Dynamics 365 Business Central is a continuation of the world-famous Dynamics NAV system. Microsoft still provides technical support for some versions of Dynamics NAV, but it must be borne in mind that support will be discontinued in the coming years. In addition, there are other advantages to upgrading to the latest version, which we present in this article.
- Dynamics NAV 2016 – April 13, 2021 – end of basic support
- Dynamics NAV 2017 – January 11, 2022 – end of basic support
- Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 – January 9, 2023 – end of technical support
- Dynamics NAV 2013 – January 10, 2023 – end of technical support
- Dynamics NAV 2018 – January 10, 2023 – end of basic support
- Dynamics NAV 2018 R2 – January 10, 2023 – end of basic support
- Dynamics NAV 2015 – January 14, 2025 – end of support
- Dynamics NAV 2016 – April 14, 2026 – end of technical support
Benefits of switching to Business Central
Dynamics 365 Business Central offers a modern user interface as well as updated and improved functionalities. The system receives a major update twice a year, which provides a lot of new improvements. The list of new functionalities and improvements is available at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365-release-plan/2020wave2/smb/dynamics365-business-central/planned-features
In addition to numerous updates, it is worth noting that the system is fully flexible and can be modified to meet your specific needs. Introducing new personalized functionalities can be done using the open API and the “Extenstions” technology. In addition, you can expand the system’s capabilities using the AppSource application store available at: https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/apps?product=dynamics-365%3Bdynamics-365-business-central&page=1
Moreover, it is worth noting that Business Central is available in the on-premises model known from Dynamics NAV (as a local installation). However, the SaaS version can be used as an alternative. Thus, the issues related to ensuring the proper operation of the infrastructure entirely lie with the service provider (i.e. with Microsoft). Relying on the Azure cloud, Microsoft ensures service availability of 99.9%.
Another advantage is the much more convenient updates, which in the case of Dynamics 365 Business Central online can be performed automatically (of course, at the time the user decides about it). No need to engage technical support.