Strategy

The Hidden Control-Plane Problem: SSO, Email, DNS, and File Storage

When organisations list their cloud dependencies, they typically produce a tool inventory: we use Slack for chat, Salesforce for CRM, Jira for project management. Each tool gets its own line item, its own risk rating, its own migration plan.

This approach misses the point. The tools are the visible layer. Underneath them sits a control plane: a small set of services that every tool depends on and that determines who can access what, where data flows, how systems find each other, and where files live. The control plane is the real dependency. And in most European organisations, the entire control plane is operated by one or two US companies.

Why Replacing Zoom Is Easy but Replacing Google Workspace Is Not

When European organisations start thinking about reducing their US cloud dependency, the first instinct is to rank their tools by risk and start replacing them. This instinct is correct. The mistake is assuming that every replacement is roughly the same amount of work.

It is not. Replacing Zoom takes an afternoon. Replacing Google Workspace takes months. The difference is not about the quality of alternatives. Good alternatives exist for both. The difference is structural: it comes down to how deeply the tool has embedded itself into the way your organisation operates.

How SaaS Vendor Lock-in Actually Works: Seven Structural Layers That Keep European Organisations Stuck

Most organisations think of vendor lock-in as a contractual problem: long-term agreements, steep renewal prices, early termination fees. That is the surface layer. The real lock-in operates through at least seven distinct structural mechanisms, most of which are invisible until someone tries to leave.

Understanding these layers matters because each one requires a different approach to undo. Treating lock-in as a single problem leads to migration plans that fail at the first unexpected obstacle.