The
Importance of Software License
In
the ever-evolving world of Microsoft volume licensing, it has become
increasingly more important to understand licensing programs. In the
past customers became familiar with purchasing version, competitive,
or product upgrades when a decision was made to upgrade to a more
current version. These options have been replaced by software
assurance. Some misconceptions exist regarding software maintenance.
There are those who believe that these programs are both harder to
administer and more expensive than past upgrade options. Fortunately,
this is not the case. Software maintenance provides many great
benefits. Up-to-date computing, ease of administration, and cost, are
among these advantages. It is not only necessary, but crucial to
enroll software licenses in these maintenance programs.
Software
maintenance is a simple idea. When you purchase a software license,
you also have the ability to buy “software assurance” with it.
Software assurance guarantees the customer the most current version
of the product for up to two years. If a new version of a product is
released during this span, your license is automatically upgraded,
keeping your business on the cutting edge of technology. Once the
enrollment term has expired, you simply re-purchase “software
assurance” within 90 days, and you have another two years of
current versions. Those who choose not to purchase maintenance will
have to purchase licenses at full cost when they choose to upgrade.
Companies
can be held liable under both civil and criminal law if caught
installing or purchasing unauthorized software copies - even if the
company's executives didn't know an employee had done so. A
broad range of activities constitute software piracy, and you may not
even be aware of the fact that you're breaking the law.
If you buy a
single licensed copy and install the software on more than one
computer, you've committed piracy. If you have a multiple license but
install the program on too many computers, it's an "overuse"
violation. Using an academic version of software in a commercial
setting violates the law. Borrowing a friend's purchased copy and
installing it is considered piracy. Downloading copyrighted programs
from a file-sharing site is illegal, just as the RIAA has been
preaching about music downloads. Internet shops selling
reduced-priced software may be peddling illegal copies. So may the
vendor that sold you your fully-loaded workstation but refused to
give you a users manual. The bottom line is that unless you have a
full license number and an original manual, the software is probably
not kosher.Apart from legal consequences, copied or
counterfeit software can also spell technical headaches. Illegal
software is a prime source of computer viruses, which can destroy
valuable data or create serious company down-time. Pirated copies
have high failure and defection rates. You may face any number of
difficulties that stem from no user manuals and no warranties, no
technical product support and no upgrades.The bottom line is
that the initial cost savings of pirated software could be rendered
moot. Protect yourself and take the time to buy the Software
License & upgrade yourself to the latest technology.