Escode
Escode is a UK-based global software escrow and verification services provider founded in 1988, serving 14,000+ enterprise customers across 135 countries with legally binding source code, SaaS, and registry data escrow agreements, verification, and regulatory compliance services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Escode does
Escode is a UK-headquartered global provider of software escrow and verification services, founded in 1988 and operating from Manchester with offices in 8 locations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and APAC. The company secures third-party software dependencies through legally binding tri-party escrow agreements, holding source code, cloud access credentials, and data in ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified vaults monitored 24/7 by a CREST-accredited Security Operations Centre. Escode holds distinctive regulatory designations including ICANN-approved Registry Data Escrow provider status and SEC 17a-4 Designated Third Party (D3P) authority, and structures agreements to address DORA, NIS2, CPS 230, PRA, FFIEC, APRA, and FINMA requirements across 17 jurisdictions.
The product portfolio spans Software Escrow, SaaS Escrow (Escrow as a Service / EaaS), Information Escrow, Registry Data Escrow, and D3P Compliance, supplemented by add-on modules for testing, verification, vulnerability scanning, intelligent automated depositing, scenario testing, release conditions management, and secure storage. The View platform provides 24/7 portfolio management with automated GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket integration, enabling continuous deposit syncing. Customers span financial services, public sector, energy and utilities, healthcare, retail, transportation, education, and software vendors across 135 countries.
The business operates on a recurring subscription model (annual billing for escrow agreements and compliance services) supplemented by per-verification professional services fees. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales with regional offices and channel partners. FY25 revenue reached £66.5 million with £30.9 million adjusted EBITDA and 71.4% gross margins, reflecting 13 consecutive quarters of revenue growth across a base of 14,000+ customers. The business was divested by NCC Group plc to TDR Capital affiliates for £275 million, completing on May 29, 2026.
Escode firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Escode
- Legal name
- NCC Services Ltd
- Website
- https://escode.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Escode is a UK-based global software escrow and verification services provider founded in 1988, serving 14,000+ enterprise customers across 135 countries with legally binding source code, SaaS, and registry data escrow agreements, verification, and regulatory compliance services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Escode industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Software Escrow Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OCR, ICR & Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) (BPAAAKAB)
Keywords
Where Escode is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Escode business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Software Escrow Services: Recurring revenue from software escrow agreements where organizations pay for secure storage of source code and related materials with periodic deposits and maintenance fees. The business achieved 13 consecutive quarters of revenue growth with FY25 revenue of £66.5 million.
- Verification and Testing Services: One-time and recurring fees for verification exercises, deposit reviews, scenario testing, and vulnerability scanning of escrow materials.
- D3P Compliance Services: Designated Third Party services for SEC 17a-4 compliance for broker-dealers and security-based swap entities requiring electronic recordkeeping.
- Registry Data Escrow: ICANN-required data escrow services for registry operators of gTLDs and ccTLDs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Software Escrow |
| Subscription | Annual | SaaS Escrow Solutions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Verification Services |
| Subscription | Annual | D3P Compliance |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Escode product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Escode provides software escrow and verification services that secure source code, SaaS access credentials, and critical information through legally binding tri-party agreements with enterprise customers. Core offerings include Software Escrow, SaaS Escrow (Escrow as a Service), Information Escrow, Registry Data Escrow, and D3P Compliance for SEC 17a-4. The View platform enables automated depositing, 24/7 portfolio visibility, and verification tracking across customer software assets in 17 jurisdictions.
Product overview
Escode is a global leader in software escrow and verification services, offering a comprehensive suite of resilience solutions. The core product portfolio centers on Software Escrow and SaaS Escrow services, supported by specialized offerings including Source Code Escrow, Information Escrow, Registry Data Escrow, and D3P Compliance (SEC 17a-4). The View platform provides centralized portfolio management with automated depositing capabilities that integrate with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Additional modules include Testing & Verification, Vulnerability Scanning, Intelligent Depositing, Scenario Testing, Release Conditions Management, and Secure Storage vaults. The products work together to provide end-to-end software resilience, from legal escrow agreements and secure material deposits through to verification testing and release management when vendor failure occurs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- View: Secure online portal providing 24/7 access and visibility of Software Escrow portfolio, including deposit management, interactive dashboard, and automated depositing features.
- Escrow as a Service (EaaS)
- D3P Compliance
Products and services
- Software Escrow A tri-party arrangement providing secure storage of third-party on-premises software source code with business continuity plan verification through legally binding escrow agreements. Designed for enterprises relying on vendor-supplied on-premises software who need guaranteed access to source code if vendors fail.
- SaaS Escrow (Escrow as a Service) Ensures customers can access, restore, or rebuild their SaaS applications and data through Escrow as a Service (EaaS), covering cloud access credentials, source code, and data deposits. Designed for organizations using SaaS applications requiring continuity assurance when vendors fail or discontinue service.
- Information Escrow Protects business-critical information such as blueprints, product designs, industrial formulas, manufacturing processes, and marketing materials through secure escrow services. Designed for organizations needing to safeguard proprietary information assets with legally binding release conditions.
- Registry Data Escrow ICANN-approved service ensuring domain name ownership and contact data is held in escrow, supporting both generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs). Designed for registry operators required to comply with ICANN Registry Agreement escrow requirements.
- D3P Compliance Service SEC 17a-4 Designated Third Party compliance service enabling broker-dealers and security-based swap entities to meet electronic storage and retention requirements. Designed for financial entities subject to SEC recordkeeping regulations.
- View Platform Secure online portal providing 24/7 access and visibility of software escrow portfolios, with features for automated depositing, interactive dashboards, and verification tracking. Integrates with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket for continuous deposit syncing. Used by enterprise customers to manage escrow agreements, monitor deposits, and track verification status across their software asset portfolios.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13 consecutive quarters of revenue growth
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Escode
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Escode technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature6 records
Escode partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- GitHubcoreIntegration partnership enabling automated source code depositing through GitHub repositories. Customers can sync deposits directly from GitHub to Escode vaults, ensuring deposits are always current and complete.
- GitLabcoreIntegration partnership enabling automated source code depositing through GitLab repositories. Supports continuous deposit updates without manual intervention.
- BitbucketcoreIntegration partnership enabling automated source code depositing through Bitbucket repositories. Ensures deposit materials are always up to date with latest code changes.
- CeFPro (Center for Financial Professionals)strategicCollaborative research partnership producing industry reports on vendor third-party risk management. Joint report found 80% of US financial institutions lack tested vendor exit plans. Wayne Scott from Escode appointed to CeFPro Advisory Board.
- Nexer DigitalminorWebsite design and development partner responsible for Escode website design and implementation, as noted in Impressum and accessibility statement.
- OPX (Omni Partners Exchange)minorRegional partnership announced at LEAP in Riyadh for business continuity assurance services in the Middle East region.
- SurveilminorPartnership to ensure service continuity for customers through software escrow solutions.
- PrognosysminorPartnership to support regulatory compliance through software escrow services.
- b-nextminorPartnership to provide business continuity assurance through software escrow.
- FencoreminorPartnership to provide operational resilience solutions to lenders through software escrow.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Escode competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Iron Mountain: Sold its Software Escrow business to NCC Group (now Escode) in 2021. As a much larger records management and information governance incumbent, Iron Mountain serves overlapping enterprise customers requiring secure storage and continuity services across adjacent categories.
- Trustwave: Cybersecurity and managed detection services provider that addresses vendor risk and compliance needs of regulated enterprises. Overlaps with Escode's risk-mitigation and verification offerings from a broader cyber-services portfolio.
- Kroll: Global risk consulting firm that provides cyber risk, operational resilience, and third-party risk advisory services to financial institutions and large enterprises. Kroll competes for the same regulatory-driven risk-mitigation budgets that drive escrow demand.
- OneTrust: Large trust intelligence platform offering GRC, third-party risk, and regulatory compliance solutions. Addresses similar buyer personas (compliance and risk officers) as Escode in financial services and other regulated verticals.
Emerging players
- Bitsight: Cyber risk ratings and third-party risk management platform used by financial institutions to monitor vendor security posture. Competes for the same third-party risk and operational resilience budget allocations as Escode's verification services.
- SirionLabs: Provider of AI-driven contract lifecycle management (CLM) software used by enterprises to manage vendor obligations and risk. Adjacent to Escode's software escrow agreements, with potential convergence in vendor risk and SaaS contract governance.
- Panorays: Third-party cyber risk management platform focused on vendor security assessments and continuous monitoring. Overlaps with Escode's vendor risk and verification positioning in regulated industries.
- ProcessUnity: Third-party risk management and cybersecurity compliance platform serving financial services and highly regulated enterprises. Competes for the same TPRM and regulatory compliance budget pools.
Direct peers
- NCC Group: Former parent of Escode until May 2026, NCC Group now operates as a pure-play cybersecurity and resilience company. They retain adjacent software resilience capabilities and shared customer relationships in regulated industries, making them the most directly comparable former owner/peer.
- Software Escrow Services Ltd (SES): UK-based direct competitor offering software escrow and verification services to enterprise and SMB customers. Provides a direct apples-to-apples comparison on pricing, scope, and customer base in the same niche category as Escode.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Escode social profiles
Digital presenceEscode compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Escode financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Escode leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Escode funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Escode M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Escode
What does Escode do?
Escode provides software escrow and verification services that secure source code, SaaS access credentials, and critical information through legally binding tri-party agreements with enterprise customers. Core offerings include Software Escrow, SaaS Escrow (Escrow as a Service), Information Escrow, Registry Data Escrow, and D3P Compliance for SEC 17a-4. The View platform enables automated depositing, 24/7 portfolio visibility, and verification tracking across customer software assets in 17 jurisdictions.
Is Escode a public or private company?
Escode is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Escode founded?
Escode was founded in 1988. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Escode based?
Escode is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Escode make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Escrow Services are the primary driver. The others are verification and Testing Services, D3P Compliance Services and registry Data Escrow.
Who are Escode's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Iron Mountain, Trustwave, Kroll and OneTrust. Emerging players are Bitsight, SirionLabs, Panorays and ProcessUnity. Direct peers are NCC Group and Software Escrow Services Ltd (SES).
Does Escode have an API?
No public API is recorded for Escode.
What industry is Escode in?
Escode's product category is Software Escrow Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAAAKAB, OCR, ICR & Intelligent Document Processing (IDP). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 7370.