Fewer South Africans using pirated software

About 32% of software installed on computers in South Africa is not “properly licensed”, a one percentage point decline compared to 2016, according to a new survey by BSA The Software Alliance.

Commercial value of unlicensed software installed in South Africa was found to be just under R3bn.

The alliance, whose members include Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec and Apple, said on Tuesday that the decline in unlicensed software in South Africa has been influenced in part by “stable and effective enforcement and great cooperation between industry and government”.

Worries about cybersecurity may also be encouraging businesses to legalise their software.

BSA The Software Alliance said chief information officers in its survey cited personal and corporate data theft as a primary concern related to malware that can accompany pirated software.

More than half of surveyed CIOs cited cybersecurity risks as the number one reason to avoid unlicensed software (54%), with a lower risk of legal issues second (43%).

The alliance’s 2018 Global Software Survey: Software Management: Security Imperative, Business Opportunity quantifies the volume and value of unlicensed software installed on PCs in 110 countries and regions, and includes nearly 23 000 responses from consumers, employees and CIOs.

Worldwide, use of unlicensed software, while down slightly, is still widespread, accounting for 37% of software installed on PCs, a two point drop from 2016. CIOs reported that unlicensed software is increasingly risky and expensive. Malware from unlicensed software costs companies worldwide an estimated US$359bn/year, BSA The Software Alliance said.  — (c) 2018 NewsCentral Media