New InformationWeek Reports Research Finds 54% of IT Pros Want Feds to Stay Out of Software Licensing Practices

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports, a service provider for peer-based IT research and analysis, announced the release of its latest research report; Software Licensing: Time for CIOs to Take the Wheel, which encompasses analysis of results from InformationWeek's recent Software Licensing Survey and guides readers in managing licensing contracts and relationships. More than 500 business technology professionals responded to this poll. The report author, Jonathan Feldman, serves as director of information technology services for a city in North Carolina.

Research Summary:

From ridiculously complex end user licensing agreements to a propensity for frivolous litigation, gripes about the way vendors license their software were rampant among survey respondents. Respondents were asked about everything from whether line-of-business executives are involved in evaluating licenses (more than you might expect) to their opinion on whether government intervention is needed to regulate licensing practices. While the majority, 54%, don't want the feds involved, that doesn't mean IT is happy with the way software vendors do business.

Findings:  

• 55% of our survey respondents identify long-term support and other operational costs as the most important factor when evaluating software licenses.
• 54% do not charge back or cost-allocate for licensed software.
• 39% say it's never or almost never OK to accept a software license where terms can change at the provider's discretion.
• 8% typically negotiate discount levels of more than 35%.

For full access to the research data, members can download now: http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/7/8254/Enterprise-Software/research-software-licensing.html

"Until CIOs get line-of-business managers involved in evaluating software licenses and start extending their licensing expertise to off-the-shelf software, they're going to remain victim to vendors' incredibly complex licensing structures," says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports. "They need to follow Jonathan's advice and negotiate each deal as if their jobs depend on it."

For more information:
Art Wittmann
VP & Managing Director, InformationWeek Reports
415-947-6361
awittmann@techweb.com

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