element arrangements that include subscription services and professional services, the total arrangement consideration is allocated to each of the deliverables based on the relative selling price hierarchy. The Company determines the relative selling price for each deliverable using VSOE of selling price, if available, or its best estimate of selling price (“BESP”), if VSOE is not available. The Company has determined that third-party evidence of selling price (“TPE”) is not a practical alternative due to differences in its services offerings as compared to other companies and the lack of availability of third-party pricing information. For professional services, the Company has established VSOE because a consistent number of standalone sales of this deliverable have been priced within a reasonably narrow range. For subscription services, the Company has not established VSOE because, among other factors, the offering is relatively new and our pricing model continues to evolve. Accordingly, the Company uses BESP to determine the relative selling price of its subscription services.
	The Company determines BESP by reviewing historical transactions and by considering its pricing models and objectives that take into account factors such as gross margin, the size and volume of the transactions, perceived pricing sensitivity, and growth strategies. The determination of BESP is made through consultation with, and approval by, the Company’s management team, taking into consideration the go-to-market strategy. As the Company’s pricing and go-to-market strategies evolve, the Company may modify its pricing practices in the future, which could result in changes to the determination of VSOE and BESP.

	Amounts, upon invoicing, are recorded in accounts receivable and either gross deferred revenue or revenue, depending on whether the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been met.
	During 2014, 2013, and 2012, the Company did not generate significant revenues from MicroStrategy Usher.
Advertising Costs	(m) Advertising Costs
	Advertising costs include production costs, which are expensed the first time the advertisement takes place, and media placement costs, which are expensed in the month the advertising appears. Total advertising costs were $3.0 million, $1.9 million, and $4.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had no prepaid advertising costs.
Share-based Compensation	(n) Share-based Compensation
	In September 2013, the Board of Directors approved the Company’s 2013 Stock Incentive Plan, under which the Company’s employees, officers, directors, and other eligible participants may be awarded various types of share-based compensation, including options to purchase shares of the Company’s class A common stock. In April 2014, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2013 Stock Incentive Plan at the Company’s annual meeting. In April 2014, following the Company’s annual meeting, the Board of Directors authorized, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment to the 2013 Plan to increase the total number of shares of the Company’s class A common stock authorized for issuance under the 2013 Plan from 600,000 to 1,500,000 shares (“Amendment No. 1”). Also in April 2014, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) authorized, subject to stockholder approval, an additional amendment to the 2013 Plan to provide for automatic annual stock option grants to each of the Company’s non-employee directors with respect to 5,000 shares of the Company’s class A common stock, beginning in 2015 (“Amendment No. 2”). The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense associated with such stock option awards on a straight-line basis over the award’s requisite service period (generally, the vesting period). The share-based compensation expense is based on the fair value of such awards on the date of grant, as estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. See Note 12, Share-based Compensation, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the Company’s 2013 Stock Incentive Plan, related share-based compensation expense, and assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
Income Taxes	(o) Income Taxes
	The Company is subject to federal, state, and local income taxes in the United States and many foreign countries. Deferred income taxes are provided based upon enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the taxes become payable. For uncertain income tax positions, the Company uses a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold based on the technical merits of the income tax position taken. Income tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured in order to determine the tax benefit recognized in the financial statements. The Company recognizes accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits as part of income tax expense. Penalties, if incurred, are recognized as a component of income tax expense.
	The Company provides a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to their estimated realizable value, when appropriate.
Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share	(p) Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share
	Basic earnings per share is determined by dividing the net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares and participating securities outstanding during the period. Participating securities are included in the basic earnings per share calculation when dilutive. Diluted earnings per share is determined by dividing the net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares and potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares are included in the diluted earnings per share calculation when dilutive. Potential common shares consisting of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding employee stock options and warrants are computed using the treasury stock method. Potential common shares also consist of common stock issuable upon the conversion of preferred stock.

	The Company has two classes of common stock: class A common stock and class B common stock. Holders of class A common stock generally have the same rights, including rights to dividends, as holders of class B common stock, except that holders of class A common stock have one vote per share while holders of class B common stock have ten votes per share. Each share of class B common stock is convertible at any time, at the option of the holder, into one share of class A common stock. As such, basic and fully diluted earnings per share for class A and class B common stock are the same. The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on either class A or class B common stock. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were no shares of preferred stock outstanding.
Foreign Currency Translation	(q) Foreign Currency Translation
	The functional currency of the Company’s international operations is the local currency. Accordingly, all assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries are translated using exchange rates in effect at the end of the period and revenue and expenses are translated using weighted average exchange rates for the period. The related translation adjustments are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. Transaction gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity involved are included in the results of operations.
	Transaction gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies resulted in net gains of $5.3 million in 2014, and net losses of $3.3 million, and $2.0 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, and are included in “Other income (expense), net” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	As of December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, the cumulative foreign currency translation balances were $(4.4) million, $(0.8) million, and $(1.5) million, respectively. Since the Company intends to indefinitely reinvest its undistributed earnings of all of its subsidiaries, no taxes were recognized on the temporary differences resulting from foreign currency translation adjustments for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	(r) Concentrations of Credit Risk
	Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, foreign currency forward contracts, and accounts receivable. The Company places its cash equivalents and enters into foreign currency forward contracts with high credit-quality financial institutions and invests its excess cash primarily in short-term investments. The Company has established guidelines relative to credit ratings and maturities that seek to maintain safety and liquidity.
	The Company sells products and services to various companies across several industries throughout the world in the ordinary course of business. The Company routinely assesses the financial strength of its customers and maintains allowances for anticipated losses. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, no individual customer accounted for 10% or more of net accounts receivable and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, no individual customer accounted for 10% or more of revenue.

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis by Level within Fair Value Hierarchy	Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, by level within the fair value hierarchy, consisted of the following (in thousands), as of:


				December 31, 2014
				Fair Value Measurements
				Using Input Types
		Line Item		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Non-hedging derivative assets:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		$	0			$	1,647			$	0			$	1,647

	Non-hedging derivative liabilities:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$	0			$	6			$	0			$	6

				December 31, 2013
				Fair Value Measurements
				Using Input Types
		Line Item		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Non-hedging derivative assets:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		$	0			$	5			$	0			$	5

	Non-hedging derivative liabilities:
	Foreign currency forward contracts	Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$	0			$	46			$	0			$	46
Sale Contracts Consisted in Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Outstanding	All foreign currency forward contracts outstanding as of December 31, 2014 were for durations of twelve months or less and consisted of the following sale contracts (in thousands):


		Notional Value								Notional Value				Fair Value
		Local Currency								U.S. Dollar				Gain (Loss)
														U.S. Dollar
	Forward contracts to sell:
	Australian Dollar		AUD				985			$	900			$	103
	Brazilian Real		BRL				3,184				1,300				157
	British Pound		GBP				950				1,600				122
	Canadian Dollar		CAD				757				700				49
	Chinese Renminbi		CNY				10,664				1,700				(5	)
	Euro		EUR				3,534				4,800				515
	Indian Rupee		INR				19,347				300				3
	Japanese Yen		JPY				131,508				1,300				201
	Korean Won		KRW				881,552				850				53
	Mexican Peso		MXN				4,001				300				32
	Polish Zloty		PLN				4,980				1,600				203
	Russian Rouble		RUB				7,323				200				86
	Singapore Dollar		SGD				500				400				23
	South African Rand		ZAR				6,769				600				32
	Swedish Krona		SEK				1,698				250				33
	Swiss Franc		CHF				268				300				30
	Turkish New Lira		TRY				230				100				5
	United Arab Emirates Dirham		AED				738				200				(1	)

										$	17,400			$	1,641

Changes in Fair Value of Foreign Currency Forward Contracts	Changes in the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts during 2014, 2013, and 2012 were as follows (in thousands):


		Gain (Loss) on Derivative Instruments Recognized in Income
				Years Ended December 31,
		Location		2014				2013				2012

	Non-hedging derivative instruments:
	Unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency forward contracts	Other income (expense), net		$	1,682			$	(41	)		$	0

	Realized loss on foreign currency forward contracts	Other (expense) income, net		$	(562	)		$	(629	)		$	0

Accounts_Receivable_Tables

Accounts Receivable (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Accounts Receivable (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule of Accounts Receivable	Accounts receivable (in thousands) consisted of the following, as of:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Billed and billable	$	187,470		$	190,446
	Less: unpaid deferred revenue		(104,425	)		(100,276	)

	Accounts receivable, gross		83,045			90,170
	Less: allowance for doubtful accounts		(4,412	)		(3,989	)

	Account receivable, net	$	78,633		$	86,181

Property_and_Equipment_Tables

Property and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule Of Property And Equipment	Property and equipment (in thousands) consisted of the following, as of:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Transportation equipment	$	48,906		$	48,917
	Computer equipment and purchased software		72,602			66,713
	Furniture and equipment		11,477			11,647
	Leasehold improvements		28,500			29,116
	Internally developed software		9,408			8,393

	Property and equipment, gross		170,893			164,786
	Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization		(93,041	)		(79,341	)

	Property and equipment, net	$	77,852		$	85,445

Restructuring_Tables

Restructuring (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Restructuring (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Summary of Major Types of Costs, Cumulative Costs Incurred and Total Cost Expected Associated With Restructuring Activities	The following table summarizes the major types of costs associated with the 2014 Restructuring Plan (in thousands) for the year ended December 31, 2014, total costs incurred through December 31, 2014 and total costs expected to be incurred:


		Year Ended		Total Costs		Total Expected
		December 31,		Incurred To		Plan Costs
		2014		Date
	Severance and related employee benefits	$	13,162	$	13,162	$	13,162
	Contract termination costs		1,159		1,159		1,159
	Other costs		411		411		692

	Total restructuring costs	$	14,732	$	14,732	$	15,013

Summary of Changes in Restructuring-Related Liabilities	The following table presents a summary of changes in the restructuring-related liabilities (in thousands) for the year ended December 31, 2014:


		Balance as of		Costs		Cash			Non-cash			Adjustments			Balance as of
		January 1, 2014		Incurred		Payments			Settlements			and Other			December 31, 2014
	Current:
	Severance and related employee benefits	$	0	$	13,162	$	(10,746	)	$	0		$	(201	)	$	2,215
	Contract termination costs		0		1,159		(960	)		(441	)		242			0
	Other costs		0		411		(302	)		0			(40	)		69

	Total current accrued restructuring costs	$	0	$	14,732	$	(12,008	)	$	(441	)	$	1		$	2,284

Deferred_Revenue_and_Advance_P1

Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments	Deferred revenue and advance payments (in thousands) from customers consisted of the following, as of:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Current:
	Deferred product licenses revenue	$	10,927		$	14,538
	Deferred subscription services revenue		16,018			10,923
	Deferred product support revenue		168,833			167,771
	Deferred other services revenue		10,564			17,056

	Gross current deferred revenue and advance payments		206,342			210,288
	Less: unpaid deferred revenue		(97,929	)		(96,632	)

	Net current deferred revenue and advance payments	$	108,413		$	113,656


	Non-current:
	Deferred product licenses revenue	$	8,012		$	4,401
	Deferred subscription services revenue		750			1,161
	Deferred product support revenue		7,505			5,877
	Deferred other services revenue		1,047			1,175

	Gross non-current deferred revenue and advance payments		17,314			12,614
	Less: unpaid deferred revenue		(6,496	)		(3,644	)

	Net non-current deferred revenue and advance payments	$	10,818		$	8,970

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule of Future Minimum Rent Payments Under Noncancellable Operating and Capital Leases	The following table shows future minimum rent payments under noncancellable operating and capital leases and agreements with initial terms of greater than one year, net of total future minimum rent payments to be received under noncancellable sublease agreements (in thousands), based on the expected due dates of the various installments as of December 31, 2014:


	Year	Operating Leases		Capital Leases
		Amount		and Other Financing
				Amount
	2015	$	24,627	$	1,563
	2016		21,150		121
	2017		17,861		18
	2018		17,270		18
	2019		16,263		0
	Thereafter		19,929		0

		$	117,100	$	1,720

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule Of Components Of Income From Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes	U.S. and international components of income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (in thousands) were comprised of the following for the periods indicated:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	U.S.	$	(5,389	)	$	(6,158	)	$	587
	Foreign		16,440			22,909			31,620

	Total	$	11,051		$	16,751		$	32,207

Schedule Of Benefit From Or Provision For Income Taxes From Continuing Operations	The benefit from or provision for income taxes from continuing operations (in thousands) consisted of the following for the periods indicated:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Current:
	Federal	$	(306	)	$	(12,404	)	$	533
	State		(1	)		172			68
	Foreign		7,638			5,994			7,269

		$	7,331		$	(6,238	)	$	7,870

	Deferred:
	Federal	$	(2,132	)	$	(3,417	)	$	995
	State		(1,038	)		267			1,310
	Foreign		1,855			(411	)		(441	)

		$	(1,315	)	$	(3,561	)	$	1,864

	Total provision (benefit)	$	6,016		$	(9,799	)	$	9,734

Schedule Of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation	The benefit from or provision for income taxes from continuing operations differs from the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the Company’s income from continuing operations before income taxes as follows for the periods indicated:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Income tax expense at federal statutory rate		35	%		35	%		35	%
	State taxes, net of federal tax effect		-4.3	%		2	%		3	%
	Foreign earnings taxed at different rates		2.9	%		-18.3	%		-21.5	%
	Withholding tax		14.3	%		9.7	%		6.3	%
	Foreign tax credit		-9.6	%		-5.4	%		-3.4	%
	Other international components		0.8	%		3.4	%		1.9	%
	Change in valuation allowance		21.1	%		-0.8	%		0.1	%
	Deferred tax adjustments and rate changes		-4.9	%		-2.8	%		0.6	%
	Meals and entertainment		5.9	%		4.5	%		2.9	%
	Non-deductible officers compensation		2	%		7.1	%		2.1	%
	Personal use of corporate aircraft		2.5	%		2.5	%		2.6	%
	Subpart F income		4	%		2.4	%		1.2	%
	Research and development tax credit		-13.7	%		-12.6	%		0.7	%
	Other permanent differences		-1.6	%		0.8	%		0.6	%
	Release of unrecognized tax benefits		0	%		-86	%		-1.9	%

	Total		54.4	%		-58.5	%		30.2	%

Effective Rate For Income From Operations Before Income Taxes	The Company’s U.S. and foreign effective tax rates for income from continuing operations before income taxes were as follows for the periods indicated:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	U.S.		64.5	%		249.7	%		495.1	%
	Foreign		57.7	%		24.4	%		21.6	%

	Combined		54.4	%		-58.5	%		30.2	%

Schedule Of Components Of Company's Deferred Tax Assets And Liabilities	Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities (in thousands) were as follows for the periods indicated:


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Deferred tax assets, net:
	Net operating loss carryforwards	$	6,911		$	981
	Tax credits		10,402			8,723
	Intangible assets		59			1,317
	Deferred revenue adjustment		1,989			2,746
	Accrued compensation		11,452			17,465
	Share-based compensation expense		5,485			714
	Deferred rent		3,428			3,709
	Other		3,425			2,197

			43,151			37,852
	Valuation allowance		(2,311	)		(77	)

	Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance		40,840			37,775

	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Prepaid expenses and other		1,044			1,084
	Property and equipment		17,149			15,751
	Capitalized software development costs		5,637			3,791

	Total deferred tax liabilities		23,830			20,626

	Total net deferred tax asset	$	17,010		$	17,149

	Reported as:
	Current deferred tax assets, net	$	19,936		$	21,555
	Non-current deferred tax assets, net		1,160			3,204
	Current deferred tax liabilities		(557	)		(422	)
	Non-current deferred tax liabilities		(3,529	)		(7,188	)

	Total net deferred tax asset	$	17,010		$	17,149

Schedule Of Change In Unrecognized Tax Benefits	The change in unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands) is presented in the table below:


	Unrecognized tax benefits at January 1, 2014	$	2,312
	Increase related to positions taken in prior period		938
	Increase related to positions taken in current period		270
	Decrease related to expiration of statute of limitations		(60	)

	Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2014		3,460
	Accrued interest		292
	Netting of deferred tax assets and unrecognized tax benefits		(1,273	)

	Unrecognized tax benefits recorded in other long-term liabilities at December 31, 2014	$	2,479

Sharebased_Compensation_Tables

Share-based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Share-based Compensation (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Summary of Stock Option Activity	The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity (in thousands, except per share data and years) for the periods indicated:


		Stock Options Outstanding
		Shares			Weighted Average			Aggregate		Weighted Average
					Exercise Price			Intrinsic		Remaining Contractual
					Per Share			Value		Term (Years)
	Balance as of January 1, 2012		517		$	20.31
	Granted		0			0
	Exercised		(501	)		20.3		$	51,564
	Forfeited/Expired		0			0

	Balance as of December 31, 2012		16		$	20.81
	Granted		600			92.84
	Exercised		(16	)		20.81		$	1,262
	Forfeited/Expired		0			0

	Balance as of December 31, 2013		600		$	92.84
	Granted		745			125.46
	Exercised		(9	)		92.84		$	653
	Forfeited/Expired		(135	)		104.48

	Balance as of December 31, 2014		1,201		$	111.77


	Exercisable as of December 31, 2014		141		$	92.84		$	9,794		7.7
	Expected to vest as of December 31, 2014		1,060		$	114.29			51,001		9.1

	Total		1,201		$	111.77		$	60,795		9

Range Of Exercise Prices	Stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2014 are comprised of the following range of exercise prices per share (in thousands, except per share data and years):


		Stock Options Outstanding at December 31, 2014
	Range of Exercise Prices per Share	Shares			Weighted Average			Weighted Average
					Exercise Price			Remaining Contractual
					Per Share			Term (Years)
	$92.84 - $120.00		596		$	96.34			8.5
	$120.01 - $150.00		520		$	121.43			9.3
	$150.01 - $160.88		85		$	160.88			9.8

	Total		1,201		$	111.77			9

Assumptions Used in Black-Scholes Option-Pricing Model	The weighted average grant date fair value of stock option awards using the Black-Scholes option pricing model was $55.84 and $42.03 for each share subject to a stock option granted during the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, based on the following assumptions:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014			2013
	Expected term of options in years		6.3			6.3
	Expected volatility		41.5 - 42.5	%		42.8	%
	Risk-free interest rate		2.1 - 2.3	%		2.5	%
	Expected dividend yield		0	%		0	%

Basic_and_Diluted_Earnings_per1

Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share	The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share (in thousands, except per share data) for the periods indicated:


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	Numerator:
	Income (loss) from:
	Continuing operations, net of tax	$	5,035	$	26,550	$	22,473
	Discontinued operations, net of tax		0		56,782		(1,927	)

	Net income	$	5,035	$	83,332	$	20,546

	Denominator:
	Weighted average common shares of class A common stock		9,246		9,073		8,768
	Weighted average common shares of class B common stock		2,055		2,227		2,227

	Total weighted average common stock shares outstanding		11,301		11,300		10,995
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Employee stock options		55		1		179

	Adjusted weighted average shares		11,356		11,301		11,174


	Earnings per share:
	Basic earnings (loss) per share
	From continuing operations	$	0.45	$	2.35	$	2.05
	From discontinued operations		0		5.02		(0.18	)

	Basic earnings per share	$	0.45	$	7.37	$	1.87

	Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	From continuing operations	$	0.44	$	2.35	$	2.01
	From discontinued operations		0		5.02		(0.17	)

	Diluted earnings per share	$	0.44	$	7.37	$	1.84

Discontinued_Operations_Tables

Discontinued Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Discontinued Operations (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Pretax Loss Generated in Addition to Pretax Gain on Sale of Discontinued Operations	The following table summarizes the revenues and pre-tax loss generated by the Angel.com business during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, in addition to the pre-tax gain on the sale of Angel.com recorded by the Company during the year ended December 31, 2013 (in thousands):


		Years Ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	Angel.com revenues	$	0	$	6,320	$	28,882
	Angel.com pre-tax loss	$	0	$	986	$	2,976
	MicroStrategy pre-tax gain on sale	$	0	$	94,925	$	0

Segment_Information_Tables

Segment Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Segment Information (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Revenues and Long-Lived Assets, by Geographic Region	The following table presents total revenues from continuing operations, gross profit from continuing operations, and long-lived assets, excluding long-term deferred tax assets, (in thousands) according to geographic region:

	Geographic regions:	Domestic		EMEA		Other Regions		Consolidated
	Year ended December 31, 2014
	Total revenues	$	341,692	$	176,774	$	61,364	$	579,830
	Gross profit	$	261,459	$	131,790	$	51,371	$	444,620
	Year ended December 31, 2013
	Total revenues	$	343,073	$	169,194	$	63,621	$	575,888
	Gross profit	$	261,134	$	123,373	$	52,812	$	437,319
	Year ended December 31, 2012
	Total revenues	$	326,333	$	177,543	$	61,848	$	565,724
	Gross profit	$	241,440	$	133,986	$	49,222	$	424,648
	As of December 31, 2014
	Long-lived assets	$	85,504	$	5,690	$	4,078	$	95,272
	As of December 31, 2013
	Long-lived assets	$	89,342	$	7,111	$	5,909	$	102,362

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D1

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Selected Quarterly Financial Data	The following tables contain unaudited Statement of Operations information for each quarter of 2014 and 2013. The Company believes that the following information reflects all normal recurring adjustments. During the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company recognized a reduction in its accrued bonus expense as a result of a change in estimate, which resulted in a $7.4 million increase in income from continuing operations. The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future period.

			Quarter Ended
			March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31		Year
			(in thousands, except per share data)
	2014
	Revenues		$	137,904		$	141,853		$	151,202		$	148,871	$	579,830
	Gross profit		$	104,895		$	106,240		$	116,249		$	117,236	$	444,620

	(Loss) income from continuing operations, net of tax		$	(6,482	)	$	(10,337	)	$	(845	)	$	22,699	$	5,035
	Discontinued operations, net of tax			0			0			0			0		0

	Net (loss) income		$	(6,482	)	$	(10,337	)	$	(845	)	$	22,699	$	5,035

	(Loss) earnings per share:(1)
	Basic, from continuing operations		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	2.01	$	0.45
	Basic, from discontinued operations			0			0			0			0		0

	Basic (loss) earnings per share		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	2.01	$	0.45

	Diluted, from continuing operations		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	1.99	$	0.44
	Diluted, from discontinued operations			0			0			0			0		0

	Diluted (loss) earnings per share		$	(0.57	)	$	(0.91	)	$	(0.07	)	$	1.99	$	0.44


			Quarter Ended
			31-Mar			30-Jun			30-Sep			31-Dec		Year
			(in thousands, except per share data)
	2013
	Revenues		$	130,183		$	137,905		$	141,919		$	165,881	$	575,888
	Gross profit		$	94,282		$	101,459		$	108,666		$	132,912	$	437,319

	(Loss) income from continuing operations, net of tax		$	(5,191	)	$	(1,553	)	$	17,146		$	16,148	$	26,550
	Discontinued operations, net of tax			56,782			0			0			0		56,782

	Net income (loss)		$	51,591		$	(1,553	)	$	17,146		$	16,148	$	83,332

	Earnings (loss) per share:(1)
	Basic, from continuing operations		$	(0.46	)	$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	2.35
	Basic, from discontinued operations			5.03			0			0			0		5.02

	Basic earnings (loss) per share		$	4.57		$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	7.37

	Diluted, from continuing operations		$	(0.46	)	$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	2.35
	Diluted, from discontinued operations			5.03			0			0			0		5.02

	Diluted earnings (loss) per share		$	4.57		$	(0.14	)	$	1.52		$	1.43	$	7.37


	-1	The sum of the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the four quarters may differ from annual earnings (loss) per share as the weighted-average shares outstanding are computed independently for each of the quarters presented.

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated salvage value	70.00%
Capitalized software development costs, net of accumulated amortization	$13,469,000	$10,295,000
Capitalized computer software, amortization	5,200,000	5,500,000	4,800,000
Additions to capitalized software development costs	8,400,000	5,400,000	8,100,000
Long-term purchase commitment amount	136,400,000	119,700,000
Variance below minimum VSOE rate	10.00%
Advertising costs	3,000,000	1,900,000	4,100,000
Common stock, conversion ratio	One	One
Transaction gains (losses) arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies	5,300,000	-3,300,000	-2,000,000
Cumulative foreign currency translation amount	($4,400,000)	($800,000)	($1,500,000)
Class A
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Common stock, voting rights, per share	One	One
Class A \| 2013 Plan
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Share-based compensation, stock authorized				1,500,000	600,000
Class A \| 2013 Plan \| Non Employee Directors
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of automatic annual stock option grants authorized to each of the Company's non-employee directors beginning 2015				5,000
Class B Convertible
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Common stock, voting rights, per share	Ten	Ten
Computer Equipment And Purchased Software
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of assets, years	3 years
Office Equipment And Automobiles
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of assets, years	5 years
Office Furniture And Corporate Aircraft
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of assets, years	10 years
Software Development
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of assets, years	3 years

Recent_Accounting_Standards_Ad

Recent Accounting Standards - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Unrecognized tax benefits	$3,460	$2,312
Netted against deferred tax assets
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Unrecognized tax benefits	$1,300

Financial_Assets_and_Liabiliti

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis by Level within Fair Value Hierarchy (Detail) (Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring, Foreign currency forward contracts, Non-hedging derivative, USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	$1,647	$5
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities	6	46
Level 1 \| Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Level 1 \| Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 2 \| Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	1,647	5
Level 2 \| Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities	6	46
Level 3 \| Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Level 3 \| Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities	$0	$0

Sale_Contracts_Consisted_in_Fo

Sale Contracts Consisted in Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Outstanding (Detail)

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

Dec. 31, 2014

USD ($)

Australia, Dollars

Brazil, Brazil Real

United Kingdom, Pounds

Canada, Dollars

China, Yuan Renminbi

Euro Member Countries, Euro

India, Rupees

Japan, Yen

Korea (South), Won

Mexico, Pesos

Poland, Zlotych

Russia, Rubles

Singapore, Dollars

South Africa, Rand

Sweden, Kronor

Switzerland, Francs

Turkey, New Lira

United Arab Emirates, Dirhams

USD ($)

AUD

USD ($)

BRL

USD ($)

GBP (£)

USD ($)

CAD

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

EUR (€)

USD ($)

INR

USD ($)

JPY (¥)

USD ($)

KRW

USD ($)

MXN

USD ($)

PLN

USD ($)

RUB

USD ($)

SGD

USD ($)

ZAR

USD ($)

SEK

USD ($)

CHF

USD ($)

TRY

USD ($)

AED

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]

Notional Value

$17,400

$900

985

$1,300

3,184

$1,600

£ 950

$700

757

$1,700

10,664

$4,800

€ 3,534

$300

19,347

$1,300

¥ 131,508

$850

881,552

$300

4,001

$1,600

4,980

$200

7,323

$400

500

$600

6,769

$250

1,698

$300

268

$100

230

$200

738

Fair Value Gain (Loss)

$1,641

$103

$157

$122

$49

($5)

$515

$201

$53

$32

$203

$86

$23

$32

$33

$30

($1)

Changes_in_Fair_Value_of_Forei

Changes in Fair Value of Foreign Currency Forward Contracts (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments	$1,682	$0	$0
Unrealized (loss) gain on foreign currency forward contracts \| Other (expense) income, net
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments	1,682	-41	0
Realized loss on foreign currency forward contracts \| Other (expense) income, net
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments	($562)	($629)	$0

Short_Term_Investments_Additio

Short Term Investments - Additional Information (Detail) (US Treasury Securities, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Investment [Line Items]
Held to maturity securities, amortized cost	198.5	$137.20
Held to maturity securities, carrying value	198.5	137.2
Held to maturity securities, fair value	198.5	$137.20
Minimum
Investment [Line Items]
Held to maturity securities maturity range	3 months
Maximum
Investment [Line Items]
Held to maturity securities maturity range	1 year

Accounts_Receivable_Detail

Accounts Receivable (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Billed and billable	$187,470	$190,446
Less: unpaid deferred revenue	-104,425	-100,276
Accounts receivable, gross	83,045	90,170
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts	-4,412	-3,989
Account receivable, net	$78,633	$86,181

Components_of_Property_and_Equ

Components of Property and Equipment (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$170,893	$164,786
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization	-93,041	-79,341
Property and equipment, net	77,852	85,445
Transportation Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	48,906	48,917
Computer Equipment And Purchased Software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	72,602	66,713
Furniture and Fixtures
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	11,477	11,647
Leaseholds and Leasehold Improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	28,500	29,116
Software Development
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$9,408	$8,393

Property_and_Equipment_Additio

Property and Equipment - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, net	$77,852,000	$85,445,000
Accumulated depreciation	93,041,000	79,341,000
Property and equipment, gross	170,893,000	164,786,000
Depreciation and amortization	20,100,000	21,000,000	17,700,000
Aircraft And Aircraft-Related Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, net	41,500,000	43,000,000
Accumulated depreciation	7,100,000	5,600,000
Computer Equipment And Purchased Software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	72,602,000	66,713,000
Computer Equipment And Purchased Software \| Assets Held under Capital Leases
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Accumulated depreciation	2,500,000	1,700,000
Property and equipment, gross	$2,900,000	$2,900,000

Restructuring_Additional_Infor

Restructuring - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014
	Dec. 31, 2014	Employee	Sep. 30, 2014
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Expected Plan Costs	$15,000,000	15,000,000	$18,400,000
Total expected costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Decrease in total expected plan costs	-3,400,000
Total expected severance and related employee benefit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Decrease in total expected plan costs	($3,100,000)
2014 Restructuring Plan
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Number of workforce expected to be reduced		777
2014 Restructuring Plan \| Domestic
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Number of workforce expected to be reduced		217
2014 Restructuring Plan \| Asia Pacific
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Number of workforce expected to be reduced		400
2014 Restructuring Plan \| EMEA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Number of workforce expected to be reduced		141
2014 Restructuring Plan \| Latin America
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Number of workforce expected to be reduced		19

Summary_of_Major_Types_of_Cost

Summary of Major Types of Costs, Cumulative Costs Incurred and Total Cost Expected Associated With Restructuring Activities (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2014
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs	$14,732	$0	$0
Total Expected Plan Costs	15,000			18,400
Operating expenses
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs	14,732
Total Costs Incurred To Date	14,732
Total Expected Plan Costs	15,013
Operating expenses \| Severance and related employee benefits
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs	13,162
Total Costs Incurred To Date	13,162
Total Expected Plan Costs	13,162
Operating expenses \| Contract termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs	1,159
Total Costs Incurred To Date	1,159
Total Expected Plan Costs	1,159
Operating expenses \| Other costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs	411
Total Costs Incurred To Date	411
Total Expected Plan Costs	$692

Summary_of_Changes_in_Restruct

Summary of Changes in Restructuring-Related Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Incurred	$14,732	$0	$0
Accrued restructuring costs \| Current accrued restructuring costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	0
Costs Incurred	14,732
Cash Payments	-12,008
Non-cash Settlements	-441
Adjustments and Other	1
Ending Balance	2,284
Accrued restructuring costs \| Current accrued restructuring costs \| Severance and related employee benefits
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	0
Costs Incurred	13,162
Cash Payments	-10,746
Non-cash Settlements	0
Adjustments and Other	-201
Ending Balance	2,215
Accrued restructuring costs \| Current accrued restructuring costs \| Contract termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	0
Costs Incurred	1,159
Cash Payments	-960
Non-cash Settlements	-441
Adjustments and Other	242
Ending Balance	0
Accrued restructuring costs \| Current accrued restructuring costs \| Other costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	0
Costs Incurred	411
Cash Payments	-302
Non-cash Settlements	0
Adjustments and Other	-40
Ending Balance	$69

Deferred_Revenue_and_Advance_P2

Deferred Revenue and Advance Payments (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Deferred product licenses revenue, Current	$10,927	$14,538
Deferred subscription services revenue, Current	16,018	10,923
Deferred product support revenue, Current	168,833	167,771
Deferred other services revenue, Current	10,564	17,056
Gross current deferred revenue and advance payments	206,342	210,288
Less: unpaid deferred revenue	-97,929	-96,632
Net current deferred revenue and advance payments	108,413	113,656
Deferred product licenses revenue, Non-current	8,012	4,401
Deferred subscription services revenue, Non-current	750	1,161
Deferred product support revenue, Non-current	7,505	5,877
Deferred other services revenue, Non-current	1,047	1,175
Gross non-current deferred revenue and advance payments	17,314	12,614
Less: unpaid deferred revenue	-6,496	-3,644
Net non-current deferred revenue and advance payments	$10,818	$8,970

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Total rental expenses under operating lease agreements	$30.40	$28.30	$26.40
Northern Virginia Office Space
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Office space area leased under the agreement	233,000
Lease expiration date	2020-12
Deferred rent included in other long-term liabilities	18.9	20.1
Deferred rent included in current accrued expenses	$3	$2.80
Northern Virginia Office, Additional Office Space \| 2014 Restructuring Plan
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Lease expiration date	2015-02
Office space ceased to be used	19,000

Future_Minimum_Rent_Payments_U

Future Minimum Rent Payments Under Noncancellable Operating and Capital Leases (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Leases Future Minimum Payments [Line Items]
2015	$24,627
2016	21,150
2017	17,861
2018	17,270
2019	16,263
Thereafter	19,929
Total future minimum rent payments under noncancellable operating lease agreements	117,100
2015	1,563
2016	121
2017	18
2018	18
2019	0
Thereafter	0
Total future minimum rent payments under noncancellable capital lease agreements	$1,720

Components_of_Income_from_Cont

Components of Income from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule of Components of Income Before Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Line Items]
U.S.	($5,389)	($6,158)	$587
Foreign	16,440	22,909	31,620
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$11,051	$16,751	$32,207

Benefit_from_or_Provision_for_

Benefit from or Provision for Income Taxes from Continuing Operations (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Components Of Income Tax Expense Benefit [Line Items]
Federal, Current	($306)	($12,404)	$533
State, Current	-1	172	68
Foreign, Current	7,638	5,994	7,269
Income tax expense (benefit), Current, total	7,331	-6,238	7,870
Federal, Deferred	-2,132	-3,417	995
State, Deferred	-1,038	267	1,310
Foreign, Deferred	1,855	-411	-441
Income tax expense (benefit), Deferred, total	-1,315	-3,561	1,864
Total (benefit) provision	$6,016	($9,799)	$9,734

Reconciliation_of_Effective_In

Reconciliation of Effective Income Tax Rate (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Reconciliation of Effective Income Tax Rate (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule Of Effective Tax Rates Line Items
Income tax expense at federal statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State taxes, net of federal tax effect	-4.30%	2.00%	3.00%
Foreign earnings taxed at different rates	2.90%	-18.30%	-21.50%
Withholding tax	14.30%	9.70%	6.30%
Foreign tax credit	-9.60%	-5.40%	-3.40%
Other international components	0.80%	3.40%	1.90%
Change in valuation allowance	21.10%	-0.80%	0.10%
Deferred tax adjustments and rate changes	-4.90%	-2.80%	0.60%
Meals and entertainment	5.90%	4.50%	2.90%
Other tax credits	2.50%	2.50%	2.60%
Subpart F income	4.00%	2.40%	1.20%
Research and development tax credit	-13.70%	-12.60%	0.70%
Other permanent differences	-1.60%	0.80%	0.60%
Release of unrecognized tax benefits	0.00%	-86.00%	-1.90%
Total	54.40%	-58.50%	30.20%
Non-deductible Officers Compensation
Schedule Of Effective Tax Rates Line Items
Other tax credits	2.00%	7.10%	2.10%

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Taxes
Research and development tax credit	-13.70%	-12.60%	0.70%
Previously taxed foreign income, repatriated	$1,300,000	$1,000,000	$2,500,000
Undistributed foreign earnings	201,700,000
U.S. statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
U.S. deferred tax asset	200,000
U.S. deferred assets, net operating loss carryforwards	400,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	2,479,000
Unrecognized tax benefits would impact the effective tax rate	1,700,000
Interest expense related to unrecognized tax benefits		-1,000,000	400,000
Interest accrued	292,000	300,000
Tax credit carryforward, expiration date	2016
Tax credit carryforward tax assets	10,500,000	8,700,000
Valuation allowances	2,311,000	77,000
Federal
Income Taxes
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments	139,100,000	160,500,000
Operating loss carryforwards	14,700,000	0
Foreign
Income Taxes
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments	206,400,000	196,900,000
Operating loss carryforwards	$3,400,000	$4,400,000

Effective_Rate_for_Income_from

Effective Rate for Income from Operations Before Income Taxes (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule Of Effective Tax Rates Line Items
Effective tax rates	54.40%	-58.50%	30.20%
U.S.
Schedule Of Effective Tax Rates Line Items
Effective tax rates	64.50%	249.70%	495.10%
Foreign
Schedule Of Effective Tax Rates Line Items
Effective tax rates	57.70%	24.40%	21.60%

Components_of_Deferred_Tax_Ass

Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Components Of Deferred Tax Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Deferred tax assets, Net operating loss carryforwards	$6,911	$981
Deferred tax assets, Tax credits	10,402	8,723
Deferred tax assets, Intangible assets	59	1,317
Deferred tax assets, Deferred revenue adjustment	1,989	2,746
Deferred tax assets, Accrued Compensation	11,452	17,465
Share-based compensation expense	5,485	714
Deferred tax assets, Deferred rent	3,428	3,709
Deferred tax assets, Other	3,425	2,197
Deferred tax assets, gross, Total	43,151	37,852
Deferred tax assets, Valuation allowance	-2,311	-77
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	40,840	37,775
Deferred tax liabilities, Prepaid expenses and other	1,044	1,084
Deferred tax liabilities, Property and equipment	17,149	15,751
Deferred tax liabilities, Capitalized software development costs	5,637	3,791
Total deferred tax liabilities	23,830	20,626
Total net deferred tax asset	17,010	17,149
Current deferred tax assets, net	19,936	21,555
Non-current deferred tax assets, net	1,160	3,204
Current deferred tax liabilities	-557	-422
Non-current deferred tax liabilities	-3,529	-7,188
Total net deferred tax asset	$17,010	$17,149

Schedule_Of_Changes_In_Unrecog

Schedule Of Changes In Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits [Line Items]
Unrecognized tax benefits at January 1, 2014	$2,312
Increase related to positions taken in prior period	938
Increase related to positions taken in current period	270
Decrease related to expiration of statute of limitations	-60
Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2014	3,460
Accrued interest	292	300
Netting of deferred tax assets and unrecognized tax benefits	-1,273
Unrecognized tax benefits recorded in other long-term liabilities at December 31, 2014	$2,479

Share_Based_Compensation_Addit

Share Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2014	Feb. 26, 2015	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option awards granted		745,000	600,000	0
Options outstanding, shares		1,201,000	600,000	16,000			517,000
Expected dividend yield		0.00%	0.00%
Stock options vested		150,000	0	0
Aggregate fair value of stock option vested		$6,300,000
Weighted average grant date fair value of stock option awards		$55.84	$42.03
Unrecognized share-based compensation expense		46,600,000
Unrecognized compensation expense expected to be recognized		3 years 2 months 12 days
Increase in equity			23,600,000
Tax benefit realized from exercise of stock options		0		0
Cash payment for termination of incentive plan	8,000,000
2013 Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense recognized		11,800,000	2,100,000
2013 Plan \| Class A
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation, stock authorized					1,500,000			600,000
Remaining Share-based compensation, stock authorized for issuance		685,000
Remaining shares of class A common stock authorized for future issuance		290,000
Share-based compensation award expiration period		10 years
Stock option awards, vesting period		4 years
2013 Plan \| Class A \| Non Employee Directors
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of automatic annual stock option grants authorized to each of the Company's non-employee directors beginning 2015					5,000
2013 Plan \| Class A \| Executives and Directors
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option awards granted		745,000
Options outstanding, shares		1,200,800
Other Stock Incentive Plans
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense recognized		0	0	0
Amendment No. 1 to the 2013 Plan \| Class A \| Subsequent Event
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option awards granted						200,000
Stock option awards, vesting period						4 years
Unrecognized share-based compensation expense						$13,600,000

Summary_of_Stock_Option_Activi

Summary of Stock Option Activity (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Options outstanding, shares
Beginning Balance	600	16	517
Granted	745	600	0
Exercised	-9	-16	-501
Forfeited/Expired	-135	0	0
Ending Balance	1,201	600	16
Exercisable as of December 31, 2014	141
Expected to vest as of December 31, 2014	1,060
Total	1,201
Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share
Beginning Balance	$92.84	$20.81	$20.31
Granted	$125.46	$92.84	$0
Exercised	$92.84	$20.81	$20.30
Forfeited/Expired	$104.48	$0	$0
Ending Balance	$111.77	$92.84	$20.81
Exercisable as of December 31, 2014	$92.84
Expected to vest as of December 31, 2014	$114.29
Total	$111.77
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Exercised	$653	$1,262	$51,564
Exercisable as of December 31, 2014	9,794
Expected to vest as of December 31, 2014	51,001
Total	$60,795
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)
Exercisable as of December 31, 2014	7 years 8 months 12 days
Expected to vest as of December 31, 2014	9 years 1 month 6 days
Total	9 years

Range_of_Exercise_Prices_Detai

Range of Exercise Prices (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Range of Exercise Prices (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Shares, Stock Options Exercisable	1,201,000
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Stock Options Exercisable	$111,770
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Stock Options Exercisable	9 years
92.84 - 120.00
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Price per Share, minimum	$92.84
Range of Exercise Price per Share, maximum	$120
Shares, Stock Options Exercisable	596
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Stock Options Exercisable	$96.34
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Stock Options Exercisable	8 years 6 months
120.01 - 150.00
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Price per Share, minimum	$120.01
Range of Exercise Price per Share, maximum	$150
Shares, Stock Options Exercisable	520
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Stock Options Exercisable	$121.43
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Stock Options Exercisable	9 years 3 months 18 days
150.00 - 160.88
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Price per Share, minimum	$150.01
Range of Exercise Price per Share, maximum	$160.88
Shares, Stock Options Exercisable	85
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Stock Options Exercisable	$160.88
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Stock Options Exercisable	9 years 9 months 18 days

Assumptions_Used_in_Determinin

Assumptions Used in Determining Fair Value of Options Granted (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Fair Value Assumptions Disclosure [ Line Items]
Expected term of options in years	6 years 3 months 18 days	6 years 3 months 18 days
Expected volatility		42.80%
Expected volatility, maximum	42.50%
Expected volatility, minimum	41.50%
Risk-free interest rate		2.50%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum	2.30%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum	2.10%
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%

Computation_of_Basic_and_Dilut

Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings (loss) Per Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014		Sep. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2014		Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Sep. 30, 2013		Jun. 30, 2013		Mar. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
Earnings Loss Per Share [Line Items]
Continuing operations, net of tax	$22,699		($845)		($10,337)		($6,482)		$16,148		$17,146		($1,553)		($5,191)		$5,035		$26,550		$22,473
Discontinued operations, net of tax	0		0		0		0		0		0		0		56,782		0		56,782		-1,927
Net income	$22,699		($845)		($10,337)		($6,482)		$16,148		$17,146		($1,553)		$51,591		$5,035		$83,332		$20,546
Total weighted average common stock shares outstanding																	11,301		11,300		10,995
Employee stock options																	55		1		179
Adjusted weighted average shares																	11,356		11,301		11,174
Basic earnings (loss) per share
From continuing operations	$2.01		($0.07)		($0.91)		($0.57)		$1.43		$1.52		($0.14)		($0.46)		$0.45		$2.35		$2.05
From discontinued operations	$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$5.03		$0		$5.02		($0.18)
Basic earnings per share	$2.01	[1]	($0.07)	[1]	($0.91)	[1]	($0.57)	[1]	$1.43	[1]	$1.52	[1]	($0.14)	[1]	$4.57	[1]	$0.45	[1],[2]	$7.37	[1],[2]	$1.87	[2]
Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
From continuing operations	$1.99		($0.07)		($0.91)		($0.57)		$1.43		$1.52		($0.14)		($0.46)		$0.44		$2.35		$2.01
From discontinued operations	$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$5.03		$0		$5.02		($0.17)
Diluted earnings per share	$1.99	[1]	($0.07)	[1]	($0.91)	[1]	($0.57)	[1]	$1.43	[1]	$1.52	[1]	($0.14)	[1]	$4.57	[1]	$0.44	[1],[2]	$7.37	[1],[2]	$1.84	[2]
Class A
Earnings Loss Per Share [Line Items]
Total weighted average common stock shares outstanding																	9,246		9,073		8,768
Class B Convertible
Earnings Loss Per Share [Line Items]
Total weighted average common stock shares outstanding																	2,055		2,227		2,227

[1]	The sum of the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the four quarters may differ from annual earnings (loss) per share as the weighted-average shares outstanding are computed independently for each of the quarters presented.
[2]	Basic and fully diluted earnings (loss) per share for class A and class B common stock are the same.

Basic_and_Diluted_Earnings_per2

Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share - Additional Information (Detail) (Class A, 2013 Plan)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Class A \| 2013 Plan
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Shares issuable under stock options excluded from calculation of diluted earnings per share	735,000	600,000	0

Treasury_Stock_Additional_Info

Treasury Stock - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Treasury Stock - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Treasury stock, shares	6,405,000	6,405,000
Treasury stock, cost	475,184,000	$475,184,000
Two Thousand Five Share Repurchase Program
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Shares repurchased program expiration date	29-Apr-18
Two Thousand Five Share Repurchase Program \| Class A
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Stock authorized to repurchase by board of directors	800,000,000
Treasury stock, shares	3,826,947
Shares repurchased, average price per share	90.23
Treasury stock, cost	345,300,000

Employee_Benefit_Plan_Addition

Employee Benefit Plan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum employee contribution to 401k	50.00%
Employer match for first 6% contributed by plan participant	50.00%
Maximum contribution by participant that employer will match at 50%	6.00%
Maximum annual contribution by employer	$3,000
Employer contribution to the plan	$2,900,000	$2,700,000	$2,600,000

Discontinued_Operations_Additi

Discontinued Operations - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain from sale of discontinued operations, net of tax provision	$0	$57,377,000	$0
Angel.Com
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Discontinued operation, cash from sale		111,200,000
Discontinued operation, net cash from sale		100,700,000
Gain from sale of discontinued operations, net of tax provision		57,377,000
Discontinued operation, transaction costs		$10,500,000

Summary_of_Revenues_and_PreTax

Summary of Revenues and Pre-Tax Loss Generated by Angel Dot Com Business In Addition to Pre-Tax Gain on Sale Recorded (Detail) (Angel.Com, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Angel.Com
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Angel.com revenues	$0	$6,320	$28,882
Angel.com pre-tax loss	0	986	2,976
MicroStrategy pre-tax gain on sale	$0	$94,925	$0

Segment_Information_Additional

Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
	Country	Country	Country
Segment Reporting Information
Number of operating segments	1
Geographic Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Goods, Net
Segment Reporting Information
Number Of Individual Country accounted for 10% or more of total revenues	0	0	0
Geographic Concentration Risk \| Assets, Total
Segment Reporting Information
Number Of Individual country accounted for 10% or more of total consolidated assets	0	0
Customer Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Goods, Net
Segment Reporting Information
Number Of Individual Customer accounted for 10% or more of total consolidated revenues	0	0	0

Total_Revenues_Gross_Profit_an

Total Revenues Gross Profit and Long Lived Assets Excluding Long Term Deferred Tax Assets (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets
Total revenues	$148,871	$151,202	$141,853	$137,904	$165,881	$141,919	$137,905	$130,183	$579,830	$575,888	$565,724
Gross profit	117,236	116,249	106,240	104,895	132,912	108,666	101,459	94,282	444,620	437,319	424,648
Long-lived assets	95,272				102,362				95,272	102,362
Domestic
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets
Total revenues									341,692	343,073	326,333
Gross profit									261,459	261,134	241,440
Long-lived assets	85,504				89,342				85,504	89,342
EMEA
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets
Total revenues									176,774	169,194	177,543
Gross profit									131,790	123,373	133,986
Long-lived assets	5,690				7,111				5,690	7,111
Other Regions
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets
Total revenues									61,364	63,621	61,848
Gross profit									51,371	52,812	49,222
Long-lived assets	$4,078				$5,909				$4,078	$5,909

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D2

Selected Quarterly Financial Data - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information [Line Items]
Increase in income from continuing operations as result of reduction in its accrued bonus expense	$7.40

Statement_of_Operations_Inform

Statement of Operations Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014		Sep. 30, 2014		Jun. 30, 2014		Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Sep. 30, 2013		Jun. 30, 2013		Mar. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule Of Quarterly Financial Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$148,871		$151,202		$141,853		$137,904		$165,881		$141,919		$137,905		$130,183		$579,830		$575,888		$565,724
Gross profit	117,236		116,249		106,240		104,895		132,912		108,666		101,459		94,282		444,620		437,319		424,648
(Loss) income from continuing operations, net of tax	22,699		-845		-10,337		-6,482		16,148		17,146		-1,553		-5,191		5,035		26,550		22,473
Discontinued operations, net of tax	0		0		0		0		0		0		0		56,782		0		56,782		-1,927
Net (loss) income	$22,699		($845)		($10,337)		($6,482)		$16,148		$17,146		($1,553)		$51,591		$5,035		$83,332		$20,546
(Loss) earnings per share:
Basic, from continuing operations	$2.01		($0.07)		($0.91)		($0.57)		$1.43		$1.52		($0.14)		($0.46)		$0.45		$2.35		$2.05
Basic, from discontinued operations	$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$5.03		$0		$5.02		($0.18)
Basic (loss) earnings per share	$2.01	[1]	($0.07)	[1]	($0.91)	[1]	($0.57)	[1]	$1.43	[1]	$1.52	[1]	($0.14)	[1]	$4.57	[1]	$0.45	[1],[2]	$7.37	[1],[2]	$1.87	[2]
Diluted, from continuing operations	$1.99		($0.07)		($0.91)		($0.57)		$1.43		$1.52		($0.14)		($0.46)		$0.44		$2.35		$2.01
Diluted, from discontinued operations	$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$0		$5.03		$0		$5.02		($0.17)
Diluted (loss) earnings per share	$1.99	[1]	($0.07)	[1]	($0.91)	[1]	($0.57)	[1]	$1.43	[1]	$1.52	[1]	($0.14)	[1]	$4.57	[1]	$0.44	[1],[2]	$7.37	[1],[2]	$1.84	[2]

[1]	The sum of the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the four quarters may differ from annual earnings (loss) per share as the weighted-average shares outstanding are computed independently for each of the quarters presented.
[2]	Basic and fully diluted earnings (loss) per share for class A and class B common stock are the same.

Subsequent_Events_Additional_I

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 26, 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Stock option awards granted	745,000	600,000	0
Unrecognized share-based compensation expense	$46.60
Subsequent Event \| Amendment No. 1 to the 2013 Plan \| Class A
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Stock option awards granted				200,000
Unrecognized share-based compensation expense				$13.60
Vesting period, in years				4 years

Valuation_And_Qualifying_Accou

Valuation And Qualifying Accounts (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at the beginning of the period	$3,989		$4,366		$5,628
Additions	2,969	[1]	2,281	[1]	2,361	[1]
Deduction	-2,546		-2,658		-3,623
Balance at the end of the period	4,412		3,989		4,366
Valuation Allowance of Deferred Tax Assets
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at the beginning of the period	77		231		736
Additions	2,234	[1]	77	[1]	7	[1]
Deduction	0		-231		-512
Balance at the end of the period	$2,311		$77		$231

[1]	Reductions in/charges to revenues and expenses.