Four reasons it’s time to let your Dynamics NAV go

You may not already know (or it may be completely old news, depending on how tuned in you are with tech current affairs), but Microsoft has now officially stopped selling their legacy ERP solution Dynamics NAV to new customers.

How did we get here?

It all started with the release of the new, and undeniably superior, version of Dynamics NAV back in April 2018. Rebranded as Dynamics 365 Business Central, the next-generation software is designed to perform all the duties of Dynamics NAV, while also serving up an abundance of new functionalities, all packaged up in a sleek new interface.

Until then, the popularity of Dynamics NAV had been unrivalled since it first launched in 2005, as evidenced by the fact that more than 200,000 businesses from across the globe collectively have over 3 million NAV users!

Microsoft is not one to leave their faithful customers high and dry, so they have ensured existing users have access to mainstream support and updates for another few years. But even this support has a cut-off point, and we highly recommend planning ahead for your software upgrade.

Here’s why you should get a software upgrade before the lifecycle of your Dynamics NAV comes to an end:

1. You’ll stop getting the support you need

Even the shiniest of Dynamics NAV versions will reach the end of its lifetime sooner or later, now that Microsoft is no longer selling it to new customers.

As a rule of thumb, your Dynamics NAV is guaranteed five years of mainstream support (including mandatory feature updates), after which point you have five more years of extended support (security only) before your solution becomes completely unsupported.

You may be thinking, there’s no need to panic. Over the next few years you will still receive support from a dedicated partner, so you can cross the upgrade bridge when you get to it. However, support for Dynamics NAV will not be around forever, so the sooner you start preparing for the inevitable, the easier the transition will be when the time comes.

2. There are better things out there

Why settle with the functionalities NAV has to offer, when you can switch to the cloud and enjoy an abundance of new features?

An ‘all-in-one business solution’, Business Central offers companies greater flexibility than ever before, allowing them to adapt the software to their individual needs. Think finance, operations, project management and sales, all under one roof. Isn’t that every SME’s dream?

3. It pays to upgrade

Microsoft is offering all existing NAV users a 40% discount on Dynamics 365 Business Central licences to those who upgrade before the end of June 2021. Another reason now is the prime time to boost your business management toolkit with a brand-new software solution.

4. Sometimes it’s good to cut ties with extensions that weigh you down

Let’s face it, you will need to upgrade your software eventually, so why delay the inevitable? Instead, you can turn your switch to Dynamics 365 into an opportunity to review all the functionalities of your current business management software and decide which features you want to keep moving forward. They call it updating, but we also see it as de-cluttering.

Download our Dynamics NAV Upgrade Guide

September 10, 2020