What is Software Verification?

Most organizations have software escrow. That's smart. But there's a way to make that escrow work even better: verification. It's what separates companies that know their escrow will work from companies that hope it will.

Below, we'll explain what software verification is, how it works, and why it's becoming essential for regulatory compliance and business continuity.

» Follow these steps to secure operational resilience in the digital age

What is software verification?

During software verification, we test your escrowed materials before you need them. Instead of discovering problems during an emergency, our experts find issues and help vendors fix them—while there's time to address them properly.

Our testers take the deposited source code, build it following the provided instructions, and confirm it matches what you're running in production. This catches missing files, broken dependencies, configuration errors, and documentation gaps that could derail your continuity plan.

How software verification works

When materials get deposited, we start testing immediately in secure, isolated environments. We follow your build instructions exactly, recreating what your team would experience during an actual recovery—without exposing your vendor's intellectual property. We compile the code, test functionality, validate configurations, and document everything. After testing, the environments get wiped clean.

Common issues we catch include build scripts that reference internal servers, missing dependencies, database schemas that don't match the application code, and documentation that assumes knowledge not captured in the deposit.

The three levels of software verification

Our software escrow verification solutions—Validated, Verified, and Certified—ensure your deposited assets remain secure and functional for continuity. Each level provides different confidence levels and documentation:

• Validated: Free verification that confirms all required assets are present in your deposit. This basic check ensures you have everything needed for a complete escrow package, catching obvious gaps before they become problems.
• Verified: Automated review of your software's content profile and development activity. This level uses advanced scanning to analyze code quality, identify dependencies, and validate that deposited materials match current development practices.
• Certified: Expert human review combined with full build testing. Our engineers manually examine complex configurations, perform complete compilation tests, and validate deployment processes. This comprehensive approach provides the highest level of confidence.

Each verification level delivers Software Resilience Certificates that document exactly what was tested and confirmed. These certificates give software developers and clients the proof needed to meet compliance requirements, win deals, and guarantee software continuity.

» Complete this verification check to find the right protection level for your systems

Why you need software verification

Verification transforms your escrow from a storage solution into genuine business protection. This helps with:

• Recovery speed: Knowing your materials are complete and functional means faster deployment when you need them most.
• Regulatory compliance: Auditors want proof your continuity plan works, not just that you have one.
• Risk reduction: Catching problems early prevents them from becoming disasters during emergencies.
• Competitive advantage: Verified escrow demonstrates superior risk management to customers and partners.

What regulators want to see

Auditors want proof your escrowed software works. They ask pointed questions: Show us evidence the code compiles. Prove the escrowed version matches production. Demonstrate you can deploy this software.

This puts companies in an impossible position. Most can't answer these questions because they've never tested their escrowed materials. Auditors see this as a major compliance failure and have put penalties for operational resilience gaps in place that can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Companies that can't prove their continuity plans work face enforcement actions, additional scrutiny, and massive fines.

That's why we offer Software Resilience Certificates. These certificates provide the documented proof auditors demand. So, instead of scrambling to explain why you haven't tested your escrow, you hand over certificates showing exactly what was verified and when. It makes compliance discussions simple and eliminates regulatory risk.

» Learn more about software escrow for regulatory compliance

Get escrow that works when you need it most

Software escrow protects your business. Software verification makes sure that protection works when you need it. The difference between hoping your escrow works and knowing it works comes down to testing—testing that happens before emergencies, not during them.

» Ready to know your escrow works instead of hoping it does? Contact us to determine which verification level fits your needs