The news
Microsoft will end extended support for Dynamics NAV 2017 on 11 January 2027, according to its lifecycle pages. After that date the ERP software gets no new security updates, no other updates and no free or paid assisted support from Microsoft. Mainstream support for NAV 2017 ended in January 2022.
Other Microsoft products that a NAV server may rely on reach the same point soon after. Windows Server 2016 leaves support on 12 January 2027 and SQL Server 2017 on 12 October 2027. Dynamics NAV 2018, the last NAV release, is supported until 11 January 2028.
Microsoft's route away from NAV leads to Dynamics 365 Business Central. For NAV 2015 to 2018, its documentation describes an upgrade to Business Central version 14 on-premises, then to version 25 or later, and then a move to Business Central online. Customisations written in C/AL have to be converted to AL extensions first. A company that does not want to carry them over can stop at version 14 and use Microsoft's reimplementation tool, still in preview, which moves only essential data such as master data, opening balances and setup.
What it means for you
- From 12 January, any security flaw found in NAV 2017 stays open on your system, and Microsoft will not help if something breaks.
- Moving off NAV takes several steps, including a stop at Business Central 14, so less than three months is a short time.
- Customisations decide the size of the job: each one has to be rewritten as an extension or left behind.
What to do now
- Confirm which NAV version you run, and which Windows Server and SQL Server versions sit under it.
- List the customisations and integrations you rely on, and mark the ones you can drop.
- Ask your partner for a migration plan with a test run in a sandbox before the live move.
- Until you move, limit who can reach the NAV server from outside your network.
How Didset can help
We build ERP systems and integrations, and can help you decide what to move from NAV, what to rebuild and what to retire.
Talk to us about it
