SUPPLIERS OF PIRATED ICT PRODUCTS WARNED (PAGE 11, OCTOBER 7)

STUDENTS from four universities in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs who offer Information and Comunications Technology (ICT) programmes have threatened to blacklist suppliers who sell pirated ICT products to their institutions.
According to the students, the procurement of pirated products did not only undermine efficiency in accessing and storing data, but also prevented them from operating in a more effective way.
Their threat followed a presentation by officials from Microsoft during a seminar in Kumasi that sought to build their capacity on the effects of using pirated ICT software and how to acquire licenses to enhance their operations.
Among the institutions whose ICT students participated in the seminar were the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the Kumasi campus of the University of Education, Winneba the Garden City University College, and the Christian Service University College.
In his presentation, the West African Education Account Manager of Microsoft , Mr Musa Ali Baba, urged the students to be more focused on their ICT programme to enable them explore their potentials to the maximum and become versatile in the technology.
He assured them of the commitment of Microsoft to build the capacity of the youth through regular education to enable them acquire the needed skills that would enable them to initiate their own programmes to enhance their operations.
Mr Ali Baba also advised them on the need to acquire the requisite licence that would enable them subscribe to programmes that would enhance their operations.
He said acquiring licenses did not only avoid running pirated software and reduce administrative costs in dealing with Microsoft, but also keeps them abreast with new technologies thereby getting value for all their transactions.
“Acquiring licences also provide you smarter tools for learning, standardise software for students and also help students to use software on their personal computers and that of their institutions”, he further advised.
He therefore charged them to expose all distributors who offered them pirated software and also acquire certificates of authenticity to ensure that the right software copies were always procured.
Earlier, Mr Victor Diali, also a West African Representative of Microsoft urged the students to be adventurous in their ICT operations to enable them open new grounds.
He said being adventurous had not only propelled Microsoft to greater heights in ICT programmes, but had also facilitated the introduction of a new software capable of storing and protecting data, which is priceless and therefore preventing it from getting into wrong hands was very important, he added.