Why pirated software may cost your business
Most people use pirated software because a pirated DVD containing the
latest version of your preferred software is certainly much cheaper than
buying the original product. At least, that is what they think. The
reality is quite different. A recent study by the Harrison Group has
revealed that pirated software comes with a host of hidden costs that
negatively impacts the productivity of users and enterprises that rely
on pirated software.
According to the study, PCs running genuine software were much more
productive than PCs running counterfeit software. Machines that were
using original software were faster at booting up, printing, opening
documents and surfing the Internet. In addition, those machines were
also better at managing power use. The key findings included that 67
percent of the time
PCs running original software were 100 percent faster.
These results clearly show that productivity is impacted when users
and enterprises use pirated software. Over time, those unproductive
seconds and minutes add up into hours and days lost.
The results from this study alone clearly demonstrate that the total
cost of ownership of using pirated software could be much greater than
just the cost of the DVD that people buy from a retail outlet.
The total cost of ownership calculation also needs to take into
account the loss of productivity from downtime resulting from system
instability and security issues. Systems running pirated software tend
not to be updated, and so end up with bugs and security vulnerabilities
that are not fixed.
This means that these systems are inherently insecure and are thus
much more likely to be compromised. How likely is it for a system run
with pirated software to be hacked The report also found that nearly one
in four pirated operating systems became
infected at installation, or independently downloaded and installed
malicious software upon connection to the Internet. One in four were
also unable to download automatic updates and one in five were unable to
even manually install updates.
At best, a compromised system will use up CPU cycles and slow down
the PC. In the worst case scenario, a badly compromised system means
hours devoted to uncovering and eradicating viruses and Trojans. And if
that does not work, a clean install is needed, which means not just
reinstalling the operating system, but eventually, all the other
applications and associated data.
Shalini Ratwatte, Consultant to the BSA Sri Lanka Committee, said.
"Combine these findings with the fact that pirated software makes
transactions like online banking less secure and it becomes clear that
pirated software is certainly not the cheap option that people think it
is. As policymakers endeavour to improve corporate workforce
productivity by leveraging on information technology (IT), this is one
area that they should pay attention to."
She continued: "On a broader level, the fact that in our country
software piracy continues to reduce steadily, will contribute positively
to the influx of foreign direct investment as well as the growth of the
local IT industry and job creation. The tax revenue potential for the
Government is often overlooked".
The BSA promotes policies that foster technology innovation,
investment in the IT industry and, most importantly, a world where
computer infrastructures and networks can be trusted.
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the world's foremost
advocate for the software industry, working in 80 countries to expand
software markets and create conditions for innovation and growth.
Governments and industry partners look to BSA for thoughtful
approaches to key policy and legal issues, recognizing that software
plays a critical role in driving economic and social progress in all
nations.
BSA's member companies invest billions of dollars a year in local
economies, good jobs, and next-generation solutions that will help
people around the world be more productive, connected, and secure.
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