Software industry pressure groups The Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) and Investors in Software (IiS) have joined forces to improve business software education.

The two organisations will retain their separate brand names and some of their distinct roles, while working together to provide a joint message on software asset management and software licence management.

“This is the culmination of the work we have been doing in recent months to position ourselves not only as a lobbyist and protector of software IP rights, but as an organisation determined to help end-users through education and best practice,” said John Lovelock, chief executive of Fast.

Traditionally, Fast acted as a lobbying body to ensure software IP protection, while IiS focused on helping companies improve software asset management.

The two organisations did not want these factors to be seen as competing.

"The logic of this operational merger becomes clear when you consider the fact that organisations increasingly have to demonstrate good corporate governance through compliance audits, but equally they wish to reduce software procurement and support costs and ensure that all licences owned are fit for purpose," said Lovelock.

"Educating legitimate organisational end-users from this perspective, while ensuring that we continue to protect the IP rights of our members against deliberate acts of piracy is a more appropriate and focused response to the needs we see in the market today,” he said.

The recently launched Software Industry Research Board (Sirb), which aims to address and simplify the often diverse and confusing issues in the field of software asset management and software licence management, will sit within the remit of the IiS.

“A fundamental premise of the Sirb is to ensure that it has a clear understanding of end-user perceptions and concerns around software licensing, and to work with the software publishers to both educate and assist in the adoption of best practices in managing these valuable assets,” said Shaun Frohlich, chairman of IiS.