Unlicensed software still dominant in Mexico

Mexican industries are still plagued with illegal software use, with 52% of installed programs still being unlicensed in 2015, according to a study by global research firm BSA.

Compared to BSA's previous study conducted in 2013, this percentage shows only a 2% reduction in two years, despite the direct correlation between illegal software and cyberattacks.

"The report highlights that it is imperative for a company to know the software that is used within their network," said Victoria A. Espinel, president and CEO of BSA. "Many CIOs do not know the scope of the software implemented in their systems or if the software is legitimate."

The research was conducted globally with consumers, IT managers and business PC users, revealing that 39% of installed software was unlicensed globally.

BSA's study found that the overall rate of unlicensed software is 25% for companies in the banking, insurance and security industries.

Directors estimated that 15% of their employees loaded software onto their networks without their knowledge, while in fact the figure was almost double, at 26%.

The region with the highest total rate of unlicensed software was Asia Pacific, with 61%, only one point less compared to BSA's 2013 research.