You say that you've never read the software license?
You are probably already in serious trouble!
Every day I speak with at least one company representative who has quite literally never read a software license. Now, I can agree that many personnel have no particularly pressing need to slog through one of these "fascinating" page-turners. However, there is a very critical reason why someone - anyone who can read and outline - absolutely must spend some quality time breaking down the details of licenses. Don't over-complicate this process.
Think: Noun, Verb, Direct Object...
Software licenses are permissive documents. If the license doesn't specifically give you permission to use the product in a given manner - and you ARE using it in that manner - you are in violation of the legally binding agreement.
Violate even one of these License Terms & Conditions and you could easily be targeted for a non compliance audit and labeled a Software Pirate!
Read on for details on how you may be able to minimize your exposure while maximizing the business value you can gain by using this topic as a low cost (Is "free" still considered cost-effective?) first step toward active business technology cost reductions via software asset management.
Stop the IT Spending Madness: Software Asset Management (SAM) is
one of the core professional service areas within the over-all scope
of enterprise Technology Portfolio Management (TPM). Asset managers
who are well trained in supplier-neutral methods can help put control
of the business technology environment back in your hands. Virtually any company, of any size, can use the
professional development training materials created by The
Institute! and delivered by The Network! to
reduce the costs of business technologies by as much as 25%-30%. It's a matter of common sense brain work coupled with simple low cost adjustments to business processes governing
technology spending.
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Guess what? The warranties for the operating systems and software that you depend on for your livelihood most likely cover essentially nothing. That means the products you paid big money for do not have to actually do anything. They don't have to be compatible with hardware or free of defects and viruses. They can contain known code defects—even internal copyright violations and trap doors. In fact, in some states, these products don't even have to work! The warranties for operating systems and software represent some of the most astounding bits of contractual sharp practices that we business technology consumers have ever permitted to ooze past our collective noses. In this Knowledge Briefing, Alan Plastow excerpts the standard “DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY” from many common license agreements and discusses how easily you manage to lose your rights.
Have you ever actually read a license agreement? This series of Knowledge Briefings takes a close look at licensing sharp practices and maybe even a few not-so-sharp ones. The clauses we discuss are from many of the actual license agreements to which you or your employees have probably legally bound your corporation. No matter what your company size, licensing documents represent a serious risk to your operations, your reputation, even your livelihood. Throughout the briefing, we provide a commentary about the risks and possible resolutions to the series of clauses we discuss. Let us know what you think.
The full text to this material can be found inside the members’ section: Knowledge Briefings, entitled “When Warranties are Without Warrant!” Sign in—it’s free and the value is becoming more incredible every week.
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Frankly, Scarlet, “It’s about time!”
On May 8th, 2006 the International Organization for Standards (ISO) announced that it had established standards for Software Asset Management. Naturally, these new standards can be costly to learn and even more costly to implement. As usual, a wide selection of training consultants will be on the band wagon to "help you" implement.
But, here's the rub: The majority of small- to middle-sized businesses simply will not gain enough value out of the standards to justify the expense.
However, you'll still want to read this article! It is definitely an important milestone to any corporation or technology asset manager--provided you understand that the concept and process are of substantially more value than the comprehensive detailing.
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