The Email They Shouldn't Have Read

A system administrator shares a cautionary tale about migrating public institutions from Exchange to an open-source email stack. After successfully deploying the solution, multiple agencies attempted to leave their expensive managed service provider. The vendor retaliated by exploiting hidden contract clauses, potentially accessing client emails to sabotage migrations, and threatening legal action. Despite being open-source software, the provider claimed exclusive installation rights and increased costs by 30% for agencies trapped in contracts. The story illustrates how predatory business practices and vendor lock-in can corrupt even open-source solutions.