Articles
| Open Access | Evolutionary Pathways in Legacy System Modernization: Strategic, Organizational, and Technological Dimensions of ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core Migration
Edward M. Ashcroft , Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, CanadaAbstract
The Legacy system modernization has emerged as one of the most persistent and complex challenges in contemporary information systems research and practice, particularly as organizations confront accelerating technological change, heightened performance expectations, and expanding digital ecosystems. Within this broad modernization discourse, the evolution from ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core represents a critical and illustrative case of platform-level transformation that encapsulates not only technical refactoring but also profound organizational, architectural, and strategic reorientation. This research article develops a comprehensive, theory-driven examination of legacy system migration through the specific lens of ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core evolution, situating this transition within wider scholarly debates on system modernization, organizational adaptation, risk governance, and long-term operational value creation. Drawing exclusively on established academic literature, including a recent IEEE conference contribution that systematically analyzes the tools, strategies, and implementation approaches underpinning the ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core transition, this study constructs an integrative analytical framework that bridges software engineering practices with organizational and policy considerations (Valiveti,
2025).
The discussion section advances a critical synthesis that positions ASP.NET Core migration as both a technological evolution and a socio-technical transformation, engaging with counterarguments that question the cost-benefit balance of large-scale modernization initiatives. By systematically addressing these critiques, the article articulates a set of theoretically informed implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. The study concludes by outlining a forward-looking research agenda that calls for deeper empirical investigation into post-migration value realization, governance models, and the role of artificial intelligence in adaptive modernization strategies (Hughes & Patel, 2020).
Keywords
Legacy system modernization, ASP.NET Core migration, software architecture evolution, organizational change
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Copyright (c) 2025 Edward M. Ashcroft
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