End of Support – Dynamics NAV. Should you be worried?
If you are using Microsoft Dynamics Navision, you must be aware by now that Dynamics NAV 2016 will move out of Mainstream Support in April 2021 with NAV 2017 following in January 2022. The reasonable option here is to opt for Dynamics 365 Business Central, but is that the optimal solution for everyone?
In this blog, we will discuss product lifecycle implications and the potential impact your organization may experience as you upgrade from NAV to Business Central.
NAV Support Lifecycle Start and End Dates
As you can see by the table below, anything older than NAV 2015 is out of Mainstream Support and NAV 2016 Mainstream Support is ending in April 2021.
What is Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Support?
The lifecycle support categories are:
- Mainstream Support – the product will receive new features, security updates and non-security updates
- Extended Support – the product will only receive security updates
- Beyond End of Support – no updates of any kind
As Dynamics NAV 2016 moves to Extended Support, there will be no possibility to request any design changes, warranty support or new features during this phase. Self-help support (Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources) will be available at least twelve months after the end of the extended support phase. Paid support, which for Dynamics is typically provided by channel partners, is available based upon an individual partner’s discretion.
Contact NICerp for reliable support from industry leaders.
What happens when Mainstream support ends?
After your mainstream support comes to an end, you will likely be eligible to get extended support. In the extended support, only security updates will be available. If your solution still meets your needs, then you should be fine relying on the extended support.
You might run into challenges integrating with new technologies. Most common examples of such challenging integrations are Flow, PowerApps and Outlook integrations that would otherwise help increase the productivity.
The level of risk increases drastically once you reach Beyond End of Support phase. At this stage, security updates will come to an end, and it would be difficult to find partners who can provide support. Also, the pool of resources available to provide that support is simply not as large as it is with more current versions of Microsoft Dynamics.
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So, what does this all mean to you?
If you are a NAV user, at some point in coming years you are going to realize that the move to Business Central is inevitable. Depending on the version you are using, and the extent of your support you will have to decide soon enough. You will have the following 3 choices:
- Move To Business Central now, this will include support for as long as you’re subscribed.
- Move later: Upgrade to Dynamics NAV 2018 first, then move to Business Central at a later date.
- Stay with Dynamics NAV 2017 until mainstream support ends in January 2022
Check out our resources for 5 Reasons Why You Need ERP Upgrade In 2021, 5 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade to Business Central, 5 Reasons Why You Should Stay on Dynamics NAV and more to make an informed decision.
NICerp has a dedicated team that provide reliable support, experience expertise, affordable tailored solutions. Get in touch with us today.
