Vendor lock-in is a problem that costs companies and public institutions a great deal of money and manpower. this cost may not be apparent initially but when a technology solution does not involve open standards it not only means that the whole process relies on a single company or its products. This situation turns any process involving that product into a black box that cannot be opened or re-configured (legally) if needed by anyone other that the company or individual that created it. Open standards still allow companies to create products using the open standards and charge money for their products and services but they also allow the users of the products to be able to utilize what they purchase to the fullest and still make use of the product if the company dissolves (read the papers if you don't think that will happen). Private sector companies may not want to jump on the open standards bandwagon maybe due to deals with software vendor for sponsorship, license royalties, etc., however, our government and the reaffirmation of willingness to be transparent should at least start be using open standards that ensure interoperability between technology solutions.