Businesses are being 'locked in' to all-in-one platforms and its costing
them growth and adaptability

Date:
Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
New research shows that companies are being held back by being locked into single ecosystems but switching isn't easy.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Two in three say they're being held back by being tied into a single provider Vendor and platform lock-in is proving costly Switching adds to the cost and complexity in the short term We're all familiar with vendor lock-in at this point, but new research from Reach has highlighted another issue all-in-one lock-in which also points to enterprises and businesses being tied to singular tools without the ability to mix and match the best elements from multiple providers.

According to the data, more than two-thirds (68%) say their business would grow faster if they weren't tied to a single provider, with 65% expecting
more revenue. A similar number (67%) of business leaders also allege that lock-in prevents them from adapting. Moreover, by being locked into single vendors and ecosystems, business leaders are also reporting hidden costs (73%), increasing spend by one-third (35%) on average. Article continues
below You may like Turning VMware exit into a strategic advantage Cloud adoption isn't going away - but can your business deal with the security impact? VMware customers are still trying to ditch its software, two years after Broadcom acquisition Vendor lock-in is a far biggest problem "Companies often adopt all-in-one platforms for convenience, but what looks simple at
the outset can limit flexibility, increase tech debt and reduce control as businesses expand into international markets," CEO Sam Ranieri explained.

With so many companies locked into specific ecosystems, two in three are now paying for extra tools and workarounds outside of their core platforms, and only 16% are currently satisfied.

However, it's not as simple as just pulling the plug nearly two in five
(38%) worry about downtime or lost sales if they were to switch, with 36% concerned about switching costs and 35% stating they don't have the time or resources to switch.

Looking ahead, companies say they're set to focus on customizing tools to specific business needs (56%) more than anything else, but also that they
want to take full ownership and control of their data (42%). Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
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All in all, Reach expects software stacks to change, citing flexibility and modularity as emerging trends, but for now though, businesses are being left struggling with time, money and threats of disruption. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/businesses-are-being-locked-in-to-all-in-one-pla tforms-and-its-costing-them-growth-and-adaptability


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