Guard-IT Software Escrow Services: News & Press Releases

Guard-IT and Athens Group Partner on Software Verification Services

AUSTIN, TEXAS (January 22, 2002) – Software escrow provider Guard-IT Corporation has partnered with Austin-based Athens Group in an effort to provide comprehensive software acceptance testing solutions.

Guard-IT Corporation secures software source code, proprietary data and intellectual property by implementing and administering third-party escrow agreements for technology developers and their licensees. Escrow acts like title insurance for software and technology license agreements, securing the developer's source code and intellectual property while protecting the licensee's investment in the technology.

Athens Group provides technology consulting, with services ranging from technology assessment and strategy to software development, implementation and integration. Specifically, in the area of Software Verification and Validation, Athens Group helps clients baseline their existing product code and assure that their investment in commercial software is justified, as outlined below:

Product Verification is also known as "white box" testing. This process tests the precision of how the product was developed and constructed. It is the most comprehensive and therefore the most costly of all testing methods.

Product Validation is the assurance that the correct product was built. This form of testing answers the question: "Does the product meet the customer's expectations?" It is also known as acceptance or "black box" testing.

Guard-IT founder and CEO Jim Ford said that services provided by Guard-IT and Athens Group complement each other in the areas of intellectual asset protection and risk management.

"While most escrow materials are placed with us in good faith, there is still a risk of an incomplete or inadequate deposit without thorough, independent verification by a software engineering expert. We want our escrow to preserve the best possible working set of source code or data for the Licensee, and Athens' verification and validation will ensure that for our escrow clients," Ford said.

Don Shafer, Athens Group Chief Technology Officer, commenting on the new relationship, said, "Guard-IT provides the legal peace of mind for software purchasers that their investment will be protected through an escrow of the vendor's software. We're there to make sure that the software put into escrow is actually buildable and matches what was purchased in case of a vendor catastrophe - trust but verify!"

About Athens Group

Athens Group is an Austin-based, employee-owned consulting firm integrating technology strategy and software solutions to solve business problems. The company provides technology consulting for a variety of clients, ranging from technology assessment and strategy to software development, implementation and integration. Founded in June 1998, the company has 47 employees and a client list that includes corporations such as Agilent, DuPont Photomasks and Dell, as well as start-up and mid-growth companies. More information available at www.athensgroup.com.

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