Waging War Against Software Piracy

The issue of pirated software is one that the software industry fights on the daily basis. The major centers of software piracy are in places like Russia and China where salaries and disposable income are comparatively low. Given that people in developing (like the Philippines) and economically depressed countries will fall behind the industrialized world technologically if they cannot afford access to new generations of software, is it reasonable to blame someone for using pirated software when it costs two months' salary to buy a legal copy of MS Office? What approach could software companies use to combat the problem apart from punitive measures, like pressuring the government to impose sanctions on transgressors?

Safenet defines piracy as “copying, selling, sharing, or distributing software illegally”. Piracy can vary from a limited case of installation of a single-user license on multiple computers to a more chronic problem of widespread online distribution. It is widespread in the Philippines, where consumers would rather use unlicensed versions of software than pay the exorbitant fees they entail.

So how do we solve software piracy? Let us first look at other piracy statistics, specifically about music piracy in Norway. According to an article in the Business Insider website, the number of people who admit to downloading music, videos, and other files illegally online in Norway has dramatically dropped from 80% to 4% over a fire-year period. Another significant finding is also tied to that: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) found that while 27% of the world’s digital music revenue comes from streaming services, in Norway that number is more than doubled at 65%. This means that Norwegian’s use of streaming services has hugely decreased piracy.

Why did Norwegians revert to online streaming instead of downloading these files illegally? The answer is really quite simple: because they have now become free or inexpensive, and have been made very easy to access.

Now back to software. Software companies have to start decreasing prices, or at least offer more affordable ladderized packages based on usage. For instance, a basic personal user may get it for free, and once he decides to get other features later, he can upgrade online to get them for additional fees. Customizable packages would be great to have so users can decide what they want to get and how much they are willing to pay at a certain time based on their budget and needs. Think of it as a “make-your-own-pizza” concept. Some people want all the toppings, others do not want anchovies, others want extra pineapples, and so on. This is also true with software.

Software companies also have to make software content more available online, so that it is more convenient to get legally than illegally. Right now, I’m willing to bet that people know more illegal file-sharing sites that facilitate illegal downloads than they know legit sites to get them.

My opinion is that that eliminating piracy by aggressively trying to catch illegal file hosters or downloaders may not be the way to go; we should be discouraging piracy instead. 

We have to fix the system so that online piracy becomes pointless to conduct. 

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

My Love-Hate Relationship with Online Shopping

Why I Love Online Shopping

Internet shopping has a lot of conveniences to offer consumers. There are wide arrays of options we can choose from, and most online shopping sites have filtering abilities so we can find something we want very quickly and efficiently. Comparison between product types, features, specifications, and prices becomes very easy in online shopping as well.

Online shopping also saves time, energy, and money as we don’t have to leave to go somewhere to browse through, and buy, products. Shopping can be done while sitting in front of our computers, or using phones, tablets, or other gadgets, and products can be bought from whichever part of the globe we are. We do not have to physically be in a store to get them, and access to certain products from other countries becomes possible through online shopping. Different payment options are also available, and consumers can pay through credit cards, debit card, PayPal, or even use cash on delivery options.

                                                                                                                                             

Why I Hate Online Shopping

There are also inconveniences in shopping through the internet. For instance, consumers are unable to check items in person, so thorough inspections become impossible. Online shoppers have to be very discriminating in choosing the sites to shop in, ensuring we are getting products with high-quality and getting good value for our money.

Shipping fees can sometimes be too expensive, especially if items have to be shipped from faraway places. There is also delayed gratification because we have to wait for some time before we can actually hold the products we bought in our hands.

One of the most discouraging things about online shopping is giving out personal details and entering bank or credit card details into a system, hoping the data we give out remain secure and uncompromised. This is the biggest reason for shoppers to be very careful in choosing shopping sites and people to transact with, as we can put ourselves in danger for identity theft and credit card fraud.

3 Products I Have No Hesitation Buying Online

Products I have no hesitation buying over the internet include airline tickets, books, and makeup. Airline companies are huge corporations that take information security seriously, so I trust them. I have also made a lot of airline transactions with them and so far I have had no problems. Books and makeup products are not that expensive, and there are trusted sources I get them from. Sometimes the kinds I like just are not available in nearby stores, so I get them online. For my protection, I do not buy them in bulk so that in case I get scammed, I do not lose that much money.

3 Products I Would Consider Buying Online (After a Lot of Thought)

Sometimes, I spend more time thinking about whether to buy something online or not. Some of these products include: clothes and shoes – because of my inability to inspect their quality and see how they would fit me, fragile items – because I would hate waiting days getting all excited to get something in the mail, only for it to arrive in pieces, and expensive gadgets – because I prefer having to transact face to face with someone in their actual store for these, get a signed receipt, and have a conversation about warranty rules in case they break.

3 Products I Would Never Buy Online

Of course, there are also products I would never consider buying online. Furniture and home appliances are a no-no, these need close personal inspection and I would feel more secure buying them from an established store I can go back to anytime. I would never buy pets online – I personally know trusted breeders and I like to talk to them and learn about temperaments and pet personalities before I make the decision of who to add in our household. Used items are also banned form my online shopping, I would only buy selected used items after I have scrutinized them in person, and from people I actually know and trust.

Outsourcing IT Security

1. Should an organization outsource IT security?

If an organization is large enough to be able to set up its own IT security system, it should. However, smaller organizations may not be able to afford the costs entailed by an in-house IT security system, and for them, outsourcing may be the best thing to do. An organization must examine the costs versus benefits of these two options in order to find out which will suit it best - considering the amount and quality of security that it needs, the cost of IT hardware, software, and networks, and manpower and utility costs. An important thing to consider would also be the amount of time it will take to completely set up related processes and procedures, and whether the company can afford to work with such a timeline.

2. What are the issues involved when you turnover security to an outside organization?

When outsourcing security, it may be a challenge for owners and managers to relinquish or share control of certain systems. This is why in outsourcing, it is important to shop around, do your research, and find a company that you can trust, and with whom you can communicate your ideas and concerns freely and openly.

Another issue is finding a security company that can deliver services that match specific business needs. Different businesses have different security requirements, so it is advised to look for a security company that offers customizable services where organizations can choose the type and amount of security they pay for.

The flow of work may also be a challenge in this arrangement. Processes and procedures for risk management and contingency plans also need to be aligned between the organization and the security company, so that there is a clear understanding of what happens whenever there are security concerns, alerts, and breaches.

3. In case there is a need to outsource, what stipulations would you include in a service level agreement with an IT security outsourcer to ensure that it did not exploit the openness of your systems and steal strategic and sensitive information?

A clause preventing conflict of interest should be included, so that the IT security company cannot do business with direct competitors. The SLA should indicate required reports and the frequency of such reports, and include process flows of what to do during security alerts and breaches. The contract should also cover auditing standards and procedures, and state that the organization may conduct such audits itself, or hire a third party auditor to evaluate the IT security firm’s work.

The IT security company should mirror the organization's data security confidentiality requirements and provisions, and so should any third party company or subcontractor. The IT security company should divulge to the organization all of its locations that will do the work for the organization, so country and state IT and cyber laws can be duly examined. The organization should also be allowed to examine any subcontractor’s processes and be allowed to reject a subcontractor if its practices are not deemed acceptable. When agreeing on a subcontractor, clear parameters should be set as to their involvement.

All personnel whose work is related to the organization’s security are to sign non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, and the organization should be allowed to conduct background investigation checks on any employee related to the account. There should also be stipulations on penalties and fines in case service level agreement and related performance metrics are not achieved, or agreed process flows are not followed by the IT security company.