Goodbye Dynamics NAV (Navision), hello Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central? Not quite! A little bit of panic ensued when Microsoft launched Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in 2016, the successor to Dynamics NAV. Even within Microsoft, it seemed, as they initially stumbled over some launch and branding issues. But they are now here with a super strong ERP solution for SMEs, no longer on-premise but cloud-based. And what about Dynamics NAV now? Well, we lent an ear to Mike Morton, General Manager for Dynamics NAV and D365 Business Central at Microsoft Corp.
Future visions and long-term prospects are extremely important within IT. Investments in business software are not planned every six months. They are generally considered ‘long-term investments’. You don't buy and implement an ERP solution for a few months. What about Dynamics NAV customers now? Do I have to switch to Dynamics 365 Business Central soon, or will Microsoft continue to provide support?
- “Microsoft knows that future vision is very important. That's why they've bundled this for you at this link: Microsoft Lifecycle Policy | Microsoft Docs. Here you can discover the lifecycle and support policy for all Microsoft products, including Dynamics NAV.”
- “Dynamics NAV will remain part of the Microsoft roadmap, as far as we can foresee. There is certainly no secret plan to stop releasing new on-premise versions. In other words, Microsoft promises to continue supporting Dynamics NAV. They will continue to develop it and launch new releases.”
- “The on-premise product (Dynamics NAV) and the cloud product (Business Central) are being aligned as much as possible. However, some innovations will only be available for Business Central. For example, the integration with Teams is available for Business Central but not for Dynamics NAV.”
- “We encourage all Dynamics NAV customers to migrate to Business Central at the right time. Most innovations will happen within Business Central. We believe this cloud product offers the best experience and will also be the most cost-effective in the long run.”
Good news for Dynamics NAV customers, then: Microsoft will continue to support it and new versions will still be released. However, Microsoft's focus is on Dynamics 365 Business Central, where the real innovations will happen. Dynamics NAV customers are therefore best advised to prepare for a migration to stay fully up-to-date in the future. Not sure how to get started? Our Scapta consultants are ready to help! They have experience in this and will gladly show you the right way.
Not ready for an ERP migration to the cloud yet? The best short-term strategy is undoubtedly to upgrade to the latest on-premise Dynamics NAV version. This will secure your support for the coming years.
Reassured? Or do you still have ERP questions? Watch the full interview with Mike Morton here. Or ask your questions to Scaptaan Wesley, our Scapta ERP specialist, always ready for you!