Western Digital 2013 Annual Report Download - page 99

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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by SEC Rule 13a-15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure
controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period
covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of
the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial report-
ing (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) to provide reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and
procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the
transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that the transactions are recorded as neces-
sary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and
that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and our
directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition,
use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Our management evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set
forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control —
Integrated Framework. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial
reporting was effective as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. KPMG LLP, our
independent registered public accounting firm, which audited the consolidated financial statements included in this
Annual Report on Form 10-K, has issued an audit report on our internal control over financial reporting. See page 54
herein.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the fourth fiscal quarter ended
June 28, 2013 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over finan-
cial reporting.
Inherent Limitations of Effectiveness of Controls
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, does not expect our
internal controls over financial reporting will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well
conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system
are met. Further, the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations
in a system of internal control over financial reporting, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that
all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities
that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake.
Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people,
or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain
assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in
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