- Introduction
- The Internet and
computer technology have spawned a whole new generation of
“software management” issues that aren’t really understood, or
documented in one centralised resource. Until, NOW!
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- Before
organizations began investing in computer technology,
“intellectual property and copyright” were not really considered
significant areas of concern for management, when it came to buying
assets. When managers
authorized purchase of desks and chairs for new staff or new offices
they knew these as assets and accounted for them accordingly. When
software was delivered on a floppy disc, (later by CDROM) the
software was recognised as “a cost of doing business” and was
rarely “recorded as an asset”, as such.
-
- Besides, it was
“software” and “who was going to find out” if it was
installed on more than 1 PC?
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- The key issue that
many still fail to grasp is that software “is never owned as an
asset” - it comes with a purchase price as a ”license to use”
the software under strict terms and conditions. There is a distinct
difference in mindset over how this needs to be best managed in an
organization to reduce risk.
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- The Software
Compliance Toolbox will give you the background you need to manage
these assets much better than you probably are at present!
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- Is there a risk in
ignoring the issues relating to software compliance and copyright?
Sure is!
-
- Now, because of the
legal liability and potential "unavoidable bad press" that
can result from software copyright violations, managing your
software in a compliant manner for software-license agreements needs
to be considered a critical part of management.
-
- Corporate
Governance issues and organizations aiming for compliance with
BS7799 / ISO 17799 / CoBIT and ITIL also means that all levels of
management need to be MUCH MORE vigilant in software compliance and
licensing issues.
-
- Having illegal and
unauthorized copies of software loaded on your computers is not only
foolish, but it is also a very risky way to run your business.
Key
Resources
The key resource objective of the Software
Compliance Toolbox is to provide you with sufficient
resource details and materials in one convenient linked location so that
you can cover, within your own resource team, the issues you need to
face up to in order to reduce your risk!
Managing software compliance is a complex
topic requiring a much wider view of the issues that face managers and
stakeholders in an organisation.
Many view software compliance as a
technology issue when in fact it is a mix of technology and people based
issues.
Before embarking on any software audit
program the issues that you face need to be clearly understood, across
all layers of management so that basic principles can be applied that
allow you to cost effectively manage the assets within the organisation.
This Software Compliance Toolbox has been developed to provide a central resource for all
managers, auditors and staff to make sure they have information needed
to control software piracy and minimize the risk of lawsuits and adverse
publicity towards their organization.
"To combat and overcome both illegal
and unauthorized software usage in organizations you need a robust
technology asset management solution to force a shift in attitude to
what is really a PEOPLE based problem!"
Will a Software Compliance Policy provide
protection if the organization is caught with illegal software?
The bottom line answer is a resounding
YES but only if you take the additional steps listed within this Toolbox to significantly reduce your exposure to software piracy
liability.
- Management
Perspective
-
- The key issue for
many managers at most sites is that Software Compliance is an issue where they
“mostly understand the need for compliance” and they understand
to some extent, “the risks” and yet they still have an aversion
to conducting software compliance audits based on past history.
-
 For many sites past
history for them has shown that audits, if and when done, are;- §
Incomplete,
- §
Aborted,
- §
Stopped and then restarted,
- §
Never finished,
- §
Given up on, or
- §
Never get underway at all
- §
Deliver huge amounts of data
- §
Require large levels of labour
(overhead cost) to manage and conduct
-
- Some of the above
reasons may well be driven by business imperatives.
Some manager have been known to direct staff NOT to conduct
and audit as “it’s a waste of time and money”, and “anyway,
how will we be found out?”!
-
- This Toolbox is
designed to open your eyes so all the risks can be fully considered
and to allow you to make the correct decisions about how little, how
often how deep and wide, an audit program needs to be, to be
effective ie; to reduce your risk!.
-
-
- Software
Compliance Toolbox 3 Key Objectives
-
- 1. Reduce
risk
- You can’t manage
what you can’t measure. This
is true for many business and organizational scenarios!
-
- •
What risks do you really face with
software compliance?
- •
Do you have any idea what they are?
- •
Do you have any idea about the
levels of unauthorized software, music, movies, videos, pictures,
and fonts in your organization?
-
- This Software
Compliance Toolbox will
outline a range of different scenarios that can place you “at
risk” when it comes to managing not only software but also sound,
MP3s, images, videos, DVDs, and movie files as well as fonts.
It will highlight to you the need for an effective management
mandate to ensure that you reduce your risk at all times!
- 2. Increase
productivity through reverting to core business basics
- One of the key
objectives with the production of this Software Compliance Toolbox is to focus management attention on the amount
of lost productivity you face in an organisation due to staff being
actively engaged in activities that can bring you undone (cost you
fines and significant unplanned costs) when you get caught with
illegal and unauthorised software. After all, they are being paid by
you to provide a service or an outcome. In some areas when analysed,
the amount of wasted effort due to downloads, installing software
that is unauthorised, copying files, games, music etc can be as high
as 45% on a repeated basis for some staff.
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- Through this
Software Compliance Management Handbook you should be able to put in
place measures that raise awareness at all levels across an
organisation and at the same time generate an outcome for you that
reduces wasted effort and resources, thus improving bottomline
performance targets.
- 3. Minimise
and eliminate audit costs
- We also aim to show
you ways in which you can minimise or eliminate expensive recurring
audit costs!
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- You may be
surprised to hear that, in our view, (and in the eyes of many other
organizations), software audits are a waste of time, money and
effort!
-
- Wasting money on
auditing is no way to run your business entity, when the money for
the cost of conducting software compliance audits (in the manner
they are being conducted at present) could be far better spent on
your core business activities BUT you already know this!
-
- We know that
software compliance is NOT the core business activity of your
organization and the money spent on traditional auditing techniques
is MOSTLY WASTED and could be better deployed and utilised
elsewhere.
The Bottom Line Message?
- If you are caught
with illegal software it is going to cost you far more than just the cost
of the fines that are usually in the
5 to 6
figure mark!
-
- This
Software Compliance Toolbox will help you find out more about how unauthorized and illegal
software can impact your organization in terms of fines and
penalties as well as creating significant business disruption!
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- How
Much does it cost to License the Toolbox?
Far less than the cost of being caught with
illegal software!
|
PCProfile
now offers the CDROM based Software Compliance Toolbox (C)
2005 Rob Harmer Consulting Services Pty Ltd as
a comprehensive and unique set of self-help procedures and
papers and tools (NO SOFTWARE) on managing software and other
files (images, fonts, sounds etc) across and within any
organization.