How do you avoid vendor lock-in with automation platforms?

Vendor lock-in is real with enterprise automation platforms, but manageable with the right architecture.

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Lock-in happens through proprietary configuration languages, platform-specific connectors, custom extensions that don't migrate, and data accumulating in platform databases. If you build 50 automations on one platform, switching means rewriting them.

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Roborana mitigates this in several ways.

Modular design: automations are built individually so they can be moved one at a time rather than requiring a full migration.

Documentation: process logic is documented separately from the platform, so it can be rebuilt elsewhere if needed.

API-based integration: connecting systems via APIs rather than proprietary connectors makes the integration layer more portable.

Avoiding over-customisation: staying close to standard platform features reduces dependency on proprietary capabilities.

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The honest view: some lock-in is acceptable. If UiPath or Power Automate delivers consistent value at reasonable cost, that dependency is not inherently problematic. The risk is a vendor drastically raising prices or discontinuing features you rely on. For major platforms, this is unlikely but worth planning for.

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We also recommend negotiating data export rights into contracts, so you can retrieve your automation definitions and data if you ever need to leave.