Software Escrow Solutions

What Software Escrow Solutions does

Software Escrow Solutions (SES Secure) is a UK-headquartered, privately held provider of software escrow and SaaS continuity services, founded in 1998 and operating from Handforth, England. The company addresses third-party software risk through three integrated service lines: traditional software escrow covering source code and related materials under tri-party agreements; SaaS/cloud escrow extending protection to cloud-hosted applications; and SaaS Continuity, an industry-first disaster recovery solution launched in 2021 in which SES assumes end-to-end responsibility for restoring operational services. Supporting offerings include software validation and verification, automated source code deposits integrated with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, and bespoke or template agreements for non-standard requirements.

The technology platform is built around secure multi-region storage infrastructure spanning APAC, EMEA, North America, LATAM, ANZ, and MEA, an in-house technology team that conducts build verification and witness testing of deposited materials, and integrations with the three major hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud). The company holds UKAS-accredited ISO 27001 (since 2010) and ISO 9001 certifications, Cyber Essentials Plus, and an EcoVadis Bronze Medal, which collectively underpin eligibility for regulated buyers subject to DORA, PRA, FFIEC, FINMA, and APRA mandates.

SES operates a consultative enterprise field-sales motion in which specialist escrow consultants design bespoke arrangements, supported by content marketing, webinars, and partnerships with industry bodies such as SCL and Marks & Clerk. Pricing is quote-based on annual subscriptions with free transfer offered to clients migrating from competing providers. The company serves over 3,000 clients across more than 45 countries, with named customers spanning financial services (Barclays, Bibby), public sector (NHS), charities (Barnardos), energy (NPower), retail (Nectar), and technology (Symphony), reflecting a diversified, low-concentration revenue base across multiple verticals and geographies.

Name

Software Escrow Solutions

Legal name

SES Software Escrow Solutions

Website

https://ses-escrow.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Software Escrow Solutions (SES Secure) provides software escrow, source code verification, and SaaS continuity services to over 3,000 clients across 45+ countries. The UK-based firm protects enterprise, financial services, and public sector customers from third-party software vendor failure risk.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Software Escrow Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Facilities Management Services (541513)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Application Security, GRC & Compliance Services (BPAEAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Managed Services (BPAEADAJ), Recovery, Backup & Key Escrow (Social/Enterprise Recovery) (FSADACAH)

Keywords

• Software escrow services
• SaaS continuity solutions
• Source code protection
• Disaster recovery services
• Vendor risk management

Headquarters

HQ city

Handforth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Escrow Services: Recurring escrow services providing secure storage and management of source code and related materials with verification, testing, and release management capabilities. Services include on-premise software escrow, SaaS/cloud escrow, and bespoke agreements tailored to client specifications.
2. SaaS Continuity Solutions: Disaster recovery service for cloud-hosted applications where SES takes full responsibility for system recovery. Provides end-to-end recovery management with guaranteed uninterrupted service continuity.
3. Software Validation Services: Verification and validation services ensuring deposited code is complete, functional, and ready for redeployment if needed. Includes testing exercises conducted by in-house technology specialists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Software Escrow Solutions (SES Secure) provides tri-party software escrow agreements and SaaS/cloud continuity services that protect organizations from losing access to mission-critical software when vendors fail. The company securely stores source code, data backups, and deployment artifacts, performs verification and validation testing, and offers end-to-end managed disaster recovery for cloud-hosted applications through its SaaS Continuity solution.

Product overview

Software Escrow Solutions (SES Secure) operates as a platform providing software risk mitigation and business continuity services through multiple product lines. The core offering consists of traditional Software Escrow for on-premise applications and SaaS/Cloud Software Escrow for cloud-hosted applications. The portfolio includes specialized add-on services: SaaS Continuity (launched 2021) for instant disaster recovery; Software Validation for verification testing; Automated Source Code Deposits for continuous updates; and Bespoke/Template agreements for customization. Public Sector Software Escrow serves government clients. All services are supported by UKAS-accredited ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications, with over 3,000 clients across 45+ countries served for over 25 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SaaS Continuity: An industry-first disaster recovery solution launched in 2021 that provides immediate recovery of SaaS systems with full end-to-end recovery responsibility taken on by SES Secure

Products and services

• Software Escrow Core software escrow service protecting access to critical software applications through a tri-party agreement involving vendor, end-user, and a neutral escrow agent. Designed for software developers, IP owners, distributors, and end-user organizations.
• On-Premise Software Escrow Escrow solution for software applications installed on physical premises, safeguarding source code and documentation to ensure business continuity if the software vendor fails.
• SaaS / Cloud Software Escrow Escrow solution for cloud-hosted SaaS applications, covering source code, data backups, deployment scripts, and infrastructure-as-code to protect organizations reliant on third-party cloud software.
• SaaS Continuity Industry-first disaster recovery solution launched in 2021 that provides immediate recovery of SaaS/cloud-hosted systems, with SES managing the entire recovery process end-to-end and taking full responsibility for restoring operational services.
• Template Software Escrow Pre-drafted software escrow agreement templates for organizations seeking standard terms without the need for custom contract negotiation.
• Bespoke Software Escrow Customized software escrow agreements tailored to specific client requirements, contract structures, and specifications.
• Software Validation Verification and testing services ensuring deposited source code is accurate, complete, up-to-date, and can be successfully redeployed when required.
• Automated Source Code Deposits Automated deposit system offering unlimited source code updates from connected repositories (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket), ensuring escrowed materials always reflect the current version of the software.
• Public Sector Software Escrow Specialized escrow solutions designed for public sector organizations and government agencies, addressing government procurement standards and public-sector software requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ clients protected across 45+ countries for over 25 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SCL (Society for Computers & Law)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on webinars and thought leadership content addressing Multi-Vendor Contracts, AI, and Escrow for Legal Professionals. Joint delivery of educational content for legal sector.
• Marks & ClerkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on webinars addressing Multi-Vendor Contracts, AI, and Escrow for Legal Professionals. Partnership with intellectual property firm for joint educational content.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Aspera (part of IBM) - Software License Management: IBM's Aspera and broader software-asset and license-management portfolio touches on the governance, compliance, and software-IP protection that SES serves. While not a pure escrow competitor, it represents an incumbent that can bundle escrow-adjacent services into larger enterprise contracts.
• Iron Mountain (IP Management): Iron Mountain's Intellectual Property Management division offers software escrow, source-code protection, and SaaS vaulting services to enterprise customers. As a large public records-management incumbent, it provides overlapping capabilities at much greater scale than SES.

Direct peers

• NCC Group: NCC Group operates a well-established software escrow and assurance business serving enterprises globally. It is the most direct competitor to SES, with comparable tri-party escrow agreements, source-code verification, and a much larger enterprise footprint.
• Integrella Software Escrow: Integrella provides software escrow, SaaS escrow, and verification services primarily to UK and European clients. It is a like-for-like competitor in bespoke and template-based escrow agreements, with comparable regulatory and continuity use cases.
• Escrowtech International (formerly Source Code Escrow / part of NCC Group legacy): Escrowtech is a long-established software escrow specialist offering traditional and SaaS escrow agreements. It targets enterprise and mid-market customers with comparable service bundles to SES, including source-code verification and release-event support.
• Acclaim Software Escrow Services: Acclaim offers software source code escrow and verification services to vendors and end-users in regulated industries. It competes with SES on traditional escrow agreements, particularly for financial-services and public-sector buyers.
• Pragmatic Software Escrow: Pragmatic is a specialist UK software escrow agent offering traditional escrow, SaaS escrow, and verification services to software vendors and end-users. It competes head-to-head with SES in the UK and European mid-market.

Emerging players

• Vaultitude: Vaultitude provides a digital escrow and asset vaulting platform for software source code and SaaS applications, with a focus on automated verification. It is an emerging competitor in the same managed escrow space as SES, especially for cloud-hosted applications.
• Codekeeper: Codekeeper is a cloud-native software escrow provider focused on automated source-code deposits integrated with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Its automated-only model targets a similar customer base to SES but with a more SaaS-first delivery approach.

Others

• Deloitte (Cyber Risk & Third-Party Risk Management): Deloitte's cyber and third-party risk practices advise financial-services and regulated clients on software escrow and continuity strategies, often influencing procurement decisions that SES bids on. It is an ecosystem influencer rather than a direct escrow competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoftwareEscrow_
• Facebookfacebook.com/sesescrow

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Software Escrow Solutions