Cloud computing offers an innovative business modeludfor organizations to adopt IT services at a reduced cost with increased reliability and scalability. However organizations are slow in adopting the cloud model due to the prevalent vendor lock-in issue and challenges associated with it. While the existing cloud solutions for public and private companies are vendor locked-in by design, their existence is subject to limited possibilityudto interoperate with other cloud systems. In this paper we have presented a critical review of pertinent business, technical and legal issues associated with vendor lock-in, and how it impacts on the widespread adoption of cloud computing. The paper attempts to reflect on the issues associated with interoperability and portability, but with a focus on vendor lock-in. Moreover, the paper demonstrates the importance of interoperability, portability and standards applicable to cloud computing environments along with highlighting other corporate concerns due to the lock-in problem. The outcome of this paper provides audfoundation for future analysis and review regarding the impact of vendor neutrality for corporate cloud computing application and services.
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