Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
The High Cost of Pirated Software
Monday, August 22, 2011 by Michelle Hartley
As a business owner, you need various types of software to help
your employees work more efficiently and have your operation run
smoothly. As most small business owners know, software costs add up
quickly. Therefore, if the option of free software is on the table,
many businesses owners are quick to go -- Why not? The simple fact
is most free software is pirated. This means the distributor of the
free software usually does not have a license or the software is
improperly licensed.
While there are those businesses that fall through the cracks
and don't ever get caught with unlicensed software, there are more
companies that do get caught and fined -- and those fines are not
cheap. According to entrepreneur.com's The Hard Truth about Software Licensing, the
Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Software &
Information Industry Association are cracking down on
businesses that have unlicensed software in their possession and
the offenders who are distributing the pirated software. The worst
part is many businesses don't even realize they own pirated
software.
This past May, Williamson Eye Center of Baton Rouge, LA paid
$116,000 to the BSA to settle the several claims against them
concerning unlicensed software copies of Microsoft, Adobe, Corel
and Symantec. A staple in Baton Rouge, Williamson Eye Center had
been in business for over 50 years and had no idea they owned
unlicensed copies of software until the BSA approached them
concerning the matter. Jodie Kelley, BSA Vice President of
anti-piracy and general counsel warns businesses, "Not only do
organizations face possible legal trouble for employing pirated
software, there are also tremendous security and economic
consequences involved."
Now, how do you prevent this from happening to your
business?
Check your Software - If you are unaware or
slightly concerned about the licensing of the software products you
currently own, there are several tools your business can utilize to
check if it is properly authorized. Some of the best producst
recommended by the BSA are Front Range Solutions Centennial Discovery, Express Software Manager, and Lansweeper
Network Inventory.
Save the Proof - Saving the proper licensing
for all of your software will help save a lot of headaches. From
now on, when you purchase software collect all of the licenses and
put them in an easily accessible place where there is little
risk of them being lost. If for some reason the BSA starts to
question your business's software, the fastest way to prove your
innocence is to have the license available.
Software pirating is a serious issue that is costing businesses
a lot of money. Ensure you are up to date and have proof of your
licensing to guarantee you won't end up owing thousands of
dollars.
Until next time -
Michelle Hartley
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
DC IT Support &
Consulting
Outsourced Marketing Services
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