Vendor Lock-in Risk Assessment
Score how locked-in your building systems are and where open protocols would free you.
This is a planning-grade self-assessment. A puniq vendor-neutrality audit reviews your contracts, protocols, and licensing to confirm where you are locked in and how to open it up.
About this tool
Vendor lock-in is the hidden tax on a building. When one supplier controls your protocols, software, and service, every upgrade, integration, and price negotiation runs through them, on their terms. This assessment scores how exposed your building is and points to where open protocols would hand control back to you.
Answer five Yes or No questions about proprietary protocols, mandated service providers, closed head-end software, per-point or per-seat licensing, and access to your own controller logic. Here, each Yes means more lock-in, so every Yes adds 20 points to a 0 to 100 risk score.
How to read your risk level
Below 40 is Low lock-in: your systems stay portable and you keep leverage. 40 to 70 is Moderate: you are dependent in places that will cost you at the next upgrade or tender. Above 70 is High: you are effectively captive, paying premium prices with no real alternative. The drivers list shows which factors are pushing your score up.
The single most effective fix is moving to open protocols such as BACnet, KNX, and Modbus, which let any qualified integrator work on your systems. Pair this with the Building Intelligence Readiness Scorecard to see how unified and open your building already is.
Frequently asked
Why is vendor lock-in a problem if the system works?
Because it removes your leverage. A captive owner pays premium prices, waits on one provider's schedule, and cannot shop upgrades competitively. The cost shows up at every change, not on day one.
How do open protocols reduce lock-in?
Open protocols like BACnet, KNX, and Modbus are public standards, so any qualified integrator can read, control, and extend your systems. You are no longer dependent on the original supplier to make a change.
I scored High. Am I stuck?
No. Most buildings reduce lock-in without a rip-and-replace by adding open-protocol gateways, taking back software and logic access, and renegotiating service terms. puniq plans this as a phased exit.
Is puniq trying to sell me a different vendor?
No. puniq is vendor-neutral and never a reseller. The goal is an open, owner-controlled platform where you can compare suppliers honestly and switch when it serves you.
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