Case Study: Software Audit

We assisted a client in responding to a comprehensive software audit by the Business Software Alliance.  As is common in such audits, the BSA received an anonymous tip, although false, identifying several specific instances of software license violations by our client.  The BSA demanded an audit of all of its members’ software products used by our client, and warned that money damages of hundreds of thousands of dollars would be sought for license violations.

Through coordination with the client’s offices in many states, we assembled a detailed record of all software licenses and maintenance and upgrade services purchased by the client over several years, and matched them up with software versions installed on the client’s company-wide hardware.  We also assembled company records highlighting our client’s ongoing efforts to comply and internally enforce compliance with its software licenses.  After conducting our own audit, reviewing company documentation, interpreting license agreements with multiple vendors, and interviewing company employees, we assembled and presented to the BSA a comprehensive report demonstrating our client’s impressive compliance record.  Only a handful of discrepancies were found, all of which were attributable to very old software copies inadvertently left on obsolete and unused computers in storage.  We accurately presented our client as a company that did not tolerate software license violation or piracy.  The BSA was satisfied with our thorough report and evidence of compliance, and concluded its investigation without further action.