If you have a legal copy of software you are allowed to make a single archival copy of the software for backup purposes. However, the copy can only be used if the original software is destroyed or fails to work. Lack of copy-protection does NOT constitute permission to copy software without authorization of the software copyright owner. Software acquired by colleges and universities is usually covered by licenses. Such licenses cover software whether installed on stand-alone or networked systems, whether in private offices and rooms, or in public clusters and laboratories.
Some institutional licenses permit copying for certain purposes.
The license may limit copying, as well. Consult your campus authorities to be sure if you are unsure about the permissible use of a particular software product. Non-profit educational institutions are exempted from the 1990 modification, so institutional software may be loaned. Some licenses may even restrict the use of a copy to a specific machine, even if you own more than one system. In general, licenses usually do NOT allow the software to be installed or resident on more than a single machine, or to run the software simultaneously on two or more machines.