Omaha-based property management company DEI Communities learned the hard way that running unlicensed software on company computers can result in an expensive slap on the wrist.

During the spring, DEI, which operates 44 apartment complexes in 11 states in the south and Midwest, including Nebraska and Iowa, received a letter from the Business Software Alliance notifying the company that it wanted to investigate inconsistencies with its use of Microsoft Office licenses on company computers.

DEI agreed, said Dan Clatanhoff, DEI's president.

When the investigation concluded, the Business Software Alliance confirmed the licence breaches and the two parties agreed to a $150,000 settlement to avoid litigation. DEI also wiped the unlicensed programs from its computers in favor of Microsoft's Office 365 platform, which is cloud-based and updates licenses automatically, Clatanhoff said.

"We got out ahead of ourselves in switching from one version of Microsoft Office to another and didn't stay up with our licenses," Clatanhoff said.