Security-Induced Lock-In in the Cloud

Cloud services providers practice security-induced lock-in when employing cryptography and tamper-resistance to limit the portability interoperability of users’ data applications. Moreover, anti-lock-in strategies intersect within context platform competition. When users deploy anti-lock in strategies, such as using a hybrid cloud, leader–follower pricing framework increases profits for cloud relative Nash equilibrium prices. This creates second-mover advantage, follower’s increase exceeds that leader owing potential price undercutting. By contrast, introducing or enhancing both an first-mover advantage. therefore favor over leadership. More broadly, we show why standardization semantics, technologies, interfaces is nonstarter providers.