Artikel | 6. January 2026
Data Egress Fees: The Hidden Costs of Your Cloud Backup
What Are Egress Costs? #
Egress = data flowing out of the cloud provider’s network
Ingress = data flowing in (typically free)
The Typical Price Structure (Illustrative) #
- Backup INTO object storage: free
- Storing the data: a few cents per GB per month, less on archive tiers
- Data OUT to the internet: roughly USD 0.05 to 0.09 per GB at list price
- Transfers within the same region: free or near-free
- Transfers between regions: charged, but below internet egress rates
The asymmetry is deliberate: free ingress lowers the barrier to entry, paid egress raises the barrier to exit. For backup data, egress applies precisely when you need the data back.
Example Calculations #
All figures below are illustrative model calculations at typical list rates (USD 0.05 to 0.09 per GB internet egress). Actual prices depend on provider, region, tier and negotiated discounts.
Example 1: Single Recovery (Small) #
Scenario: You restore 500 GB from cloud backup after an incident.
500 GB at USD 0.05 to 0.09 per GB = roughly USD 25 to 45.
Acceptable as a one-off. Archive tiers may add separate retrieval fees on top.
Example 2: Full Restore (Medium) #
Scenario: incident, full restore of 50 TB to on-premises systems.
50,000 GB at USD 0.05 to 0.09 per GB = roughly USD 2,500 to 4,500, billed at the moment you can least negotiate. Archive-tier retrieval fees and transfer tooling come on top.
Example 3: Regular Restore Tests #
Scenario: Quarterly full restore test of a 50 TB dataset, as required by common security frameworks (ISO 27001, NIS2 risk management practices).
Four tests per year at roughly USD 2,500 to 4,500 each = roughly USD 10,000 to 18,000 per year, only for proving that your backup works. In practice, many organisations reduce or skip testing to avoid this cost, which turns the backup itself into an unverified risk.
Why Egress Costs Are So High #
Outbound bandwidth has real costs, but list-price egress is priced far above them. The pricing model serves two purposes:
- Revenue: Storage prices are competitive and visible; egress is where margin sits
- Retention: High exit costs discourage switching providers or moving workloads back on-premises
This is a rational business model. As a customer, you should model it just as rationally before committing backup data to it.
What the EU Data Act Changes (and What It Does Not) #
The EU Data Act (Regulation (EU) 2023⁄2854) entered into force on 11 January 2024 and has applied since 12 September 2025. For cloud switching it sets a clear timeline:
- Since 12 September 2025: Providers must support switching to another provider or to on-premises infrastructure. Charges for the switching process, including data egress for the switch, may only be levied at reduced, cost-based rates
- From 12 January 2027: Switching charges are banned entirely. A customer leaving a provider pays no egress fees for the exit
Two important limits:
- Regular operational egress is not abolished. Restoring data to your own data centre as part of normal operations, serving data to users, or running restore tests are not “switching” and remain billable at regular rates
- The ban covers the switch itself. Day-to-day cloud backup economics, including recovery and test scenarios, are unchanged by the Data Act
Market reaction: AWS, Google and Microsoft announced in 2024 that they waive egress fees for customers fully exiting their platforms. Conditions apply: Microsoft requires a complete exit including cancellation of the subscription, AWS excludes services such as CloudFront and Direct Connect. The waivers help with migrations; they do nothing for operational restores.
Strategies for Reducing Egress Exposure #
1. On-Premises First for Backup, Cloud as Supplement #
- Primary backup and restore path: on-premises secondary storage (no egress, LAN-speed restores)
- Cloud, if used at all: an additional geo-redundant copy for disaster scenarios
Effect: Routine restores and tests are free and fast; egress applies only in rare disaster cases.
2. Keep Recovery Traffic Inside One Region #
If workloads run in the cloud, restore within the same region where possible. Intra-region transfers are free or cheap; internet and cross-region egress are not.
3. Compress and Deduplicate Before Upload #
Less stored data means less data to retrieve. Compression and source-side deduplication reduce both storage and egress volumes.
4. Negotiate at Volume #
At three-digit terabyte volumes, egress discounts are negotiable, and since September 2025 you can additionally invoke the Data Act’s cost-based cap for switching scenarios. Put exit costs in the contract before signing.
5. Model the Full Lifecycle Before Committing #
For every cloud backup contract, calculate: storage over five years, plus realistic restore tests, plus at least one full recovery, plus a possible migration. Compare that total against on-premises secondary storage. The picture at year five rarely matches the picture on the day-one price list.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Do all cloud providers charge egress fees? All hyperscalers do, at broadly similar list rates (roughly USD 0.05 to 0.09 per GB to the internet). Some smaller and EU providers price egress lower or include allowances; compare the restore scenario specifically, not just storage.
Are there hidden egress charges beyond storage retrieval? Yes. Cross-region replication, downloads of database backups, CDN distribution and inter-service traffic can all generate transfer charges. Archive tiers add separate retrieval fees per GB.
Should I avoid cloud backup entirely? No. Cloud copies are useful for geographic redundancy and for non-critical data. The point is placement: your primary backup and your routine restore path belong on-premises, where recovery is fast and free of per-GB fees. Cloud is the supplement, not the foundation.
Will the EU Data Act make egress free? Only for switching providers (or moving on-premises), and fully only from 12 January 2027. Regular operational egress, including restores and tests, remains billable.
Further Resources #
→ What Is ? Definition and Three Dimensions (/en/blog/was-ist-datensouveraenitaet/) → EU Data Act: What Changes for Cloud Users (/en/blog/eu-data-act-cloud-nutzer/) → The Cloud Backup TCO Trap: When Costs Spiral Out of Control (/en/blog/cloud-backup-tco-trap/) → Why Cloud Backups Do Not Provide Real Protection (/en/blog/cloud-backup-ransomware-schutz/) → Silent Brick System: On-Premises Backup Without Egress Fees (/en/produkte/silent-brick-system/) → Request a demo (/en/kontakt/demo/)
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