Whether your business is a multinational concern or an SME you will be bombarded with advice and sales pitches about how best to protect yourself from data loss and systems failures.

Obviously we are all aware of the importance of making regular backups of data and ensuring that virus protection, firewalls and other software protection systems are put in place.

However, no matter how much attention to detail is given to day to day maintenance and good practice, the threat of a catastrophic systems failure through circumstance beyond your control is a real and present danger that every business should have a contingency plan in place to deal with.

Software Complexity 

Complex infrastructure demands and unique requirements mean that for many different types of business an out of the box and off the shelf software solution just does work. This has led to an explosion in customised application suites and in many cases totally bespoke software designed with individual needs in mind.

This level of complexity doesn’t present problems in normal circumstances, but what happens if the source code provider is no longer around to help out in the event of a major devastating system failure?

Worst Case Scenario

If the company which owns the source code falls into difficulty or ceases trading, it can mean that large investments are put into peril. Not only can this cause short term inconvenience and potential loss of business but in some cases it could lead to far more serious operational issues.

Professional software verification services are the solution for this potential problem. Essentially, they operate around a system known as ‘escrow’, which involves an independent third party acting in the interests of two parties who have entered into an agreement.

Escrow

In relation to software systems, the material held in escrow is source code, data and any other materials that are essential to the operation of a particular system. These are then only released to the end user under certain conditions set out in the agreement between the parties, allowing long-term availability of business critical software applications for end users, whilst at the same time protecting the intellectual property rights and copyrights of the software suppliers.

In essence, the system acts as an ultimate insurance policy for the end user and as a protection against exploitation for the software originator, as one is assured that they will be able to take over the maintenance and reconstitution of their source code if need be and the other can demonstrate their commitment to best practice while protecting their work.