Visual Networks, Inc.
Ticker:VNWK 2092 Gaither Road
Exchange:NASDAQ-National Market Rockville, MD 20850
Industry:High-Tech (SIC Code 3577) (301) 296-2300
# of Employees:113

Offering Information
Type of Shares:Common Shares Filing Date:12/4/97
U.S. Shares:3,500,000 Offer Date:2/5/98
Non-U.S. Shares:0 Filing Range:$9.00 - $11.00
Primary Shares:3,500,000 Offer Price:$12.50
Secondary Shares:0 Gross Spread:$0.88
Offering Amount: $35,000,000 Selling:$0.50
Expenses:$750,000 Reallowance:$0.10
Shares Out After:17,061,439

Primary Underwriting Group
ManagerTierPhone
Goldman, Sachs & Co.Lead Manager (212) 902-5959
Deutsche Morgan GrenfellCo-manager (212) 469-5600
Wessels, Arnold & HendersonCo-manager (612) 373-6105

Legal Counsel, Auditor and Registrar
Issuer's Law Firm: Piper & Marbury
Bank's Law Firm: Hale and Dorr
Auditor: Arthur Andersen
Registrar/Transfer Agent: Boston Equiserve Limited Partnership

Selected Financial Data

Dollar amounts in U.S. millions except for per share data
9 Month Ending Financials
Full Year
Audited
Income
Latest
Unaudited
Income
Prior
Unaudited
Income
Balance
Sheet
12/31/96 9/30/97 9/30/96 9/30/97
Revenue:$6.34$15.52$3.94Assets:$9.43
Net Income:-$6.98-$0.84-$4.79Curr Assets:$8.16
EPS:-$0.53-$0.06-$0.38Liabilities:$6.85
Prior EPS:$1.83-$4.59Curr Liabilities:$6.54
Cash Flow/Oper:-$6.57$0.83$9.73Equity:$2.58
Cash Flow/Fin:$9.80-$0.27-$0.52Cash:$4.14
Cash Flow/Inv:-$0.83-$0.27Working Cap:$1.63

Business Description
The company designs, manufactures and sells "wide-area-network" service level management systems for statistically multiplexed technologies such as Frame Relay and IP/Internet. The Company's Visual UpTime system combines WAN access functionality with innovative software for performance monitoring, troubleshooting and network planning. Visual UpTime provides instrumentation for network performance measurement and analysis that allows WAN service providers ("providers") to achieve the service levels required by their customers ("subscribers") and to lower operating costs associated with statistically multiplexed services. The availability of performance monitoring and troubleshooting instrumentation also allows subscribers to verify the service levels being supplied by their WAN provider and monitor traffic traversing the WAN, a requirement for many subscribers wishing to use statistically multiplexed services to carry mission-critical data traffic. The Company believes Visual UpTime systems are deployed in configurations managing as few as 3 circuits and as many as 1,000 circuits. The system is designed to scale up to 3,000 circuits on a single managed network.

Competition
The WAN equipment market is highly competitive. The Company faces competition from participants in three distinct market segments: the WAN access equipment market, the network test and analysis market and the market for telecommunications support systems. Companies participating in these market segments which compete or can be expected to compete with the Company include ADC Telecommunications, Inc. ("ADC"), Adtran, Inc. ("Adtran"), Digital Link Corp. ("Digital Link"), NetScout Systems, Inc. ("NetScout"), Network General Corporation ("Network General"), Paradyne Corporation ("Paradyne"), Sync Research, Inc. ("Sync"), Hewlett-Packard Company ("HP") and Concord Communications, Inc. ("Concord"). The Company expects that it may experience price competition from products and services that provide a portion of the functionality provided by Visual UpTime. In particular, as prices for network equipment components such as data service units/channel service units ("DSU/CSUs") decrease, customers may decide to purchase these less expensive products even though they lack certain features offered by the Company's products. The Company expects that, in some cases, participants with strong capabilities in these various segments may partner with each other to offer products that supply functionality approaching that provided by Visual UpTime. The Company is aware of such an arrangement between Digital Link and NetScout, who jointly offer a WAN service level product. Many of the Company's current and possible competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than the Company, and some have well established relationships with current and potential customers of the Company. As a result, these competitors may be able to respond to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements more effectively than the Company, or devote greater resources than the Company to the development, promotion and sale of products. Increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced profitability and loss of market share, any of which would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

Business Plan
The Company's strategy is to maintain and build upon its market leadership in the deployment of WAN service level management systems for statistically multiplexed WAN services. Key elements of the Company's strategy include: (I) Embed Service Level Management Functionality Into Network Infrastructure, (ii) Deploy Visual Uptime As Part of Provider Networks, (iii) Extend Technology Leadership, (iv) Achieve Cost Leadership, (v) Expand Sales and Support Functions Globally and (vi) Leverage Outsourced Manufacturing Model.

Use of Proceeds
The proceeds from the proposed offering will be used for general corporate purposes.

Principal and Selling Shareholders
Name of Shareholder% Owned
Before
% Owned
After
NEPA Venture Fund II, L.P.16.00%12.70%
Venrock Entities15.90%12.60%
Edison Venture Fund III, L.P.12.20%9.70%
William J. Smith11.00%8.80%
William R.T. and Carol B. Oakes5.80%4.60%
Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development5.60%4.40%
Tritech Partners, L.P.5.10%4.00%
Note: Represents ownership of 5% or more prior to the offering.
Executive Officers and Directors
Officer NameTitleAge
Scott E. StoufferChairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer37
Peter J. MinihaneExecutive Vice President, Chief Financial and Treasurer49
Robert C. TroutmanSenior Vice President, Advance Planning41
Henry A. CheliSenior Vice President, Market Operations47
Greogry J. LangfordSenior Vice President, Product Operations47
Patricia L. CotterVice President, Manufacturing Operations39

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