The Recognition PR Newsroom

Software piracy and underlicensing still a major problem in Australia

Sydney – May 20, 2010 – The Business Software Alliance (BSA) Piracy Sentiment Report released recently found that 93.2 per cent of companies surveyed believe that they have systems in place to ensure software used by the business is licensed and legal. However, the BSA considers that much of this confidence may be misplaced, based on its experience conducting copyright infringement claims against Australian businesses using software without adequate licences.

The best way for an organisation to ensure that the software it uses is licensed and legal, is to implement sound software asset management (SAM) practices. SAM is the business practice of managing and optimising purchase, installation, utilisation, maintenance and replacement of all software assets within an organisation.

The implementation of SAM mitigates the risk of underlicensing software, which in turn protects an organisation’s work environment from security threats and ensures eligibility to receive the latest upgrades and technical support from software suppliers. SAM review also often uncovers unknown shelfware – software licences purchased but never deployed – and so it can save money too.

According to Clayton Noble, co-chair BSA Australia Committee, “There are four basic steps to ensure effective software licensing policies and practices – performing a software inventory (audit), matching software to licences, reviewing policies and procedures and developing a SAM plan.”

“An organisation can complete this inventory themselves, or engage the services of a specialised asset management company. The BSA has a number of free software audit tools, designed to help identify and track licensed and unlicensed software installed on computers and networks.”

Queensland-based urban design group, V2i understands the importance of implementing thorough SAM practices. V2i recently engaged the services of Digital by Design to implement an effective and thorough SAM program to alleviate the risk of unlicensed software and associated threats.

Luke Brannelly, V2i director said, “Effective SAM is a critical element of our IT management. As an organisation we have a clear policy outlining the company’s commitment to managing software assets. We now are much clearer on what software licences we have in stock, and what software our people are using. We’re in better control of our IT environment.”

“In addition we have also equipped our IT staff to implement our SAM policies.”

Clayton Noble said, “Failure to effectively manage software assets can lead to significant financial and legal headaches. Effective SAM practices will remove the risk of underlicensing and software piracy and can save organisations thousands of dollars on software costs. Often, an effective SAM program may reveal the organisation has acquired more licenses than it is aware of, and so can deploy more widely without further cost.”

The BSA recommends that businesses adopt a corporate policy on software compliance, have tighter restrictions on desktop users, and institute best practices for centralising and documenting software purchases.

To remain compliant organisations should:

1. Audit what software is running in your environment at least annually. Often, it is best to use an automated software and licence reconciliation tool designed for this purpose.

2. Keep all receipts from software purchases indefinitely, and purchase only from authorised dealers.

3. Understand that software licence compliance is a legal issue not just an IT issue.

4. Consider using the BSA’s SAM tools in conjunction with an experienced SAM consultant. The BSA’s SAM tools are ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation)-standard.

About V2i
V2i, Vision to implementation www.v2i.com.au . It’s our name. It’s what we believe in. It’s what we do. We are urban designers that specialise in providing master planning, detailed urban design and visualisation services that span from initial visioning and development approval through to stage by stage design implementation and marketing.

With a diversity of project experience throughout Australian and overseas, spanning from new cities of over 2 million people through to local neighborhood centres, we are one of the very few urban design groups with the skills, knowledge and experience to take your project from start to finish – from vision to implementation.

About Business Software Alliance
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organisation dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world’s commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA members include Adobe, Agilent Technologies, Altium, Apple, Aquafold, ARM, Arphic Technology, Autodesk, Autoform, Bentley Systems, CNC/Mastercam, Corel, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Embarcadero, Frontline PCB Solutions – An Orbotech Valor Company, Microsoft, Minitab, NedGraphics, Parametric Technology Corporation, Quest Software, Scalable Software, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, Tekla, and The MathWorks.