Trends from Three Decades of Technology Escrow Releases
At Iron Mountain, we've recently conducted a project to examine three decades of data from technology escrow releases, and we've uncovered some interesting trends. We'll share this data, and what we think is driving the trends, but first a quick overview of how technology escrow releases work.
What really happens in a Technology Escrow Release?
Technology escrow is one of those things that you hope you'll never have to use, but you are certainly glad for the protection in case something happens.
In the event of an unforeseen circumstance where your software vendor goes bust or is no longer able to provide support or maintenance, establishing an Iron Mountain escrow account gives you the ability to gain access to the source code and other proprietary information you need to have options. Your options could include maintaining your software or technology yourself or hiring someone to do that. Remarkably, more than half of the companies we talked to that recently experienced an escrow release hired former programmers from their defunct software vendor to maintain the product.
Here's how it works. When a software escrow contract is established, the source code for that software is placed within a secure escrow account held by Iron Mountain. If the developer is not able to support its product at some point in the future, the user who has licensed that software contacts us to request a release. We then contact the developer, and if the release conditions are satisfied, the source code is released to the user so that they have the ability to maintain the software. It's nice to have options at that point, especially if the code is critical to your business operations.
What are some of the reasons source code is released?
Many people think of bankruptcy as the primary reason that an escrow release would be used. However, bankruptcy is a formal and costly way of going out of business. Often, companies just shut their doors - lawyers call that cessation of business in an ordinary course. Or, they may stop supporting their product for a number of reasons, including a merger, acquisition, strategic partnership, or transitioning to a newer underlying technology. As we interview our customers, we're seeing that the reasons they've requested an escrow release vary widely - but the constant is that the escrow option was there when they needed it.
Trends in Escrow Releases
We've noticed a number of trends looking back on the statistical data about the number of escrow releases and release conditions.
First, the number of releases has increased dramatically. Looking at our 1990s data as compared to our most recent data, there are 3.6 times more releases per year now that there were in the 90s. What does that mean? We think that both software developers and licensees are wising up and seeing the value of putting escrow agreements in place to protect their software or other technology. Let's face it, technology is more prevalent today, and important in the way it enables business to compete and succeed. With more escrow agreements overall, there will naturally be more releases.
Second, surprisingly, there has been a shift in release triggers - or the reason why the source code was released.
Historically speaking, most release triggers were for support and maintenance reasons. This made perfect sense because software developers often show signs of failing to support their products before closing their doors. The other theorem is that most small software companies close their doors before they file for bankruptcy, because it is expensive, risky, time-consuming, and complex - hence they cease to do business in an ordinary course. Our release data from the 1990s shows a breakdown of the top release conditions like this:
Reasons for Escrow Release - 1990s
In the 80's, 90's and early 00's we saw support and bankruptcy flow and ebb tied to how the economic climate exerted pressure on companies' failure rate. No surprise there, but what is happening now? In the last five years, joint instructions is the top reason software licensees are requesting an escrow release, as shown in the data below. The support trigger is now trailing in fifth place.
Reasons for Escrow Release - 2009 to 2014
A joint instruction is a release trigger where the parties agree that the code should be released without any concern over contrary instructions or disputes - the software licensee simply requests the source code and Iron Mountain shares that request with the developer. If the developer agrees, the source code is released.
Does this mean today's millennial software developers developing a conscious and being socially and morally right (instead of solving things via a lawsuit)? I wish our customer intelligence was deep enough to uncover the age of the company's CEO but we do track the age of the software companies from an incorporation date. We also noticed a trend toward request withdrawn triggers - indicating that the software developer and their customer worked things out amicably, without the need for a formal escrow release. This is the real power of escrow, not getting a release but having the LEVERAGE to be able to move to the front of the line when resources at the developer's shop become scarce.
Other possibilities for these trends could an effect of the shift from traditional on-premises software to cloud implementations, which change the delivery or deployment of software. Or, perhaps is it just a fad and we will see the return of support releases again soon We'd like to hear your opinion - feel free to send me a note at escrow@ironmountain.com or comment on this post to let us know what you think.
Tips for making Technology Escrow work for You
We still s
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Trends from Three Decades of Technology Escrow Releases
