GLOSSARY
Vendor lock-in
Vendor lock-in arises when technical, contractual or organisational dependencies make switching difficult or expensive. Data formats, interfaces, established workflows and accumulated knowledge can all contribute. Dependence may grow alongside substantial value from the chosen solution.
What must move with a sales application?
A business has closely connected customer preparation, approvals and documentation. Another provider may offer similar features. Switching can still require the transfer of records, permissions, templates and assessment procedures. Training and parallel operation add work while existing negotiations continue.
The decision should therefore weigh the value of integration against realistic transition costs. Complete interchangeability can introduce ongoing effort and limit useful functionality. A more targeted approach may reduce the most critical dependencies through usable exports, documented interfaces and manageable contractual commitments.
Testing whether an alternative is available
A practical test recreates a bounded workflow in another environment using exported data. Missing information, manual effort and output quality then become visible. A model-agnostic design addresses only part of the potential dependency. Total cost of ownership should also account for transition and exit. An exercised migration route provides evidence of the strategic options available; a feature list or contractual export right provides less assurance about the work involved.