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Microsoft hasrevealedthat it , too , will allow business client to remove datum out of its Azure cloud substructure with no “ issue fees ” attached , following blistering on the heels of similar moves by cloud challenger AWS and Google .
While Microsoft put the annunciation as a voluntary pro - customer move , the fact that it was quietly revealed with little fanfarevia a inadequate web log postmight propose ulterior motif . Indeed , the society said that it supports “ client choice , include the selection to migrate your data away from Azure , ” while later acknowledging that the move also aligns with stipulations set out in the all - newEuropean Data Actthat apply from next year , designed to upgrade competition by establish it sluttish to switch swarm supplier .
Triopoly
Microsoft ’s Azure institute one - third of the “ big three ” public swarm triopoly , nestled in 2d place somewhere betweenfrontrunner AWS and Google . The latter of these announce it was ditching egress feesin January , followedby AWS earlier this calendar month .
The crux of the trouble — according to customersand regulator , at least — is that while these tech giants make it free to move dataintotheir cloud ( “ ingress ” ) , they charge for moving dataoutof their clouds to elsewhere , whether that ’s a rival provider or to their own in - home base . And this can make it prohibitively expensive to leave .
alike to competitor , including AWS , Microsoft did already give up customers to transfer 100 GB of data out of Azure each calendar month for devoid . This might essay utilitarian for companies reckon to treat or analyse some information perhaps in - house or on other third - party infrastructure . But company care to shift everything off Azure might confront unconscionable costs for doing so — and that is what today ’s proclamation conk some way toward cover .
Caveats
Microsoft ’s move has already been criticize by some as having too many caveats . For example , it is only for customers looking to all end their association with Azure — that is , it ’s for “ exiting ” customer only , with requirements in place that the customer must cancel all their bright blue subscriptions once their data is transferred , before they can condition for a rebate on the emergence fees . So a business wish to take in a multi- or hybrid - swarm approach thatincludesAzure will still have to pay egress fee once they ’ve used up their 100 GB monthly allowance .
This is notable , because a lot of companies will need to habituate some Azure services , without having to go all in on it . So in some ways , this move pay a point of sassing service to the EU ’s new Data Act .
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“ There is no flexibility here to keep going the multi - cloud needs of modern business , ” Mark Boost , CEO of U.K.-based cloud computing services companyCivo , explain to TechCrunch .
Moreover , Microsoft ’s blog post does n’t mention this , but the free transfer out only applies tostoragedata , as perthis supporting page . So data transfers from other Azure services , such as the Azure Content Delivery internet ( CDN ) , will still include the standard rush .
“ Do n’t be fooled by Big Tech ’s apparent rushing to get rid of egress exit fees , ” Boost continued . “ clear in the idea of the hyperscalers , flexibleness still comes at a toll . ”
