What Is Continuity Escrow?

Hosting, payment processing, email delivery, security monitoring — each one depends on monthly bills getting paid. When a software vendor hits financial trouble, these services don't wait around. They shut off within 30-60 days of missed payments.

Software escrow gives you source code after disaster strikes, which is the foundation you need to rebuild independently. But even with all the right materials, rebuilding takes time. You need time to set up supporting services, third-party dependencies, and infrastructure.

Continuity escrow fills the gap. It keeps your vendor's services running while you execute your software escrow recovery plan. Below, I explain what continuity escrow is, how it works alongside software escrow, and how to implement both types of protection for your business.

» Find the right software escrow solution to manage your business risk

Understanding continuity escrow

Continuity escrow is a specialized type of software escrow that focuses on keeping your vendor's critical SaaS services running when they can't pay the bills. The vendor deposits account credentials for all their service dependencies with an escrow agent, like Codekeeper. When payments start failing, the escrow agent takes over immediately.

Think of it as an emergency vendor substitution service. Essentially, it buys you some time to find new providers for hosting, payment processing, email systems, and customer access. 

» New to software escrow? Start with our guide to software escrow basics

How continuity escrow works

The process starts before any crisis hits. Your vendor maps every service that keeps their application running, like hosting accounts, database services, payment processors, security tools, and monitoring systems. They deposit the login credentials and payment authorization for each one with the escrow agent.

The escrow agent verifies access to every account. They confirm billing cycles, payment amounts, and renewal dates. They also document the authorization levels needed to take over payments when necessary.

When vendor payments start failing, you alert the escrow agent. Once notified, the escrow agent moves fast. They access the relevant service accounts, confirm payment requirements, and execute payments to prevent shutdowns. The whole process often happens within hours of notification.

Your systems keep running normally while you figure out next steps. No emergency rebuilding. No customer service crisis. No revenue interruption. You get time to make smart decisions instead of desperate ones.

Which assets get continuity protection?

The scope goes deeper than most people realize. Modern applications depend on dozens of interconnected services. Each one represents a potential failure point when payments stop. Continuity escrow covers every service that keeps your vendor's application operational:

Core systems

• Hosting environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Database services and backup systems
• Content delivery networks
• Load balancers and traffic management

Business functions

• Payment processing (Stripe, PayPal, Square)
• Email delivery services
• SMS and notification systems
• Customer support platforms

Security and operations

• SSL certificates and security monitoring
• Authentication services
• API gateway services
• Logging and analytics platforms

How different types of escrow work together

Complete protection requires a dual escrow strategy. Software escrow captures the intellectual property — source code, documentation, database schemas, and build instructions. On the other hand, continuity escrow captures the operational dependencies — hosting accounts, service credentials, and payment authorizations. 

Here's how they complement each other during a vendor crisis:

Phase 1: Immediate stability

When vendor payments fail, continuity escrow activates within hours. The escrow agent takes over bill payments for hosting, databases, payment processing, and other critical services. Your customers see no interruption. Revenue continues flowing. Operations stay normal.

Phase 2: Recovery planning

With operations stable, you access your software escrow materials. You review the source code, technical documentation, and deployment instructions. You evaluate options: rebuild internally, hire the vendor's team, migrate to alternatives, or negotiate acquisition of the vendor's assets.

Phase 3: Strategic implementation

The two types of escrow eliminate different aspects of vendor risk. But together, they create complete business resilience. 

Software escrow gives you everything needed for permanent independence from your vendor. Continuity escrow ensures you survive long enough to implement that independence properly. (It typically covers up to 12 months of service payments — enough time to execute whichever recovery plan makes most sense.)

Consider what happens during a vendor failure with only software escrow protection. You receive source code and documentation. But the vendor's hosting shuts down within weeks. Payment processing stops. Email systems go dark. You're trying to rebuild production systems while your existing customers can't access anything.

Now consider the same scenario with both types of protection. Continuity escrow keeps all services running while you use the software escrow materials to plan your rebuild. The hosting stays live. Payment processing continues working. Email systems function normally. You execute your recovery plan without losing customers or revenue.

How Codekeeper's escrow solutions work together

When you partner with Codekeeper, we provide comprehensive protection through both software or SaaS escrow and continuity escrow services working in coordination.

We start by establishing the right legal agreements for your situation. Whether you need a simple two-party agreement or a comprehensive three-party arrangement, we handle the legal documentation and make sure everyone understands their obligations and rights. Our standardized agreements have been tested across thousands of implementations.

We then work with your software vendor to collect everything you'd need to maintain your software independently: source code, documentation, build instructions, database schemas, configuration files, and third-party dependencies. Our integrations can connect directly to your vendor's repositories for real-time updates, so your protected materials always match your production software.

In tandem, we secure access to all critical service dependencies. We can also verify credentials for hosting accounts, payment processors, email services, and other operational systems. When vendor payment failures occur, our team can immediately take over these accounts to prevent service interruptions.

We store all your software assets and service credentials in our secure vault with enterprise-grade protection against unauthorized access, environmental damage, and data corruption.

When a trigger event occurs, we manage the software release process and operational takeover simultaneously. You get immediate access to source code materials while critical services continue running, eliminating the gap between vendor failure and recovery implementation.

» Browse Codekeeper's software escrow solutions

Build complete resilience with Codekeeper

Your protection needs depend on your business priorities. Software escrow gives you everything needed for long-term independence so you can handle temporary service interruptions during recovery. Continuity escrow keeps services running during vendor transitions when uninterrupted operations are critical.

Many businesses choose both because complete protection means having both the tools for recovery and the operational stability to implement that recovery properly. Software escrow provides the tools. Continuity escrow provides the stability.

» Codekeeper offers software, SaaS, and continuity escrow services for solid software resilience. Contact us today to discuss which solution fits your business needs.