Those involved in the software sales industry must be increasingly aware of software licensing requirements. There are so many businesses selling pirated software titles at huge discounts that it is difficult to resell legitimate software competitively. Many businesses only trust large resellers with a strong reputation and many buy their software directly from the manufacturer.
Businesses need to be very aware of licensing requirements and be certain that all copies of business software are legal and covered by the required licenses. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Online businesses have become very efficient at making software look legal (down to the exact copies of business logos, candy boxes and jewel cases).
PCs purchased with OEM software installed are legally licensed by the PC manufacturer. Generally the purchaser of these PCs needs to register the software and keep a record of the product key or license. Large businesses generally buy multiple licenses for software through volume licensing programs.
Criteria to be considered when buying or selling business software includes:
- Cost
- Does the software meet the business need?
- Will the software integrate with other existing programs?
- Is software legal?
- Does the software provider have a volume licensing program?
- Support – OEM software on a purchased PC usually comes with little or no decent support
- System resources: Not usually an issue, but sometimes small business environments are on over-taxed hardware already.