A new age of data begins - and the cloud obligation becomes a question of strategy

The EU is decreeing the dawn of a new data economy. With the Data Act, companies are facing a turning point: cloud independence is becoming mandatory, data sovereignty a competitive advantage.

But what does this mean in concrete terms - and how can CHRONOS help to make this change secure, efficient and compliant?

What is the Data Act?

The Data Act (Regulation (EU) 2023/2854) is a central element of the European data strategy. The aim is to make it easier for companies to access industrial data, ensure its portability and reduce dependence on individual cloud providers (vendor lock-in).

Among other things, the Data Act obliges cloud providers to

• provideinteroperable formats and interfaces,
• enablea cloud exit without artificial hurdles,
• and to strengthen the rights of data users.

The regulation will come into force gradually from September 2025 - with transition periods for complex technical changes.

Cloud exit: aspiration and reality

The idea sounds simple: a company should be able to easily transfer its data from one cloud provider to another - or back to its own infrastructure.
In practice, however, this is a major project.

Three central challenges:

1. Data portability and interoperability
   Different database technologies, proprietary APIs and incompatible formats make switching difficult - especially for high-transaction systems.
2. Data security and compliance
   The integrity of sensitive data - e.g. personal or quality-relevant production data - must be guaranteed at all times during migration.
3. Audit-proof archiving
   Deleted or inaccessible database content not only jeopardizes productivity, but also product liability, verification obligations and auditability.

CHRONOS as a strategic tool for cloud exit

CHRONOS is more than just an archive.
It is a system-independent middleware for long-term archiving that prepares companies specifically for cloud exit - and also offers lasting added value.

CHRONOS specifically supports companies by:

• Manufacturer-independent data archiving
  Production and quality data from databases are archived in open, standardized formats - regardless of the original system and cloud provider.
• Audit-proof and long-term availability
  Archived data complies with applicable regulations (e.g. GoBD, GDPR, product liability) and remains available in a structured and traceable manner.
• Migration as a structured process
  Data selection, conversion, validation and documentation enable a controlled, legally compliant transition - without operational risks.

Practical example: Cloud exit for a mechanical engineering company

A medium-sized manufacturing company had been using cloud-based services to manage its production database for years. With the re-tendering of the IT infrastructure, a change of provider was imminent - combined with the challenge of securely migrating hundreds of millions of data records without provoking compliance risks or production downtimes.

The solution: CHRONOS.

The company used CHRONOS to:

• Selectively archive inactive database content,
• harmonize current data formats,
• and to create an audit-proof, auditable database for traceability and product liability.

The result: the changeover was successful without any loss of data. Archiving costs fell significantly - and the company is now more cloud-flexible and future-proof.

Data sovereignty starts with strategy - and a strong partner

The Data Act is not just an IT issue. It affects value creation, innovation capability and legal protection.
Those who act now can not only master the cloud exit, but also actively exploit new scope in the data economy.

CHRONOS is the key to data independence.
A proven solution for:

• the secure replacement of legacy systems,
• the legally compliant archiving of production-relevant database content,
• and the strategic protection of your IT architecture

... CHRONOS offers not only technological security - but also genuine entrepreneurial freedom.

Would you like to know how CHRONOS secures your cloud strategy?

Arrange your free initial consultation now
and find out how you can archive your data in a system-independent, secure and future-proof way.