Data escrow originates from backup processes. A backup is used in case the regular data is no longer available. For example in case of fire. Backups are often made with in-house systems, on in-house tapes and stored in in-house vaults. In practice, it appears that in 80% of the cases a backup does not reproduce the desired result. The data is either unreadable or inacessable.

With the advent of ASP’s, outsourcing and hosting centres, data escrow becomes very relevant. In these situations, user data are stored on third party systems, with third party licences within the physical walls of the third party and managed by staff of the third party.

Therefore the owner of the data should protect himself in case suppliers no longer manage to meet their obligations. A data escrow can provide the assurance needed. It is also possible to tackle the problem of illegible or unusable backups. Our technical verifications of the data provide security. If data is critical to your business, a data escrow is a must.