Are You Really the Owner of Your Data?
When we talk about a CRM or any management system, the same question always comes up: “What happens if I want to change providers?”. The answer, in most cases, isn’t simple. That’s where vendor lock-in — or “provider lock-in” — comes into play.
According to TechInsights’ 2024 Digital Transformation Report, 74% of organizations that prioritize digital transformation have faced challenges related to vendor lock-in, especially in ERP environments. This shows how common the issue is among advanced corporate ecosystems.
Vendor lock-in is a widespread and tangible reality, particularly in CRM, ERP, or SaaS contexts, and it deserves careful attention when choosing or negotiating technological solutions.
What Is Vendor Lock-In?
Vendor lock-in occurs when an organization becomes so dependent on a technology provider that switching to another system becomes extremely difficult or expensive.
In practical terms, your data isn’t truly yours. Even if it’s stored in your CRM, you can’t easily move it or change tools without paying a high price — in money, time, or even data loss.
Vertice’s 2023 SaaS Inflation Index revealed that nearly 73% of SaaS vendors increased their prices that year — notably HubSpot (12%), Microsoft (15%), and Webflow (23%) — illustrating how many companies become trapped, feeling price increases without an easy way out.
Vendor lock-in is more common than many realize:
Most organizations have faced it during their digital transformation.
Price increases are frequent and hard to avoid.
Many organizations now consider it a critical factor when acquiring new tools.
Clear Examples of Lock-In in CRMs:
Salesforce, Dynamics, or HubSpot: These platforms offer powerful solutions, but their ecosystems are closed. Exporting complete data in open formats is complex. Each extra integration costs more, and every additional user increases the bill.
“Free” or low-cost platforms: They may seem attractive at first because they require no upfront investment, but the lock-in hides elsewhere — they don’t allow easy data export, force the use of proprietary modules, or raise prices once you’re dependent on them.
Why Is It a Real Problem?
The term lock-in says it all — “no way out.”
Switching systems becomes expensive, impossible, or both.
If you can’t freely migrate, your organization’s technological future lies in someone else’s hands. That leads to:
- Rising costs: What started cheap no longer is when you need to scale.
- Loss of control: You become 100% dependent on external decisions, even on the product’s continuity.
- Innovation slowdown: If your provider doesn’t evolve, neither can you.
- Strategic risk: Your organization can’t define its own technological path.
Vendor lock-in isn’t just a technical term — it’s a practice that limits your autonomy and weakens your decision-making power. Before choosing a CRM, ask yourself: What will happen if, two years from now, I want to change?
At iXiam, We See It Differently
We believe a CRM should be a tool, not a cage. Your data belongs to your organization, and you should be able to move it freely — without artificial barriers. That’s why we work with CiviCRM, an open-source solution that avoids lock-in and gives you freedom. Whether in CiviCRM, Civi-Go, or Drupal projects, the power to stay in control is yours.
You can not only migrate your data between servers managed by different CiviCRM partners but also move from or to your own on-premise server without difficulty.
If you’d like to reach out with questions or receive more information about our data protection practices, you can contact us through this form.
