Dynamics NAV 2013 is out of mainstream support. In this article we explain what this means and what the options are for organisations using Dynamics NAV 2013.
Dynamics NAV 2013 was launched 6 years ago, which in technology terms is a fairly long time, with new technology and delivery approaches available can your business rely on a system that will now be standing still?
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For Dynamics NAV 2013 users what does this mean?
The end of mainstream support means that Microsoft has stopped updating Dynamics NAV 2013 and will no longer provide any product updates. Many people assume that since the solution is working for them now that going out of mainstream support is no big deal.
When you think about the number of significant releases, product improvements and security updates that have been made to Dynamics NAV 2013 over the years this becomes significant and represents a huge loss to an organisation. Going out-of-support presents a major risk for organisations using Dynamics NAV 2013.
Dealing with change
Change is inevitable and changes affecting your organisation become harder to deal with when your ERP solution is no longer getting updates. Think of recent changes to tax rules such as ‘Making Tax Digital’ or GDPR. Plus, the eternal pressure to drive efficiencies and reduce costs.
All of these changes in regulations, functionality and needs have a direct impact on your business-critical software products. Continued operation of Dynamics NAV 2013 will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to adhere to these external changes and ultimately this may result in businesses breaching rules and disrupting operations.
What are the options for Dynamics NAV 2013?
You have two options ahead of you – upgrade or stay. If you decide to continue using the system, then the key here is to have a support partner that can give you the confidence you need to continue using the system. One that can deliver the changes and fixes you need to keep your system running, this will become more challenging over time but should extend the lifecycle of your ERP, but this will depend on how much change you expect your business to go through.
When considering upgrading you have a couple of options, but these will depend on how customised your current installation is – you can find out by taking our free customisation assessment here. You can either upgrade to a newer version of Dynamics NAV that is in mainstream support such as Dynamics NAV 2015, or Dynamics NAV 2018.
Or you could look at Dynamics 365 Business Central. Business Central is the new version of Dynamics NAV, it is based in the cloud (on-premise version available) and offers all of the functionality in Dynamics NAV and more. The upgrade path is easy with a number of migration tools available from Microsoft. The benefit of moving to Dynamics 365 can be significant, see our article on building the business case.
The best course of action for your organisation will depend on a number of factors but some action needs to be taken to ensure you are ready for any changes you might face.
To understand more about what this means, your options and the opportunity it presents your business, download our whitepaper on Next Steps for Dynamics NAV or visit our Dynamics NAV hub for more information.