The popularity of pirated software is gradually decreasing in Russia
According to the latest data, in the period from 2016 to 2017, the popularity of pirated software in Russia decreased to the level of 2013, as reported by Vedomosti. During this period, pirated software accounted for 62% of all installations. In previous years, the percentage ratio of pirated software to licensed software installations has only grown, but now we are talking about reducing this indicator.
Last year, the total cost of pirated software in Russia was $ 1.3 billion, which was a record for Central and Eastern Europe. This is a lot, but for some regions, for example, for Asia, and this is not the limit. For comparison, in China, where the highest rate in the Asia-Pacific region was set, the cost of pirated software was $ 6.8 billion (66% of all software installations in this country).
Experts believe that the decline in user interest in pirated programs in Russia is due to the popularization of the licensed software payment plan by subscription. Using this payment method, the user does not acquire the program for perpetual use, but sends small periodic payments (for example, monthly). Prior to this innovation, millions of users worked with pirated software, because they could not afford licensed software, the cost of which sometimes exceeded several thousand dollars.
With the advent of an affordable price for software of various kinds, the amount of installed pirated software has dropped significantly. This is true for both ordinary users and for business.
During periods when the number of employees in a company decreases, you can save on paying for software that is not used. Simplified and work with licenses. The subscription licensing system makes it easier for users to support and update cloud licenses, says Dmitry Vedev, marketing director of the Aplan IT group. Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab in Russia and the CIS, Sergey Zemkov, stated that the transfer of software to a “user-friendly“ temporary consumption ”service encourages people to switch to working with original software rather than counterpart software.
Many experts explain the transition to a "license" of cybersecurity requirements. The point is that pirated software is often the weak link in the enterprise cyber defense system. Vulnerabilities and holes in such software have repeatedly led to the successful implementation of a large number of very different cyber attacks, as a result, its use can be very expensive for companies - much more expensive. than license payment. In particular, counterfeit software is simply crammed with zero-day vulnerabilities.
Sergey Zemkov believes that the decline in installations of pirated software is not related to the policy of import-replacing software in Russia. Dmitry Vedev agrees with this opinion. He claims that domestic software has replaced a part of foreign pirated software.