| Increased employee access to the Internet has led to | | | | misconception as the responsibility for accounting for |
| a significant rise in software piracy, according to the | | | | licences rests entirely with the organisation using the |
| Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) annual | | | | software. |
| survey of UK Corporates, as employees download | | | | 88% of organisations purchase software centrally - |
| illegal software. To combat this growing crime, | | | | This shows some effort is being made to implement |
| organisations are starting to fight back by monitoring | | | | the controls necessary for achieving a compliant |
| exactly what employees are up to as they surf the | | | | software environment and it enables the setting up of |
| net, with 80% of organisations now monitoring Internet | | | | a properly managed software asset register. |
| use. | | | | 76% have disciplinary procedures for employees |
| With 55% of organisations giving desktop Internet | | | | misuse of the Internet However, with 40% having no |
| access to all employees and 38% of corporates | | | | formal policies and procedures in place they would find |
| expecting the percentage of software purchased on | | | | taking proper, legal disciplinary action against an |
| the Internet to increase over the next twelve months, | | | | employee who has misused the Internet almost |
| the opportunity for downloading illegal software | | | | impossible. |
| whether intentionally or not is huge. According to the | | | | Richard Willmott, Head of FAST Corporate Services, |
| survey 54% of IT professionals think the growth of | | | | comments: "Regulating employee email, Internet and |
| e-Commerce is largely to blame for the lack of | | | | software use isn't a big brother tactic in a negative |
| software compliance in UK organisations because it | | | | sense. The bottom line is no company is immune from |
| makes the management of licence ownership | | | | e-risk, the reality is that illegal software can not only |
| evidence even harder. This is supported by the fact | | | | result in costly litigation and liability for the CEO, it can |
| that more than half of the respondents (54%) said | | | | also cost an organisation in terms of inefficiency and |
| they find it difficult to prove their organisation is | | | | potential viruses and have a negative effect their |
| software compliant. | | | | organisation's reputation. |
| Findings also revealed an increase in the perceived | | | | "You cannot be present in every office every hour of |
| amount of pirated software in the UK. 83% of | | | | the day to keep an eye on what employees are doing |
| participants estimated 40% of software use in the UK | | | | and you cannot expect employees to exercise sound |
| to be pirated and some 71% of these believed the | | | | judgement 100% of the time, therefore automated |
| illegal software to have been purchased online with | | | | monitoring of Internet access makes smart business |
| intent. This is surprising as 69% of respondents were | | | | sense, particularly as 40% of companies surveyed |
| aware of the high legal risk to their organisation in failing | | | | provide no management policies to give employees |
| to be software compliant. | | | | guidance on what they can and can't do." |
| Other main findings show: | | | | There are two main ways pirated software enters an |
| 77% of organisations spend less than 4% of their total | | | | organisation. Firstly as employees increasingly work |
| desktop budget on managing and controlling the use of | | | | remotely and '24 by 7', there is a growing temptation |
| software - indicating software compliance is not being | | | | to download illegal software that is required urgently |
| taken as seriously as it should be bearing in mind the | | | | when there is no IT manager around to provide the |
| potential consequences of non-compliance. | | | | relevant licence. Secondly, with 90% of UK workers |
| 69% of organisations spend less than 5 man days per | | | | admitting to accessing the Internet for recreational |
| month on software management - an alarming figure | | | | purposes in company time, the chance of pirated |
| when more than 50% said they would currently find it | | | | software being downloaded accidentally whilst 'surfing |
| difficult to prove their compliance. Yet they are | | | | not working' is high. This is on top of the traditional |
| obviously not taking adequate action to remedy the | | | | unlicensed software that is being used due to poor |
| situation. | | | | control regimes or lack of understanding. |
| 40% of companies still have no software | | | | This year's results show that organisations are starting |
| management policy. This means the liability for IT | | | | to get clued up on the importance of monitoring |
| compliance in those organisations rests solely with the | | | | Internet activity. 80% of respondents said they monitor |
| company directors. If any employee is found to be | | | | the Internet, with 75% of these companies using |
| using software illegally it is the company directors who | | | | automated monitoring as opposed to manual |
| face legal and financial penalties, not to mention | | | | interaction - an increase of 15% on last years figures. |
| damage to their organisation's reputation. | | | | Also, 72% of organisations will discipline employees |
| 51% think resellers have responsibility for ensuring | | | | with a verbal warning or dismissal if they are found to |
| licences are not mislaid or lost. This is a big | | | | put their organisation at risk from software piracy. |