One in Four Professionals Admits Using Unauthorized Software

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff October 25, 2005

One in four business professionals admit to using unauthorized software, according to a recently released survey from the Business Software Alliance. The independent survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs.

Of the 1,500 survey respondents—from the accounting, architecture, engineering financial services and graphic design industries —90% agree software piracy is a “risk no business can afford to take.” And yet, 23% of them admit that some of the commercial software in their organization is unlicensed.

In conjunction with the results of the survey, BSA also announced more than $2.2 million in settlements with 25 companies nationwide.

“The survey reveals a disconnect between what people know is right and what they do,” said Bob Kruger, vice president of enforcement for BSA. “Businesses are aware of the risk of copying software, but as the settlements announced illustrate, many fail to put into place policies and practices that prevent the problem from occurring. We hope that these announcements will cause every business to reexamine whether its software management systems are up to speed.”

Businesses trying to determine whether their organizations are using unlicensed software can download the free software audit tools at https://www.bsaaudit.com/ . The survey results are available at https://www.bsa.org/usa/2milliontuesday.cfm