Software
Licensing Standard Procedures
May 19, 2005
This was taken from our Intranet forum (BCW). Originally an internally
circulated document that was shared with selected reseller/consultant
clients. It has since been re-classified as client-wide communiqué.
It has come into my knowledge that there are wide-spread cases of resellers charging for
software licenses and subsequently failing to actually provide them.
Backgrounder: For business users, it's preferable to obtain software
via licensing, as opposed to purchasing multi-copies of retail packages.
The benefits are manifold: significant discounts, less physical
inventory, better proof of compliance (direct with vendor), simpler
deployment and administration. The clients receive paper or electronic
certificates, in place of physical product packages.
At Bravo, we have for years prescribed a strict policy of demanding
the seller to furnish vendor inquiry information at the time of
invoicing, so that we may (on the clients' behalf) verify that the
licenses are valid, active and properly registered to the correct owner.
In cases where we're the seller, we furnish the information per our
policy, and inform the clients of their duty to verify. This eliminates
the negligence and out-right fraud.
For small non-skilled resellers that don't have hefty consulting
revenue attached to the sale of products, the temptation to keep the
entire software fund is tremendous. When the public is educated on our
prescribed policy, checks and balances are restored and the temptation
reduced.
As consultant, you're charged with the duty of overseeing the
transactions. Part of it is the establishment and enforcement of checks
and balances. Strict adherence to our policy will alert you to any
administrative errors on your part and avoid embarrassment and
appearance of suspicion later on. This policy is considered mandatory
and non-compliance reflects very poorly on your professionalism and
ethics.
As client, it is in your best interest to ensure that you're getting
what you paid for. Failure to do so could expose you to major legal
threats. The mistakes and/or fraud of your seller do not shield you from
liability to the theft of services and intellectual properties.
Moreover, one may infer that a reseller engaging in a dishonest (and
illegal) transaction is likely not acting in the best interest of the
client in areas of technical decisions and execution. |