Who really controls your enterprise technology strategy: your organization or the vendors writing its software contracts?
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Tomás O'Leary, founder and CEO of Origina, about enterprise software vendor lock in, forced upgrades, subscription contracts, and the financial consequences of surrendering control over mission-critical systems.
Tomás founded Origina in Dublin after working within the enterprise software supply chain and questioning the value customers received from traditional support contracts. He saw organizations paying substantial annual fees while experiencing poor response times, constant pressure to change versions, and upgrades that produced limited business value.
He argues that the balance of power between technology buyers and suppliers has moved heavily toward the vendor. Companies that previously purchased perpetual software rights are increasingly being encouraged or forced toward subscription models, while complex contract terms and audit risks can make customers feel trapped.
Some Origina customers have described this behavior as a "digital mafia," while one Fortune 50 organization, according to Tomás, uses AI to assess whether suppliers could be acquired by vendors it considers predatory. That business then considers longer contracts as protection against future licensing changes.
However, leaving a vendor does not always require replacing the software. Tomás explains why perpetual software rights and independent support can give companies another option. A system that continues to perform its required business function may not need to be replaced simply because the original vendor has ended support or introduced a new commercial model.
We discuss how leaders should distinguish between technology that genuinely requires modernization and dependable systems of record that could continue operating securely. Payroll platforms, general ledgers, claims systems, and other back-office applications may not require constant reinvention if the business requirement remains stable.
Tomás also describes a European organization spending approximately €1 million annually on a software product. The company estimated that a vendor-required version change would cost €30 million. By moving to an alternative support arrangement, it expects to defer that expenditure while keeping the existing system operational. These figures are the organization's estimates, shared by Tomás during our conversation.
We also discuss centralized technology dependency, outages, software patching, AI-assisted development, and why some companies are returning to internally developed applications for operations they consider particularly important.
Tomás recommends that CIOs create a small team combining technical, procurement, contractual, and legal knowledge. This group should remain close to senior leadership and challenge assumptions before renewals, migrations, or major software changes are approved.
Is your organization modernizing because the business needs to change, or because a vendor has decided that time is up? Listen to the conversation and share your thoughts with me.