Software piracy is proving to be a big problem that affects the viability of almost all companies and businesses throughout the world. But based on a new study, it seems that big corporations are not the only ones who should worry about software piracy – small and medium-sized businesses are apparently at risk too.
A research study done by PC World has shown that 44% of businesses are actually are courting possible legal and security problems by not introducing firm guidelines for licensing the software that they use in their offices. In fact, most of the firms that were surveyed have admitted that they were not aware of the benefits of implementing such policies.
According to the report, a firm software license policy is very important to all businesses because it not only eliminates any possible legal risk, it also makes the office more efficient by cutting down the risk of any computer virus inspection and giving businesses the opportunity to access regular upgrades and software support.
Although the study revealed that 87% of firms believe that they are software compliant and follow the legal requirements a surprising number, around 58%, also admitted that they do not keep any kind of records for all the software that they own and use. This poses a problem especially if the software publishers request for their license certificates. This inability to show proof can result to fines, a possible prison sentence, among others.
Business solutions experts and company formation professionals both advise company start-ups to take note of this essential information in order to eliminate any kind of software license-related problems in the future.