Software piracy places businesses at risk

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) launched a campaign in London this week to crack down on software piracy.

London is the worst offending city in the UK for software piracy, which costs the software industry £149 million per year – 20% of software used by London businesses is currently unlicensed.

The BSA claims that 41% of software used around the world is unlicensed, and that it impacts not only on the software industry, but also drains resources from creative and technology companies.

Businesses are currently unaware of the risks that software piracy poses. Since BSA’s investigations, at least one London business has been forced to pay a settlement to software suppliers for using their products without proper licensing.

Businesses looking forward to future savings can benefit from using a managed services provider, such as Inatech, to ensure that they are getting the best from their software. Not only can a service provider’s outside perspective help a business CIO ensure that they are maximising on their software within the terms of the software licensing agreement (SLA), but a managed service provider can act as a watchdog on businesses’ software, making clear the limits of software use and helping to avoid costly law suits. A managed service provider may also be able to assist businesses in negotiating their SLA to avoid uncertainties and risks in the agreements.