Bsa compliance solutions successfully turns these opportunities into revenue for members. What the business software alliance audit letter does the letter goes on to state that the recipient has been identified as somebody that could be using those various pieces of software without proper licensing, as a result, they say that that person receiving the letter may be in violation of the act in the united states. Responsible business alliance formerly the electronic. These audits can also be triggered when two companies merge. Is the business software alliance bombarding the detroit airwaves because theres a large pool of disgruntled former employees. Its principal activity is trying to stop infringement of software produced by its members. Being a member of agn international and an acca accredited employer, we service gorvernment, corporate and. If the reward requirements have been met, then bsa will consider you for a reward. Business software alliance bsa audits by attorney steve. Bookkeeping accounting audit, dubai, uae whereas dubai and other emirates of the uae enjoy tax free status with regard to types of business, submission of annual financial statements and. If your company is facing a software audit, you need experienced counsel to protect your business.
Learn about bsas work on responsible ai, protecting consumer privacy. The bsa business software alliance represent many vendors, not just microsoft so are the most likely ones to be involved with an audit. It may be surprising to learn that the business software alliance bsa actually hires law firms to. A ccused of software piracy by bsa the software alliance. The software alliance audit procedures bsa audit defense. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the business software alliance pursues the self audit approach. Apr 25, 2014 business software alliance bsa audits by attorney steve. Some of the top software companies in the world are member of bsa. Companies fined for using illegal software pcworld. The business may have to verify all computers, all software, and all licenses. Our members create innovative software that improves peoples lives and grows the economy. Auditing used to be carried out primarily by the vendorfunded business software alliance bsa, but thats changing, according to dawson stoops, a cofounder and vp of sales. Jan 28, 2014 auditing used to be carried out primarily by the vendorfunded business software alliance bsa, but thats changing, according to dawson stoops, a cofounder and vp of sales at express metrix. What to do when your business receives a letter from the bsa.
Properly preparing for and responding to software audits can reduce the financial and organizational impact on your business. Is the business software alliance bombarding the detroit airwaves because theres a large pool of disgruntled former employees in the area. How to respond to a bsa or siia software audit letter. Most bsa audits begin with a report from a disgruntled employee or former employee. Although it may read like a bad joke or a scam, infact it is a frequent practice by software vendors or their agents such as the bsa or siia software and information industry. The practice of fighting software piracy is admirable, but the tactics used by the business software alliance are anything but. Business continuity planning bcp is an organizations preparation process to ensure critical business functions can be performed and available to customers, vendors and other entities in the event of a business interruption, an emergency or incident which damages or prevents access to operational facilities andor key processing equipment.
The business software alliance maintains telephone. I am an intellectual property attorney in southlake, texas who has handled more than 230 business software alliance audit matters for small to mediumsized companies. What the business software alliance audit letter does typepad. If you have been contacted by bsa the software alliance, you need experienced counsel to protect your business. The type of audit depends on the circumstances and can be done by the business or conducted by an outside party. The business software alliance is the leading advocate for the global software industry before. Software audits suck especially when dealing with large trade groups such as the bsa business software alliance. Business software alliance collects record settlement. All of our cases begin with somebody who comes to us to report. Audit alliance llp singapore certified public accountants.
A reward will be paid only if bsa pursues an investigation and, as a direct result of the information provided by you, receives a monetary settlement from the reported organization. What triggers a software audit and how to prepare for the. What to do when you receive a bsa audit letter by ericka chickowski print baseline talked to the experts whove directly dealt with the business software alliance, and weve compiled an 8 step guideline process for handling the aftermath of receiving an intimidating audit letter. Jan 26, 2018 the business software alliance is an advocacy group that fights software piracy. Through years of helping more than 250 clients navigate the. While industry groups such as the business software alliance bsa often lead these audits on behalf of the isvs, companies like symantec want more control over who and. An attorneysupervised audit report is protected by. Mar 12, 2016 is it the business software alliance bsa, or the software information industry association siia these are two of the large software trade groups that routinely audit business. Reporting is further encouraged with possible monetary rewards paid by the bsa to the informant. Baseline shows you how to avoid them altogether in 8 easy steps the fear of a. How did the business software alliance get information about. Client prepared audit materials and related documentation may be discoverable in a lawsuit. Bsa licensing audits following on from my post about microsoft licensing options, i thought it prudent to cover what may happen if your licensing isnt in order and you end up getting.
Business continuity planning bcp is an organizations preparation process to ensure critical business functions can be performed and available to customers, vendors and other entities in. What the business software alliance audit letter does the letter goes on to state that the recipient has been identified as somebody that could be using those various pieces of. When you buy software to use on the computer it comes with a license. Learn more about the bsa and how they target your business. How did the business software alliance get information. How to handle a business software alliance audit dtech. Dec 19, 2015 software audits suck especially when dealing with large trade groups such as the bsa business software alliance. The business software alliance is not afraid to audit your companys software assets and make you pay. The business software alliance is an advocacy group that fights software piracy. Get to know the business software alliance it support guys. The business software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by the microsoft corporation in 1988 and represents a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a member of the international intellectual property alliance.
A business software alliance team member will provide you with the latest information. Maintain confidentiality client prepared audit materials and related documentation may be discoverable in a lawsuit. About the business software alliance bsa audit defense. Business software alliance is the industry organization that monitors software piracy and may demand that your company undertake a software licensing audit. Responsible minerals initiative the rmi is one of the most utilized and respected resources for companies addressing issues related to the responsible sourcing of minerals in their supply chains. Once a report is received, the business software alliance makes a decision about whether to request a self audit or to immediately file suit. Baseline shows you how to avoid them altogether in 8 easy steps the fear of a business software alliance bsa audit has caused many a sleepless night among senior executives and it professionals over the past two decades. The software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by microsoft corporation in 1988 and representing a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a member of the international intellectual property alliance. Indeed, 43 percent of the software installed on pcs around the world was not properly licensed, an uptick from 42 percent in 2011. For the last ten years, i have been representing enduser companies nationally in software audit matters initiated by major software publishers including microsoft, adobe, autodesk, ibm and their trade groups. Have you received an audit letter from bsa business. What the business software alliance audit letter does. I work at a small nonprofit that has 18 employees plus a seat computer lab.
An anonymous report on software use by burts bees came in through an online report filed on the bsa web site. The business software alliance, a global software industry group, increases radio advertising in san francisco seeking software piracy tips. Some of the top software companies in the world are member. If your business runs software published by microsoft, adobe, autodesk, ibm, oracle you may be at risk for a software audit.
Business software alliance bsa increases software piracy. The bsa is still doing audits, but many vendors, because of their need to drive revenue, have taken on the task of doing audits themselves, stoops said. Bsa licensing audits following on from my post about microsoft licensing options, i thought it prudent to cover what may happen if your licensing isnt in order and you end up getting audited. Another scenario which is almost always cause for concern is if the business software alliance bsa is involved. Once a report is received, the business software alliance makes a decision about whether to request a selfaudit or to immediately file suit. How to respond to a bsa or siia software audit letter without. A business software alliance team member will provide. Internal audit plan fiscal year 201920 internal audit plan and report on prior year performance viewpdf treasury cash count and annual audit audit of basic financial statements of the ventura county treasury investment pool for the year ended june 30, 2019 04212020 viewpdf fy 201920 2nd quarter count of cash in custody of the. May 07, 2009 the business software alliance, a global software industry group, increases radio advertising in san francisco seeking software piracy tips.
Internal audit plan fiscal year 201920 internal audit plan and report on prior year performance viewpdf treasury cash count and annual audit audit of basic financial statements of the ventura county. Software license compliance audit fort worth, texas. We received a form letter from the business software alliance bsa telling us to. The responsible business alliance rba is the worlds largest industry coalition dedicated to corporate social responsibility in global supply chains. Jenny blank, north american enforcement programs manager for the business software alliance bsa, explains the bsas audit process. The bsa conducts all of its audits based on tipoffs from individuals. The business software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by the microsoft corporation in 1988 and represents a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a. The business software alliance bsa maintains a toll free telephone number and web site that encourages people to report unlicensed software use.
Audit alliance is a top 60 international audit firm based in singapore. Being a member of agn international and an acca accredited employer, we service gorvernment, corporate and multinational clients. Baseline talked to the experts whove directly dealt with the business software alliance, and weve compiled an 8 step guideline process for handling the aftermath of receiving an intimidating. Is it the business software alliance bsa, or the software information industry association siia these are two of the large software trade groups that routinely audit. Business software alliance is an organization that advocates and promotes legal use of software by businesses. Bsa the software alliance investigates all reports of software piracy without independently confirming the veracity of the information provided or the motive of the person making the complaint. Nov 21, 2014 although it may read like a bad joke or a scam, infact it is a frequent practice by software vendors or their agents such as the bsa or siia software and information industry association to demand that you perform an audit of the software used at your business, report the results, and payup if there is any alleged deficiency in your. Once a report is received, bsa the software alliance makes a decision about whether to request a self audit or to immediately file suit.
Bsa also fights against software piracy and conducts audits on companies that is believed to be engaged in illegal software use. The bsa is a global organization of software developers. Oct 20, 2015 business software alliance is an organization that advocates and promotes legal use of software by businesses. How to handle business software alliance audit demand letters. To ensure ongoing software compliance, the business has also agreed to undertake regular software audits and report to bsa. The bsa has requested that our company completes a selfaudit. Cios report unlicensed software is increasingly risky and expensive. Business software alliance bombards detroit airwaves.
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