81% of Nigeria’s software is pirated

A study by the Business Software Alliance(BSA) for the global software industry has revealed that unlicensed software in Nigeria exceeded is approximately at 81%

Globally, according to the study, unlicensed software use continues to be a major problem with 43 percent of the software installed on PCs around the world not properly licensed.
Emerging markets which now account for 56 percent of all PCs in use globally and nearly three-quarters of all are unlicensed software installations (73 percent).

The survey further reported that computer users cite the risk of security threats from malware as the top reason not to use unlicensed software. Among their specific concerns are intrusions by hackers and loss of data.

One of the concerns for Nigerian businesses is “accidental piracy.” As methods to manufacture and sell counterfeit software become more sophisticated, there is an urgent need for greater awareness of this critical problem.
“Unsuspecting companies are at risk of downloading or purchasing counterfeit software that can expose them to spyware, malware and viruses that can lead to identity theft, loss of data, and system failures,” Haman said.

One of the alarming trends revealed in the study was the significant gap between workers’ and IT managers’ awareness of company software policies. A full 42 percent of workers say their companies either do not have a policy on licensed software use or they don’t know, while 86 percent of IT managers claim that their companies have either a written policy or an informal one.

The Middle East and Africa has the third highest regional rate of unlicensed software tied with Latin America at 59 percent. Asia-Pacific has the highest rate in the world (62 percent) followed by Central and Eastern Europe (61 percent).

Source: Vanguard