And once they've got their systems running — a process that can take years to complete — they aren't inclined to change vendors lightly.
Either way, companies usually don't change vendors for several years after they get a system, almost ensuring long-term relationships for Ufida as well.
Users are concerned that they will not be able to change vendors without much effort, which will not meet their requirements for interoperability and portability [74].
Second, and more important, the hardware represents a buy-in by customers that doesn't exist in the commodity world; you don't change vendors in the high-end Unix server world because another vendor is offering a better promotion.
The other problems may create economic lock-in, since clients may find that it does not make economic sense to change vendors, but if the vendor raises prices high enough I can and will flee.
3 - Economic lock-in occurs when it does not make rational economic sense to change vendors, because the combined costs and benefits of staying outweigh the combined costs and benefits of leaving.
But you can be sure that within IBM and HP, as well as at Sun and Oracle, they're hashing out every possible scenario that could emerge from this marriage of a vibrant giant and a languishing one and what possible arguments there will be for Sun customers to stay put or change vendors.
But with cloud computing, switching is far more straightforward and the role of switch vendors changes.
But that is set to change, with vendors working with software companies to roll out 'smart' vending machines within the next year.
This could potentially remove some of the friction (or fear) students and IT staffs face when they want to change software vendors.
