Software Licensing - Is Your Business Legal?


by David Vallance - Date: 2007-03-01 - Word Count: 424 Share This!

- Company directors can be personally charged and risk up to 10 years imprisonment if their business is not licensed correctly.

- FAST (Federation against Software Theft) survey reveals 48% of businesses would struggle to prove software license documentation is in order.

Software can represent 25% of an organizations total IT Budget so it makes good sense to keep an eye on how, where and what licenses you buy. With careful asset management you can avoid excessive spending, ensure compliance and have peace of mind.

Using unlicensed software, whether knowingly or not, puts your organisation at risk - legally and otherwise. Company executives can be held individually liable, under both criminal and civil law, for any copyright infringement that occurs within their organisation. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a watchdog body representing leading software manufacturers and according to their statistics, one in four software packages in use within organisations today are not legally licensed. The BSA says it will take action against any organisation found to be using software for which it does not have the required authorization. It doesn't matter what size your organization is - if it is using illegal software, it is running a serious risk of being threatened by legal action. The damage to a business can be huge, with settlement of legal cases costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The most regularly heard feedback from customers is that licensing is complicated. Multiple vendors, multiple schemes, perpetual, maintenance, upgrades, subscription with every one different and by the time we do understand it, it all changes. As a result unfortunately many business owners genuinely don't know if their business is legally compliant, let alone if they are on the most appropriate scheme!

Software licensing can be an administrative minefield. That's why at Mirus IT Solutions we have a team of licensing specialists with in-depth knowledge of all the licensing agreements available to each specific marketplace that we serve - corporate, local government & education. We cut through the licensing jargon and are proactive in ensuring that customers buy the most suitable type of license whenever possible.

Mirus is one of the UK's leading Microsoft Gold Certified Partners and has provided IT services for hundreds of customers across the UK. The Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Program provides a way for customers to identify companies that have proven their commitment and expertise in delivering Microsoft technologies. Gold Certified Partners are the highest level of Microsoft Partners who have met rigorous standards to achieve this elite status. Partners with this accreditation have the knowledge, skills, and commitment to advise organisations implementing Microsoft technologies.


Related Tags: software, microsoft, fast, licensing, microsoft gold partner, illegal software

David Vallance works with Mirus IT Solutions as their Business Development Manager. Qualified as a Microsoft Licensing Specialist, HP Certified Professional and Cisco Sales Expert, he provides expert IT consultancy to businesses in and around Milton Keynes. To find out how Mirus can simplify the management of software licensing and help ensure your business is legally compliant contact David Vallance on 01908 695369 or e-mail david.vallance@mirus-it.com

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