# Before you buy the next system, check you can leave it

> The CMA is looking at how hard it is to switch away from Microsoft. Small firms face the same problem with shop, Xero, courier and warehouse apps. A plain checklist from Dan Cluderay.

Published: 2026-10-21
Author: Dan Cluderay

Before you add the next app, check you can get your data and your rules back out. Bad answers don't mean don't buy. They mean you go in with your eyes open.

On 16 October the Competition and Markets Authority proposed giving Microsoft "strategic market status" in its business software. That doesn't mean Microsoft has done anything wrong. The CMA says it does not assume wrongdoing. It means the CMA thinks customers face real barriers when switching, and it wants to be able to act on choice, on how products work together, and on how easy it is to switch. The consultation closes on 13 November 2026 and the deadline for a final decision is 13 February 2027.

That's a regulator dealing with one of the biggest software companies in the world. Small businesses have the same problem, just spread across lots of smaller apps. Nobody is going to step in for you, so it's worth checking yourself.

## How do small firms end up locked in?

It rarely happens in one go. You pick a shop platform. Then an app for stock. Then a courier tool. Then a connector to push sales into Xero. Each choice made sense at the time. A few years later the business depends on five systems and three connectors, and the knowledge of how they fit together sits in one person's head.

The contract is rarely what keeps you there. The data and the process are. Your stock history, your customer records, the rules about which orders go with which courier. If those live inside a tool you can't get them out of, you're staying whether you like it or not.

## Four questions to ask before you buy

1. **Can I export everything I put in?** Orders, stock movements, customers, products, in a file you can open. Not just a summary report.
2. **Is there an open API?** If the only way in or out is the vendor's own connector, you depend on them keeping it working.
3. **Who owns the rules?** Pick logic, courier rules, pricing. If they are set up as config only the vendor can see, write them down somewhere you control.
4. **What happens if I stop paying?** Read the exit terms. How long do you get to take your data, and in what format?

Bad answers don't mean don't buy. They mean you go in with your eyes open and keep your own copy.

## Keep one place that knows how it fits together

You don't always need a new system to fix this. Often what you need is one source of truth for stock and orders, with the shop, Xero and the courier tools reading from it. That's the approach in our [Shopify and warehouse guide](/integrations/shopify-wms/), our [Xero integration](/integrations/xero/) notes and our [courier integration](/integrations/courier-warehouse/) page. If you're not sure where the manual steps are, start with [what disconnected systems actually cost you](/insights/disconnected-systems/).

## Don't switch in peak

If this has made you want to rip something out, don't do it in November. Do the export check now, write down your rules, and plan any move for a quiet month.

If you want help mapping what you've got and what you'd lose, [get in touch](/contact/).

## Sources

- Competition and Markets Authority, CMA takes first steps to ensure choice in business software, 16 Oct 2026: gov.uk/government/news/cma-takes-first-steps-to-ensure-choice-in-business-software
- CMA case page, Microsoft's business software ecosystem (consultation closes 5pm 13 Nov 2026; statutory deadline 13 Feb 2027): gov.uk/cma-cases/microsofts-business-software-ecosystem