IT experts term suspicion linked more to business
Microsoft in a letter to the finance ministry in the past week suspected that the use of pirated software could expose computer networks to risk, resulting in an increase in cyber crimes.
Finance ministry officials said that Microsoft suspected that information could be stolen from government and banking networks through the use of pirated software.Information being stolen from government networks could expose national security to risks, according to the letter.
Software piracy is said to be copying and using commercial software bought by someone else. This illegal practice take away from company profits. Any malicious software added to the pirated software could put users to risks.
IT experts, however, saw suspicions Microsoft has talked about linked more to the protection of its business for an increased of Linux across the world.
They said that gradual shifting towards Linux, which is free, and the use of pirated software were major concerns for Microsoft.
Pubudu Basnayake, chief operating officer of Microsoft Bangladesh Limited, told New Age on Thursday that 92 per cent of the software used in the country was pirated.
‘Each year 800,000 desktops or laptops are sold in Bangladesh,’ said the Sri Lankan, adding that only 8 per cent of them used licensed software.
He, however, said the suspicion conveyed to the government was more of educational purposes. ‘Microsoft hoped that the government would implement the Bangladesh Copyright Act 2000.’
M Kaykobad, head of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology’s computer science and engineering, said risks relating to the use of pirated software could not be ruled out. ‘But what Microsoft is saying is a pressure on the government to implement the copyright law to safeguard its business.’
He said that there was a debate whether software run on personal computers would come under the copyright purview.
The Linux Foundation, founded in 2007, offered open-source technology for computer operation and became popular in the server segments.
Linux powers 98 per cent the world’s super computers when global operating system of computers revenue totalled $30.4 billion in 2010.
According to the American IT research firm Gartner Inc, Microsoft maintained its leading position in the overall operating system with 78.6 per cent share.
Mahmudur Rahman, chief technical officer of Mukto software Limited, said the use of Linux was growing in Bangladesh.
Basnayake said that Microsoft did not mind with the growing popularity of the Linux even in Bangladesh. He said that they wanted software being used with licence.
IT experts said that there were many reasons for the local Microsoft chief to giving emphasis on the use of licensed software and the copyright act enforcement.
They said that the Bangladesh government had already become the biggest user of licensed software supplied by Microsoft.
Basnayake said that the use of licensed software would promise good prospect for his company in term of further business in Bangladesh. He said they targeted a 30 per cent growth in the current year.
-With New Age input
