Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018, the latest version of the company’s SMB ERP solution, has reached general availability.
NAV 2018 is expected to be the penultimate release under the NAV brand name (NAV 2018 R2 is still expected in the first half of calendar year 2018). The product will continue to evolve, Microsoft has advised, but it will be rebranded and adapted to serve as the basis for the cloud-first offering known by codename Dynamics 365 “Tenerife”.
Access to the new software and supporting materials appears to be limited to partners via PartnerSource. Several MVPs and NAV experts have shared already noted the launch today. Aleksandar Totovic notes that Microsoft has made available the W1 release and 22 localized versions.
NAV 2018 provides core application updates like navigation and setup changes and the introduction of an Employee Ledger; and platform enhancements like better Office 365 experiences, compatibility with Flow, and improved Excel templates.
Microsoft’s decision to release NAV 2018 was made in September at a moment of product roadmap whiplash. After first making a surprise announcement that the company would not release a NAV update in 2017 so the team could focus on a Dynamics 365 “Tenerife” release in 2018, Microsoft reconsidered, choosing to move ahead with today’s NAV 2018 release and making plans for a NAV 2018 R2 release in early 2018.
Microsoft plans to launch Dynamics 365 Tenerife in Spring 2018 as a SaaS offering and business application platform for ISVs.