The need to maintain a software inventory
	The Business Software Alliance ('BSA') which is government backed organisation funded by major software manufacturers is in the process of sending out questionnaires to businesses generally asking for details of the software used.  The BSA's powers are extensive and their actions can be disruptive to businesses.  Their objective is to ensure that a business is only using properly licensed software and they adopt a high profile in pursuing those objectives.
	Problems can arise where a business is using properly licensed software but over a period of time evidence of the purchase of the software or a copy of the software licence are not available.
	It is good practice for businesses to maintain an inventory of software used on their various computers.   In order to protect themselves, businesses should consider issuing guidance to staff on the loading of software onto a company's systems and altering their disciplinary procedures to cover the situation where unauthorised software is loaded.