Your classic car still runs… but it’s not performing as well as it used to
Your trusted Navision environment feels like a classic car: rugged, nostalgic, and a faithful companion for years. But just as classic motorcycles aren’t built for today’s speed, safety, and technology, your NAV system is finding it increasingly difficult to keep up in a market that’s becoming faster, more digital, and more demanding.
With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central You'll switch to a modern, cloud-based platform that's ready for the race of today—and tomorrow.
Why Your NAV Classic Is Gradually Reaching Its Limits
Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision) was ahead of its time. However, its SaaS successor on the Dynamics 365 platform is built for today and tomorrow. By switching from NAV or Navision to the latest version— Business Central – You can minimize these risks:
Reduced performance
Business Central is a future-proof solution.
Support will end before 2028
Plan a safe upgrade to Business Central well in advance.
Limited support for Peppol
Business Central fully supports digital invoicing.
It is more difficult to comply with NIS2
Outdated software poses significant security risks.
Insufficient ESG reporting or updates
Business Central helps companies operate in a more transparent and accountable manner.
Developers are becoming scarce
Fewer and fewer experts have in-depth experience with the old ERP solution.
Download the e-book
Plan Your Upgrade to Business Central
Your NAV system has been running reliably for years. We’ll make sure you transition smoothly to the power and speed of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Without a hitch and with guidance at every stage of the process.
In this e-book, we compare the 3 upgrade paths and we share best practices based on more than 100 upgrades. This will give you insight into the factors that influence the cost of an upgrade and how you can keep that cost as low as possible.
The 3 upgrade paths — choose your route to pole position
Not every organization wants to or is able to follow the same path. Depending on your organization’s past implementation and current business processes, one particular upgrade method will be a better fit for your organization.
To help your organization get started quickly, Alistar has developed several pre-designed upgrade paths—such as Three Ways to Upgrade Your Car:
Option 1: New Install
You're starting with a new car.
Default preferred route
If you have made few customizations or if your business processes closely resemble the standard workflows available in Business Central, we recommend a reimplementation.
Ideal for:
- Organizations with little customization.
- Companies that want to modernize and standardize.
- Organizations with little need for historical data.
Option 2: Clean Start
You keep the chassis and start over.
Alternative route regarding data retention
Instead of redeveloping your custom solution, we use standard features and supplement them with powerful ISV apps and modular extensions.
Ideal for:
- Companies that value their data.
- Get the most out of standard and ISV apps.
- I want to convert only the most essential custom features into a modular customer extension.
Option 3: Full Upgrade
Completely restore your classic car, including the engine.
Alternative Route in strategic custom solutions
The customizations in your NAV or Navision give you a competitive advantage. They are closely integrated with your business flows or operational processes, and you definitely don't want to change them.
Ideal for:
- Organizations for which customization is a strategic advantage
- Companies with deeply intertwined processes.
- There is a budget to further develop these changes.
What are the benefits of Business Central?
Business Central is more than just an upgrade… It’s a new engine behind your organization:
- Modern Cloud ERP, always up to date
- Lower maintenance costs (no local servers, no large patches)
- Built-in AI & Copilot
- Deep integration with the productivity apps within Microsoft 365
- Mobile, secure and scalable
- 2 large updates per year, worry-free
In short: where NAV had old-school charm, Business Central delivers pure performance.
Want to know what Business Central really costs you?
With our cost calculator, you’ll immediately get a transparent overview and an accurate estimate of the implementation– and license fees.
Fill in the online survey Sign up, and we’ll send you your personalized report within a few days. Make an informed choice and build a future-proof ERP ecosystem.
The Way to Upgrade — from start to finish:
Upgrading from NAV to Business Central requires more than just a technical migration. That’s why we take a well-thought-out, step-by-step approach that minimizes risks, ensures business continuity, and leaves room for optimization where it really matters.
1. Analysis of NAV
We analyze your current NAV version, customizations, data, and integrations to determine the appropriate scope.
2. Upgrade Process
Together, we'll determine the most appropriate upgrade path, tailored to your goals and context.
3. Data & Customization
Data is cleaned, and custom solutions are evaluated: retain, optimize, or replace.
4. Migration & Testing
The migration is being carried out in phases and is being thoroughly tested to minimize risks.
5. Go-Live & Support
We train users, oversee the go-live, and provide support after the upgrade.
What about customizations in legacy implementations?
Every company—and, consequently, almost every NAV or Navision implementation—is unique. While these systems allowed for a great deal of extensive customization and tailoring, we know from experience that…
40%
needs to be redeveloped
20%
is no longer used
15%
can be solved using standard apps
10%
consists of reports that can be created today using standard BI tools
5%
his integrations
Customer Testimonial: Herman Desserts
“Storing all your data on a local server involves too many risks”
After successfully transforming from a catering business into a dessert manufacturer, Herman Desserts reached another milestone: migrating its IT environment from a server to the cloud.
“With today’s security guarantees, you can feel more confident entrusting your company’s IT environment to the cloud. Our growth is living proof that this approach works.”
Ready to take it to the next level?
Request your upgrade here, and together we'll go through this checklist:
Discover the upgrade process for your organization
Together with our experts, we’ll discuss your challenges, goals, and current solution, and determine which upgrade method is best for your business.
Analyze your current solution and needs
Together with your IT team and management, we'll assess your existing solution, including its dependencies, security requirements, and usage.
Define outcomes and set priorities
Identify the business processes you want to address and the desired outcomes. We’ll outline the benefits your organization as a whole can expect.
Schedule the upgrade process
We develop a personalized plan for the upgrade process and the steps to be taken. This way, we keep the impact on business operations to a minimum.
Be sure to check out these articles as well:
Upgrading Navision is necessary to remain compliant with Peppol or ESG
Upgrading to Business Central offers numerous benefits, especially when it comes to compliance with e-invoicing via Peppol or… Read More
Navision Risks Related to NIS 2 Regulations
Using older versions of Dynamics NAV or Navision poses significant security risks, especially in light of… Read More
Dynamics NAV and Navision experts are becoming scarce
At Alistar, we still have the necessary expertise in Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Navision. However, we strongly recommend that companies… Read More
Dynamics NAV is nearing the end of its support period: What does this mean for your business?
It is crucial to consider upgrading to Dynamics 365 Business Central, the latest version of Dynamics NAV, or… Read More