You can still run Dynamics NAV after the end of support, but doing so safely is a different matter. Microsoft ended mainstream support for all versions of Dynamics NAV in 2018 and extended support for the last version, NAV 2018, in January 2023. That means no more security patches, no compliance updates, and no official help from Microsoft if something breaks. Whether it is safe enough for your organisation depends on your risk tolerance, regulatory environment, and how long you plan to stay on the platform. The sections below walk through the key questions you need to answer before making that call.
What does ‘end of support’ actually mean for Dynamics NAV users?
End of support means Microsoft has stopped releasing updates, security patches, and bug fixes for your version of Dynamics NAV. It does not mean the software stops working. Your system will continue to run, but from the moment support ends, any vulnerability discovered in the software will remain unpatched. Microsoft will not fix it, and you are on your own.
There are two phases to Microsoft’s support lifecycle. Mainstream support covers the full range of updates, including new features, non-security fixes, and warranty claims. Extended support narrows that down to security patches only. Once extended support ends, both phases are gone. For Dynamics NAV 2018, that endpoint was January 2023. Earlier versions have been out of both phases for longer.
In practical terms, this means your IT team or partner cannot raise a support ticket with Microsoft for NAV-related issues. Any customisations, integrations, or third-party add-ons built on top of NAV may also drift out of compatibility over time, particularly as the systems around NAV continue to evolve.
What are the real risks of running Dynamics NAV without support?
The real risks of running Dynamics NAV without support fall into three categories: security exposure, compliance gaps, and operational fragility. Each carries its own consequences, and they tend to compound over time rather than stay static.
Security exposure
Without security patches, any vulnerability found in NAV after the end of support date stays open indefinitely. Attackers actively target legacy systems precisely because they know patches will not come. If your NAV environment handles financial data, customer records, or supply chain information, that exposure is not theoretical. It is a live risk that grows with every passing month.
Compliance and regulatory risk
Depending on your industry and geography, running unsupported software may put you in breach of data protection regulations, financial reporting standards, or sector-specific requirements. Auditors increasingly flag legacy ERP environments as a control weakness. If your organisation operates across multiple countries, the regulatory picture becomes more complex, not less.
Operational fragility
NAV was not built to run forever alongside modern cloud services, updated operating systems, and evolving third-party applications. As the ecosystem around it changes, integration failures, performance issues, and compatibility problems become more likely. When they occur, fixing them without vendor support is slower and more expensive.
Can you legally and compliantly keep running Dynamics NAV?
Yes, you can legally continue using Dynamics NAV after the end of support. Your licence does not expire when support does. However, legal permission to run the software and compliance with your broader regulatory obligations are two separate questions, and the second one is where organisations run into difficulty.
If your industry requires you to demonstrate that your systems are secure and up to date, running unsupported software creates a gap in that argument. GDPR, for example, requires organisations to implement appropriate technical measures to protect personal data. Running a system that no longer receives security updates makes it harder to demonstrate that standard is being met. The same logic applies to financial services regulations, ISO certifications, and other frameworks that include technology controls.
The honest answer is that the compliance risk is not uniform. A small organisation with limited data exposure and no sector-specific regulation faces a different picture than a multinational handling sensitive financial or personal data across regulated markets. Knowing where your organisation sits on that spectrum matters before you decide to stay on NAV.
What’s the difference between extended support, third-party support, and upgrading?
These three options represent different responses to the end of Microsoft’s official support, and they carry very different cost profiles, risk levels, and long-term implications.
Extended support was Microsoft’s own second phase of the support lifecycle, covering security patches only. For Dynamics NAV 2018, that window has now closed. Extended support is no longer an option for any version of NAV.
Third-party support refers to independent vendors who offer ongoing maintenance and issue resolution for legacy ERP systems after the original vendor has stepped away. These providers can patch known vulnerabilities, support integrations, and keep your environment stable. The quality varies significantly between providers, and costs can be substantial. It is a viable short-term bridge, but it does not bring you closer to a modern platform, and the gap between NAV and current Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central functionality continues to widen.
Upgrading or migrating means moving to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the cloud-based successor to NAV. This is not a simple upgrade in the traditional sense. Business Central is a different architecture, and a migration requires proper ERP project management to handle data migration, process redesign, testing, and cutover. It is a more significant investment upfront, but it resolves the security, compliance, and operational fragility issues in a way that the other two options do not.
When should an organisation stop running Dynamics NAV and migrate?
The right time to migrate away from Dynamics NAV is before the risks described above start affecting your operations, not after. In practice, most organisations reach a tipping point when one or more of the following conditions become true.
- A compliance audit or regulatory review flags the unsupported system as a control gap
- A security incident or near-miss is traced back to the legacy environment
- Integration failures with updated surrounding systems become frequent or costly
- The business needs functionality that NAV cannot deliver, and workarounds are creating inefficiency
- The internal team maintaining NAV shrinks, or the knowledge base becomes concentrated in one or two people
If any of these apply, the migration conversation is already overdue. If none apply yet, the question is how long before they do. Planning a migration proactively gives you control over the timeline, the budget, and the scope. Waiting until a crisis forces the decision removes that control.
One of the most useful starting points is a structured assessment of where your organisation actually stands. Before committing to a migration roadmap or budget, it helps to have a clear picture of your current data structures, process dependencies, and system maturity. That baseline shapes everything that follows and prevents costly surprises mid-project. We typically begin with a maturity assessment for exactly this reason, giving organisations clarity before any commitments are made. You can explore our full range of services to see how that fits into the broader transformation journey.
How Optinus helps organisations move on from Dynamics NAV
We work with organisations across the Netherlands, Belgium, and internationally that are running legacy ERP environments and need a structured path forward. Whether you are still assessing the risk or ready to plan a migration to Business Central, we cover the full journey under one roof.
- Maturity assessment to establish a clear baseline of your current systems, processes, and data before any roadmap is committed
- Project and program management with consultants who have hands-on experience from real ERP migrations at leading multinationals, not just methodology frameworks
- Data migration management using rigorous As-Is/To-Be analysis and testing procedures to prevent data loss and protect integrity during the transition
- Cutover management with end-to-end planning and real-time monitoring, including hypercare and aftercare, so operational continuity is never at risk
- Change management to drive genuine user adoption across your organisation, not just deliver training and move on
Ready to understand your options? Get in touch with our team for a no-obligation conversation, or learn more about what we do and how we approach ERP transformations.
