The Belitsoft custom software development company introduces a guide for startup founders, CTOs, and procurement managers in the U.S. and Europe. It gives a list of the top 10 .NET skills to look for when picking an outsourcing partner in 2026. The company utilizes its 20 years of experience in FinTech, healthcare, eLearning, insurance, and automotive projects to explain why certain skills are important in these areas and how skilled vendors can provide more value for your money.
According to recent reports, automation and better tools are changing the way development works. For instance, VentureBeat reports that Microsoft has integrated AI agents into GitHub Copilot to automatically update .NET and Java applications, a task that previously took months to accomplish. Microsoft stated that utilizing these tools to upgrade a .NET 6 application to .NET 8 resulted in an 88% reduction in manual migration work in one instance.
TechRepublic says that AI will level the coding field by 2026. This implies that teams capable of handling the entire software lifecycle, from strategy and domain-driven decisions to execution and ongoing oversight, will have an edge over their competitors. Outsourcing remains very popular, though. Research shows that 92% of the world’s 2,000 largest companies already outsource IT services, and by 2025, the world will spend more than $588 billion on IT outsourcing.
A deep understanding of the latest .NET platform is the most important thing for any .NET outsourcing company. .NET 10, the most recent Long-Term Support release, will be the standard by 2026. Microsoft calls .NET 10 the most modern, productive, secure, smart, and fast version of .NET to date. It has C# 14 and big improvements in security and performance. To keep old apps running and improve them, outsourcing teams need to know about .NET 10 (which was released in late 2025) as well as .NET 7, 8, and 9. In fact, .NET Conf 2025 demonstrated how .NET 10 evolved rapidly by showcasing how 23,000 pull requests and thousands of developers contributed to it.
Find vendors that have certified .NET developers and a history of working with the most recent version of .NET. They should know how to write asynchronous, cloud-optimized C# code and utilize the entire .NET Base Class Library. Businesses that do not keep up with the latest .NET versions may be using outdated methods. Microsoft’s .NET team says that .NET 10 is intended to be a full development platform that businesses can trust, so your partner should be familiar with all of its features.
2. ASP.NET Core and Web/Microservices Architecture
Web services remain a core use-case for .NET, so a vendor must be an expert in ASP.NET Core – Microsoft’s modern web framework. Outsourcing teams should be able to build secure, high-performance APIs and MVC or minimal-web applications in ASP.NET Core. The .NET 10 launch included important ASP.NET Core updates, so verifying that your team knows these improvements is crucial.
This includes mastery of Razor pages, Web API controllers, routing, middleware, and authentication schemes. They should also be familiar with microservices patterns, such as breaking up applications into separate services and using ASP.NET Core for each one. They should also know how to use Docker and Kubernetes to manage them, which can be done through Azure Kubernetes Service or AWS EKS. .NET Conf 2025 stated that successful .NET solutions now use both containers and cloud services. So, ask candidates how they use ASP.NET Core in a microservices or containerized architecture.
Today’s .NET applications often include rich, browser-based interfaces. A dedicated .NET team needs to know how to use Blazor, Microsoft’s framework for making interactive web user interfaces with C# instead of JavaScript. Blazor (both Server and WebAssembly flavors) received major enhancements in .NET 10. Find developers who have built large Blazor applications. They should know how to design components, bind data, manage state, and work with JavaScript libraries when necessary. Blazor makes it easier for .NET teams to build the front end because they can use C# across the stack. In addition, they can ensure that their partner can work with other common web front-end technologies, such as React or Angular, for complex UIs, and integrate them with ASP.NET Core back-ends. A modern full-stack .NET skill set is the key. Microsoft states that .NET 10 was made to run things like Blazor WebAssembly apps, including Microsoft’s own Copilot Studio. A top outsourcing team will leverage this trend by delivering polished, dynamic web interfaces using Blazor or equivalent technology.
Mobile and cross-platform support is essential for many businesses. Since Xamarin has given way to .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI), a leading .NET vendor must be proficient in MAUI development (targeting iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS from one codebase). MAUI became fully integrated in .NET 6 and continued to improve in .NET 10. Ask candidates about building apps in .NET MAUI or Xamarin (if MAUI is too new in some regions). They should know how to use XAML, create layouts that work on all devices, and use platform-specific services such as the camera, GPS, and local storage. If your project requires native mobile apps or desktop clients, you need to be able to work on more than one platform. For instance, car companies often need mobile diagnostic apps, and healthcare may require patient tools that work on tablets. A good .NET partner will be able to use MAUI to build and maintain these apps, ensuring that code can be reused and that users have the same experience on all devices.
Almost all important .NET projects will be in the cloud (Azure, AWS, or other services) by 2026. Find outsourcers who are experts at developing cloud-native .NET applications. They should know about Azure services like Azure App Services, Functions, Container Apps, and Kubernetes Service, as well as general cloud concepts like IaaS vs. PaaS, autoscaling, and cloud databases. The main talk at the .NET Conf 2025 cloud event was about Azure Container Apps, AKS, and Azure Functions, as well as more advanced topics like testing and security. Your partner needs to have worked with deploying ASP.NET Core and .NET apps to the cloud (especially Azure, since it works well with .NET) and managing databases (like Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, and so on).
DevOps is just as important. It includes Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions for continuous integration and delivery pipelines. To make sure that updates are deployed quickly and reliably, an outsourcing company should automate building, testing, and deploying. Ask about their CI/CD processes and version control practices.
Companies that invest in infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform or ARM templates for Azure) and automated testing will get more out of their investments. A skilled team uses DevOps methods to reduce maintenance time, which can take up to 40% of development resources, and devote more effort to new ideas. In short, cloud and DevOps expertise – including containers, serverless, and automated pipelines – is a must-have skill for 2026 .NET outsourcing.
AI is changing software delivery. A top .NET vendor in 2026 should leverage AI to boost productivity and quality. For instance, Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot now has AI agents that help you rewrite and modernize your code. Teams familiar with these tools can cut development time dramatically – Microsoft saw migrations to newer .NET versions complete in hours instead of weeks. Check to see if the outsourcing company uses AI-powered tools to help with coding, review code automatically, and test code. They should also have machine learning skills relevant to .NET: knowledge of ML.NET for built-in data modeling, and experience integrating Azure Cognitive Services or other AI APIs. Businesses in finance and insurance expect their software to utilize AI to figure out risks or gain more insight into customers. According to Deloitte, insurers that use AI see significant gains in pricing accuracy and customer experience. A vendor that can implement ML models or integrate third-party AI APIs (while ensuring compliance and ethics) will give you a competitive edge.
You cannot simply think about security later. Check to see that your outsourcing partner knows how to keep .NET secure. They should be familiar with OWASP guidelines, know how to keep data secure (like by encrypting it and tokenizing it), and how to log in securely, like with OAuth and OpenID Connect. The team must follow rules like GDPR, HIPAA (for healthcare), PCI DSS (for finance), and rules that are specific to their industry because many .NET applications handle private information. Inquire about their proficiency in secure coding, threat modeling, and penetration testing. Also, ensure that they utilize security measures in their development pipelines, such as scanning dependencies and analyzing static code. Gartner and Deloitte say that data breaches and fines for non-compliance can halt projects in their tracks. That’s why you should only work with teams that prioritize security from the outset. To ensure your apps remain secure over time, top .NET developers will also keep up with updates, such as quickly addressing issues in third-party libraries.
A good .NET outsourcing firm should possess beyond technical expertise, a deep understanding of your industry’s domain. Different applications require different kinds of technology. For instance, fintech apps need to be knowledgeable about financial services, have low latency, and be very secure. Healthcare software must comply with HIPAA regulations and medical data standards, including FHIR/HL7. It also has to be able to work with devices in real-time. Video streaming, interactive interfaces, and the ability to handle many users at once are all things that eLearning systems need. For insurance projects, you need to perform actuarial calculations, manage policies, and assess risks. Automotive solutions may require IoT connectivity, telematics, and software that is built into the car. Vendors who have worked in your field before will be able to get started right away.
* FinTech and Banking: Banks spend most of their IT budget (over 60%) on “run-the-bank” maintenance, so they outsource to innovate. A .NET team for fintech should know how to process payments, connect blockchain and payments, and follow the rules for financial data. They need to use .NET to process transactions safely (ASP.NET Core is very popular with banks) and Azure or AWS to stay compliant (for example, Azure Policy and encrypted storage). Look for case studies of the vendor working on trading platforms, mobile banking apps, or blockchain proof-of-concepts.
* Healthcare: Healthcare software often involves electronic health records (EHR) and telemedicine. Outsourcers should know how to use FHIR and HL7 to share data and how to connect medical devices, using either .NET on Windows IoT or Linux. It is very important to have experience with healthcare data governance. According to the HBR, healthcare generally dislikes “tech disruption” because it is hard to understand and privacy concerns. That’s why it’s essential to work with a vendor who knows the business, such as a big hospital system or a new digital health company.
* eLearning: Online learning platforms need to support a wide variety of media types. A .NET team should know how to develop learning management systems that utilize ASP.NET Core for the backend and Blazor or SPA frameworks for the frontend. If you know how to stream videos, administer quizzes in real-time, and use educational content standards such as SCORM and xAPI, that’s a plus. Cloud skills, such as Azure Media Services, ensure that content can be distributed to a large number of people. The growth in eLearning (projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars by mid-decade) necessitates that the platform must scale elastically.
* Insurance: More and more, the insurance industry is using AI to speed up the underwriting process and make policies more personalized. Look for .NET developers who have built policy administration systems or claims management portals. They should know how to perform actuarial modeling and how to use AI and machine learning to determine risks. It’s essential to be aware of ACORD insurance standards and the measures to safeguard documents. Since carriers are under pressure to increase efficiency, a good partner will offer ways to speed up quotes, claims processing, and customer service through workflows based on .NET.
* Automotive: Automotive software covers a wide range of tasks, from managing dealerships to providing entertainment in cars. A .NET vendor might create applications for car dealerships, backends for connected cars, or tools for analyzing vehicle data. You can connect telemetry and perform remote diagnostics if you know how to use C#, .NET Core, and Azure IoT Hub.
In short, your outsourcing partner should be able to show you case studies or certifications that are relevant to your field. Their ability to tailor their .NET skills to the needs of your industry can make or break the project.
Most businesses already have .NET or obsolete systems that need to be updated or combined with new ones. A good outsourcing team will know how to turn legacy .NET Framework or even non-.NET code into modern .NET architectures. Keep in mind that up to 40% of development resources are often used to keep old systems running. Vendors who are good at making upgrades quickly can save a lot of time and work. In 2025, Microsoft demonstrated AI-driven modernization by having a .NET team complete what would have taken months of manual porting in just a few hours. AI tools are useful, but the team still needs to know how to break down and rewrite code. Find out how they handle moving from .NET Framework to .NET Core/10, how they keep things backward compatible, and how they connect .NET components with other technologies like SAP, Salesforce, or old databases. A vendor that excels at integration (web APIs, messaging buses, middleware) will ensure that your .NET solution works well with other systems.
Last but not least, process and soft skills are important. Your partner in outsourcing should use agile project management, which includes delivering in small steps, having daily stand-ups, and keeping track of progress in a clear manner. For collaboration to work, you need to be able to talk to each other in English and in your time zone. On the technical side, they should deliver more value for the same budget by using efficiency practices. For example, BCG observes that banks often struggle to free up resources for innovation because the majority of IT spend is tied to maintenance. A savvy .NET vendor will reallocate effort to new features by automating repetitive work.
In fact, Microsoft’s case studies found that companies using AI agents can modernize multiple apps far faster, yielding significant ROI. When you’re negotiating, look for partners who can show you productivity metrics, such as the number of developer-hours it takes to build a feature, the level of automated test coverage, or how quickly they have delivered in the past. Companies that spend money on developer tools, code reuse, and continuous deployment can accomplish more for the same amount of money. Also, make sure they have clear ways to communicate, such as daily updates and direct access to leads, and that everyone agrees on what “done” means and what quality standards are.
About the Author:
Dmitry Baraishuk is a partner and Chief Innovation Officer at a software development company Belitsoft (a Noventiq company). He has been leading a department specializing in custom software development for 20 years. The department has hundreds of successful projects in AI software development, healthcare and finance IT consulting, application modernization, cloud migration, data analytics implementation, and more for startups and enterprises in the US, UK, and Canada.
