Software Asset Management (SAM) Blog

The latest research from Gartner (Data Center Polling Illustrates IT Asset Management as an Enabler, 8 March 2010) states that software audits continued to increase in volume through 2009. Around 60 percent of respondents in Deceber 2009 stated that they had been subject to at least one software audit in the previous 12 months. The same question posed at the end of 2008 elicited a 38 percent positive response, showing the scale of the increase in audits.

Further, Gartner states that around 20 percent of all ITAM calls it takes are now concerned with software audits, compared with around 5 - 8 percent historically.

IBM has filed a lawsuit in which it accuses a former customer of downloading and using more than $1.7 million worth of Informix software it was not entitled to.

IBM says it offered to reach a settlement with the broker, but that this was rejected and the illegal software has still not been deleted from the company’s network. IBM is asking the court to award it unspecified damages and issue an injunction that would impound all copies of Informix software that it believes were improperly downloaded.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) in Australia has announced a AU $100,000 increase in fines levied against organizations acccused of illegal software user in 2009 compared with the previous year.

In total, the Australian BSA agreed settlements worth a total of AU $331,678 with 12 companies during 2009.

The BSA also reported that it received a record number of 95 leads about businesses using unlicensed or pirated software in 2009 (up from 44 leads reported in 2008).

According to the BSA, the two highest individual settlements in Australia last year were worth AU $90,000 and $85,000 respectively. On top of these settlement bills, as part of the settlement, each business caught out also had to purchase valid licences for its continuing or future use of BSA member software products. All the companies involved have also agreed to now implement proper Software Asset Management (SAM).

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has announced a £70,000 settlement with a West Midlands-based firm accused of using unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe software applications. The target firm, which is listed on the London Stock Exhange, has agreed to make a payment of £20,000 and to purchase new licenses worth around £50,000.

BSA EMEA compliance marketing director Julian Swan commented: “…as long as unlicensed software accounts for more than one in every four pieces of business software, we will continue to take a hard line. Eventually the message will get through.”