An exit strategy is essential in hybrid cloud to maintain flexibility and control. Without a well thought out plan, you may face high data egress costs, contractual limitations or technical dependencies that make switching or repatriating data difficult. To avoid this:

• Choose open standards and platform independent tools that support portability
• Structure data storage smartly, for example using interchangeable formats and separating data from proprietary services
• Limit the use of vendor specific PaaS services that do not support export
• Define contractual agreements on data portability, costs and retention periods
• Test exit scenarios regularly, such as data extraction or workload relocation

With a clear exit strategy, you avoid lock in, maintain control and reduce unexpected costs when your cloud strategy changes.