1. OpenTelemetry reduces backend coupling by standardizing how telemetry is generated, described, transported, and processed before it reaches any observability platform.
2. The biggest migration advantage comes from using OpenTelemetry APIs and SDKs, OTLP, and the Collector, which make telemetry pipelines more portable across backends.
3. The Collector is the operational pivot point because it can receive, process, and export telemetry to one or more destinations from a centralized control layer.
4. OpenTelemetry does not eliminate backend migration work, since teams still need to validate dashboards, alerts, queries, retention rules, and other backend-specific workflows.
5. The safest migration approach is incremental: standardize telemetry first, validate both old and new backends, then cut over gradually.