Debate: Do data layers just move vendor lock-in up the stack?

This NexusCon 2025 presentation captures a live owner-vendor debate on two questions many FM, IT, and OT leaders are quietly wrestling with: do data layers just move vendor lock-in up the stack—and should owners buy or build their own independent data layer? Panelists from the prior presentations returned to the stage to argue both sides, including perspectives from higher education, enterprise owners, and data infrastructure providers.

Rather than pitching tools, the speakers challenged each other on real contract language, offboarding scenarios, cloud tenancy, and how data actually moves when things break—or vendors churn. The result is a rare, unscripted look at how experienced teams think through risk, ownership, and architecture choices before scaling.

Behind the paywall, you’ll hear what surprised the panelists once they pressure-tested common assumptions like “you own the data,” why CSV exports are often the weak link in offboarding, and how owners are negotiating data rights earlier—before procurement, not after failure. The discussion digs into what didn’t work when teams tried to centralize everything in the cloud, why some data layers belong at the edge, and how SLA ownership and technical debt quietly shape buy-vs-build decisions.

This recording is especially valuable for any FM, EM, or OT leader who doesn’t have Amazon- or Google-scale resources but still needs a defensible long-term strategy. If you’re trying to avoid lock-in without overbuilding—or figure out where neutrality actually matters—this debate will sharpen your thinking fast.

Watch the full recording inside Nexus Pro →