Technology: Firms ‘ignorant of dodgy software’
The following article was published in the Birmingham Post, June 2007. The text has been edited for use on this website.
Warning of hi-tech risk
Around 20 per cent of business software used across the West Midlands is illegal or pirated.
And many small businesses are unaware of the risks software piracy posed to their organisations, according to Birmingham based Icomm Technologies.
Leading service and support provider Icomm is now urging businesses in the area to be mindful of the problems rogue software can cause.
Ian Callens, Icomm Sales Manager
We estimate that around 20 per cent of business software used across the West Midlands is illegal or pirated.
“There seems to be a distinct lack of awareness from businesses of the damage that this can cause.
“Penalties run from unlimited fines and even prison sentences, not to mention the risk to the reputation of, and disruption to, their business.
“If operations are being run on unlicensed software then managers and proprietors alike must take a responsible approach to this situation to avoid being held accountable.”
Mr Callens said small businesses could take preventative steps by auditing their internal IT infrastructure to get up to speed with IT assets. “Conducting an IT audit not only demonstrates that the issue is being taken seriously, but can also throw up some cost saving, even profitable scenarios,” He said.
“Businesses could unearth some out of date software that is still being paid to maintain or renew.
“Equally, software that has passed its useful life span and has been replaced or simply fallen redundant. Over large numbers of machines, the savings for eliminating over licenced software can be significant.
“Once the audit is complete, business owners will have a solid overview on the IT infrastructure available.”
If you require any more information on software licences please contact our Sales Team on 0121 248 7931.
