Key Idea #6: Get clean and stay clean.

George Borkowski said in this episode that stealing software or making copies of software that you purchase is just wrong. He went on to say, "It's basic business ethics. Just as they wouldn't want whatever product or service they offer to be taken from them they shouldn't be taking other people's software. They just shouldn't be. There is nothing else to say beyond that."

One of the reasons we created this important episode is that we became aware of the fact that one out of every four PCs in a U.S. small business is operating on pirated software. Piracy is not a Third World problem, it is everywhere and small business owners are either the most naive or the most skilled at stealing over the Internet. This is a terrible place we have come to and we all have to get clean and stay clean.

Topic for discussion: How can you clean up your act?

Answer: We think Mark Litvack put it perfectly: if you can't tell your spouse and your children what you did today you should probably change your behavior. Maggie Sanchez explained how you can visit www.microsoft.com/genuine to verify if the software running on your PC is authentic or pirated. Microsoft does not know who you are when you go to this site so nabbing you is not the goal of the "Genuine Advantage Program." The goal is to educate you.

If you bought your PCs from a local systems' integrator there is a strong chance that your software is pirated. You should go to the owner of the business and ask for the certificate verifying that your software is authentic.

If you have a technologists on your payroll or one you turn to for consulting, tell them that you do not want to run your business on stolen software. Be clear that you are willing to pay the price to run authentic programs. In general, this will not cost you more money and you will join the owners like Bob Tarcea who are playing by the rules.

You think about it: Do you know for sure that you are running on authentic software? If not, when will you stop and find out? What will you do if you discover that you are using pirated software?