What is a perpetual software licence, and how does it differ from SaaS?
A perpetual licence means you have the right to use the software indefinitely — you do not lose access when payments stop or when the vendor ceases trading. SaaS is the opposite: stop paying and access ends immediately. Rollout IT delivers a perpetual, escrow-backed licence: the platform IP stays with us (which keeps your price low), but the licence and your data are yours permanently. An escrow holds the code; if we ever stop trading, the escrow releases it so your system keeps running.
SaaS access model: rent without end
Stop paying, lose everything — including your historical data in many cases.
SaaS is a subscription to access software running on the vendor's infrastructure. The moment you stop paying, access is revoked. Most vendors give a 30-day export window; some do not. Your history, records, and configurations are at the vendor's discretion. This is not a bug — it is the business model.
Perpetual licence: access without the rent
You hold the right to use the software indefinitely — even if the vendor disappears.
A perpetual licence grants you the right to run the software for as long as you need it, regardless of what happens to the vendor. Your contract with Rollout IT includes a source-code escrow clause: the platform code is deposited with an independent escrow agent before go-live. If we ever cease trading, the code is released to you automatically so your system keeps running. You do not buy the source code (the platform IP stays with us — that is what keeps your annual fee low), but your access is contractually protected.
What the escrow actually protects
Not source ownership — access continuity. The distinction matters.
Escrow protects your ability to keep the system running if Rollout IT stops trading. It does not mean you own the source code or can sell it. This is similar to a building lease with a break clause: you are not buying the building, but you have contractual protection against the landlord pulling the floor from under you. Competitors who claim 'full source ownership' often pass the ongoing maintenance burden to you — which is rarely what you want.
Related questions
The escrow is triggered automatically. A third-party escrow agent holds the platform code; upon Rollout IT ceasing to trade, the code is released to you. Your isolated instance keeps running — your team notices nothing.
Sources
- Rollout IT perpetual licence and escrow model documentation (2025)
- GDPR Article 20: Right to data portability
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