IT managers have thrown a wet rag on vendor warnings that software piracy is spiralling out of control, claiming it is only a minor issue at the bottom of their priority list.

A recent Business Software Alliance (BSA) survey found pirated software worldwide is costing software vendors losses of around $US29 billion.

Of the $80 billion worth of software installed on computers worldwide last year, only $51 billion was legally purchased, according to the survey.

However, IT managers said there is no need to panic as methods employed by most enterprises keep the problem in check.

According to Crevet IT manager Shane Black, his organization has a strict approach to software piracy.

“I haven’t had any problems with piracy in this organization, it’s quite controlled,” Black said.

He said that licensing and piracy shouldn’t be a problem for IT managers as long as the appropriate controls are in place to minimise the problem. Brisbane Grammar School head of computing Tim Solomon manages the risk of piracy by supporting software policies put in place by software providers.

Solomon admits it can be hard to police and is a concern for most computer professionals.

Meta Group has identified piracy as a compliance issue and believes regular audits minimise risk.

Meta's technology research services vice president, John Brand, says piracy needs to be defined.

“If it’s unauthorised use, then yes, it still is a problem. But as for software being duplicated and distributed, then no,” Brand said.

“I think unauthorised use of information is a much bigger problem that needs to be discussed