The Walled Garden That's Lovely Until It Isn't: Avoiding Vendor Lock-In in School IT

For almost 500 years, the Forbidden City in Beijing was the ultimate walled garden. A vast complex of over 900 buildings, it was designed to be entirely self-contained — a city within a city. It had its own water supply, workshops, storage, even its own palace postal system. On the surface, it was a marvel of control, beauty, and order.

But it came at a cost. No one could leave or enter freely. Innovation slowed. Decisions took longer. And when the outside world changed — through trade, war, or technology — the Forbidden City found itself increasingly isolated. Its strength became its weakness.

It’s not unlike what happens in some school IT environments. Neatly packaged solutions from a single provider can feel reassuring. Everything “just works,” the support line is familiar, and someone else takes care of the complexity. It’s tempting. But this kind of setup can easily tip into something more restrictive.

Vendor lock-in starts subtly - perhaps with a proprietary filtering platform that only works on certain devices, or a school network built in a way that no other provider can easily support. Over time, changing course becomes difficult, expensive, or both. Decisions become dictated by the system rather than by the school’s needs.

In contrast, a well-run managed service should feel more like a partnership than a walled garden. The best providers work with schools, not just for them. Systems are built using open standards and documented in ways that give the school freedom. Contracts include clear exit clauses, and infrastructure is designed to be portable - not just convenient today, but sustainable tomorrow.

We support schools and trusts through these decisions all the time - helping them select managed service providers who understand education, avoid lock-in, and offer long-term value. When it's done well, the relationship becomes a genuine partnership: flexible, transparent, and aligned to the school’s goals.

The Forbidden City may have been impressive, but it’s no longer fit for purpose. In a world that’s changing fast, your IT shouldn’t be a fortress - it should be a gateway.