Escrow for firmware and devices.
Embedded software runs in equipment that outlives its vendors. Escrow holds the firmware, the build environment, and the toolchain needed to produce working firmware again.
Toolchain included.
Firmware source rarely rebuilds alone. The deposit holds the build environment and toolchain with it.
Source code by itself seldom reproduces working firmware; it needs the exact build environment, the toolchain, and the hardware documentation that made the original binary. The deposit holds all of it, assembled so a new team can rebuild.
Starting at $1,595 a year, custom-priced to your structure. See pricing →
Kept for the service life.
Equipment outlives the vendors that built its software, so the deposit is kept for the equipment's service life.
An embedded deposit holds what it takes to rebuild the firmware, not just the source. It stays in escrow for as long as the equipment is in service, so recovery is possible years after the vendor is gone.
Match verification to your risk. EscrowTech does not compile or run every embedded deposit by default; deep verification is never standard or automatic. See verification options →
Running a plant or shipping equipment? See manufacturing →
Two vaults. One in a granite mountain.
Deposits are held in two physical, US-based vaults, one inside a granite mountain, monitored around the clock. The provider has to satisfy the people who approve the deal, and EscrowTech is the one their legal teams already recognize.
Embedded escrow, answered.
The questions equipment makers, their customers, and counsel ask most often.
What is embedded systems escrow?
Embedded systems escrow places the firmware and everything needed to rebuild it with a neutral third party, released to you only if a condition in the agreement is met, so equipment stays maintainable when the vendor cannot support it.
Why is firmware source code not enough to rebuild the firmware?
Firmware rarely rebuilds from source alone. It needs the exact toolchain, the build environment, and the hardware documentation that produced the original binary. Without them, the source will not compile into working firmware for the device.
What does an embedded escrow deposit include?
Typically the firmware source, the build environment, the toolchain, hardware-specific documentation, and any control or PLC logic. The deposit is scoped to hold what a new team would actually need to rebuild and load working firmware.
How long is an embedded firmware deposit kept?
For the equipment's service life. Embedded software runs in machines that outlive the vendors that built them, so the deposit is kept in escrow for as long as the equipment is in service, not just the length of a support contract.
Is the firmware deposit verified?
Verification is a menu matched to your risk, not something automatic. EscrowTech does not compile or run every embedded deposit by default; a build or full rebuild test is chosen deliberately, and the deepest levels are never standard or included automatically.
What are the release conditions for embedded systems escrow?
The triggers written into the agreement, such as the vendor ceasing business, filing for bankruptcy, or failing to support or maintain the firmware. They are drafted to fire in the situations you are actually worried about.
Who holds the firmware and stays neutral?
EscrowTech holds the deposit as a neutral third party. The firmware is deposited with us, not handed to the customer, and released only on the agreed conditions, so the vendor's source code and IP stay protected in the meantime.
How long does it take to set up embedded systems escrow?
Most embedded escrow arrangements are drafted, reviewed, and signed in about two weeks. Escrow being the slow part of a deal is usually a provider problem, not an escrow problem.
Priced to your risk, no surprises.
An embedded systems escrow starts at $1,595 a year, custom-priced to your structure and how far you verify, so you know what you're committing to before you begin. See pricing →
Make it safe to depend on.
Tell us about the device and its software. We'll scope the embedded deposit and verification to it.
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