Did you pay for that? Software piracy and why you should avoid it.

Your friend can get that stuff for free, but why should you stay clear of software piracy?

Software piracy is bad, and you should feel bad if you use pirated software in your business. Software piracy is roughly a $63 billion (about R970 billion) per year problem. Beyond feeling bad, there are other major downsides to not paying for your software that you should think about. Let’s explore:

No updates for you.

Cracked or hacked software will almost always be stuck on the version which you have installed. This means that if any fixes or updates are released, you won’t be receiving them unless the new versions are also cracked. As you haven’t paid for it, you will also probably not receive any support for the software from the developers. Good luck with your problems, pirate.

You’ve probably got a virus.

Software piracy is a risky business. Can you really trust the person that released that crack / hack on a website that relies on obscene and adult advertising to stay online? Probably not. You should probably think twice before downloading this, maybe three times before installing. Downloading and installing pirated software is a great way to infect your PC.

Risk of Fines.

Businesses that use pirated software are high on the priority list for The Software Alliance, otherwise known as the BSA. The BSA has many members, including Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft and Oracle to name a few, whom they try to protect against software copyright infringements. If caught, the fines are high, roughly three times the retail price for each piece of software found to be pirated, and then you’d still need to buy the software afterwards.

My advise and the TL;DR – Pay for your software. Use reputable partners to help source products for you as they may have special agreements with the developers and distributers for discounts and better deals for support.

If you are worried that you may have pirated software running in your business, contact us and we will help audit, plan and guide you to a safer state.

Have any advice or experience with pirated software? Leave a comment below, you may help someone out!