The EU Data Act and its significance for cloud switching

With the Data Act, the European Union is creating a central legal framework for the fair and secure handling of data. The regulation, which will apply from September 12, 2025, aims to promote data use in Europe, enable innovation, and reduce digital dependencies. In addition to requirements for the sharing of data between companies and the public sector, the Data Act also contains provisions that are particularly relevant for many organizations: the simplification of cloud switching. This makes the Data Act an important regulatory basis for improving digital sovereignty through independence from manufacturers and infrastructure.

Daniel Huchthausen

IT Consultant

Cloud switching: New freedom for companies

Until now, switching from one cloud provider to another has often been associated with high hurdles: proprietary interfaces, complex migration processes, long notice periods, or high fees have led to de facto vendor lock-in. The Data Act addresses this issue and strengthens the portability of data and services:

Elimination of switching fees: The costs of switching providers will be phased out. From January 12, 2027, no fees may be charged. Until then, only reduced switching fees are permitted; according to Art. 29 (3) of the Data Act, this corresponds to the actual costs incurred by the switch as the upper limit.
Open interfaces and interoperability: Cloud providers must enable a technologically smooth switch, e.g., through standardized open interfaces (APIs) and the provision of correspondingly standardized file formats
Clear deadlines for migration: Switching processes must be implemented within specified time frames so that providers cannot block customers by causing delays. The provider may contractually stipulate a maximum notice period of two months during which the customer is entitled to inform the provider of their intended switch. After the notice period has expired, the provider generally has a transition period of 30 days to actually transfer data to the new provider or to the customer's own ICT infrastructure.
Legally compliant exit scenarios: Contracts must contain practicable migration paths that customers can actively use.

Advantages for organizations

These new requirements significantly change the strategic position of companies:

Cost control: Hidden exit costs are eliminated, and budgets can be planned more reliably.
Digital sovereignty: Companies gain independence from individual providers and can implement multi-cloud strategies more easily.
Technical flexibility: Standardized interfaces facilitate the integration of new services and the use of innovative technologies.
Security and compliance: The Data Act obliges providers to maintain data integrity and regulatory requirements when switching.

Automatic cloud migration with the Cloudogu LowOps platform

Even with the contractual, technical, and monetary barriers to switching providers greatly reduced by the Data Act, migration can still involve a great deal of technical and organizational effort. Our open source LowOps platform not only simplifies the day-to-day administration of tools, but now also offers automatic migration between different cloud providers that support Kubernetes. Thanks to automatic migration, our customers can switch cloud providers with minimal downtime (usually only a few minutes) and minimal effort. More information about automatic migration for our LowOps platform can be found in this blog post.

Conclusion

With its regulations on cloud switching, the Data Act opens up new opportunities for companies to make their IT infrastructure more flexible, cost-efficient, and sovereign. Instead of having to commit to one provider for the long term, organizations will in future be able to make confident choices – and switch providers if price, performance, or compliance are no longer right for them. Thanks to the automatic migration for our LowOps platform, our customers can directly take advantage of the new freedoms gained through the Data Act and switch their cloud provider with minimal effort.