Microsoft Russia asks its distributors, resellers and customers in SMB segment to support this initiative.
The primary goal of this program is to inform partners, resellers and end users of risks associated with distributing and using counterfeit software. A hotline is available to Microsoft customers and partners to report the use of suspect counterfeit Microsoft software.
To report counterfeit, send an email to 911 hotline at
rapira@microsoft.com.
According to experts, the risks associated with using counterfeit software are much higher than the potential gain from purchasing it. Thus, the study shows that while searching for such software, downloading and installing it, the user exposes his or her computer to risk in 92 cases out of a 100.
Furthermore, it has been evaluated that the companies that use counterfeit software in their business operations pay on average 40,000 USD for critical system failure.
In the long run, the amount of damages caused by using such software exceeds by far the cost of purchasing licensed software from approved vendors.
