Microsoft wants more officially certified retailers in Brunei

MICROSOFT (B) Sdn Bhd is working to get more PC retailers nationwide to be officially certified as a genuine Microsoft Software Retailers in its bid to fight piracy in Brunei, said its country manager.

Following the first official certification awarded by the IT giant to Concepts Computers Sdn Bhd last week, the firm said the move is in line with Brunei's growing commitment in combating software piracy and promoting genuine products for consumers.

"We are definitely looking for more retailers to obtain the certification from us. We will go through some evaluation processes with them if they are keen on distributing genuine software to their customers," said Azizah Ali, Microsoft Brunei's country manager.

In a phone interview with The Brunei Times yesterday, Azizah said the initiative to roll out the certification is aimed at recognising local retailers which duly promote and support genuine products of the Microsoft brand.

Azizah said Brunei has recently become more aware on the importance of original and genuine products, as well as the need to end piracy and protect Intellectual Property (IP), and thus signalled the 'right timing' for the company to launch the initiative.

Concepts Computer qualifed for the certification after the retailer was given the thumbs-up for promoting only genuine products to its customers by a "mystery shopper" sent by Microsoft. The retailer has also been lauded for playing an active role in educating its customers on the authenticity of the products.

The firm has been dispatching "mystery shoppers" to investigate various PC retailers in the Sultanate over the last few months whether they sell counterfeit or original goods as well as to study how they distribute their products, said Azizah.

"We found that many retailers do carry OEMs (Original equipment manufacturer) software, but they also provide options for non-OEMs to their customers," she said.

In a separate interview, Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computers said the retailer has been distributing genuine Microsoft software products for 10 years.

Concepts has also been supporting the government's initiative on fighting piracy as well as pushing for IP protection for vendors in Brunei since Microsoft set up office in the Sultanate about five years ago, according to Zul.

"In Brunei, the market for original software hasn't been that great yet, as there are still vendors that sells both original and pirated products.

"By right they should not provide that option, as consumers would easily opt for the cheaper pirated versions over the original ones," he said.

The retailer distributes a suite of genuine Microsoft Windows 7 operating system and Microsoft Office to its customers along with its line of Acer desktop and laptop computers.

With a genuine copy installed, users can enjoy regular updates and security patches, which Zul said were the most valuable aspect of genuine software.The Brunei Times