BSA targets small businesses with SAM site

NEWS

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has launched a Web site to help small businesses keep track of their software assets and avoid breaking licensing laws through ignorance.

According to a survey of small businesses carried out on behalf of the BSA, only 16 percent of respondents said they used software asset management (SAM) tools, but 80 percent said they would be interested in using tools to keep track of software usage if they were simple and cost-effective.

The justasksam.co.uk Web site was launched by the BSA in London on Thursday, and contains free software and hardware audit tools, along with links to more than 30 asset management companies. It helps smaller companies create, build and maintain their own SAM database, depending on their needs and budget.

Mark Floisand, UK chairman of the BSA, said that some small companies are inadvertently breaking the law because they have little knowledge of their own software use. "Fewer than three in four companies know they have the correct amount of licenses in place; the BSA is committed to increasing this percentage. The Justasksam.co.uk Web site is another element of BSA’s ongoing effort to educate companies about software asset management," he said.

Talkback

The BSA "free" tools are a bit of trap. They are licensed and have restrictions limiting the number of seats and the time of use. They are not free in either the sense of freedom or free-beer. They are worse than spyware - they are trapware.

You could end up in the stupid situation of trying to audit your company and then ending up being prosecuted for use of the very tools that you are trying to use to clean up your compliance.

The ONLY free tools are Open Source products that follow established Free and Open source license definitions.

Try this Windows software CD for a start:
http://theopencd.sunsite.dk/

You can copy that CD across all your business without risk. It is truely free not "BSA free". No time limits, no seat limits, and at no cash cost.

Using unlicensed software is theft but never admit this to the BSA. By all means use the guidelines on the site but lets face it; if you are a small business already flooded with red tape from everyone from TSOs to IRD you now have the BSA making life difficult with another 20 questions on software compliance.

The BSA web site will NEVER mention Open Source software as a alternative solution. They usually never support or mention Linux. They are a self-interest group paid for by a small group of commercial companies. Their interest are NOT your company but their own revenues.

If your business is the business of software or services then yes - look at the suggested Asset manager companies but if your business simply uses commonly available software packages then look at removing your risk altogether by moving to truely free licensing: Open Source.

via Facebook 15 December, 2003 11:45
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