SAS 9.4M8 was released to address the modern security landscape, specifically moving away from older dependencies Support Lifecycle:
: While not "cloud-native" like Viya, M8 is "cloud-friendly." It features improved deployment tools that make it easier for organizations to lift and shift their SAS 9 environments into providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
Here is the business rationale for SAS 9.4M8:
is the eighth and likely final major maintenance release for the SAS 9.4 lifecycle. SAS Institute has signaled that future innovations will occur primarily in SAS Viya (their cloud-native platform). However, M8 ensures that on-premises SAS 9.4 users receive a host of updates to keep them productive and secure for years to come.