5K PH firms suspected of using unlicensed software

The BSA Software Alliance (BSA) will soon start a campaign aimed at ending corporate use of unlicensed or illegal software, targeting some 5,000 firms in the Philippines.

BSA, the leading advocate for the global software industry, said,  “This year, BSA will roll out a campaign targeting 20,000 design and engineering firms, construction companies, and manufacturers across Southeast Asia who may potentially be using unlicensed or illegal software. This includes 5,000 firms in the Philippines, 5,000 firms in Thailand, 5,000 firms in Malaysia, and 5,000 firms in Indonesia.”

BSA plans to work closely with the government in each country to educate business leaders to end corporate use of unlicensed software and help them legalize their software.

Tarun Sawney, Senior Director, BSA | The Software Alliance, will be coordinating with representatives from the Optical Media Board (OMB) of the Philippines during the campaign.

The OMB is expected to report on the success of its inspections for unlicensed software in the Philippines last year and share its plans to reduce corporate use of unlicensed software in 2021.

In 2020, Sawney said BSA was developing its Legalize & Protect campaign with its ASEAN Safeguard initiative, offering free consultation to 40,000 companies across Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Of these companies, Sawney said 10,000 are from the Philippines.  BSA is reaching out to companies that it has identified as high risk and particularly vulnerable to cyber threats. The ASEAN Safeguard is designed to support them towards full software legalization.

Sawney said the use of unlicensed software deprives companies of protection from cyber-attacks.

Data from BSA members – that include IBM and McAfee – show that cyber security threats are exacerbated by the widespread use of unlicensed software in Southeast Asia. These unlicensed software are often packaged with malware or contains security vulnerabilities that leave devices open to attack.

BSA estimates 64% of Philippine companies use unlicensed software.