The Open Network or an Open Door to Prosecution

While this growth in IT sophistication and employee computer-literacy undoubtedly has benefits for the organization, it has also introduced a number of new risks to the corporate network. Easy access to Internet and email means that systems can become the resting place for applications and files that they were never intended to play host to.

The dangers associated with these rogue inhabitants of the network might seem confined to wasted storage, reduced network bandwidth and diminished employee productivity; the real risks to the organization can be much worse.

The employer’s problem
Thanks to the principle of “vicarious liability”, organizations and their directors can, in the eyes of the law, be held personally liable for activities they had no direct part in.

This is why many professional risk analysts now regard mis-use of an organization’s corporate network as a distinct issue in its own right, requiring specific management attention as part of the overall risk management strategy of the corporation.

Unlicensed software
Unlicensed software already exists on the vast majority of corporate networks. Some sources suggest up to a quarter of US and UK software could be unlicensed.

There is an increasing trend for employees to download software direct from the Internet. While many applications obtained from the internet may be perceived as ‘free’, in reality most of them need to be licensed in much the same way as packaged software bought off-the-shelf.

Getting tough on license abuse
Many software vendors, together with industry watchdogs such as FAST (Federation Against Software Theft) and BSA (Business Software Alliance), are promising a tougher time for offending organizations in 2004 and beyond.

In the UK, FAST has stated its intention to use the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to bring criminal prosecutions against organizations suspected of using unlicensed software.

The BSA, which is funded by software vendors including Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe, has already pursued thousands of legal actions. In May 2004 alone, it levied around $1 million in fines to US organizations found to be in breach of copyright laws.

Centennial Discovery uses patent-pending technology to automatically find all devices attached to the network. This means that no matter how a PC, Server or laptop is connected to the network (WAN, LAN, VPN, dial-in etc), Centennial Discovery will always find it and continues to keep a look out for new devices being added, and alerts administrators accordingly.

Having identified a PC, a Centennial Discovery client agent then performs a full audit of the machine, recording everything from the serial number to a complete list of all software executables and file types located on the hard disk.

Surprise yourself
Do you know what’s on your network right now? Would you like to know? How about taking a snapshot of just five PCs in your organization?

Download an evaluation copy of Centennial Discovery today and we’re sure you’ll be surprised at just how much software you find that you never even knew about!

To find out more about how Centennial Discovery can keep your organization in business call us on 01296 505321 or email information@compusys.co.uk