The relationship between system administration and end user license agreements

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between system administrators and the end user license agreements of commercial software. An overview of the software industry from the Australian and global perspective is provided, followed by an investigation into software piracy. The role of system administrators is defined, followed by an explanation of some of the alternate types of software licenses with regards to commercial software. Lastly, this paper presents the methodology that is used to gather the opinions of system administrators using an online questionnaire. A copy of the survey is also provided. The aim of the study is to investigate the thoughts and opinions of system administrators who are representatives of one of the key groups of stakeholders in relation to end user license agreements and the implications that they have in the commercial arena.