Building intelligent systems to supercharge your business.

Building Your First AI-Powered .NET Application

Many organisations are exploring AI but don’t know where to start with actual implementation. This guide walks through building a production-ready AI feature in a .NET application using Azure OpenAI.

Why Azure OpenAI for .NET Developers

Azure OpenAI provides enterprise-grade AI capabilities with familiar .NET tooling, Azure AD authentication, and compliance features Australian businesses require. Unlike direct OpenAI API access, you get:

• Data residency in Australian datacentres
• Azure’s security and compliance frameworks
• Integration with existing Azure infrastructure
• Cost management and monitoring through Azure Portal

Setting Up Your Environment

First, provision an Azure OpenAI resource in your Azure subscription. You’ll need:

The AI Audit: What Actually Gets Assessed

“We want to use AI but don’t know where to start” is the most common phrase I hear from organisations. An AI audit cuts through the hype to deliver actionable insights about your actual readiness and opportunities.

What Makes a Good AI Audit

A proper AI audit isn’t about ticking boxes or selling you on the latest AI trend. It’s about understanding three critical questions:

1. Where could AI genuinely improve your business?
2. What’s actually feasible with your current infrastructure?
3. What’s the realistic path to get there?

Let’s break down each area.

Azure Container Apps vs AKS: Which One for Your .NET Application?

“Should we use Container Apps or AKS?” is the question I get most often from teams looking to containerise their .NET applications. The answer isn’t straightforward, but here’s how to decide.

The Core Difference

Azure Container Apps is a fully managed container platform built on Kubernetes but abstracting away cluster management.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) gives you direct control over a Kubernetes cluster.

Think of it like: Container Apps is managed WordPress hosting, AKS is running your own VPS with full root access.