If you want to go for the least step up from where you are, move to version 10 and stay on IEE instead of Aurena.  But as soon as you do the upgrade, you’ll be back into the extended support model for 10 very shortly. 

If you want to get more towards the front of the line, go to Cloud, but it is a really big step.

Staying on V9 (for us) was too big of a business risk (lots of compliance issues that would be more expensive to support) and the extended support charge was also a prohibitive state to be in.

It took a good 6 months of building a business case why upgrading was the right choice even if on a short cycle to convince our management that upgrading now was the best path.

Only if your business is static and has a small footprint in IFS that would allow remaining on V9 for a bit without future growth damage, then maybe not upgrading is an option.  For us, the need to expand the business and remain compliant with all legal requirements in all countries means upgrading is a must, sooner rather than later.

Thanks for your comments - What compliance issue did you find apps 9 did not cover?

In Italy for example, the requirements for invoicing external suppliers changed at the beginning of 2022.  This requires a patch to update V9 to be compliant with Italian law.  After extended support ends, the development of those sorts of patches becomes a fully custom endeavor by whichever customer requires it.  That can get expensive and slow real quick.  It isn’t that V9 is non-compliant now, it is the future proofing the ability to maintain compliance that comes into question.