My friend works for a company which requires her to use Microsoft specific application, she didn’t really want to switch to Win 11 and choose to just use Wine Linux package and install a 2016 version of MS office on her Linux laptop. That’s all well and good, but this company she is working for servers other clients at pretty high up places and she is terrified that she using the pirated version of MS would create a liability for her company as if Microsoft wants to target pirated software, they hunt for organisations rather than individuals.
So, what should she do? Is there a way you can hide the fact that the excel sheet was created on pirated software, is it even possible to tell excel sheets apart which are using pirated software?
PS: If there is a way to destroy all metadata related to the excel sheets, it would be very helpful.
edit: Thanks to everyone who chipped in for an answer, gonna suggest her to either ask her employer to give her the necessary software + hardware and if denied quit. I now realize this is not the norm in any company but hers. Anyways, thanks everyone.
My friend works for a company which requires her to use Microsoft specific application
So the company needs to provide said friend with all the needed software.
*in the US, if they are w2. If contractor, they must provide the tools themselves.
If Office 365 online has enough features for her, maybe just do that. It works just fine on Linux. The web versions are not that feature rich but honestly they have more features than most people use.
Another option is running a Windows VM on Linux with the latest office installed. You probably do not need much RAM.
She should abide by the company rules, use company provided software and follow company policies if she likes working there.
Otherwise she should move. Bypassing the rules is very unprofessional and can get you in trouble.
Also, why would you want company data on your personal device?
Recipe for disaster
In both directions…my employer would have a heart attack if I was doing work on my own machine like that (well, outside of a virtual desktop).
Why isn’t the company providing its employees with the required tools to do the work?
she didn’t really want to switch to Win 11
On which computer? Her own?
Does not the company provide a PC with the tools needed? If yes, she has no right to decide what goes on it, the company does and she should respect that, doing what you want on a company PC can get you in serious trouble, way more serious than finding out you’re using a pirated version of Office.
If the company expects her to use her own PC, they should at least provide the needed software licenses, Office365 can be used on the web, no need to install anything and it can be used on Linux no problem.
BUT the serious problem remains of having company data on her own PC, the best thing to do in such a case would be creating a VM, encrypting the file system and keeping all company data contained inside the VM.
Tho in such a case I would change company, no serious company today would expect employees to keep company data freely on whatever personal PC, that could lead to data breaches, I would never want to be involved in case like that, tho I live in EU, we have very strict laws about data integrity and privacy, dunno about other countries.
Aside from the obvious (company providing all the necessary tools) why not using libreoffice and saving it as M$ excel?
Fun fact: MS was onced caught using pirated audio software to create an audio file for (I think) Windows XP
I’m going to assume that by the way you’re describing it, using an excel alternative is totally out of the question or simply not possible, but just in case it isn’t…
If you haven’t heard of it, check out LibreOffice.
I don’t think this is what she had in mind when she was thinking about changing metadata to look more legit.
Yep, hence the preface. Just offering up an alternative to using software they’re concerned about in case they don’t know they have the option. 🙂
So, what should she do?
She should ask her company to provide the neccessary tools to do the work.
There have been many cases where they found out it was made by a pirated version of MS office. Just google it. Sometimes the pirates add some metadata, like the author for example. If she wants to live at peace and not put the business at risk, she should do the right thing and get a licensed copy, whoever pays for it.
If the latest version doesn’t work on Windows then get a key for an older version, or sub for the web version.
But under no circumstance use pirated software at a serious business.
Using your own device is good and comfortable. I always hated companies that wants to force windows laptop or macbook on me. I suggest compell them for their tech choice or consider leaving that company and searching for a better one that supports libre software. I know it’s hard but there are some areas like web development, which usually lets you use linux.
Why not use Microsoft shit in a windows VM? Seems more secure and the company should offer a key to use the product
Why isn’t the company paying for it? Anyways, you could just export it to a different format and then back to Excel depending on which features you’re using. But also, I think this is being paranoid. Microsoft isn’t the NSA
O365 web
lacks advanced features (tried it)
I think she should use company provided software and hardware for company related work.
Pirating stuff when your employer offers you supported way to work is just… beyond stupid.
