The Executive's Guide to .NET 9

Here's why you should care about this "Engineering Stuff"

So, your .NET  engineers are buzzing about .NET 9, and you're wondering if this is another one of those tech things that'll burn a hole in your budget without adding to the bottom line. Fear not! We're here to give you the lowdown on why .NET 9 is more than just a version number—it's a game-changer for your business.

Productivity on Steroids

First things first: .NET 9 is all about making your developers happier and more productive. Happier developers mean fewer late-night "emergency" pizzas and more features delivered on time. With streamlined workflows and new tools, your team can build, debug, and deploy applications faster than ever.

Performance That Makes Your CFO Smile

Nobody likes slow applications—especially your customers. .NET 9 brings significant performance improvements across the board. We're talking faster startup times, reduced memory usage, and higher throughput.

Translation: Your apps run smoother, handle more users, and maybe even save you some money on server costs. Yes, you can tell your CFO we said that.

.NET Aspire: The Secret Weapon

Meet .NET Aspire, the new toolkit that's like giving your developers a Swiss Army knife for cloud development. It simplifies project management, resource allocation, and microservices. Plus, it provides real-time insights, so your team doesn't have to deploy to production just to find out something's broken. Less downtime, fewer headaches.

AI Integration Without the PhD

Artificial Intelligence isn't just for sci-fi movies anymore; it's driving real business value. .NET 9 introduces Microsoft.Extensions.AI, making it easier to integrate AI into your applications. No need to hire a team of data scientists—your existing developers can add intelligent features without getting lost in complexity.

Cross-Platform Capabilities: One Codebase to Rule Them All

Tired of juggling different codebases for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android? .NET 9's enhancements to .NET MAUI mean your team can build apps for all these platforms from a single codebase. Think of the savings in development time and maintenance. Plus, you get to tell everyone you're leveraging "synergies."

Web Development That's Ready for Tomorrow

If your business relies on web applications, the updates to ASP.NET Core are a big deal. Enhanced security features, built-in OpenAPI support for better API documentation, and performance boosts mean your web apps are more robust and future-proof. Your tech will be ready for whatever the internet throws at it next.

Tools That Supercharge Your Team

Visual Studio and GitHub Copilot have received significant updates. GitHub Copilot is now more context-aware, providing better code suggestions. It's like giving your developers a smart assistant who doesn't take coffee breaks. Improved tooling means fewer bugs and faster delivery times.

The Bottom Line

So, what's in it for you? Faster development cycles, more efficient apps, cost savings, and a tech stack that's ready for the future. Investing in .NET 9 isn't just a tech upgrade; it's a strategic move that can give your company a competitive edge.

A Little Skepticism is Healthy

We get it—every new tech release promises the moon. And yes, .NET 9 is a short-term release, not a Long-Term Support (LTS) version. That might make you wonder if it's worth the investment if it's not sticking around for the long haul.  But with major companies already seeing real benefits from adopting .NET 9, it's worth paying attention. Plus, ignoring the latest tech trends is so 2010, and we wouldn't want you to miss out.

Ready to take the plunge? Your developers probably are. Embracing .NET 9 could be one of the smarter moves you make this year. And who knows? Maybe you'll even get to cut down on those emergency pizza orders.

Darryl Worsham, general manager of GAP's Modernization Business Unit, is a seasoned C-suite executive with 30+ years of experience in product lifecycle management, sales, marketing, engineering and software delivery.