SEC Form PRE 14A filed by Qualys Inc.

The 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Qualys, Inc., a Delaware corporation, will be held online on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

The annual meeting will be held for the following purposes as more fully described in the accompanying proxy statement:

The board of directors of Qualys, Inc. has fixed the close of business on April 15, 2025 as the record date for the meeting. Only stockholders of record of our common stock on April 15, 2025 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. Further information regarding voting rights and the matters to be voted upon is presented in the accompanying proxy statement.

On or about April [  ], 2025, we expect to mail to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) containing instructions on how to access the proxy statement for the 2025 annual meeting and our 2024 annual report to stockholders. The Notice provides instructions on how to vote online or by telephone and includes instructions on how to receive a paper copy of proxy materials by mail. The proxy statement and our annual report can also be accessed directly at www.proxyvote.com. All you have to do is enter the control number located on the Notice or your proxy card.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. Whether or not you plan to participate in the annual meeting, we urge you to submit your vote via the Internet, telephone or mail in advance of the meeting. If you plan to participate in the annual meeting, please see the instructions in the accompanying proxy statement.

We appreciate your continued support of Qualys, Inc.

This proxy statement and the enclosed form of proxy are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the board of directors of Qualys, Inc. (“we,” “Qualys,” or the “Company”) for use at our annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on June 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and any postponements, adjournments or continuations thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held online at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/QLYS2025, where stockholders will be able to listen to the meeting live, vote and submit questions. There will be no physical location for stockholders to attend the meeting.

On or about April [ ], 2025, we expect to mail to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) containing instructions on how to access this proxy statement and our 2024 annual report to stockholders.

The information provided in the “question and answer” format below is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of the information contained in this proxy statement. You should read this entire proxy statement carefully.

To participate in the Annual Meeting, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/QLYS2025 and enter your control number as indicated. You can find your control number on your Notice, proxy card (if you received a printed copy of the proxy materials) or the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. You will be able to log into the virtual meeting platform beginning at 10:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on June 11, 2025. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on June 11, 2025. We encourage you to log into the virtual meeting platform and ensure you can hear streaming audio prior to the meeting start time.

The virtual meeting platform is supported across browsers (Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari) and devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, and cell phones) running the most updated version of applicable software and plugins. Participants should ensure that they have a strong WiFi connection wherever they intend to participate in the meeting.

If you wish to submit a question during the meeting, log into the virtual meeting platform, type your question into the “Ask a Question” field, and click “Submit.” Questions pertinent to meeting matters will be answered during the meeting, subject to time constraints. Questions regarding personal matters, including those related to employment, product or service issues, or suggestions for product innovations, should be addressed to the appropriate party on the qualys.com website; these questions are not pertinent to meeting matters and, therefore, will not be answered at the Annual Meeting. If we receive substantially similar questions, we may group such questions together and provide a single response to avoid repetition.

If you encounter any difficulties accessing the meeting, please call the technical support number that will be posted on the virtual meeting platform’s log in page.

Other stockholders and members of the public can also access the Annual Meeting at the URL above without a control number, but without the right to vote or submit a question.

In accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), we have elected to furnish our proxy materials, including this proxy statement and our 2024 annual report to stockholders, primarily via the Internet. On or about April [ ], 2025, we expect to mail to our stockholders the Notice, which contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials on the Internet, vote at the meeting, and request printed copies of the proxy materials. Stockholders may request to receive all future proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by e-mail by following the instructions contained in the Notice. We encourage stockholders to take advantage of the availability of the proxy materials on the Internet to help reduce the environmental impact of our annual meetings.

You will be voting on:

Our board of directors recommends a vote:

Holders of our common stock as of the close of business on April 15, 2025, the record date, may vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the record date, we had [     ] shares of common stock outstanding. In deciding all matters at the Annual Meeting, each stockholder will be entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on the record date. We do not have cumulative voting rights for the election of directors. A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be made

available for the examination of any stockholder for any purpose germane to the meeting for ten days prior to the Annual Meeting by email request to [email protected]. The list will also be available for examination online during the meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/QLYS2025.

Stockholders of Record. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, you are considered the stockholder of record with respect to those shares, and the Notice was provided to you directly by us. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the individuals listed on the proxy card or to vote live at the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial Owners. If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, and the Notice was forwarded to you by your broker or nominee, who is considered the stockholder of record with respect to those shares. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker or nominee how to vote your shares. Beneficial owners are also invited to attend the Annual Meeting. However, because a beneficial owner is not the stockholder of record, you may not vote your shares live at the Annual Meeting unless you follow your broker’s procedures for obtaining a legal proxy. If you request a printed copy of the proxy materials by mail, your broker or nominee will provide a voting instruction card for you to use.

Stockholders of Record. If you are a stockholder of record, there are several ways for you to vote your shares:

Beneficial Owners. If you are a beneficial owner, you should have received a Notice or voting instructions from the broker or other nominee holding your shares. You should follow the instructions in the Notice or voting instructions provided by your broker or nominee in order to instruct your broker or other nominee on how to vote your shares. The availability of telephone and Internet voting will depend on the voting process of the broker or nominee.

Stockholders of Record. If you are a stockholder of record, you can change your vote or revoke your proxy any time before the Annual Meeting by:

Beneficial Owners. If you are a beneficial owner, you must contact the broker or other nominee holding your shares and follow their instructions for changing your vote or revoking your proxy.

Proxies are solicited by and on behalf of our board of directors. The persons named in the proxy have been designated as proxies by our board of directors. When proxies are properly dated, executed and returned, the shares represented by such proxies will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the instruction of the stockholder. If no specific instructions are given, however, the shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our board of directors as described above. If any matters not described in the proxy statement are properly presented at the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will use their own judgment to determine how to vote your shares. If the Annual Meeting is adjourned, the proxy holders can vote your shares on the new meeting date as well, unless you have properly revoked your proxy instructions, as described above.

A quorum is the minimum number of shares required to be present at a meeting of stockholders for action to be taken at the meeting. Under our bylaws, the presence, live or represented by proxy (including any abstentions and “broker non-votes”), of a majority of all issued and outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will constitute a quorum at the meeting.

When a broker, bank or other nominee votes a client’s shares on some but not all of the proposals, the missing votes are referred to as “broker non-votes.” If you are a beneficial owner and do not provide timely voting instructions to your bank, broker or other nominee, that organization will have discretion to vote your shares on our sole “routine” matter—Proposal No. 2 to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP. The election of directors, the advisory vote to approve executive compensation, and the amendment of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to permit the exculpation of certain officers are non-discretionary items and may not be voted on by brokers, banks or other nominees who have not received specific voting instructions from beneficial owners. Therefore, broker non-votes may exist in connection with Proposals No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4.

Our board of directors is soliciting proxies for use at the Annual Meeting. All expenses associated with this solicitation will be borne by us. We will reimburse brokers or other nominees for reasonable expenses that they incur in sending these proxy materials to you if a broker or other nominee holds your shares.

Proxy instructions, ballots, and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either within Qualys, Inc. or to third parties, except as necessary to meet applicable legal requirements, to allow for the tabulation of votes and certification of the vote, or to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation.

We will announce preliminary voting results at the Annual Meeting. We will also disclose voting results on a Current Report on Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting. If final voting results are not available to us in time to file a Current Report on Form 8-K, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K to publish preliminary results and will provide the final results in an amendment to the Form 8-K as soon as they become available.

We have adopted a procedure called “householding,” which the SEC has approved. Under this procedure, we deliver a single copy of the Notice and, if applicable, the proxy materials to multiple stockholders who share the same address unless we received contrary instructions from one or more of the stockholders. This procedure reduces our printing costs, mailing costs, and fees. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to be able to access and receive separate proxy cards. Upon written or oral request, we will deliver promptly a separate copy of the Notice and, if applicable, the proxy materials to any stockholder at a shared address to which we delivered a single copy of any of these documents. To receive a separate copy, or, if you are receiving multiple copies, to request that Qualys only send a single copy, of the Notice and, if applicable, the proxy materials, stockholders may contact us as follows:

Stockholders who hold shares in street name may contact their brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization to request information about householding.

Stockholders may present proper proposals for inclusion in our proxy statement and for consideration at the next annual meeting of stockholders by submitting their proposals in writing to our Corporate Secretary in a timely manner. For a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for our 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, our Corporate Secretary must receive the written proposal at our principal executive offices not later than [     ]. In addition, stockholder proposals must comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. Proposals should be addressed to:

Our bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholders who wish to present a proposal before an annual meeting of stockholders but do not intend for the proposal to be included in our proxy statement for that meeting. Our bylaws provide that the only business that may be conducted at an annual meeting is business that is (i) specified in our proxy materials with respect to such meeting, (ii) otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our board of directors, or (iii) properly brought before the meeting by a stockholder who (A) is a stockholder of record at the time of giving the required notice and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting and (B) has delivered timely written notice to our Corporate Secretary, which notice must contain the information specified in our bylaws. To be timely for our 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, our Corporate Secretary must receive the written notice at our principal executive offices:

In the event that we hold our 2026 annual meeting of stockholders more than 25 days before or after the one-year anniversary of the date of the Annual Meeting, then notice of a stockholder proposal that is not intended to be included in our proxy statement must be received no earlier than 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the 120th day before such annual meeting and no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the later of the following two dates:

If a stockholder who has notified us of his or her intention to present a proposal at an annual meeting does not appear to present his or her proposal at such meeting, we are not required to present the proposal for a vote at such meeting.

Stockholders may propose director candidates for consideration by the Nominating and Governance Committee of our board of directors. Any such recommendations should include the nominee’s name and qualifications for membership on our board of directors and should be directed to the Corporate Secretary of Qualys, Inc. at the address set forth above. For additional information regarding stockholder recommendations for director candidates, see the section entitled “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Stockholder Recommendations for Nominations to the Board of Directors” below.

In addition, our bylaws permit stockholders to nominate directors for election at an annual meeting of stockholders. To nominate a director, the stockholder must provide the information required by our bylaws. In addition, the stockholder must give timely notice to our Corporate Secretary in accordance with our bylaws, which, in general, require that the notice be received by our Corporate Secretary within the time period described above under “Stockholder Proposals” for stockholder proposals that are not intended to be included in our proxy statement.

A copy of our bylaws is available on our website at http://investor.qualys.com. You may also contact our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices for a copy of the relevant bylaw provisions regarding the requirements for making stockholder proposals and nominating director candidates.

Our business affairs are managed under the direction of our board of directors, which is currently composed of six members, five of whom are “independent” under the Nasdaq Stock Market listing standards. Our board of directors is divided into three staggered classes of directors. At each annual meeting of stockholders, a class of directors will be elected for a three-year term to succeed the same class whose term is then expiring. Each director’s term continues until the election and qualification of his successor, or his earlier death, resignation, or removal. Any increase or decrease in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors. This classification of our board of directors may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control of our company.

The following table sets forth the names, ages as of April [  ], 2025, and certain other information for each of the nominees for election as a director and for each of the continuing members of our board of directors.

Our board believes that a balance of director experience, diversity and tenure best enables our board to act as effective stewards for our investors. Accordingly, we strive to maintain a board that includes both longer tenured directors with historical institutional knowledge of our business and the competitive environment as well as newer directors who provide fresh perspectives. Information regarding our directors as of April [  ], 2025 is below:

The following graphic shows the number of our directors, as of April [  ], 2025, who have experience in the areas that our board of directors believes are important to have represented on the board.

Thomas P. Berquist has served as a director of Qualys since August 2023. He has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Cloud Software Group since September 2022. From October 2015 to September 2022, Mr. Berquist served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of TIBCO Software. Mr. Berquist has previously served as an executive officer at multiple software companies including Corel Software and Ingres Corporation, was a Managing Director of Software Equity Research at Salomon Smith Barney, Goldman Sachs and Piper Jaffray, and worked at Deloitte Consulting and Wells Fargo. Mr. Berquist holds a B.A. degree in Accounting with an Application Area in Computer Science from the University of Saint Thomas as well as an M.B.A. with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Saint Thomas.

We believe that Mr. Berquist possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors, including his experience as an executive at multiple technology companies and investment banks and his background in finance and accounting.

Kristi M. Rogers has served as a director of Qualys since August 2013. Ms. Rogers is currently co-founder and Managing Partner for Principal to Principal. From March 2014 to December 2016, Ms. Rogers served as Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of Aspen Healthcare Services, LLC. From 2012 to 2014, Ms. Rogers also served on the board of directors of Aspen Medical USA. From August 2006 to January 2013, Ms. Rogers served in various positions, including Executive Vice President, President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board, at Aegis Defense Services LLC, a provider of security and support services to the U.S. government. Ms. Rogers also currently serves on the board of directors of Business Executives for National Security and is co-chair of the board of directors of Women’s Foreign Policy Group, both non-profit organizations. She serves on the board of directors of NowSecure, a private company providing mobile app security. Ms. Rogers holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Michigan State University and a Certificate for Cyber Security Risk Oversight from Carnegie Mellon University, and she graduated from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Executive Education & Corporate Governance Program.

We believe that Ms. Rogers possesses specific attributes that qualify her to serve as a member of our board of directors, including her executive experience and her expertise in the public service sector.

Jeffrey P. Hank has served as a director of Qualys since January 2010, including as Chair of the Board since January 2023. Mr. Hank currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors for First Tech Federal Credit Union since April 2022. From June 2005 to July 2012, Mr. Hank was the Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller of Intuit, Inc., and Mr. Hank served as the Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of Intuit from July 2012 until September 2013. From June 2002 until September 2003, Mr. Hank was an audit partner at KPMG LLP. From September 1994 until June 2002, Mr. Hank was an audit partner at Arthur Andersen LLP. Mr. Hank holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.

We believe that Mr. Hank possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors, including his experience as an executive at a technology company and his background in the accounting industry.

Sumedh S. Thakar has served as a director of Qualys since February 2021, as our Chief Executive Officer since April 2021 and as our President since October 2019. Mr. Thakar previously served as our interim Chief Executive Officer from February 2021 to April 2021, and as our Chief

Product Officer from June 2014 to April 2021. Mr. Thakar joined us in February 2003 and has held various positions with us since that time, including Principal Engineer, Engineering Manager, Director of Engineering, and Vice President, Engineering. Mr. Thakar holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from the University of Pune, India.

We believe that Mr. Thakar possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors, including his experience as our President and Chief Product Officer and his knowledge of our company.

Wendy M. Pfeiffer has served as a director of Qualys since August 2019. Ms. Pfeiffer served as a director of SADA Systems, a Google reseller and professional services company, from January 2020 until December 2023. Ms. Pfeiffer served as senior vice president and chief information officer of Nutanix, Inc., an enterprise cloud computing company, from January 17, 2017 until March 17, 2023. Previously, Ms. Pfeiffer served as chief information officer and vice president IT of GoPro, Inc., a maker of video and photo capture devices, from July 2015 to January 2017. Ms. Pfeiffer also served as senior director, IT shared services, of Robert Half International, a staffing and recruiting company, from February 2009 to June 2015. Ms. Pfeiffer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Financial Accounting and Technology, from the University of Phoenix.

We believe that Ms. Pfeiffer possesses specific attributes that qualify her to serve as a member of our board of directors, including her experience serving as chief information officer at technology companies, her experience as an independent board director for both public and private companies, and her relevant technical and cyber industry expertise and reputation.

John A. Zangardi has served as a director of Qualys since June 2020. Dr. Zangardi has served as Chief Executive Officer of Redhorse Corporation, a technology services company delivering decision quality data to federal government customers, from December 2021 until December 2024, and as President of Redhorse Corporation from June 2020 until December 2024. From November 2019 to May 2020, Dr. Zangardi served as Senior Vice President of Business Initiatives and Strategic Partnerships for the Civil Group at Leidos, Inc., a science, engineering and information technology company. From November 2017 to November 2019, Dr. Zangardi served as Chief Information Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, a presidentially appointed position, where he was responsible for overseeing IT and its related security and management for the Department. Prior to that, Dr. Zangardi first served as the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer and later as the Acting Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense, between October 2016 to November 2017. Dr. Zangardi also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Information Operations & Space from March 2011 to September 2016. Dr. Zangardi also served additionally as the Department of Navy CIO from 2014 to 2015. A retired Naval Flight Officer, Dr. Zangardi served in a variety of command and staff assignments during his military career. Dr. Zangardi also currently serves on the board of directors of Symetrica, a privately held radiation detection company, and previously served on the board of directors for Forcepoint, a privately held software company, from April 2021 to January 2024. Dr. Zangardi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Scranton, a Master of Science degree in Finance from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Policy from George Mason University.

We believe that Dr. Zangardi possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors, including his experience as chief information officer for departments of the federal government and Dr. Zangardi’s background in the U.S. military and executive experience at technology companies.

Our board of directors has reviewed the independence of each director. Based on information provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, our board of directors has determined that each of Mr. Berquist, Mr. Hank, Ms. Pfeiffer, Ms. Rogers and Dr. Zangardi do not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors is “independent” as that term is defined under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the Listing Rules (the “Nasdaq Listing Rules”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”). In making these determinations, our board of directors considered the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock held by each non-employee director.

Our board of directors does not have a policy on whether the roles of Chairperson of our board of directors and Chief Executive Officer should be separate. Our board believes it should be free to determine what is best for the Company at a given point in time. Mr. Hank, an independent, non-employee director, has served as Chair of the Board since January 2023. Our board has determined that the separation of the roles of Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer is appropriate at this time, as it allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus primarily on management responsibilities and corporate strategy, while allowing the Chair to focus on leadership of the board, providing feedback and advice to the Chief Executive Officer, and providing a channel of communication between board members and our Chief Executive Officer. Our board currently does not have a lead independent director because the Chair is an independent director.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, our board of directors held 4 meetings (including regularly scheduled and special meetings), our Audit and Risk Committee held 8 meetings, our Compensation and Talent Committee held 4 meetings, and our Nominating and Governance Committee held 4 meetings. Each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of our board of directors and the committees of which he or she was a member during 2024.

Although we do not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of our board of directors at annual meetings of stockholders, we encourage, but do not require, directors to attend. Mr. Berquist, Mr. Hank, Ms. Pfeiffer, Ms. Rogers, Mr. Thakar, and Dr. Zangardi, representing six of our current directors attended our 2024 annual meeting of stockholders.

Our board of directors has three standing committees: an Audit and Risk Committee, a Compensation and Talent Committee, and a Nominating and Governance Committee. The composition and responsibilities of each of these committees is described below. Members serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by our board of directors.

Our Audit and Risk Committee consists of Mr. Berquist, Ms. Pfeiffer and Dr. Zangardi, with Mr. Berquist serving as Chair. Our board of directors has determined that all members of the Audit and Risk Committee (i) are independent under the Nasdaq Listing Rules and Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act, and (ii) meet Nasdaq’s financial knowledge and sophistication requirements. In addition, our board of directors has determined that Mr. Berquist is an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the SEC. Among other responsibilities, our Audit and Risk Committee:

Our Audit and Risk Committee operates under a written charter that was adopted by our board of directors and satisfies the applicable rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq Listing Rules. A copy of the Audit and Risk Committee charter is available on our website at http://investor.qualys.com.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee consists of Mr. Berquist, Ms. Rogers and Dr. Zangardi, with Dr. Zangardi serving as Chair. Our board of directors has determined that all members of the Compensation and Talent Committee (i) are independent under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, and (ii) are “non-employee directors”, as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. Among other responsibilities, our Compensation and Talent Committee:

Our Compensation and Talent Committee operates under a written charter that was adopted by our board of directors and satisfies the applicable rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq Listing Rules. A copy of the Compensation and Talent Committee charter is available on our website at http://investor.qualys.com.

Our Nominating and Governance Committee consists of Ms. Pfeiffer and Ms. Rogers, with Ms. Rogers serving as Chair. Our board of directors has determined that all members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are independent under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Among other responsibilities, our Nominating and Governance Committee:

Our Nominating and Governance Committee operates under a written charter that was adopted by our board of directors and satisfies the applicable rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq Listing Rules. A copy of the Nominating and Governance Committee charter is available on our website at http://investor.qualys.com.

During fiscal 2024, Thomas P. Berquist, William S. Berutti, Kristi M. Rogers, and John A. Zangardi served as members of our Compensation and Talent Committee. None of them is or has been an officer or employee of our company. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee or director (or other board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Compensation and Talent Committee or our board of directors.

Our Nominating and Governance Committee uses a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating director nominees. In its evaluation of director candidates, our Nominating and Governance Committee will consider the current size and composition of our board of directors and the needs of our board and its committees. Some of the qualifications that the committee considers include, without limitation, issues of character, integrity, judgment, diversity of experience, independence, area of expertise, corporate experience, length of service, potential conflicts of interest and other commitments. Nominees must also have the ability to offer advice and guidance to our Chief Executive Officer based on past experience in positions with a high degree of responsibility and be leaders in the

companies or institutions with which they are affiliated. Director candidates must have sufficient time available in the judgment of our Nominating and Governance Committee to perform all board of director and committee responsibilities. Members of our board of directors are expected to prepare for, attend, and participate in all board and applicable committee meetings. Other than the foregoing, there are no stated minimum criteria for director nominees, although our Nominating and Governance Committee may also consider such other factors as it may deem, from time to time, are in our and our stockholders’ best interests. Our Nominating and Governance Committee will also seek appropriate input from our Chief Executive Officer from time to time in assessing the needs of our board of directors for relevant background, experience, diversity and skills of its members.

Although our board of directors does not maintain a specific policy with respect to board diversity, our board of directors recognizes the benefits of having a diverse board. To that end, our Nominating and Governance Committee considers a broad range of backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences in making determinations regarding nominations of directors. Our Nominating and Governance Committee also considers these and other factors as it oversees the annual board of director and committee evaluations.

Our Nominating and Governance Committee will consider candidates for director recommended by stockholders so long as such recommendations comply with our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and applicable laws, rules and regulations, including those promulgated by the SEC. The committee will evaluate such recommendations in accordance with its charter, our bylaws and the regular nominee criteria described above. This process is designed to ensure that our board of directors includes members with diverse backgrounds, skills and experience, including appropriate financial and other expertise relevant to our business. Eligible stockholders wishing to recommend a candidate for nomination should contact our Corporate Secretary in writing. Such recommendations must include information about the candidate, a statement of support by the recommending stockholder, evidence of the recommending stockholder’s ownership of our stock and a signed letter from the candidate confirming willingness to serve on our board of directors. The committee has discretion to decide which individuals to recommend for nomination as directors.

A stockholder of record can nominate a candidate directly for election to our board of directors by complying with the procedures in Section 2.4(ii) of our bylaws. Any eligible stockholder who wishes to submit a nomination should review the requirements in the bylaws on nominations by stockholders. Any nomination should be sent in writing to Qualys, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 919 East Hillsdale Boulevard, 4^th Floor, Foster City, California 94404. Notice must be received by us no earlier than 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on [  ], and no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on [  ]. The notice must state the information required by Section 2.4(ii)(b) of our bylaws and otherwise must comply with applicable federal and state law.

Stockholders wishing to communicate with our board of directors or with an individual member of the board may do so by writing to our board of directors or to the particular member of the board, and mailing the correspondence to: Qualys, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 919 East Hillsdale Boulevard, 4^th Floor, Foster City, California 94404. All such stockholder communications will be forwarded to the appropriate member or members of our board of directors or, if none is specified, to the Chair of the Board.

Our board of directors has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines. These guidelines address, among other items, the responsibilities of our directors, the structure and composition of our board of directors and corporate governance policies and standards applicable to us in general. In addition, our board of directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and other executive and senior financial officers. The full text of our Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is posted on the Governance section of our website at http://investor.qualys.com. We will post amendments to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or waivers of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for directors and executive officers on the same website.

Risk is inherent with every business, and we face a number of risks, including strategic, financial, business and operational, legal and compliance, and reputational. We have designed and implemented processes to prudently manage risk in our operations. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks our company faces, while our board of directors, as a whole and assisted by its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. In its risk oversight role, our board of directors has the responsibility to satisfy itself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are appropriate and functioning as designed.

Our board of directors believes that open communication between management and our board is essential for effective risk management and oversight. Our board of directors meets with our Chief Executive Officer and other members of the senior management team at quarterly board meetings, where, among other topics, they discuss strategy and risks facing Qualys.

While our entire board of directors is ultimately responsible for risk oversight, our board committees assist our board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. Our Audit and Risk Committee assists our board of directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to risk management pertaining to financial, accounting, insurance coverage, investment, tax, and operational infrastructure, including cyber security, data privacy, reliability, business continuity and capacity matters. Our Audit and Risk Committee discusses with management and the independent auditor guidelines and policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management; reviews management’s assessment of the key risks facing us, including the key controls it relies on to mitigate those risks; and monitors certain key risks at each of its regularly scheduled meetings, such as risk associated with internal control over financial reporting and liquidity risk. Our Compensation and Talent Committee assesses and monitors whether any of our compensation policies and programs has the potential to encourage excessive risk-taking. Our Nominating and Governance Committee assists our board of directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risk associated with board organization, membership and structure, and ESG matters. Finally, the full board of directors reviews strategic and operational risk in the context of reports from the management team, receives reports on all significant committee activities at each regular meeting, and evaluates the risks inherent in significant transactions.

The following table provides information regarding compensation of our non-employee directors during our fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Directors who are also our employees receive no additional compensation for their service as a director. During 2024, our CEO, Sumedh S. Thakar was

an employee. Mr. Thakar’s compensation is discussed in the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement. We reimburse our non-employee directors for expenses associated with attending meetings of our board of directors and meetings of committees of our board of directors.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations with respect to the compensation of our non-employee directors. The committee’s

practice is to engage a compensation consultant every year to conduct a full review and competitive analysis (using the same peer group used to analyze executive compensation) of our non-employee directors’ compensation in order to ensure that our directors’ compensation is in line with peer companies competing for director talent. Our current non-employee director compensation program was reviewed and approved in 2024 with input from Compensia, Inc. (“Compensia”), an independent compensation consultant. In fiscal 2024, based on input from Compensia and in order to improve the competitiveness of our non-employee director compensation program compared with our peer group, the Compensation and Talent Committee recommended, and our board of directors approved, an amendment to our non-employee director compensation program to increase the intended “value” of Annual Awards (as defined below) granted to our non-employee directors from $200,000 to $250,000, effective as of October 30, 2024, No other changes have been made to our non-employee director compensation program since 2022. During 2024, our non-employee director compensation program consisted of equity and cash, as described below.

Upon joining our board of directors, each newly elected non-employee director will be granted an award of restricted stock units with an intended “value” (based on the average of the closing prices of our common stock for the 30 trading days ending one week before the applicable grant date) of $420,000 (the “Initial Award”), which may be different from the award’s actual grant date fair value. An Initial Award will vest in three equal annual installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the first day of the month following the month that the director joins our board of directors, subject to continued service to us through each vesting date.

On the date of each annual meeting of stockholders, each non-employee director who has served on our board of directors for at least six months prior to such date will be granted an award of restricted stock units with an intended “value” (based on the average of the closing prices of our common stock for the 30 trading days ending one week before the applicable grant date) of $250,000 (the “Annual Award”), which may be different from the award’s actual grant date fair value. Annual Awards will vest on the earlier of the first anniversary of its grant date or the day before the next annual meeting of stockholders, subject to continued service to us through the applicable vesting date. Prior to amendment of our non-employee director compensation program on October 30, 2024, the intended “value” of Annual Awards was $200,000

Notwithstanding the vesting schedules described above, the vesting of each Initial Award and each Annual Award will accelerate in full upon a “change in control” (as defined in our 2012 Equity Incentive Plan) of Qualys.

Our non-employee director compensation program provides that each year, each non-employee director will receive a cash retainer of $35,000 for serving on our board of directors (the “Annual Retainer”). In addition to the Annual Retainer, the non-employee Chair of the Board is entitled to an additional cash retainer of $50,000. The chairpersons and members of our board’s three standing committees are entitled to the following cash retainers each year:

Each non-employee director who serves as a committee chair will receive only the additional annual cash fee as the chair of the committee, and not the additional annual fee as a member of the committee. All retainers in cash are paid in four equal installments on a quarterly basis at the end of the applicable quarter, provided that the individual served as a non-employee director in the applicable capacity during the full quarter. If a director did not serve in the applicable capacity for the full quarter, retainers are pro-rated, unless otherwise approved by the board of directors.

We maintain insider trading policies and procedures governing the purchase, sale, and other dispositions of Company securities that are applicable to all of our directors, officers, employees and advisors (such as consultants and contractors), and all members of their immediate families and households. Our insider trading policies and procedures are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and the Nasdaq listing standards. Our insider trading policy prohibits, among other things, our non-employee directors and executive officers from trading in derivative securities (including hedging) with respect to our common stock, pledging Company securities as collateral, or holding company securities in a margin account. In addition, with regard to the Company’s trading in its own securities, it is the Company’s policy to comply with the federal securities laws and the applicable exchange listing requirements.

In February 2019, we adopted our stock ownership guidelines that set minimum stock ownership requirements for our non-employee directors and executive officers, in order to more closely align their interests with the long-term interests of our stockholders. In October 2024, we amended our stock ownership guidelines to increase the number of shares of our common stock each non-employee director is required to own from a value equal to at least five times the value of his or her Annual Retainer to a value equal to at least six times the value of his or Annual Retainer (not including any additional fees received for committee service, board chair or lead independent director service, or meeting attendance). Only shares of the Company’s common stock (including shares beneficially owned) count towards satisfaction of the stock ownership levels. Consistent with emerging best practices, vested and exercisable stock options do not count towards satisfying the guidelines.

Each non-employee director must satisfy his or her applicable ownership level by the later of (i) February 8, 2024 or (ii) five years after becoming a director. Compliance with these guidelines is measured based on the non-employee director’s Annual Retainer and the closing market price of our common stock, in each case as of December 31st of each year (or the next trading day if December 31st is not a trading day). Unless and until a director has satisfied his or her applicable level of ownership, he or she is required to retain an amount equal to 50% of the shares received as the result of the exercise, vesting or payment of any equity awards after any shares are sold or withheld, as the case may be, to (i) pay any applicable exercise price for an equity award or (ii) satisfy withholding tax obligations arising in connection with the exercise, vesting or payment of an equity award. As of December 31, 2024, all of our non-employee directors were in compliance with our stock ownership guidelines or within the grace period for compliance. Mr. Berquist, who joined board in August of 2023, has until August of 2028 to be in compliance with our stock ownership guidelines.

Our board of directors is currently composed of six members. Our board of directors is divided into three staggered classes of directors. At each annual meeting of stockholders, a class of directors will be elected for a three-year term to succeed the same class whose term is then expiring. The term of the Class I directors expires at the Annual Meeting, the term of the Class II directors expires at the 2026 annual meeting, and the term of the Class III directors expires at the 2027 annual meeting.

Our Nominating and Governance Committee has recommended, and our board of directors has approved Thomas P. Berquist and Kristi M. Rogers as nominees for election as Class I directors at the Annual Meeting. If elected, Mr. Berquist and Ms. Rogers will serve as Class I directors until the 2028 annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, subject to their earlier death, resignation, or removal. Each of the nominees currently serves on our board of directors as a Class I director. For information concerning the nominees, please see “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance” above.

If you are a stockholder of record and you sign your proxy card or vote by telephone or over the Internet but do not give instructions with respect to the voting of directors, your shares will be voted “FOR” the election of Mr. Berquist and Ms. Rogers, each of whom has consented to being named as a nominee in this proxy statement and to serve as a director, if elected. If, at the time of the Annual Meeting, any nominee is unable or declines to serve as a director, the discretionary authority provided in the enclosed proxy will be exercised to vote for a substitute candidate designated by our board of directors, unless the board chooses to reduce its own size. Our board of directors has no reason to believe that any of the nominees will be unable or will decline to serve if elected. If you are a street name stockholder and you do not give voting instructions to your broker, bank, or other nominee, your broker, bank, or other nominee will leave your shares unvoted on this matter.

Our Audit and Risk Committee has appointed Grant Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”), independent registered public accountants, to audit our financial statements for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Grant Thornton has audited our financial statements since 2005. At the Annual Meeting, our stockholders are being asked to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.

Our Audit and Risk Committee is submitting the selection of Grant Thornton to our stockholders because we value our stockholders’ views on our independent registered public accounting firm and as a matter of good corporate governance. If the stockholders do not ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton, our board of directors may reconsider the appointment. Notwithstanding its selection and even if our stockholders ratify the selection, our Audit and Risk Committee, in its discretion, may appoint another independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it believes that such a change would be in the best interests of Qualys and its stockholders.

Representatives of Grant Thornton will be present at the Annual Meeting, and they will have an opportunity to make statements and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

The following table presents fees for services rendered to Qualys by Grant Thornton for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024. During such fiscal years, Grant Thornton did not render any services to Qualys other than professional audit services.

In 2024, there were no other professional services provided by Grant Thornton that would have required the Audit and Risk Committee to consider their compatibility with maintaining the independence of Grant Thornton.

Consistent with requirements of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, regarding auditor independence, our Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of our independent registered public accounting firm. In recognition of this responsibility, the committee has established a policy for the pre-approval of all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services.

Before engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm for the next year’s audit, the independent registered public accounting firm submits a detailed description of services expected to be rendered during that year for each of the following categories of services to our Audit and Risk Committee for approval:

Our Audit and Risk Committee pre-approves particular services or categories of services on a case-by-case basis. During the year, circumstances may arise when it may become necessary to engage the independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those instances, the services must be pre-approved by the committee before the independent registered public accounting firm is engaged. Pre-approval fee levels or budgeted amounts for all services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm are established annually by the committee, and any proposed services exceeding these levels or amounts require specific pre-approval by the committee.

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), enables our stockholders to approve, on an advisory or non-binding basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed pursuant to Section 14A of the Exchange Act. This proposal, commonly known as a “Say-on-Pay” proposal, gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on our named executive officers’ compensation as a whole. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation or any specific named executive officer, but rather the overall compensation of all of our named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this proxy statement.

The Say-on-Pay vote is advisory, and therefore is not binding on us, our Compensation and Talent Committee or our board of directors. The Say-on-Pay vote will, however, provide information to us regarding investor sentiment about our executive compensation philosophy, policies and practices, which our Compensation and Talent Committee will be able to consider when determining executive compensation for the remainder of the current fiscal year and beyond. Our board of directors and our Compensation and Talent Committee value the opinions of our stockholders and to the extent there is any significant vote against the named executive officer compensation as disclosed in this proxy statement, we will endeavor to communicate with stockholders to better understand the concerns that influenced the vote, and our Compensation and Talent Committee will consider our stockholders’ concerns and evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns.

We believe that the information provided in the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement, and in particular the information discussed in the section entitled “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Philosophy and Objectives” beginning on page 39 below, demonstrates that our executive compensation program was designed appropriately and is working to ensure management’s interests are aligned with our stockholders’ interests to support long-term value creation. Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the stockholders approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to the named executive officers, as disclosed in the proxy statement for the Annual Meeting pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC, including the compensation discussion and analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion, and other related disclosure.”

Since the mid-1980s the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) has permitted Delaware corporations (such as our Company) to limit or eliminate the personal liability of corporate directors for monetary damages resulting from a breach of the fiduciary duty of care, subject to certain limitations. These provisions are referred to as “exculpatory provisions” or “exculpatory protections.” Such a provision with respect to our directors already is contained in Article VIII of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

Effective August 1, 2022, the DGCL was amended to enable Delaware corporations to provide similar exculpatory protection for certain officers. This decision was due in part to the recognition that both officers and directors owe fiduciary duties to corporations; however, until then, the DGCL only permitted exculpatory protections for directors. In addition, Delaware courts have experienced an increase in litigation in which plaintiffs attempted to exploit the absence of protection for officers to prolong litigation and extract settlements from defendant corporations.

In light of this update in the DGCL, we are proposing to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to provide for the exculpation of certain of our officers from liability in specific circumstances, as permitted by the DGCL. The amended DGCL permits officer exculpation only for direct claims (and not for, e.g., derivative claims made by stockholders on behalf of the corporation) and does not apply to breaches of the duty of loyalty, acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or any transaction in which the officer derived an improper personal benefit. Our proposed amendment would permit exculpation of certain officers only to the extent permitted under the DGCL. Our proposed amendment would also provide that if the DGCL is later amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the liability of an officer, then the liability of our officers will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.

Our Nominating and Governance Committee and our board of directors considered the benefits and the consequences of this proposal, including:

Taking into account the scope of claims for which an officer’s liability would be exculpated under the law, and the aforementioned benefits our board of directors believes would accrue to our Company and our stockholders, the Nominating and Governance Committee, as a result of the ongoing review of our corporate governance policies, has recommended that our board of directors approve the amendment of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to permit officer exculpation in certain circumstances.

Based on this recommendation and the review and consideration undertaken by our board of directors, our board of directors has unanimously determined and declared that such an amendment is reasonable, advisable and does not unduly impact stockholder rights and, therefore, it is in the best interests of our Company and our stockholders to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to provide such exculpation to the extent permitted by the DGCL and, in accordance with the DGCL, hereby seeks approval of the amendment of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as described herein. However, even if the amendment is approved by our stockholders, our board of directors may, at any time prior to the effectiveness of the filing of the Certificate of Amendment with the Delaware Secretary of State, abandon the filing of such amendment without further action by our stockholders.

The proposed Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation reflecting the foregoing amendment is attached as Appendix A to this proxy statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the 2025 Annual Meeting (new language is underlined and italicized for effect):

“RESOLVED, that the Company’s stockholders approve an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to amend and restate Article VIII, Section 8.1 thereof in its entirety, to read as follows:

‘8.1 Limitation of Personal Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended from time to time, a director or officer of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer. If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors or officers, then the liability of a director or officer of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.’”

The approval of the amendment of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to permit the exculpation of officers requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote on the proposal. You may vote FOR or AGAINST this proposal, or you may indicate that you wish to ABSTAIN from voting on this proposal. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum and will also count as votes against this proposal, i.e., will have the same effect as a vote AGAINST this proposal.

If this Proposal 4 is not approved by the requisite vote of our stockholders, then the Certificate of Amendment will not be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will remain as is.

Our Audit and Risk Committee is a committee of our board of directors comprised solely of independent directors as required by the Nasdaq Listing Rules and rules of the SEC. Our Audit and Risk Committee operates under a written charter approved by our board of directors, which is available on our website at http://investor.qualys.com. The composition of the committee, the attributes of its members and the responsibilities of the committee, as reflected in its charter, are intended to be in accordance with applicable requirements for corporate audit committees. The committee reviews and assesses the adequacy of its charter and the committee’s performance on an annual basis.

With respect to the financial reporting process of the Company, the management of the Company is responsible for (1) establishing and maintaining internal controls and (2) preparing the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Grant Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”) is responsible for auditing the Company’s financial statements. It is the responsibility of our Audit and Risk Committee to oversee these activities. It is not the responsibility of the committee to prepare or certify our financial statements or guarantee the audits or reports of Grant Thornton. These are the fundamental responsibilities of management and Grant Thornton. In the performance of its oversight function, our Audit and Risk Committee has:

Based on its review and discussions with management and Grant Thornton, our Audit and Risk Committee recommended to our board of directors that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, for filing with the SEC.

Respectfully submitted by the members of the Audit and Risk Committee of the board of directors:

Our commitment to solid governance, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility is essential to our business strategy and the creation of long-term value for our stakeholders. We believe these commitments to our people, stockholders, communities, and environment further build the trust and support of our customers, partners, employees, and stockholders, enabling us to grow our business profitably and meet the diverse needs of our constituents. Our approach to ESG management and disclosure is further informed by the SASB accounting standards (related to the Software and Information Technology Services industry) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant to our business activities. We recognize that ESG risks are an important component of overall enterprise risk and we therefore identify and manage such risks accordingly. As such, we have developed our ESG Pillars of focus based on the risks and opportunities we believe are most impactful to our business over multiple time horizons. These pillars are summarized in the table below.

Our board of directors believes that oversight of ESG issues is a key responsibility of the entire board. Each of our board committees works closely with management to oversee ESG across our business operations in the areas aligned with their respective responsibilities. Our Nominating and Governance Committee oversees our ESG activities, programs, and public disclosures. Our Audit and Risk Committee has oversight responsibility of policies on risk assessment and risk management, including security, data privacy, reliability, business continuity and capacity matters. Our Compensation and Talent Committee oversees a range of human capital management practices, including matters relating to talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, training, and development, as well as employee inclusion.

We are committed to maintaining a strong corporate governance program that complies with regulations, reflects best practices, and continues to evolve as new expectations and opportunities emerge. Notable highlights include:

Please see our Modern Slavery Act Statement, latest Form SD, Form 10-K, and ESG report for more information on these policies and related programs on our website at www.qualys.com.

Cybersecurity and compliance constitute key parts of our business. Our customers look to Qualys to enable protection of their systems and applications from ever-evolving cyberattacks and to maintain compliance with related cybersecurity policies and regulations. We continually work to enhance the capabilities of our cybersecurity offerings. We hold ourselves to the highest standards regarding data security policies and customer privacy programs. Trust is the foundation of our business, and we take the responsibility to protect our customers’ data and privacy very seriously.

Oversight of cybersecurity and customer data privacy at Qualys begins with our Board and the direct supervision of the Audit and Risk Committee. Our Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) has management oversight of IT, platform, physical infrastructure, and product security, and other department leaders regularly update the Board on cybersecurity and customer privacy.

Consistent with our Board’s and Management’s cybersecurity and customer data privacy oversight, we have established an Information Security Management System (“ISMS”) comprised of policies, procedures, and processes for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats, and have integrated these processes into our overall enterprise risk management systems and processes. Our ISMS is aligned to generally accepted security standards and is certified by third-party auditors according to ISO/IEC 27001 standards. We routinely assess cybersecurity risks for materiality, including assessing any potential unauthorized occurrence on or conducted through our information systems that may result in adverse effects on the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information systems or any information residing therein.

We routinely conduct risk assessments to identify cybersecurity threats and weaknesses, as well as risk assessments of events that could potentially materially change our business practices and affect our information systems that could be impacted by cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. These risk assessments include the identification of reasonably foreseeable internal and external risks, the likelihood and potential damage that could result from such risks, and the sufficiency of existing policies, procedures, systems, and safeguards in place to manage such risks.

Following these risk assessments, we re-design, implement, and maintain reasonable safeguards to minimize identified risks; reasonably address any identified gaps in existing safeguards; and regularly monitor the effectiveness of our safeguards. We devote significant resources and designate high-level personnel, including our CISO who reports to our Chief Executive Officer, to manage the risk assessment and mitigation process.

As part of our overall risk management system, we monitor and test our safeguards and train our employees on these safeguards, in collaboration with human resources, IT, and management. Personnel at all levels and departments are made aware of our cybersecurity policies through periodic trainings.

We have established a Computer Security Incident Response Team (“CSIRT”) that identifies security incidents, characterizes the nature and severity of incidents, and provides diagnostic and corrective actions when appropriate. The CSIRT is responsible for identifying, managing, and responding to security incidents against Qualys’ infrastructure and corporate IT systems. The security measures the CSIRT employs are consistent with relevant requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”), Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (“FedRAMP”), International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”), and Federal Information Security Management Act (“FISMA”). We have also adopted certain guidelines from NIST and the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

Our Incident Response Program and Plan describes the major phases of an incident management lifecycle which includes the preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication and recovery, and post-incident activity. Qualys’ 24x7 Cybersecurity Fusion Center and CSIRT conduct Incident Response Plan testing and training on a periodic basis through tabletop exercises or simulated attack scenarios. This testing appraises our readiness to respond to such scenarios and tests the completeness and accuracy of the incident response plan. The Cybersecurity Fusion Center and CSIRT teams drive these exercises to participants via various cyber security incident scenarios in the form of multiple injects. Exercise participants primarily consist of members from various Qualys departments such as security operations, IT operations, network operations, and other departments depending on the selected scenario.

We have also established a Product Security Incident Response Team (“PSIRT”) that identifies, assesses, and responds to security incidents, risks, and vulnerabilities associated with Qualys’ commercial products. The Qualys PSIRT investigates vulnerabilities and incidents across the entire Qualys product portfolio. PSIRT coordinates product impact assessments and fixes based on industry standards such as the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (“CVE”) and Common Vulnerability Scoring System (“CVSS”). PSIRT operates in alignment with relevant requirements and industry standards and coordinates its activities with the CSIRT.

We routinely evaluate the risks posed by third-party providers and engage with those whom fail to comply with our relevant contract requirements, or when we feel further action is needed to keep our risk levels within approved tolerance levels.

We engage assessors, consultants, auditors, and other third parties in order to obtain external validation for effectiveness and adequacy of our security posture in compliance with regulatory requirements. These service providers attest to our organization-wide design and implementation of cybersecurity policies and procedures, and annually monitor such policies and procedures from a safety perspective.

Please see our 2024 annual report on Form 10-K, and our ESG report for more information on these policies and related programs on our website at www.qualys.com.

We are committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we promote and practice diversity and inclusion. We seek to continue to improve our hiring, development, advancement, and retention of diverse talent and to foster an inclusive workplace. In addition to having more than 50% of the executive team from underrepresented communities, we are also continuing to improve diversity among our growing workforce, with over half of our US-based employees from underrepresented communities.

Qualys searches the globe for top talent in an effort to recruit and hire diverse individuals with a variety of skills, experiences, and backgrounds.

Employee Engagement, Training, and Development. We require our employees and managers to participate in myriad training programs directed at maintaining a harassment-free, diverse, and secure workplace. With our diverse employee population, we uphold the rights to work in an environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discriminatory practices against race, color, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), marital

status, registered domestic partner status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic characteristics and information, age, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Creating a respectful workplace and preventing harassment to our employees remain our on-going commitment.

Investing in employees is critical to our success. Qualys employees participate in an onboarding program to integrate new hires into role-specific functions and company culture. Qualys offers managers and employees various training courses as needed. To support career growth inside and outside Qualys, we offer free self-paced and instructor-led certified training on core Qualys topics, giving employees an opportunity to achieve certifications and job-related courses. In 2024, we made a strategic investment in LinkedIn Learning to provide all employees and managers with a plethora of courses tailored to enhance their skills, broaden their knowledge, fuel their career ambitions, and reach their full potential.

To allow for open dialogue between employees and managers, we conduct formal employee reviews each year. Corrective action plans are developed for employees who may be struggling to meet their job responsibilities. Employee performance is considered during compensation reviews. In addition to formal reviews, our Human Resources team regularly meets with managers to check in with teams and conducts exit interviews globally.

Benefits and Compensation. We understand that providing competitive compensation and benefits plays a critical role in attracting and retaining the best available personnel. That is why we offer robust compensation and benefits to our employees, including competitive base salaries, variable pay and equity awards, and generous benefits packages. To support the health and wellness of our workforce, Qualys offers premium health coverage with minimal out-of-pocket contributions for our employees. Qualys aims to maintain a healthy work-life balance and provide resources to support our employees’ mental and physical well-being. Our global employees and their families have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at no charge, offering counseling sessions on many topics, including mental health, substance abuse, grief and loss, financial or workplace issues, and more.

Qualys maintains a Compensation and Talent Committee of the Board of Directors to oversee the company’s compensation policies, plans and benefits programs, and overall compensation philosophy. The Committee approves CEO and executive officers’ compensation plans, and reviews, approves, and administers various employee benefit plans, among other duties. As part of its ongoing review of the performance criteria and compensation of designated key executives, the Compensation and Talent Committee also meets annually with the CEO, the Company’s chief human resources executive, and any other corporate officers as it deems appropriate.

Community Engagement. We value the communities that support our operations and have several company and employee-led initiatives to support the communities in which we operate. As part of our strategic efforts to build a more educated and diverse workforce and support the management of climate risk, our community initiatives In 2024, our efforts were centered on advancing education, technology, local communities, and environmental initiatives. For example, we provided scholarships for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), partnered with nonprofit organizations to provide back-to-school backpacks to underserved youth in our community, and donated to food drives and holiday fundraisers to support local families in need, among other initiatives. Our employees participated in environmental initiatives such as World Environment Day that encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment, in addition to taking part in local clean-up activities across the world.

Our company culture is one of generosity and empathy, and we are proud of our employees who volunteer their time and resources to make a difference in the communities we serve. We believe that by giving back, we are not only making a positive impact on the world but also creating a better place for our employees, customers, and partners to live and work.

Please see our 2024 annual report on Form 10-K, and our ESG report for more information on these policies and related programs on our website at www.qualys.com.

Qualys products, delivered via our multi-tenant cloud platform, enable improved environmental sustainability for our customers. In particular, our cloud-based solutions minimize the number of physical servers our customers have to deploy within their own environments, reducing energy consumption on their end. Qualys Cloud Apps, delivering rich content and dashboards visible on any device, also reduce paper and printing costs for our customers.

Our environmental, health and safety systems, processes and tools in place across our footprint enable Qualys to meet or exceed governmental and industry requirements. We strive to consistently improve how we operate our platforms in energy-efficient networks and data centers as well as pursue sustainability initiatives that reduce energy, waste and materials consumption. We have 14 multi-tenant platforms across the world, six of which are in collocated facilities. The others are hosted in public cloud environments. Though data centers are inherently energy-intensive, utilizing collocated facilities allows us to leverage economies of scale for power and cooling. In addition, most of our third-party providers continue to advance their own sustainability programs to reduce their environmental impact.

Please see our 2024 annual report on Form 10-K, and our ESG report for more information on these policies and related programs on our website at www.qualys.com.

This proxy statement includes several website addresses or references to additional company reports or resources found on our corporate website. These website addresses are intended to provide inactive, textual references only. The information on these websites, including the information contained in those reports or resources, is not part of this proxy statement and is not incorporated by reference in this proxy statement.

The following table identifies certain information about our executive officers as of April [  ], 2025. Officers are elected by our board of directors to hold office until their successors are elected and qualified.

Sumedh S. Thakar is also a director of Qualys. Please see the section titled “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance” for his biography.

Joo Mi Kim has served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 2020. Ms. Kim rejoined us from Impact, a partnership automation technology company, where she served as Chief Financial Officer from September 2019 to June 2020. Ms. Kim previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Aera Technology, an enterprise cognitive technology company, from June 2018 to July 2019, and as Vice President, FP&A, Investor Relations and Operations at Qualys from June 2016 to June 2018. From July 2015 to June 2016, Ms. Kim was Senior Director of Finance at Zynga, a social gaming company. From 2014 to 2015, she was Director of Finance at Anaplan, a planning and performance management platform provider, and from 2012 to 2014, she was Vice President, Finance and Corporate Operations at mLab. Earlier in her career, Ms. Kim was an associate at Foros, an investment bank, from 2009 to 2012, and at J.P. Morgan from 2008 to 2009. Ms. Kim began her career as an economic consultant at Ernst & Young from 2003 to 2006. Ms. Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Chicago and Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Bruce K. Posey has served as our Chief Legal Officer since October 2021 and our Corporate Secretary since June 2012. Mr. Posey was previously our Vice President and General Counsel from May 2012 to October 2021. From December 2011 to May 2012, Mr. Posey served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of IntelePeer, Inc. From January 2009 to December 2011, Mr. Posey served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Openwave Systems, Inc. From July 2002 to January 2009, Mr. Posey served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at iPass. Mr. Posey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis provides an overview of the material components of our executive compensation program. The following individuals are collectively referred to in this Compensation Discussion and Analysis and the accompanying compensation tables as the “named executive officers” (“NEOs”):

We are a leading provider of disruptive cloud-based Information Technology (“IT”), security, and compliance solutions enabling organizations to identify security risks to their IT infrastructures, help protect their IT systems and applications from ever-evolving cyber-attacks and achieve compliance with internal policies and external regulations. Our natively integrated cloud solutions address the growing IT, security and compliance complexities and risks that are amplified by the dissolving boundaries between internal and external IT infrastructures and web environments, the rapid adoption of cloud computing, containers and serverless IT models, and the proliferation of geographically dispersed IT assets.

IT infrastructures are more complex and globally-distributed today than ever before, as organizations of all sizes increasingly rely upon a myriad of interconnected information systems and related IT assets, such as servers, databases, web applications, routers, switches, desktops, laptops, other physical and virtual infrastructure, and numerous external networks and cloud services. The predominant approach to IT security has been to implement multiple disparate security products that can be costly and difficult to deploy, integrate and manage and may not adequately protect organizations. As a result, we believe there is a large and growing opportunity for comprehensive cloud-based IT, security and compliance solutions delivered in a single platform.

We intend to leverage our innovation, extensive expertise and position as a trusted provider of cloud-based IT, security and compliance solutions to continue to grow our revenues and maintain strong profitability. In 2024,

Consistent with our “pay-for-performance” philosophy, our non-equity incentive plan pays cash compensation based on achievement of bookings, revenue growth and non-GAAP EPS. The Compensation and Talent Committee selected these three metrics, which measure sales growth and profitability, as the corporate performance metrics that best support our annual operating plan and represent drivers of stockholder value creation. In 2024, the non-equity incentive plan paid out at approximately 81% of target.

As for equity incentive plan, we grant annually a mix of time-based RSUs and PRSUs, whereby RSUs are set to vest over four years subject to continued service and PRSUs are set to vest annually over three years subject to achievement of respective year’s annual performance targets: revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin. The Compensation and Talent Committee selected these metrics as the best drivers of our long-term value creation. In 2024, PRSUs earned based on 2024 calendar year performance was approximately 103% of target. Following the timing change to our equity award goal setting process described further below, each of the three PRSU tranches using a 2024 performance period (in connection with equity awards we approved in 2021, 2022, and 2023) were considered granted in 2024 and are included in this year’s Summary Compensation Table.

Historically, our board of directors or the Compensation and Talent Committee approved our annual performance goals that would be used for the PRSU component of the equity award for the next year, in the fourth quarter of the preceding year. During 2023, our board of directors continued this practice of approving the target value of PRSUs for 2024 in October 2023, but decided to move the approval of the performance goals to be used for the PRSU component to February 2024. This change was made so that our board of directors and the Compensation and Talent Committee has the benefit of a complete view of year end results and a more refined forecast when approving our performance goals, which improves their ability to set appropriately calibrated goals.

As a result of this change, certain tranches of PRSUs will be considered granted in the first quarter of the corresponding performance year, while our annual RSU awards will continue to be considered granted in the year of approval (generally, October of each year). The result of this change in 2024 is that there were three tranches of PRSUs considered granted to NEOs in 2024 for purposes of ASC Topic 718. This is illustrated in the chart below, where each row represents the annual grant approved by our Compensation and Talent Committee, and each column represents the year the grant is reported in the Summary Compensation Table. As a result, the Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 tranches for PRSU awards for which the target number of PRSUs were approved in October 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, are considered granted in January 2025 for purposes of ASC Topic 718 and will be reported in the Summary Compensation Table in next year’s proxy statement.

To ensure transparency and clarity to our shareholders, we are providing a supplemental Compensation Table in the CD&A (see page 50), as well as providing the detail in the footnotes of the Summary Compensation Table (see the footnotes of page 56).

This change is discussed in more detail in the section entitled “Equity Compensation” of the Executive Compensation Program Components, and in the section entitled “2024 Summary Compensation Table”.

Our compensation philosophy is to provide programs that attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, provide incentives for such persons to perform to the best of their abilities, and promote the success of our business.

We maintain the following good executive pay and corporate governance policies and practices:

Our Compensation and Talent Committee considers the results of the annual stockholder advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers (“Say on Pay”) and stockholder feedback on our executive compensation program as part of its annual executive compensation review. In 2024, our “Say on Pay” proposal received nearly 93% support (excluding abstentions and broker non-votes) and we continued to reach out to our stockholders to discuss our compensation programs. Based on this strong stockholder support and the positive feedback we received during our stockholder outreach, our Compensation and Talent Committee determined to maintain the parameters of our existing executive compensation program and policies. We will continue to incorporate stockholder feedback into our compensation structure in future years as applicable.

In addition to our ongoing dialogue with our stockholders on our strategy and value proposition, we reached out to 38 of our top stockholders in early 2025 to discuss our executive compensation program and other ESG initiatives. These top 38 stockholders held approximately 72% of our outstanding stock as of December 31, 2024. Eight stockholders, representing approximately 35% of our outstanding stock as of December 31, 2024, accepted our invitation for engagement.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee oversees our overall compensation philosophy, compensation plans, and benefits programs. Our Compensation and Talent Committee is responsible for reviewing, approving, and administering our annual and long-term incentive compensation plans and our employee benefit plans and for administering our equity incentive plans.

To this end, our Compensation and Talent Committee establishes the performance objectives and certifies the performance achievement under our annual and long-term incentive compensation plans and approves the grant of equity awards under our equity incentive plans. Our Compensation and Talent Committee also reviews on a periodic basis the operations of our executive compensation program to determine whether they are properly coordinated and achieving their intended purposes. If our Compensation and Talent Committee determines that any aspect of our executive compensation program yields payments and benefits that are not reasonably related to executive and corporate performance, the committee may take steps to modify the program.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee has authority to engage independent outside consultants and obtain input from our management team, other employees, and external advisers. In 2024, our Compensation and Talent Committee engaged Compensia, Inc., a national compensation consulting firm to assist us with respect to the compensation of our executive team, including our named executive officers.

Compensia provided a report on regulatory developments, proxy advisory policy changes, and trends in short-term and long-term incentive compensation program design. Compensia further provided data on the compensation provided to executives in our compensation peer group (as described below) and the competitive market in general. This data was considered by our Compensation and Talent Committee in setting executive compensation in 2024. This process involved Compensia analyzing, reviewing and providing guidance to our Compensation and Talent Committee regarding (i) the compensation peer group and (ii) various elements of our executive compensation program based on a comparison of the base salary, target total cash compensation (i.e., base salary plus target non-equity incentive plan compensation), annual long-term incentive values, and target total direct compensation (i.e., target total cash compensation plus equity awards) we provide to our named

executive officers against that provided by our compensation peer group to similarly situated executives. Compensia also provided data on market practices relating to stock ownership guidelines for executives and non-employee directors and data on our compensation peer group’s non-employee director compensation, short-term and long-term incentive compensation program design, and equity utilization, as well as reports on executive compensation trends and regulatory developments.

In 2024, Compensia did not provide any services to us or receive any payments from us, except in its capacity as a consultant to our Compensation and Talent Committee. Based on the consideration of the various factors as set forth in the rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market, our Compensation and Talent Committee believes that its relationship with Compensia and its work on behalf of the committee has not raised any conflicts of interest.

During 2024, Mr. Thakar, Ms. Kim, Mr. Posey, and Ms. Rima Touma Bruno, our Chief Human Resources Officer, typically attended our Compensation and Talent Committee’s meetings. Our Compensation and Talent Committee may invite to its meetings any other person that it deems appropriate. No named executive officer attends the portions of a meeting during which decisions regarding his or her compensation are made, and the Compensation and Talent Committee regularly meets in executive sessions without any members of management present.

On an annual basis, our Compensation and Talent Committee approves a list of peer companies for the committee to use in conducting a competitive market analysis of executive officer compensation. To represent the market in which we compete for talent, we consider four primary company selection characteristics in determining the peer group each year:

In April 2024, with the assistance of Compensia, our Compensation and Talent Committee reviewed our compensation peer group based on our peer group selection criteria. This resulted in adding two new companies (Fastly, Inc. and Gen Digital, Inc.) to the peer group and removing two companies from the peer group (New Relic, Inc. and Splunk, Inc., each of which are no longer publicly-traded). The following is a list of the public companies that our Compensation and Talent Committee used to set cash and equity compensation beginning in 2024:

Our Compensation and Talent Committee uses the compensation peer group and market data provided by Compensia (including custom cuts of survey data from Radford) to obtain a general understanding of compensation practices within our compensation peer group and the competitive market in general. In setting the various elements of compensation for the named executive officers, our Compensation and Talent Committee reviewed base salary, target total cash compensation (i.e., base salary plus target non-equity incentive plan compensation), annual long-term incentive values, and target total direct compensation (i.e., target total cash compensation plus equity awards). We believe that considering peer group compensation data is important because it allows us, alongside other considerations that we detail below for each pay element, to provide compensation that, as a complete package, is appropriate for each named executive officer.

As shown in the charts below, a significant portion of the target total direct compensation (which consists of base salary, target bonus opportunity, the intended value of the time-based RSUs approved by our board of directors in October 2024, and the intended target value of the PRSUs approved by our board of directors in October 2024, as discussed in the “Executive Compensation Program Components” section below) for the named executive officers is performance-based compensation (50% for the CEO, Mr. Thakar, and 31% for Ms. Kim and Mr. Posey, who were the only other named executive officers for 2024). For the chart showing the target total direct compensation of Ms. Kim and Mr. Posey, each figure was separately calculated for each named executive officer, and the percentages shown in the chart represent the average of the figures for the two named executive officers.

The following sections describe each component of our executive compensation program as summarized in the table below, provide the rationale for each component, and explain how the compensation amounts and awards were determined for 2024.

Base salary is the primary fixed component of our named executive officers’ compensation. We use base salary to compensate our named executive officers for services rendered during the year and to ensure that we remain competitive in attracting and retaining executive talent. A named executive officer’s base salary at hire is determined through arm’s-length negotiation. Our Compensation and

Talent Committee typically reviews and considers adjustments to our named executive officers’ base salaries on an annual basis. When doing so, our Compensation and Talent Committee considers factors such as the named executive officer’s experience, skills, knowledge, responsibilities, and performance and the prevailing market conditions.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee reviewed our executive compensation program, including base salary for our named executive officers. The committee evaluated the peer group compensation data provided by Compensia and determined, based on its judgment, that we were providing target compensation below current market compensation. The committee approved increases to the base salaries of our named executive officers effective as of November 1, 2024. Each named executive officer’s base salary during 2024 is listed in the table below.

The total base salaries paid to our named executive officers during 2024 are set forth in the section entitled “2024 Summary Compensation Table” below.

To motivate and reward our named executive officers to achieve our annual financial and operational objectives and our long-term strategic and growth goals, we provide cash incentive compensation to them based on meeting one or more corporate performance objectives. The objectives change from year to year as we grow and market conditions evolve and different priorities are established, but our Compensation and Talent Committee selects challenging objectives that are achievable only by strong performance.

Our named executive officers participated in our 2024 Corporate Bonus Plan, which provided them with an opportunity to receive formula-based incentive amounts on a quarterly basis. Our Compensation and Talent Committee decided this was the most appropriate measure of time to determine achievement of our short-term objectives because it aligns with the time periods for which we give external guidance.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee typically reviews and considers adjustments to our named executive officers’ target bonus opportunities on an annual basis. When doing so, our Compensation and Talent Committee considers factors such as the prevalent practices among our peer group companies, the mix of our target pay program between fixed vs. variable compensation and cash vs. equity compensation, internal equity among our executive officers, and recent company and individual performance. In October 2024, we increased the target bonus percentages for Ms. Kim and Mr. Posey, effective for the Q4 performance period and as set forth in the table below.

The target bonus opportunity under the 2024 Corporate Bonus Plan, expressed as a percentage of each named executive officer’s base salary for that quarter as of the last day of the applicable quarter, of each named executive officer that participated in the 2024 Corporate Bonus Plan is listed in the table below.

For 2024, the performance metrics used to determine bonuses continued to be (i) growth in our bookings for the applicable quarter over the same quarter of the prior year, (ii) growth in revenues over the same quarter in 2023 and (iii) non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, with all three metrics weighted equally. Our Compensation and Talent Committee selected these three metrics, which measure sales growth and profitability, as the corporate performance metrics that best supported our annual operating plan and represent drivers of stockholder value creation. For each of the three equally-weighted metrics, the payout percentage was capped at 125% of target.

These three metrics were calculated as follows:

For each of the three metrics, performance may be adjusted to remove the effects of charges for restructurings, discontinued operations, extraordinary items and all items of gain, loss or expense determined to be extraordinary or unusual in nature or related to the disposal of a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting principle, asset write-downs, litigation, claims, judgments or settlements, the effect of changes in tax law or other such laws or provisions affecting reported results, accruals for reorganization and restructuring programs. These exclusions are intended so that performance can be evaluated on organic foreseeable results rather than extraordinary transactions outside the scope of the Compensation and Talent Committee’s forecasts. The Compensation and Talent Committee made no adjustments to any of these metrics in 2024.

The target award amounts for our named executive officers in each quarter of 2024 were as follows:

Each named executive officer’s bonus is paid as a percentage of his or her target bonus opportunity amount based on the weighted average of the payout percentages for each applicable measure. To be eligible for a quarterly bonus payment under our 2024 Corporate Bonus Plan, an individual must be employed as of the last working day of the quarter.

For each of the three equally-weighted metrics, the payout percentage was capped at 125% of target. In 2023 and previous years, the payout percentage overall and for each metric was capped at 100% of target. Our Compensation and Talent Committee believed that increasing the maximum payout to 125% of target for achieving the top end of the targets would be sufficiently challenging and incentivize top-end performance, and remains well within common practices among our peer group. Payout could be zero if performance is below minimum levels for all three measures.

The following table shows the level of achievement of each quarterly performance target under our 2024 Corporate Bonus Plan and the corresponding payout for each of these quarterly performance targets:

Based on the achievement against the applicable performance metrics discussed above, the quarterly and aggregate actual amounts awarded to our named executive officers for 2024 were as follows:

We use equity awards to incentivize and reward strong long-term corporate performance and to align the interests of our named executive officers with those of our stockholders. Continuing the practice we introduced in 2021 based on feedback from our stockholders, the equity award grants for our named executive officers that were approved in 2024 were a mix of time-based RSU and PRSUs. RSUs serve to retain our named executive officers over the long-term and align with our objective of long-term stockholder value creation. PRSUs drive long-term stockholder value creation and more strongly align our named executive officers’ interests with the interests of the Company and its stockholders. The PRSUs will provide significant value to our named executive officers only if the Company achieves specific operational goals since the PRSUs will vest only if these goals are achieved. As discussed in “Executive Compensation Highlights” above, the Compensation and Talent Committee changed the timing with respect to establishing PRSU performance goals, which impacts the amounts reported in the Summary Compensation Table for 2024.

Each year, we evaluate granting equity awards to our named executive officers to provide additional incentive to continue providing services to us. When determining the size of these equity awards, we generally do not apply a fixed formula. Instead, we aim to maximize long-term stockholder value by granting an amount of equity that properly rewards the named executive officer for his or her contribution to the growth in such value. We consider factors such as:

We also periodically grant equity awards to new executive hires or in connection with a promotion and to recognize corporate and individual performance. The size of equity awards granted to our named executive officers in connection with their hire is determined through arm’s-length negotiation. We consider factors such as the named executive officer’s prospective role and responsibilities, the cash compensation the named executive officer is expected to receive, the potential incentive and retention value of the award, and the prevailing competitive market conditions.

The equity awards granted to our named executive officers in 2024 are set forth in the sections entitled “2024 Summary Compensation Table” and “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2024 Table” below.

The annual equity grants for our named executive officers that were approved in 2024 consisted of a mix of RSUs and PRSUs.

The RSUs granted to our named executive officers vest over four years and serve to retain our named executive officers over a long-term period and align with our objective of long-term stockholder value creation. The vesting of the RSUs is subject to the applicable named executive officer’s continued service with us as of each vesting date.

As for the approved PRSUs in 2024, the target number of PRSUs were determined in 2024 and divided equally into three tranches with each covering performance periods (calendar years) 2025, 2026, and 2027. Annual performance goals are established in the first quarter of each performance year based on the Company’s annual operating plan for the applicable year. The goals for each tranche are based on the annual growth rate of the Company’s revenues and adjusted EBITDA margin for the applicable performance period. These two metrics are to be calculated as follows:

The revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin targets for the first tranche are based on the Company’s annual operating plan for 2025. In order to enable more calibrated goal setting, our board of directors did not set the performance goals for this tranche when target number of PRSUs was approved and instead waited to set the goals until January 2025 (after 2024 fiscal year had been completed, which provided the benefit of having a complete view of year end results). The revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin targets for the second and third tranches will be based on the Company’s annual operating plan for the applicable year, which is expected to be determined by our board of directors shortly after the beginning of the applicable year.

Up to 200% of the target number of PRSUs allocated to each tranche that become eligible to be earned and vest will be scheduled to vest according to the following schedule, subject to the applicable named executive officer’s continued service through the applicable vesting date:

In designing the performance and vesting structure of these PRSUs, our Compensation and Talent Committee sought to balance the short-term and long-term incentive and retention aspects of the PRSUs, by allowing the named executive officers to earn and vest in up to the target number of PRSUs each year but requiring continued service for approximately three years in order to vest in any Overperformance Amount.

In addition, the vesting of these RSUs and PRSUs would accelerate upon the occurrence of certain specified events, as described in the section entitled “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below.

The number of shares of our common stock covered by the RSUs and PRSUs and their intended value at the time of grant are listed in the table below.

In October 2021, our board of directors approved the grant of PRSU awards to our named executive officers. Each named executive officer’s PRSU award was divided into three tranches with one-year performance periods covering the calendar years 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. One-third of the target number of PRSUs was allocated to each tranche. Each tranche was and is to become eligible to vest based on the annual growth rate of the Company’s revenues and the Company’s adjusted EBITDA margin for the applicable performance period.

As a result of the Company achieving revenue growth of 10% and adjusted EBITDA margin of 47% in 2024, the following number of PRSUs were earned and vested for the third tranche of each named executive officer’s PRSUs (which represents 103% of each named executive officer’s target number of PRSUs for that tranche): (i) 13,442 for Mr. Thakar, (ii) 4,854 for Ms. Kim, and (iii) 3,048 for Mr. Posey.

In October 2022, our board of directors approved the grant of PRSU awards to our named executive officers. Each named executive officer’s PRSU award was divided into three tranches with one-year performance periods covering the calendar years 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively. One-third of the target number of PRSUs was allocated to each tranche. Each tranche was and is to become eligible to vest based on the annual growth rate of the Company’s revenues and the Company’s adjusted EBITDA margin for the applicable performance period.

As a result of the Company achieving revenue growth of 10% and adjusted EBITDA margin of 47% in 2024, the following number of PRSUs became eligible to vest for the second tranche of each named executive officer’s PRSUs (which represents 103% of each named executive officer’s target number of PRSUs for that tranche): (i) 15,579 for Mr. Thakar, (ii) 4,027 for Ms. Kim, and (iii) 2,302 for Mr. Posey. Of these PRSUs, the following number vested immediately upon our board of directors certifying the achievement of the revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin goals: (i) 15,178 for Mr. Thakar, (ii) 3,923 for Ms. Kim, and (iii) 2,242 for Mr. Posey. The remaining PRSUs that became eligible to vest are scheduled to vest on the date that performance is certified for the third tranche, subject to the applicable named executive officer’s continued service with us through that date.

In October 2023, our board of directors approved the intended value of the PRSU awards to our named executive officers. Each named executive officer’s PRSU award was divided into three tranches with one-year performance periods covering the calendar years 2024, 2025, and 2026, respectively. One-third of the target number of PRSUs was allocated to each tranche. Each tranche was and is to become eligible to vest based on the annual growth rate of the Company’s revenues and the

Company’s adjusted EBITDA margin for the applicable performance period. The first tranche of these PRSU awards were not considered granted under FASB ASC Topic 718 until the performance goals for the 2024 performance period was approved by our board of directors in February 2024.

As a result of the Company achieving revenue growth of 10% and adjusted EBITDA margin of 47% in 2024, the following number of PRSUs became eligible to vest for the first tranche of each named executive officer’s PRSUs (which represents 103% of each named executive officer’s target number of PRSUs for that tranche): (i) 15,584 for Mr. Thakar, (ii) 3,754 for Ms. Kim, and (iii) 2,239 for Mr. Posey. Of these PRSUs, the following number vested immediately upon our board of directors certifying the achievement of the revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin goals: (i) 15,183 for Mr. Thakar, (ii) 3,657 for Ms. Kim, and (iii) 2,181 for Mr. Posey. The remaining PRSUs that became eligible to vest are scheduled to vest on the date that performance is certified for the third tranche, subject to the applicable named executive officer’s continued service with us through that date.

Our named executive officers participate in the same retirement plan as other U.S.-based full-time employees. We maintain a tax-qualified 401(k) plan that provides eligible employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis. All participants’ interests in their deferrals are 100% vested when contributed. We match 100% on the dollar up to the first 6% of eligible compensation with no vesting period, for our employees, including our named executive officers. Pre-tax contributions are allocated to each participant’s individual account and are then invested in selected investment alternatives according to the participants’ directions. The 401(k) plan is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code. As a tax-qualified retirement plan, contributions to the 401(k) plan and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plan, and all contributions are deductible by us when made.

In addition, our named executive officers are entitled to participate in the same employee benefit plans, and on the same terms and conditions, as our other U.S.-based, full-time employees. These benefits include health, dental and vision insurance; medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts; short- and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. We believe these benefits are generally consistent with those offered by companies with which we compete for employees.

We generally do not provide perquisites or other personal benefits to our named executive officers. In the future, we may provide perquisites or other personal benefits in limited circumstances, such as where we believe it is appropriate to assist an individual named executive officer in the performance of his or her duties or to make our named executive officers more efficient and effective and for recruitment, motivation, or retention purposes. Our Compensation and Talent Committee will approve and periodically review all future practices with respect to perquisites or other personal benefits.

Ms. Kim’s employment offer letter provided for certain protections in the event of termination of her employment under specified circumstances. In addition, certain equity awards granted to our named executive officers provided for acceleration of vesting upon termination of their employment under specified circumstances.

Our board of directors previously approved (i) a severance and change in control policy for our CEO in April 2021, in connection with Mr. Thakar’s appointment as CEO, and (ii) for our other named executive officers in October 2021. The severance and change in control payments and benefits under these policies supersede any prior agreement or arrangement the named executive officers may have had with us that provided for severance and/or change in control payments or benefits (other than any existing vesting acceleration benefits upon a termination of employment due to death or disability).

We believe that these arrangements maximize stockholder value by minimizing any potential distractions caused by the possibility of an involuntary termination or a potential change in control, which allows our named executive officers to maintain their focus and dedication to their responsibilities. We believe that these arrangements also provide further retention value by encouraging our named executive officers to continue providing services to us.

For a summary of the material terms and conditions of these severance and change in control arrangements, as well as an estimate of the potential payments and benefits payable thereunder, see the section entitled “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below.

We maintain an insider trading policy that prohibits directors, officers, employees and agents (such as consultants and independent contractors) of our company as well as related parties from trading in derivative securities (including hedging) with respect to our common stock, pledging company securities as collateral, or holding company securities in a margin account.

We maintain stock ownership guidelines that set minimum stock ownership requirements for our non-employee directors and executive officers (including our named executive officers), in order to more closely align their interests with the long-term interests of our stockholders. Under the guidelines, each executive officer is required to own a number of shares of our common stock with a value equal to a specified multiple of his or her base salary. Only shares of the Company’s common stock (including shares beneficially owned) count towards satisfaction of the stock ownership levels. Consistent with emerging best practices, vested and exercisable stock options do not count towards satisfying the guidelines.

Each executive officer must satisfy his or her applicable ownership level by the later of (i) February 8, 2024 or (ii) five years after becoming an executive officer. Compliance with these guidelines is measured based on the executive officer’s annual base salary and the closing market price of our common stock, in each case as of December 31 of each year (or the next trading day if December 31 is not a trading day). Unless and until an executive officer has satisfied his or her applicable level of ownership, he or she is required to retain an amount equal to 50% of the shares received as the result of the exercise, vesting or payment of any equity awards after any shares are sold or withheld, as the case may be, to (i) pay any applicable exercise price for an equity award or (ii) satisfy withholding tax obligations arising in connection with the exercise, vesting or payment of an equity award.

We previously adopted a clawback policy that prevents an executive officer from benefiting from cash-based incentive compensation or performance-based equity compensation that was paid based on the achievement of performance results that were subsequently restated as a result of the executive officer’s misconduct. This policy helps foster and maintain a culture that emphasizes integrity and accountability. Our clawback policy permits us to require that any of our current or former executive officers who is (or was) subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, repay certain cash-based incentive compensation or performance-based equity compensation to us if our Compensation and Talent Committee determines that such executive officer’s actions caused or partially caused us to materially restate all or a portion of our financial statements.

In October 2023, we adopted a new compensation recovery policy in accordance with the Exchange Act Rule 10D-1 and the applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules, which supplements our existing clawback policy. This policy provides for the non-discretionary recovery of excess incentive-based compensation from current and former executive officers in the event of an accounting restatement, whether or not the executive officer was at fault for the restatement, in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 10D-1 and the applicable Nasdaq Listing Standards.

Section 162(m) of the Code generally limits the amount we may deduct for federal income tax purposes for compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, and certain of our other executive officers in any taxable year to $1 million per person.

An exception to the $1 million limitation for performance-based compensation meeting certain requirements was repealed beginning in 2018 (other than with respect to certain grandfathered arrangements) under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”). Under the transition relief provisions of the Act, it is possible that certain of the equity awards we granted prior to 2018 may be grandfathered and eligible to be excluded from the Section 162(m) deduction limits. Except for any equity awards that qualify for such transition relief provisions, compensation paid to any of our covered executive officers generally will not be deductible in 2024 or future years, to the extent that it exceeds $1 million.

While our Compensation and Talent Committee is mindful of the benefit of being able to fully deduct the compensation paid to our executive officers, the committee believes that we should retain the flexibility to compensate our executive officers in a manner that can best promote our business objectives. Therefore, our Compensation and Talent Committee intends to continue to compensate our executive officers in a manner consistent with the best interests of our company and our stockholders, even if such compensation is not fully deductible.

Under Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code, certain service providers, which may include our named executive officers, may be subject to an excise tax if they receive payments or benefits in connection with a change in control of the Company that exceeds certain prescribed limits, and the Company may forfeit a deduction on the amounts subject to this excise tax. Also, Section 409A of the Code imposes significant additional taxes on a service provider in the event the service provider receives “deferred compensation” that does not meet the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

In 2024, we did not provide any of our named executive officers with a “gross-up” or other reimbursement payment for any excise tax liability that he or she might owe as a result of the application of Sections 280G or 4999 or for any additional tax that he or she might owe as a result of the application of Section 409A. We have not agreed and are not otherwise obligated to provide any named executive officer with such a “gross-up” or other reimbursement.

Accounting standards on stock compensation requires us to measure the compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees (including our named executive officers) and directors based on the grant date “fair value” of these awards. This calculation is performed for accounting purposes and reported in the tables below, even though our named executive officers and directors may never realize any value from their equity awards. The accounting standards also require us to recognize the compensation cost of share-based payment awards in our income statements over the period that the named executive officer or director is required to provide services to us in exchange for the vesting of the equity award.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee assesses risks created by the incentives inherent in our compensation policies. We have designed our executive compensation program so that our executive officers (including our named executive officers) focus on both short-term and long-term financial and operational performance. In addition, in 2024, our Compensation and Talent Committee had engaged Compensia to independently review our executive compensation program. Our Compensation and Talent Committee conducts an annual review of our executive compensation program to ensure that it continues to reward our executive officers (including our named executive officers) for creating short-term and long-term stockholder value without encouraging our executive officers to take excessive risks. Based on the results of these reviews, we do not believe that our executive compensation program creates risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us. The risk mitigation features include:

The following Compensation and Talent Committee Report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” and should not be deemed “filed” and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in future filings with the SEC, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

Our Compensation and Talent Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis provided above. Based on its review and discussions, the committee recommended to our board of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 21, 2025.

Respectfully submitted by the members of the Compensation and Talent Committee of the board of directors:

The following table provides information regarding the compensation of our named executive officers for years 2024, 2023 and 2022.

The following table shows information regarding cash incentive and equity awards granted to our named executive officers during 2024.