Vendor Lock-In
Vendor lock-in is a state in which a company depends on a vendor so heavily that moving to an alternative is practically unworkable — even though the choice formally exists. It applies just as much to closed platforms as to undocumented bespoke code. It ties into business continuity and whether you build on open source .
Critical External Dependency: When a Vendor Becomes a Risk
Every company today depends on external technologies and vendors. We use cloud, SaaS services, payment gateways, accounting systems, hosting, or external developers. That is not a problem in itself. The problem starts the moment we cannot function without one particular vendor. That is called a critical external dependency. When does it become a problem? Picture an e-shop that has been running on a single platform for several years. It holds the website, the products, the orders, the stock, and the link to accounting.