SaaS Escrow | Cloud Software Escrow Agreements

‍Simply put SaaS Escrow, also known as Cloud Escrow, protects businesses and organisations that rely on software that is hosted in the "cloud", i.e. not on their own server. Typically these are subscription based applications that run on the major platforms like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

Unlike traditional Software Escrow, SES Secure’s SaaS Escrow solution protects access not only to the application's source code but also to the critical components required to maintain operational continuity in a cloud environment.

In the event of supplier failure, all material required for the successful redeployment or recovery of the application can be accessed by SES Secure clients through their SaaS Escrow agreement, helping to guard against service disruption, reduce supplier risk and provide continuity of service for business-critical applications.

A common misconception is that the SaaS delivery modele liminates the need for Software Escrow. The reality is that while the SaaS model removes many infrastructure management responsibilities, it does not eliminatethe risks associated with software supplier dependency.

‍Common scenarios where SaaS Escrow is needed include:

‍The SaaS provider enters administration or becomes insolvent.

The vendor discontinues support for a business-critical application.

A cyberattack or ransomware incident impacts platform availability.

A merger, acquisition or restructuring affects ongoing service delivery.

Contractual or regulatory requirements demand independent business continuity measures.

The application stores operationally critical data or supports essential business processes.

For organisations globally, SaaS Escrow has become animportant component of modern vendor risk management, providing assurance that critical cloud applications can remain available even when unexpected events impact the software supplier.

As businesses increasingly rely on cloud-based software tosupport critical operations, protecting against service disruption caused by supplier failure has become essential.

‍SaaS Escrow provides organisations with a robust business continuity solution, ensuring continued access to vital applications, data, and technology assets if a Cloud provider becomes unable to deliver its services. To mitigate the sudden withdrawal of service created by vendor/developer failure for organisations using hosted applications, SES Secure provides tailored SaaS Escrow solutions designed around the specific requirements, technical environment, and business continuity objectives of each client.

As standard, a secure copy of the application's sourcecode and supporting documentation is deposited into Escrow.

Unlike a traditional Software Escrow Agreement, SES Secure’s SaaS Escrow Agreement goes further by incorporating regular deposits of critical application assets, including:

Application data and databases
Software updates and version releases Configuration settings
Deployment and recovery scripts
Technical documentation and system dependencies

These materials are independently stored and protected alongside the source code, ensuring that all essential components required to restore the application are available when needed.

Should the SaaS provider experience insolvency, cease trading, suffer a significant operational failure, or otherwise become unableto fulfil its contractual obligations, SES Secure’s SaaS Escrow Agreements enable authorised access to the Escrowed materials.