Itechra: Blog

Think Twice about which Software you are Using

A huge number of small and medium-sized businesses would consider using pirated software to try and save money. And a new study has revealed a surprising number of businesses willing to get non-reputable software just to save costs. Our advice? Think twice before you do this.

Right now, the most popular types of pirated software are project management tools, and marketing and sales software.

A huge 56% of business owners said they’d even think about using illegal cyber security software in an effort to cut costs.

Don’t do it.

Not only is pirated software unsupported – which means if you have a issue with it (which is very likely you will) there’s no help to solve the problem. But the worst part is, it can open your business up to bigger problems too.

It’s also a common practice for cyber criminals to use pirated software to distribute malware. Some of it’s designed to evade firewalls. This means once installed, it can spread malicious files beyond your device to your whole network. That can lead to your sensitive data being compromised or stolen.

Pirated software can damage your devices by causing them to slow down or overheat. Not only that but, the cost of putting things right after this kind of cyber-attack can end up costing a fortune.

We advise our clients to always use good software from a reputable source.

If the cost of the software seems too good to be true, it probably is.

But there’s more you can do as well. One thing you can do to protect your business from  cyber-attack is by preventing unauthorized employees from downloading software. All you would need to do is manage admin rights properly. Another thing you can do is to ensure your entire team has regular cyber security awareness training. That way, everyone’s aware of the risks to your business data.

If you’d like help finding reputable software for your business, or creating a cyber security plan, just get in touch with us at Itechra.  

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Itechra Team

Itechra Team

From 2000, we set out to solve what was then a major problem for small businesses: having difficulty keeping up with their IT needs. We noticed that large corporations often had multiple employees specializing in different aspects of the industry and realized this approach could work well also among smaller organizations who might not be able to sustain such teams, but still require help managing an oversized workload. We provide a single resource for all your IT issues.