Data Portability in the Cloud : Customer Loyalty vs. Trust

Data Portability in the Cloud applies to who move their data or even want to get back. Vendor lock-harm data portability and adoption of cloud services. Numerous articles has been published by us on the point Vendor Lock-in. First, we wrote about the Points to Check for Cloud Computing and Vendor Lock-in, secondly the article on practical Lock in Effect in Todays Technology and Gadgets, specially about Lock-In in Cloud Computing Services. Data Portability in the Cloud is often neglected. This firstly includes the relocation of existing data to a cloud provider, in particular the access to their data when they are once the cloud provider. With the use of cloud services especially the issue of data storage, data portability in the Cloud is hotly debated.

Data Portability in the Cloud : Lock-in

Data portabillity is especially important for full access to all data and metadata such as access rights. That is just necessary if the customer wants to switch to another provider. Because cloud applications but are often optimized for specific usage scenarios, which allow interfaces for access only a portion of the stored data. Users are therefore often not, or only through the use of time and money are able to switch to another provider. Economists speak here of a so-called “lock-in” effect. From an economic perspective, such changes hurdles act as market barriers that call the law on the plan.

Definition: Data portability and lock-in effect

The concept of data portability refers to the ability of a user to take over their own data when changing an information system. Important features are the integrity of the data and the structure and standardization of the data format. A low level of data portability enhances the binding of a user to an information system, as it makes it difficult to change the system.

A so-called lock-in effect occurs when provider of a product or service it difficult to switch to competing providers to increase binding to its offering. Here we also speak of switching costs for the customer, which can be increased through contractual, pricing or technical measures. Alternatively, other providers can use subsidies to compensate for switching costs.

Data Portability : Customer Loyalty vs. Trust

While providers of “lock-in” benefit ostensibly because customers shy away from an exchange and thus be better tied to its own services, such effects scare off potential customers often. The total vendor lock-in harm by making data portability and adoption of cloud services difficult.

No service provider, either a direct seller or an agent is allowed to exchange the data including personal information as part of customer loyalty.