Glossary · General
Vendor lock-in
Being tied to one supplier because switching is too expensive or difficult.
Vendor lock-in means you are tied to one supplier because switching has become too expensive, too difficult or too risky. Your data, your processes and your people's knowledge are so intertwined with that one system that leaving feels almost impossible.
That gives the supplier a strong position. Price rises, disappointing service or a direction you do not want are hard to answer by leaving, because the threshold for switching is too high. Your freedom of choice shrinks as the dependency grows.
You cannot avoid lock-in completely, but you can limit it with forward-looking choices. When buying, check how easily you can export your data and whether the system works with standards. Those are questions best asked before you sign, not once you are already stuck.
