Todd Brennan

Here's a very common scenario: someone in the office buys a copy of a software program such as Adobe Photoshop and before you know it, everyone has installed it. It all seems so innocuous. The problem is, it's not legal. Your company is now out of compliance with the software program's licensing agreement and can face stiff audit-related fines (up to $150,000 per infraction according to Automation Access). What can you do to protect your organization and ensure software license compliance? Here are three simple steps to get you started.

With the ubiquity of the internet, Wi-Fi hotspots and USB devices, the possibilities for unauthorized software on company PCs now seem endless. You are likely plagued by incidents around the clock: spyware such as keyloggers, adware, viruses, trojans, worms, non-licensed software, vulnerable applications and user-downloaded software (sometimes inadvertently). The list goes on and on. Even with the proliferation of anti-virus and anti-spyware solutions, desktops and laptops have become the weakest link in enterprise networks.