With the government looking to increase shared services across the UK, businesses are more reliant on the cloud than ever before. The development of cloud-based data and software as a service (SaaS) is on the rise, bringing with it concerns over if, and how, we can protect virtual data access to retain consumer confidence. Loss due to theft or damage to hard drives and devices is one thing, but with source codes and stats flying through the ether via cloud-based business services, you may be left wondering if there is any way you can police your digital data much less protect against data loss.
Any entrepreneur who has experienced data loss or loss of services will tell you just how devastating it can be to your business, and in severe cases, many companies simply did not recover. In a nutshell, if you lose access to your business-critical software data, your clients lose confidence and you lose profits. If the day to day running of your business relies heavily on SaaS, then data loss, interruption in data access or the dreaded ‘blank screen’ can render your operation obsolete, however, the team at LE&AS have developed AccessAssure SaaS Escrow to protect service continuity in your company.
What is SaaS Escrow?
Traditional escrow protects installed business critical software by holding the source code with a third-party agent, and releasing it as part of a disaster recovery plan in the event of software emergencies. However, protecting virtual, cloud-based services is a very different matter, and this is where SaaS Escrow comes in. SaaS escrow is a specific agreement that protects the users of cloud-based software when there is loss of service, or if the provider and/or host of their cloud-based critical software goes into administration. In SaaS emergencies where the cloud-based services are interrupted or cease altogether, a client with SaaS escrow would benefit from continued access to their business-critical cloud-based services until such a time as a new host/provider can be found.
Why AccessAssure?
As G-Cloud suppliers, LE&AS have an in-depth understanding of the needs of clients reliant on cloud-based services, and our legal teams have developed our SaaS escrow agreement AccessAssure specifically for this client base. AccessAssure is designed to incorporate all parties involved in the SaaS service; the software vendor (licensor), the software user (licensee) and a third-party hosting provider. AccessAssure is different to traditional escrow agreements in that it protects all parties against ‘blank screen syndrome’ and loss of service for cloud-based services where the end user does not hold any service source code or data on their own servers. This level of cover is simply invaluable to clients using the cloud, so don’t risk the downfall of your business; invest in AccessAssure SaaS Escrow today and protect your tomorrow.
