Up to one in ten branded IT products sold worldwide could be counterfeit, according to auditor KPMG. And what’s more, it is not talking about ripped-off copies of Windows or Office. Apparently everything from counterfeit branded routers and switches to lookalike servers are being fed surreptitiously into the sales channel by unscrupulous traders, leaving IT buyers in the lurch when they call for vendor support. So next time someone says “Pssst” and offers to sell you a Louis Vuitton mid-span hub, Burberry packet-sniffer or DKNY patch cables, just say no.

22 Aug 2005