---
type: concept
title: Vendor Lock-in
tags: [economics, it-strategy, risk-management]
related: [migration-to-open-source, proprietary-software-risks]
created: 2026-07-01
updated: 2026-07-01
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_support_dokumentation_it_informationssicherheit_opensource.md"]
---

# Vendor Lock-in

**Vendor Lock-in** refers to the situation where a customer becomes dependent on a single vendor for products and services, unable to switch to another vendor without substantial switching costs or operational disruption.

In the context of the **Universität Greifswald**, the URZ identifies this as a significant financial and operational risk.

## Institutional Examples
- **CERN:** The source cites **CERN** as a primary example of financial dependency. After losing its academic status, CERN faced a projected tenfold increase in license costs from Microsoft, necessitating the creation of the **Microsoft Alternatives Project (MAlt)** to migrate to open-source technologies.

## Mitigation Strategy
The URZ mitigates vendor lock-in by:
- Adopting **Open Protocols** and **Open Formats** (such as OpenDocument) to ensure data can be moved between different software providers.
- Replacing proprietary central infrastructure (e.g., moving from Active Directory to **Samba**).
- Promoting software that is not tied to a single commercial entity.
