Why comply?

There are many ways in which your software might not be compliant that aren't obvious. You need to be able to produce the software licenses you own, rather like the registration document for a car. If you have bought a secondhand computer, you don't have the right to use the software on it unless you inform the software provider about the change of ownership. But you shouldn't look on compliance as an obligation or some sort of tax. If you think about how many hours a year you use computer software, it starts to look like good value. Pirated software destroys the smaller software companies first, many of whom are producing innovative business software at cheap prices. Ultimately, by paying your license, you're helping software producers create ever more innovative and useful products; and similarly entitling yourself to the contribution these programs make to your productivity.

Buy it right
Software licensing isn't all that complicated - it just seems like it. Buying software isn't quite as simple as you might think. For a start, you don't actually buy the software itself. Instead, when you pick up a copy of Windows XP, you're actually buying the right to use that software. That right is called a license (of which there different types). It's no wonder then, that licensing can seem confusing: do you license the same software for everyone in your company? Is it worth registering? Can I be compliant and conserve cash flow?

If you build up your software licenses in an ad hoc way, adding them one or two at a time, you can end up paying too much. While volume licensing deals - where you license software for a set number of users - can appear complicated, he says it's not as intimidating as many businesses think. " With volume licensing, you can save 20 per cent of your costs immediately, " he says, " I'm a small business myself. I understand, so I try to keep the explanation as simple as I can. "

Registration
When you install software, you might be asked to register it. The benefits of this might not be immediately clear, but they exist all the same. While users were expected to buy the software, they didn't have their own serial number.
Why is the serial number is important? You might think it's just a random number, but when you call, it tells us what product you have, the version and what platform the client is using. It's incredibly useful for us when we give you support, and can save a lot of time and effort on both sides.