For a long time, I've argued for a SaaS code of conduct that lets users know exactly where they stand when they sign up for a SaaS or cloud service. It sets out five principles for building confidence and trust in the cloud, and probably the most important is the final one:
"Let customers leave whenever they like. On-demand providers should go out of their way to make it as easy as possible for customers to move or back up their data elsewhere (configuration data too, if applicable). And the customer should have the right to end a contract and move elsewhere on 30 days' notice any time their confidence in the provider is undermined. Paradoxically, a guarantee like that inspires customer loyalty because it shows the provider always has to work to earn the customer's trust."
So I was delighted to learn today of a newly public initiative by a team of Google engineers "to 'liberate' data so that consumers and businesses using Google products always have a choice when it comes to the technology they use." Calling itself the Data Liberation Front, the team is working with Google product managers to add easier data extraction features to every Google service, from Gmail to AppEngine. A new website at dataliberation.org provides a focal point for the initiative and sets out its guiding principles, which I think set an excellent standard that other vendors should strive to emulate (if they don't already):
"We always encourage people to ask these three questions before starting to use a product that will store their data:
- Can I get my data out at all?
- How much is it going to cost to get my data out?
- How much of my time is it going to take to get my data out?
"The ideal answers to these questions are:
- Yes.
- Nothing more than I'm already paying.
- As little as possible.
"There shouldn't be an additional charge to export your data. Beyond that, if it takes you many hours to get your data out, it's almost as bad as not being able to get your data out at all."
The accompanying blog post sums up why this makes as much sense for the vendor as it does for its customers and users:
"We'd rather have loyal users who use Google products because they're innovative — not because they lock users in. You can think of this as a long-term strategy to retain loyal users, rather than the short-term strategy of making it hard for people to leave."
I couldn't have put it better myself.
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